Post by Shokuma on Jan 18, 2012 17:58:20 GMT -5
There has been some debate (public and private) on the summoning of Oni and the giving of names to said creatures. Since there is some shortage of detailed understanding on the how it works and what it means, I have agreed (silly me) to find the relevant information in the RPG, so that it can be usefully debated by interested parties.
1st Ed
The Way of the Shadowlands, Lists the Maho Advantage (pgs 51-52) which references the GM’s Guide as having maho spells (unfortunately this is among the books I do not have access to, so I’m not sure if it has the actual ritual), while on pgs 115-118 we have the first explanations of the “Oni Bound”
When an Oni is first summoned to Ningen-do, it must be granted the name of a human being or it cannot create a physical form for itself. By drawing upon the power of this name, the Oni increases its power in the physical realm. Like a parasite, the Oni draws power and sustenance from the host until it no longer needs the link to maintain its existence. The stronger the name, the stronger the Oni will eventually become.
How a name is taken
In many cases, a shugenja who summons an Oni will give the beast his own name. Even the most unskilled tsukai realises that this is a bad idea, and will generally avoid doing so whenever possible. A more attractive proposal is stealing the name of someone else.
The summoner cannot merely give an Oni any name he pleases. A connection must exist between the summoner and the host or the name will not be acceptable. One of the following conditions will satisfy the Oni and allow it to enter the physical world:
1) The host voluntarily surrenders his name to the summoner. The summoner may then take the host’s name to an Oni at any point later on. A name taken under torture will satisfy this condition, so long as the host submits. Magically inducing a subject to surrender does not work.
2) If the host owes the summoner his life, the summoner may give the host’s name to an Oni. If the host saves the summoner’s life in return before the Oni is summoned, the condition is violated. If should be noted that a samurai always owes his life to his lord. Those who become ronin are safe from the potential harm of a maho-abusing daimyo, but once the name has been given, nothing can take it back save the destruction of the Oni.
3) Certain Oni summoning rituals allow an Oni to manifest a small part of itself in the mortal world, usually a hand, eye, or tooth. If a host can be induced to accept the Oni’s gift as part of his own body, his name has effectively be given to the Oni. If the host ever voluntarily removes and destroys the oni’s gift, the link is broken. Most such “gifts” bestow substantial supernatural powers on the host. Resisting their temptation can be quite difficult.
Growth and development
Once per week the young Oni may attempt to draw power from its host’s name. The host must make an opposed Willpower roll against the Oni. If the Oni succeeds, the host gains two points of Shadowlands Taint. If the host wins, he has terrible nightmares but suffers no ill effects. Each time it loses, the Oni gains a cumulative +5 bonus to its opposed roll until it wins, at which time the process begins again with no bonus. Keep in mind that the Oni knows when its host is weak, and will attempt to draw power at the most inconvenient times (under severe Wound Penalties, no Void points remaining, etc.). Each time the Oni wins the opposed roll, it may increase one of its Traits by one, permanently. The Oni must increase its Traits until all of its Traits are equal to the host’s. If the host only has 3 Stamina, for example, the Oni could not increase its Stamina to a 4 until the rest of its Traits matched the host’s.
When an Oni succeeds at five Willpower tests, it becomes a “true” Oni (no longer a lesser Oni). It now gains an additional Minor and Major Shadowlands Power. When the Oni wins fifteen Willpower tests, the Oni becomes a Major Oni. If gains an additional Minor Power, an additional Major Power, and one Greater Power. The Oni which wins thirty Willpower tests becomes a true Oni Lord and requires special consideration.
An Oni continues making opposed Willpower checks each week until the host becomes Lost. At this time, all potential contained within the host’s name is exhausted. No further Willpower tests are made, and the Oni ceases to become any stronger. Once the host’s name is exhausted, all bets are off. Most Oni cease being cooperative and protective, disposing of their host as quickly as possible to eliminate a threat.
The Host
The Oni is not the only one changed by the name-binding. The host also experiences a variety of strange magical changes, changes which weaken him significantly but also make him uniquely equipped to deal with the demon.
The Shadowlands Taint gained by being linked to an Oni is special. Symptoms gained by this Taint tend to be minor. Though this Taint is affected by all things which normally affect Shadowlands Taint, it is not permanent, and those knowledgeable in Shadowlands Lore can identify the symptoms of the Oni-Bound (TN 25). If the Oni dies before its host becomes Lost, all of the host’s Taint and symptoms vanish, permanently.
There are always exceptions, of course. If the victim ever intentionally uses his Taint, or develops Shadowlands Powers, then he has embraced the Taint and doomed himself. Killing the Ono will no longer remove the Taint, though it will stop the weekly Willpower test.
As the host’s Taint increases, so does his bond to the Oni. The host gains an increasingly stronger sense of the Oni’s location and activities. Unfortunately, the host also develops an irrational reluctance to harm the Oni, which increases as the Oni grows stronger. All of the following are cumulative:
Less than one Rank of Taint
Host has a dim awareness of the Oni’s location from time to time, mostly in his dreams. Has nightmares whenever the Oni does something particularly terrible.
Taint higher than Lowest Ring
Host may make Perception rolls vs. TN 15 once per day to know what direction the Oni lies in regards to himself. Target may no longer make Raises on any rolls against the Oni.
Taint higher than Two Rings
As in “Higher than Lowest Ring,” but the host may attempt the Perception roll once per hour. Oni may make an opposed Willpower roll to prevent the use of this ability. All of the host’s attack rolls against the Oni suffer a +10 TN penalty.
Taint higher than Three Rings
Host can make a Perception roll vs. TN 20 once per day to see the Oni’s current location and what it is doing. This vision lasts several minutes. Host may no longer spend Void points against the Oni for any reason.
Taint higher than Four Rings
Host knows the Oni’s location and what it is doing at all times, unless the Oni makes an opposed Willpower test to bock the ability for one hour. Host gains a point of Shadowlands Taint each time he attempts to attack the Oni (like the Taint gained from failed Willpower tests, this Taint is not permanent).
When a character becomes Lost, he maintains his link with the Oni. For this reason, many Oni hunt down their former hosts and destroy them rather than allow a threat to linger.
2nd Ed
There seems to be little of use in most of the second Ed books (Oriental Adventures) as they are very D&D. The R&K second Ed Gamesmaster’s Guide has only a small selection of Maho spells, of which Summon Oni on pg. 129 is the closest to relevant (and it teleports an existing Oni to a location within 100 feet of the caster).
3rd Ed
Third Edition begins to talk about Maho in a way that implies general accessibility to players. However, the 4th Level Mastery spell Summon Oni, is still a “teleporting” spell.
From pg 268 Once the character learns his first maho spell, he may decide to gain ranks in the Maho-Tsukai Shugenja School. This School reflects the general practices and rituals of those who dabble in the dark arts and is not an actual School. A character may gain ranks in this school without the Multiple Schools advantage. A character who already has School Ranks in another School but who then takes ranks in the Maho-Tsukai Shugenja School acquires the Maho-Tsukai's Affinity and Deficiency, replacing any previous Affinity and Deficiency. He gains the Maho-Tsukai's Technique while retaining any previous Techniques.
To cast a maho spell, the caster must roll a number of dice equal to his corresponding Ring + Maho-Tsukai School Rank and keep a number of dice equal to the relevant Ring. The casting TN is 10 + the spell's Mastery Level x 5. The caster must also shed the blood of an intelligent being; a number of Wounds at least twice the Mastery Level of the spell must be inflicted. For spells that are simply "ELEMENT: Maho," the caster rolls Spellcraft (Maho) + Maho-Tsukai School Rank, keeping his School Rank.
Whether or not the casting was successful, a maho-tsukai gains Shadowlands Points equal to the difference between the TN of the spell (Raises included) and the total of the roll. Remember that the caster can always choose not to keep the highest dice rolled, and increasing his Spellcraft (Maho) Skill can be an effective defence in and of itself.
A maho-tsukai does not cross off any spell slots when he casts a maho spell. The energy required to cast the spell probably did not come from the caster; whether or not it did, the lost energy is represented in the form of Wounds, either to a victim or to the caster himself.
4th Ed
Here finally, I have found direct information on the summoning process itself (pgs 272-273).
Summon Oni
Ring/Mastery: Earth 3
Range: 50’
Area of Effect: One summoned Oni
Duration: Indefinite
Raises: Special (+1k0 per raise to the Willpower roll to control the Oni), Special (more powerful Oni, GM’s discretion).
Among the most hazardous spells in the maho-tsukai’s repertoire, this spell summons forth an Oni from Jigoku. The oni appear anywhere the caster desires within the range of the spell, and must immediately be given a name – either the caster’s own name or the name of another person closely connected to the caster (a close friend, immediate blood relative, or someone who owes the caster their life) – or it will simply depart back to Jigoku. A name, however, anchors the Oni into Ningen-do and allows it to remain within the mortal realm.
Once the caster has given the Oni a name he must engage in a Contested Willpower roll against it. If the caster gave the Oni his own name, he gains a +3k2 bonus to this roll. The cater may also Raise when casting Summon Oni to gain additional unkept dice on this roll. The GM should determine the Willpowre of the Oni – the more powerful the Oni, the higher its Willpower. If the caster wins the roll, the Oni will obey his commands (at least for now). If the Oni wins the roll, however, it is free of control and typically runs amok until it is destroyed.
Naming an Oni is a perilous business, for the Oni will try to steal the name away and thereby gain full autonomy and the ability to remain in the mortal realm. Such creatures become Oni Lords, monstrously powerful, able to spawn lesser but still potent copies of themselves. Thus summoned Oni will typically not immediately attack the persons who gave them names, seeking instead to leave them alive until they can steal their names completely.
Any person who shares their name with an Oni will aquire an Oni Mark, a small discolouration on the skin. Every day, the bearer of an Oni Mark must make an Earth roll to resist gaining Shadowlands Taint as the connection to Oni corrupts them (see Taint rules for more details). Each week, they must make another Contested Willpower roll, similar to the first, against the Oni in order to avoid surrendering their name to it. The Oni gains +1k1 to this roll for each Rank of Shadowlands Taint the Mark has inflicted on the bearer. If the name-bearer is the same person who summoned the Oni, he continues to gain the +3k2 bonus to the roll, plus any bonuses from Raises on the original spell.
If the Oni ever wins this roll it steals the victim’s name and becomes an Oni Lord, freeing itself from any control by its summoner (even if that person is different from the one with the Oni Mark). The now-nameless victim of the Oni Mark becomes the slave of the Oni and must obey its commands.
If the Oni is destroyed or otherwise banished back to Jigoku, it loses its connection to the person with its name and the Oni Mark disappears.
Ritual Oni summoning
"Sumon Oni" may be cast as a ritual, with several maho-tsukai working together to invoke and control very powerful oni. In order for this to be effective all of the maho-tsukai participating will have to successfully cast the spell – including spilling blood and gaining Taint. All of the maho-tsukai who successfully cast the spell can make a single combined Willpower roll to control the oni once it appears. (It must still be named, of course.)
Sytems for casting Maho in 4th Edition is Insight Rank/Element with a TN of 5 + 5x Mastery Rank, and there is no Insight Rank restriction on what spells can be cast (even the rawest recruit can attempt Mastery 5 spells if he knows the words to chant).
So there we have it, the varied history of how to lose your soul to an Oni, and in some ways, also a little insight on how the "temptation" of Maho has changed flavour over the editions. I hope people find this of use (or at least of interest).
1st Ed
The Way of the Shadowlands, Lists the Maho Advantage (pgs 51-52) which references the GM’s Guide as having maho spells (unfortunately this is among the books I do not have access to, so I’m not sure if it has the actual ritual), while on pgs 115-118 we have the first explanations of the “Oni Bound”
When an Oni is first summoned to Ningen-do, it must be granted the name of a human being or it cannot create a physical form for itself. By drawing upon the power of this name, the Oni increases its power in the physical realm. Like a parasite, the Oni draws power and sustenance from the host until it no longer needs the link to maintain its existence. The stronger the name, the stronger the Oni will eventually become.
How a name is taken
In many cases, a shugenja who summons an Oni will give the beast his own name. Even the most unskilled tsukai realises that this is a bad idea, and will generally avoid doing so whenever possible. A more attractive proposal is stealing the name of someone else.
The summoner cannot merely give an Oni any name he pleases. A connection must exist between the summoner and the host or the name will not be acceptable. One of the following conditions will satisfy the Oni and allow it to enter the physical world:
1) The host voluntarily surrenders his name to the summoner. The summoner may then take the host’s name to an Oni at any point later on. A name taken under torture will satisfy this condition, so long as the host submits. Magically inducing a subject to surrender does not work.
2) If the host owes the summoner his life, the summoner may give the host’s name to an Oni. If the host saves the summoner’s life in return before the Oni is summoned, the condition is violated. If should be noted that a samurai always owes his life to his lord. Those who become ronin are safe from the potential harm of a maho-abusing daimyo, but once the name has been given, nothing can take it back save the destruction of the Oni.
3) Certain Oni summoning rituals allow an Oni to manifest a small part of itself in the mortal world, usually a hand, eye, or tooth. If a host can be induced to accept the Oni’s gift as part of his own body, his name has effectively be given to the Oni. If the host ever voluntarily removes and destroys the oni’s gift, the link is broken. Most such “gifts” bestow substantial supernatural powers on the host. Resisting their temptation can be quite difficult.
Growth and development
Once per week the young Oni may attempt to draw power from its host’s name. The host must make an opposed Willpower roll against the Oni. If the Oni succeeds, the host gains two points of Shadowlands Taint. If the host wins, he has terrible nightmares but suffers no ill effects. Each time it loses, the Oni gains a cumulative +5 bonus to its opposed roll until it wins, at which time the process begins again with no bonus. Keep in mind that the Oni knows when its host is weak, and will attempt to draw power at the most inconvenient times (under severe Wound Penalties, no Void points remaining, etc.). Each time the Oni wins the opposed roll, it may increase one of its Traits by one, permanently. The Oni must increase its Traits until all of its Traits are equal to the host’s. If the host only has 3 Stamina, for example, the Oni could not increase its Stamina to a 4 until the rest of its Traits matched the host’s.
When an Oni succeeds at five Willpower tests, it becomes a “true” Oni (no longer a lesser Oni). It now gains an additional Minor and Major Shadowlands Power. When the Oni wins fifteen Willpower tests, the Oni becomes a Major Oni. If gains an additional Minor Power, an additional Major Power, and one Greater Power. The Oni which wins thirty Willpower tests becomes a true Oni Lord and requires special consideration.
An Oni continues making opposed Willpower checks each week until the host becomes Lost. At this time, all potential contained within the host’s name is exhausted. No further Willpower tests are made, and the Oni ceases to become any stronger. Once the host’s name is exhausted, all bets are off. Most Oni cease being cooperative and protective, disposing of their host as quickly as possible to eliminate a threat.
The Host
The Oni is not the only one changed by the name-binding. The host also experiences a variety of strange magical changes, changes which weaken him significantly but also make him uniquely equipped to deal with the demon.
The Shadowlands Taint gained by being linked to an Oni is special. Symptoms gained by this Taint tend to be minor. Though this Taint is affected by all things which normally affect Shadowlands Taint, it is not permanent, and those knowledgeable in Shadowlands Lore can identify the symptoms of the Oni-Bound (TN 25). If the Oni dies before its host becomes Lost, all of the host’s Taint and symptoms vanish, permanently.
There are always exceptions, of course. If the victim ever intentionally uses his Taint, or develops Shadowlands Powers, then he has embraced the Taint and doomed himself. Killing the Ono will no longer remove the Taint, though it will stop the weekly Willpower test.
As the host’s Taint increases, so does his bond to the Oni. The host gains an increasingly stronger sense of the Oni’s location and activities. Unfortunately, the host also develops an irrational reluctance to harm the Oni, which increases as the Oni grows stronger. All of the following are cumulative:
Less than one Rank of Taint
Host has a dim awareness of the Oni’s location from time to time, mostly in his dreams. Has nightmares whenever the Oni does something particularly terrible.
Taint higher than Lowest Ring
Host may make Perception rolls vs. TN 15 once per day to know what direction the Oni lies in regards to himself. Target may no longer make Raises on any rolls against the Oni.
Taint higher than Two Rings
As in “Higher than Lowest Ring,” but the host may attempt the Perception roll once per hour. Oni may make an opposed Willpower roll to prevent the use of this ability. All of the host’s attack rolls against the Oni suffer a +10 TN penalty.
Taint higher than Three Rings
Host can make a Perception roll vs. TN 20 once per day to see the Oni’s current location and what it is doing. This vision lasts several minutes. Host may no longer spend Void points against the Oni for any reason.
Taint higher than Four Rings
Host knows the Oni’s location and what it is doing at all times, unless the Oni makes an opposed Willpower test to bock the ability for one hour. Host gains a point of Shadowlands Taint each time he attempts to attack the Oni (like the Taint gained from failed Willpower tests, this Taint is not permanent).
When a character becomes Lost, he maintains his link with the Oni. For this reason, many Oni hunt down their former hosts and destroy them rather than allow a threat to linger.
2nd Ed
There seems to be little of use in most of the second Ed books (Oriental Adventures) as they are very D&D. The R&K second Ed Gamesmaster’s Guide has only a small selection of Maho spells, of which Summon Oni on pg. 129 is the closest to relevant (and it teleports an existing Oni to a location within 100 feet of the caster).
3rd Ed
Third Edition begins to talk about Maho in a way that implies general accessibility to players. However, the 4th Level Mastery spell Summon Oni, is still a “teleporting” spell.
From pg 268 Once the character learns his first maho spell, he may decide to gain ranks in the Maho-Tsukai Shugenja School. This School reflects the general practices and rituals of those who dabble in the dark arts and is not an actual School. A character may gain ranks in this school without the Multiple Schools advantage. A character who already has School Ranks in another School but who then takes ranks in the Maho-Tsukai Shugenja School acquires the Maho-Tsukai's Affinity and Deficiency, replacing any previous Affinity and Deficiency. He gains the Maho-Tsukai's Technique while retaining any previous Techniques.
To cast a maho spell, the caster must roll a number of dice equal to his corresponding Ring + Maho-Tsukai School Rank and keep a number of dice equal to the relevant Ring. The casting TN is 10 + the spell's Mastery Level x 5. The caster must also shed the blood of an intelligent being; a number of Wounds at least twice the Mastery Level of the spell must be inflicted. For spells that are simply "ELEMENT: Maho," the caster rolls Spellcraft (Maho) + Maho-Tsukai School Rank, keeping his School Rank.
Whether or not the casting was successful, a maho-tsukai gains Shadowlands Points equal to the difference between the TN of the spell (Raises included) and the total of the roll. Remember that the caster can always choose not to keep the highest dice rolled, and increasing his Spellcraft (Maho) Skill can be an effective defence in and of itself.
A maho-tsukai does not cross off any spell slots when he casts a maho spell. The energy required to cast the spell probably did not come from the caster; whether or not it did, the lost energy is represented in the form of Wounds, either to a victim or to the caster himself.
4th Ed
Here finally, I have found direct information on the summoning process itself (pgs 272-273).
Summon Oni
Ring/Mastery: Earth 3
Range: 50’
Area of Effect: One summoned Oni
Duration: Indefinite
Raises: Special (+1k0 per raise to the Willpower roll to control the Oni), Special (more powerful Oni, GM’s discretion).
Among the most hazardous spells in the maho-tsukai’s repertoire, this spell summons forth an Oni from Jigoku. The oni appear anywhere the caster desires within the range of the spell, and must immediately be given a name – either the caster’s own name or the name of another person closely connected to the caster (a close friend, immediate blood relative, or someone who owes the caster their life) – or it will simply depart back to Jigoku. A name, however, anchors the Oni into Ningen-do and allows it to remain within the mortal realm.
Once the caster has given the Oni a name he must engage in a Contested Willpower roll against it. If the caster gave the Oni his own name, he gains a +3k2 bonus to this roll. The cater may also Raise when casting Summon Oni to gain additional unkept dice on this roll. The GM should determine the Willpowre of the Oni – the more powerful the Oni, the higher its Willpower. If the caster wins the roll, the Oni will obey his commands (at least for now). If the Oni wins the roll, however, it is free of control and typically runs amok until it is destroyed.
Naming an Oni is a perilous business, for the Oni will try to steal the name away and thereby gain full autonomy and the ability to remain in the mortal realm. Such creatures become Oni Lords, monstrously powerful, able to spawn lesser but still potent copies of themselves. Thus summoned Oni will typically not immediately attack the persons who gave them names, seeking instead to leave them alive until they can steal their names completely.
Any person who shares their name with an Oni will aquire an Oni Mark, a small discolouration on the skin. Every day, the bearer of an Oni Mark must make an Earth roll to resist gaining Shadowlands Taint as the connection to Oni corrupts them (see Taint rules for more details). Each week, they must make another Contested Willpower roll, similar to the first, against the Oni in order to avoid surrendering their name to it. The Oni gains +1k1 to this roll for each Rank of Shadowlands Taint the Mark has inflicted on the bearer. If the name-bearer is the same person who summoned the Oni, he continues to gain the +3k2 bonus to the roll, plus any bonuses from Raises on the original spell.
If the Oni ever wins this roll it steals the victim’s name and becomes an Oni Lord, freeing itself from any control by its summoner (even if that person is different from the one with the Oni Mark). The now-nameless victim of the Oni Mark becomes the slave of the Oni and must obey its commands.
If the Oni is destroyed or otherwise banished back to Jigoku, it loses its connection to the person with its name and the Oni Mark disappears.
Ritual Oni summoning
"Sumon Oni" may be cast as a ritual, with several maho-tsukai working together to invoke and control very powerful oni. In order for this to be effective all of the maho-tsukai participating will have to successfully cast the spell – including spilling blood and gaining Taint. All of the maho-tsukai who successfully cast the spell can make a single combined Willpower roll to control the oni once it appears. (It must still be named, of course.)
Sytems for casting Maho in 4th Edition is Insight Rank/Element with a TN of 5 + 5x Mastery Rank, and there is no Insight Rank restriction on what spells can be cast (even the rawest recruit can attempt Mastery 5 spells if he knows the words to chant).
So there we have it, the varied history of how to lose your soul to an Oni, and in some ways, also a little insight on how the "temptation" of Maho has changed flavour over the editions. I hope people find this of use (or at least of interest).
- Chuda Yun 
- Bob 
- Kakita Battou
