Shugenja

The term ‘Shukenja’ is not open content and so can not be used. Instead, the term Shugenja is used.

Role: Shugenja are “warrior priests” or “bandit monks.” The shugenja accepts a life of hardship and poverty and worships no single god.

Hit Die

d8.

Class Skills

The shugenja’s class skills are Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Ranks Per Level

2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

The following are class features of the shugenja.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Shugenja are proficient with the following armor types: leather, padded, hara-ate, haramaki, jingasa, studded leather. Shugenja have no proficiency with shields.

Shugenja are proficient with the following weapons: hand axe, bo stick, boku-toh, chain, gunsen, jitte, jo stick, kama, kiseru, sai, sling, staff sling, spear, tetsubo, three-piece-rod, tui-fa (tonfa).

Spells

A shugenja casts divine spells, but her spell knowledge is limited, much like that of a sorcerer. A shugenja begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of your choice, plus one 0-level spell and one 1st-level spell that are determined by your school. At each level, the shugenja gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Shugenja Spells Known. One spell of every level is determined by the shugenja’s school; sometimes these spells are normal spells on the shugenja spell list, but often they are additions to the spell list. (Note: The number of spells a shugenja knows is not affected by her Charisma bonus, if any; the numbers on Table: Shugenja Spells Known are fixed.)

A shugenja is limited to casting a certain number of spells of each level per day, but she need not prepare her spells in advance. The number of spells she can cast per day is improved by her bonus spells, if any. For instance, at 1st level, a shugenja can cast four 1st-level spells per day-three for being 1st level (see Table: Shugenja), plus one thanks to the characters high Charisma. However, the character only knows three 1st-level spells: cure light wounds (the school spell of that level), bless, and burning hands (see Table: Shugenja Spells Known). In any given day, the character can cast cure light wounds four times, cast bless four times, cast burning hands four times, or cast some combination of the three spells a total of four times. The character does not have to decide ahead of time which spells he’ll cast.

A shugenja may use a higher-level slot to cast a lower-level spell if she so chooses. For example, if an 8th-level shugenja has used up all her 3rd-level spell slots for the day but wants to cast another one, she could use a 4th-level slot to do so. The spell is still treated as its actual level, not the level of the slot used to cast it.

To learn or cast a spell, a shugenja must have a Charisma score of at least 10 + the spell’s level. The Difficulty Class for saving throws against shugenja spells is 10 + the spell’s level + the shugenja’s Charisma modifier.

Shugenjas do not have spellbooks, instead writing their spells on scraps of paper, wood, cloth or metal, called ofuda. Ofuda serve as divine focus items and must be read from as part of the spellcasting process. Shugenjas can use the Scribe Scroll feat to create magic scrolls that work the same as a wizard’s or cleric’s scrolls.

When casting metamagic spells, remember that the shugenja has not prepared the spell in advance, and is doing so on the spot. The shugenja, therefore, must take more time to cast a metamagic spell than a regular spell. If its normal casting time is 1 action, casting a metamagic spell is a full-round action for a shugenja. For spells with a longer casting time, it takes an extra fullround action to cast the spell. Shugenjas cannot use the Quicken Spell metamagic feat.

Elemental Focus

All shugenjas have a favored element: air, earth, fire, or water. A shugenja’s choice of specialized element is determined by the clan schools in which she studies. At least half the spells a shugenja knows at each spell level must belong to her favored element, and the spell dictated by her school also belongs to that element. This is reflected on Table: Shugenja Spells Known, which indicates how many spells of each level must be spells of the shugenja’s favored element. At 1st level, for example, the shugenja must know at least three 0-level water spells-one water spell determined by her school and two additional water spells, plus two other 0-level spells of any element. She also knows one 1st-level water spell from her school, one additional 1st-level water spell, and one ist-level spell of any element. Shugenjas automatically gain the benefits of the Spell Focus feat for spells from their favored element.

As the cost of specializing in one element, a shugenja is prohibited from learning spells associated with a different element. The prohibited element is dictated by the favored element, as
described below.

Air: Air spells are subtle, involving travel, intuition, influence, divination, and illusion. Earth is the prohibited element for air shugenjas.

Earth: Earth spells involve resilience and resolve, health and growth, the body and its strength. Air is the prohibited element for earth shugenjas.

Fire: Fire spells are destructive and blatant, though they also deal with intelligence, inspiration, and creativity. Water is the prohibited element for fire shugenjas.

Water: Water spells involve transformation, cleansing, healing, and friendship . Fire is the prohibited element for water shugenjas.

Sense Elements

One of the first “spells” a shugenja learns-a magical effect so basic that it becomes a spell-like ability-is the ability to sense elements. As a full-round action, a shugenja can become aware of all sources of one chosen element (air, earth, fire, or water) within 10 feet of herself. The shugenja learns the size of the objects but not their precise location or actual nature.

By concentrating longer, a shugenja can either extend her magical senses or gather more information about the elements she has detected. Each additional round spent in concentration allows the shugenja to add 5 feet to the radius of her sense ability, to a maximum of 5 additional feet per shugenja level. Thus, at 4th level, a shugenja can sense elements to a maximum range of 30 feet by concentrating for five full rounds. Alternatively, the shugenja can focus on one source of the sensed element per round, attempting a Spellcraft check to determine more about that single item. The amount of information she learns depends on her Spellcraft check result:

Check Result Information Learned
20 or higher item’s general location (5-foot square containing it, or its nearest boundary if it is larger than a 5-foot square).
25 or higher Whether the item is natural or a spell effect. (A normal Spellcraft check against DC 20 + spell level can then determine the nature of the spell effect.)
30 or higher Whether the item is a creature or an object.
35 or higher The exact nature of the item (for example, whether a creature is a human or an oni, whether an object is gold or stone, whether air is breathable or not) .

In subsequent rounds, a shugenja can either retry her Spellcraft check on the same item, shift her attention to a different item, or extend the range of her senses. A 1st-level shugenja can use this ability three times per day.

Every five levels she advances as a shugenja allows her to use the ability an additional time per day (four times at 5th level, five times at 10th level, and so on). Like many divination spells, a shugenja’s sense elements ability is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt. For example, the shugenja enters a room and concentrates to sense water. (Although she is a water shugenja, she could just as easily sense any other element, including fire.) She becomes aware of all sources of water within 10 feet. A basin of water rests on the nightstand, a person lurks behind the door (living creatures are made of all four elements) holding a vial of poison-the shugenja discovers three sources of water within 10 feet of her: one Medium-size, one Small, and one Fine. Focusing on the Medium-size source and concentrating for a round, she makes a Spellcraft check and gets a result of 31. She learns that the Medium-size source of water is a creature, that it is natural, and where it is. If the assassin behind the door has not already jumped out to attack her, she has learned that a creature is hiding behind the door… but more likely, she has learned this too late.

Meditation (Ex)

Shugenja must meditate each day to balance their mind and their souls. Each shugenja chooses a regular time each day he must spend in quiet contemplation. While meditating the shugenja is as aware of his surroundings as if he were awake and alert as normal. It is only after spending this time is he able to regain his daily allotment of spells.

Each hour spent meditating the shugenja gains (or regains) one meditation point. He may not ever have more meditation points than 8 plus his Charisma modifier.

In addition to regaining spells, he is also able to perform a few specific special abilities. He may use meditation points to fuel various powers.

Meditation Powers

Unarmed Combat

Shugenja are skilled combatants with unarmed combat and receive Improved Unarmed Strike as a free feat.