Shikigami Master [Pokemon Hack, L5R RPG]

This was an exercise to see what I could do to make L5R feel kind of like Pokémon. I didn’t go for “enslave yokai”, but instead was inspired by shikigami from the Shadowlands L5R supplement book. I thought long and hard about how to make these very weak creatures viable in a 1 on 1 fight and I think I got close for now. I plan to playtest this at some point, hopefully make some updates afterwords.

And big tip! You don’t have to be a ward master to make shikigami, anyone can do it as long as they pick up the ritual, so start your PCs off with 20xp, make the ritual mandatory, or figure out what they’re role is if it’s not to become a shikigami master. Also, I did give some thought to perhaps using elemental Kami as the “Pokémon” so it’s up to you if it works better. 

Also, keep in mind the optional rules for Heroic Action, which includes Bonds. Imagine if the shikigami’s elemental spirit is the same spirit that becomes the Rise creature, then the Bond the PC has with that spirit would grant the spirit some more options. Just some thoughts.