This page presents two related rules systems for the Kanazawa game - downtime rules and dynastic rules. Downtime rules cover the actions that characters can take during extended periods of downtime. Generally speaking, they allow the character to earn XP that can spent on Skills, Traits, Spells etc. Dynastic rules cover mechanics for births, marriages and deaths.
This system is based on the Ars Magica rules, albeit in a simplified form.
Every season which passes 'off camera' offers a chance for characters to earn Downtime XP. Characters can either spend these seasons doing active tasks (e.g. go to Winter Court, govern a city, march off to battle etc.) or they can spend the season being taught by another PC or NPC.
Active Seasons
A character earns 1 XP per 'active' season. This XP must be spent on something related to that season's activity (e.g. a season of warfare justifies Battle, Perception, Kenjutsu, Agility, Tactician etc.).
Sensei Seasons
A character who is taught instead gains XP equal to half their sensei's Skill Rating, rounded down. If they are being taught something other than a Skill, use a related skill (e.g. Kenjutsu to teach kata).
School Techniques
It takes most of a season to learn a new school technique.
A shugenja may spend a downtime on researching spells.
Every season that a character spends in research earns them XP equal to half their Spellcraft rank (rounded down). Spellcraft is increased by 1 if the spell belongs to the shugenja's Affinity element, and is decreased by 1 if it belongs to their Deficient element (this happens before halving). Spells then cost the following amount of XP to buy (N.B. Only XP from Spell Research can be spent to buy new spells):
Mastery Level 1: 2 XP
Mastery Level 2: 5 XP
Mastery Level 3: 10 XP
Mastery Level 4: 20 XP
Mastery Level 5: 30 XP
Mastery Level 6: 40 XP
Leftover XP can be saved to buy another spell of the same Element, e.g. Soshi Tasuko has Spellcraft 5 and an Affinity for Air. He spends 4 seasons researching an Air spell, gaining 3 XP per season, for a total of 12 XP. He spends 10 on a ML3 Air spell, and can either use the other 2 XP to purchase a ML1 Air spell or he can save them to help purchase another Air spell in the future.
Many of the additional spells on the wiki are weak mechanically, as they focus on the RP side of what shugenja do. Such spells cost half the normal XP cost to buy (rounded down). As a rule of thumb, if a spell might be useful in a standard 'adventuring' scenario, it costs full price, but if it would be useful for an NPC priest doing their duties, the cost is discounted.
A few notes on how quickly spells can be researched:
A shugenja with Spellcraft 3 can research a ML1 spell in 2 seasons and a ML2 spell in 5 seasons.
A shugenja with Spellcraft 5 can research a ML1 spell in 1 season, a ML2 spell in 3 seasons, a ML3 spell in 5 seasons, and a ML4 spell in 10 seasons.
A shugenja with Spellcraft 7 can research a ML2 spell in 2 seasons, a ML3 spell in 3 seasons, a ML4 spell in 7 seasons and an ML5 spell in 10 seasons.
A shugenja with Spellcraft 9 can research a ML2 spell in 1 season, a ML3 spell in 3 seasons, a ML4 spell in 5 seasons, a ML5 spell in 8 seasons, and an ML6 spell in 10 seasons.
Whether or not a character has a child in a given year is determined randomly. A character rolls once per year to see if they have children; if they are male and have more than one partner, they roll once per partner.
To see if a character has a child, roll 1d10 (this die can explode). A woman takes a cumulative -1 penalty per 5 years of age beyond 30 (so a 32 year woman takes -1 on her rolls). On a:
1 - 5: No child is born
8: Child born, but the birth is dangerous (see below)
9-19: Child born
20 or more: Twins born
On a roll of 8, both mother and child must make a Stamina roll. The child must suceed vs. TN 10 to survive (all children are born with Stamina 2), and the mother must succeed vs. TN 10 to survive, and vs. TN 15 to retain her fertility. If a midwife is present, they can make a TN 25 Medicine/Intelligence roll to grant either party a Free Raise on their roll. Only one midwife may attempt to help either mother or child (i.e. if a midwife trying to help the child fails the roll, another midwife cannot also try to help the child). Spells which heal Wounds can also help either party, and give a Free Raise per 10 Wounds that they heal (to a minimum of 0 Free Raises if the spell heals than 10 Wounds).
If a child is born, roll 1d10 to determine gender. On a odd result, the child is male; on a even result, the child is female.
Until a child reaches the age of 5, there is a chance they will succumb to an unexpected illness. Roll 1d10:
On a 1, the child dies
On a 2, the child is ill but survives. They must take 1 point of Physical Disadvantages every time this occurs.
On a 3 or more, they are healthy.
Shugenja or healers might be able to help to save young children from death or debility. A healer can roll Medicine/Intelligence at TN 25 to add +1 to this roll. A spell must specifically help with rolls versus disases in order to give the same benefit. A spell which completely cures a disease without the target having to roll adds +2 to this roll (i.e. even a worst-case scenario has no long-term consequences).
Children are sent off to a dojo for training between the age of 8 and 12, generally. Their Family benefit develops within the first few months of schooling, followed by the School benefit within the first year. They then learn skill points at a rate of one every three to six months. A student finally becomes proficient in their School Technique three to six months before gempukku. They are mechanically (but not socially!) Rank 1 characters at this point.
Characters begin to notice to effects of age after about 30. As they age, characters accrue disadvantage points which represent the physical and mental debilitations of age. The rate at which these points are earned depends on the character's Earth Ring and also their lifestyle - living monastically increases a character's effective Earth Ring for the purposes of aging.
A character earns 2 Disadvantage points every [Earth Ring + 3] years past the age of 30. So an Earth 2 character will earn 2 points on the 35th birthday, and another 2 on their 40th birthday. On the other hand, an Earth 5 character won't earn any points at all until they are 38. The table below shows how characters earn Age Disadvantage points based on their Earth Ring.
If a character retires to a monastery, their Earth Ring is increased by 1 for the purposes of aging. The must spend the whole the 'aging interval' living monastically, however (e.g. an Earth 5 character cannot retire at age 37 in order to delay gaining their first age points until 40).
This means that an Earth 2 character will have 10 points of physical disadvantages by the age of 55, and 16 at the age of 70 - basically writing them out of play around this point. Living as a monk helps a lot - they don't hit 16 points until age 78. Meanwhile, an Earth 5 monster won't get this debilitated til 94!
The Disadvantage Points must be spent on new Disadvantages. The exact choice of Disadvantage will be chosen by the player, and should:
be thematically appropriate to the character
give a genuine mechanical penalty
Disadvantages from age cannot be brought off with XP, but can be upgraded or replaced - e.g. a character gains the 'Poor Eyesight' disadvantage as a result of age. Later on, they gain the 'Blind' disadvantage instead, which replaces 'Poor Eyesight'.
The only minor benefit to growing older is that a player may be able to use this as justification for buying new Advantages, such as Enlightened or Sage.
There are no mechanics for character's dying from old age. Instead, the player and GM will discuss this when the number of age disadvantages is becoming crippling.
A player can chose to start playing a new character whenever they want. Normally the new character will be old character's heir or close relative. Character's heirs should be tracked before play begins - when they pass gempukku, they are created as 0 XP starting characters.
Advantages & Disadvantages
The cost of inheritable Advantages possessed by either parent is reduced by 1.
The points value of inheritable Disadvantages possessed by either parent is increased by 1.
Inheritable covers many Advantages and Disadvantages, including most Physical and Mental, almost all Spiritual, and some Social. Anything obtained from the Ancestor tables is automatically covered, regardless of type.