Sengoku Amahara
Some kind of combined FBH/Mal thing?
Background
Brief History
Mongol Invasion
A traumatic event over 150 years ago which confirmed the spiritual supremacy of the Amahara Shinto and the practical supremacy of the Shogunate government, thus generally laying the foundation of the period of relative peace between then and now. It also somewhat confirmed the existence of the outside world which, aside from the importation of culture from the Middle Kingdom, had not figured greatly in anybody's mind.
Azuma Shogunate
The reigning dynasty of Amahara. It was gradually decaying in military power, internal strife and relevance, until the Incident at Ayanami Castle.
Incident at Ayanami Castle
News is still spreading of this stunning incident where the entire ruling household was assassinated despite a nightingale floor, except for two missing daughters. Speculation is still rife on who the culprit is. It is thought that only the head of a ninja clan or a god could have accomplished such a thing, but no one is sure yet. Immediate and bloody civil war has torn the remains of the clan apart and left a massive power vacuum.
Divisions of Power
The Shogunate
The dominant power in the politics of Amahara. The Shogun is in theory the one responsible for carrying out the Apostle's rule but in theory holds all the temporal reigns of power. All feudal clans in theory owe their loyalty to the Azuma Shogunate but the former have gradually gained leverage and are now suddenly entirely free of governance.
The Grand Shrine of Amahara
The shrine of the Apostle of Amahara. The Apostle is a girl selected by the Shinto clergy and to some extent ratified by Buddhist clergy through a complex set of astrological calculations. However actual power in this faction is held by the Grand Chamberlain who is usually a former apostle. The Grand Shrine of Amahara is the spiritual capital of all Amahara and the Shinto doctrine. Its doctrine proposes aggressive spread of Shinto which has so far largely occurred at the expense of the Ainu to the north. Because of the power of the Shogunate and the need to protect their wealth and powers, the shrine maidens do also pay attention and play a part in more worldly politics.
The Ninja Clans
Ninja Clans hold some hidden fortresses but mostly mingle with ordinary peasant or town life where they also hold some key monopolies. They deal in information and work for any side that pays them but are of course concerned with protecting themselves as well.
Buddhist Temples
The Buddhist Temples are arranged somewhat like the Shinto shrine system but have no generally agreed upon paramount leader. They do have greater sway with the samurai and don't clash with them as much owing to the greater adherence to the Buddhism of Buddhism-Shinto sliding scale among the samurai class.
Bandits
Bandits with a capital B are usually one way or another disenfranchised samurai. They have bands of supporting small b bandits. Although outlaws they are notable in that they know perfectly well how to fight, may hold sway with local lords, and will take proactive steps to protect their reigns if necessary. There is sometimes a sliding scale between Bandit and Lord in some locales. Some are pirates.
Ainu
Cling to their lands in Ezo.
Castles
Domains
Units
Units are the non-personal folks used to wave your clan's power about.
Unit Types
Samurai
Samurai are the noble scions of the warrior class and the elite core of every worthwhile army in Amahara. Aside from being better than peasant levies in every way to begin with, samurai have huge mechanical advantages such as the ability to be retained year to year for a fraction of the cost to recruit them, and the ability to customise their equipment. Samurai owe loyalty to feudal masters in complex arrangements of clan politics with the Shogun theoretically on top, who in turn in theory serves the Apostle of Amahara.
- Batch Size: 2
Ashigaru
Although a glorious death on the battlefield is a fate desireable by any true samurai, ignomious ends are best left to the peasants. Ashigaru gained prominence during the lizardman invasions of the 13th century as a method to soak casualties from valuable samurai and have now become established in the forces of all major clans. Unlike samurai, ashigaru are raised from year to year as necessary. They wear no significant protection and use only the spear in combat.
- Batch Size: 10
Warrior Monks
- Batch Size 2
-FBH: isn't this role kinda filled by Shrine maidens?
Warrior Shrine Maidens
Shrine Maidens of Amahara are forces loyal to individual shrines and shrine networks as opposed to samurai clans. These shrines all theoretically owe their loyalty to the Apostle of Amahara and the Grand Shrine of Amahara. Shrine Maidens are powerful fighters, though they do not have as much access to heavy equipment as samurai, and also have access to nature and spirit magic.
- Batch Size 1
Battlefield Ninjas
Although stereotypically vulnerable to singular heroes when appearing in groups, battlefield ninja formations can have huge impact on the field owing to their training and mobility, including such feats as mass swimming of moats and scaling of castle walls. Even when stealth is compromised, ninja can prove to be fierce combatants.
- Batch Size 1
Equipment
Weapons
Katana
The archetypical samurai weapon, katana are the ultimate melee weapon but its resultant relatively short length leaves its wielder somewhat vulnerable to cavalry charges. It is conversely highly useful on horseback as it can slash up troops left and right. Samurai are generally considered to have a katana in combat.
- Come standard with samurai.
- +1 melee
-FBH Suggestion: Give Katana's +2 to Melee vs. infantry, and more generalist weapons like Naginata's +1 infantry +1 cav.
Yari
Spears. Yari are excellent as a defensive weapon, most notably against cavalry and is also compelling on the offensive in a charge. It is the cheapest and simplest effective weapon and thus the common armament of ashigaru but requires a close order formation to make the most of it. An alternative to close order fighting of course, is to use it from a horse.
- +1 charge, +1 defense, -2 melee?
-FBH suggestion: should increase bonus from numbers.
Naginata
A sword on a stick. The mounting of a katana makes the weapon less wieldy in close quarters but allows the wielder to overcome disadvantages in height and upper body strength. It is the stereotypical weapon of warrior monks, shrine maidens and female samurai.
- +1 charge, +1 vs cavalry?
-FBH suggestionI'd give them +1 vs. infantry +1 vs Cavalry, they seem fairly generalists.
Yumi
Bows are the primary missile weapon of the battlefield and an important part of any army. Archery is a decently common survival skill among peasants and it isn't hard to train a body of ashigaru in archery. Samurai however, tend to use more difficult and harder hitting warbows.
- Allows unit to conduct ranged attack.
Nodachi
Very large two-handed swords designed as a field weapon against cavalry, but is highly effective as a shock weapon as well. It shares some similarities with polearms in that it requires space to be wielded to full effect.
- +1 charge, +1 vs cavalry?
-FBH: I'd go +1 vs armour +1 vs cavalry maybe.
Tetsubo
The tetsubo is a studded iron club. Its greatest strength is its ability to pummel through even the toughest armour.
- +1 vs armour, -1 melee?
-FBH: Unsure on this one.
Armours
Lamellar Vest
Lamellar Armour
Great Lamellar
Kusari Chainmail
Mounts
Amahara is not particularly well known for the quality of its horses and as such cavalry is comparatively rare. Even the samurai are now predominantly infantry troops. Horses do add some mobile units to the battlefield however, and the samurai horse archery tradition remains strong.
Horse
Reasonably mobile but light and skittish. Useful in all roles but can prove too vulnerable in a melee against properly equipped troops.
Warhorse
Heavier warhorses are bred only in a few locations in Amahara. These are an extremely valuable resource as they have more fighting spirit than regular horses and have the strength to carry more heavily equipped men in a charge.