The Implausible Geographical Society gives the recursion the codename Samurai Sky, but the natives refer to the place in their native Japanese simply as Nihon. In Samurai Sky, the economic and cultural prosperity enjoyed by the Land of the Rising Sun during the historical Edo period (1603 to 1868) never ended. The rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and Karou— essentially feudal governors and regional feudal lords, respectively—remains under the putative control of the Emperor, but the Shogun in Edo has the most day-to-day power.
Partly thanks to founder Ieyasu Tokugawa’s forward-thinking policies and philosophies (which were themselves developed from Confucian teachings), most Samurai Sky natives have a chance to live comfortably and enjoy popular arts and culture that, in previous eras, were enjoyed only by the wealthy and powerful. In fact, a breakdown in the rigid and highly formalized social order, which created something of a “middle class” among the merchant and peasant orders in Samurai Sky, was aided by a technological revolution that never happened in the historical Edo-era Japan. Steam engines, the beginnings of electrification, the appearance of firearms in limited quantities, and several time-saving machines, which would be anachronisms on Earth during the same historical period, are part of what make Samurai Sky such a unique place.
The foci that player characters can choose in Samurai Sky—as well as any foci that are dragged into the recursion—are modified by the recursion’s context, as appropriate. For example, if someone chooses Is Licensed to Carry, replace references to modern-day life on Earth with equivalents from Edo-era Japan. For instance, Edo city doesn’t have “cops.” It has samurai who serve as police, soldiers, special forces, or whatever military need arises. If a character chooses Inks Spells on Skin or Works Miracles as her focus, she discovers that using the focus abilities is difficult except during certain periods when the moon is in the proper phase, as described under Moon Magic. When the law of Magic is not active, every task related to using a focus ability is one step more difficult than normal, which means that even routine uses of an ability require a check.
Samurai Sky also allows a character to be a samurai if she chooses to be someone who Follows the Code of Bushido.
Though everyone knows that supernatural effects are possible depending on the phase of the moon, few people know which phases are the “Magic” phases. The relevant phases constantly shift according to a schedule that’s as hard to foretell as the weather. The GM determines the schedule, but generally speaking, Magic functions flawlessly one day in four.
Even when Magic isn’t ascendant, abilities and creatures related to Magic can sometimes still be encountered. However, they are tentative, pale, and weak.
“Oni” in Samurai Sky are more than folklore, though most are not as trollish or devilish as recursors might presume. Many are simply people who study the phases of the moon in hopes of understanding why Magic works sometimes, but not always, and never reliably.
The Emperor lies in “far-off” Kyoto (and isn’t actually part of the recursion, per se, except as a belief). Edo is the center of power, government, economy, and social life in Samurai Sky. Here, the cultural renaissance of Nihon never ended, and indeed, it was enhanced with elements of technology and magic that never graced the real city.
Canals are laid out in a regular grid. In fact, the network of canals (plus rivers and moats) is more reliable than the streets, which can lead pedestrians astray. Thus, trade and transport of heavy goods are accomplished on the water. Boat traffic is thick most hours of the day and night, and some people live in houseboats instead of on land.
The Shogun lives in Edo Castle. An architectural wonder, Edo Castle is imposing and graceful, with several rings of moats and defensive walls. The castle grounds within the inner moat stretch in a great oval that is well over a mile (2 km) wide. The grand residences of many Karou and their attendant samurai are built on the grounds, as well as quarters for thousands of officials and castle servants. A marvelous garden can also be found here, one with walkways, bridges, ponds, and exotic trees. The Shogun’s residence is the most impressive structure of all.
Anyone who brings official business before the Shogun must deal with a Karou first, usually Hirotomo and a section of samurai under his command. Hirotomo might pass a particularly important message upward or deal with it himself, depending on the situation.
Like the Shogun, Hirotomo enjoys an unnaturally long life owing to a mysterious event that occurred in “the old days” (as described under the Shogun’s entry). Despite more than a hundred years of loyalty, Hirotomo is considering the whispers of a few secretly seditious Karou, including Choko Tanenaga, who teach that reality is a lie and that everyone is trapped in an illusion.
Karou Tanenaga: level 4, tasks related to perception as level 6; katana melee attack inflicts 6 points of damage; usually carries a few random cyphers
Another Karou living on the grounds of Edo Castle, Tanenaga is charged with keeping trade active and fair, a job that she has managed amazingly well. During one of her tours to an outlying province beyond Edo city, Tanenaga chanced across an “explorer from another land” who showed her how the Nihon she lived in was merely jumbled stories reflected from a higher reality. Tanenaga gained the spark, but not the means to translate. Since then, she has concentrated on finding a way to break free of the prison that her world represents, and she has become increasingly reckless with each failure. Lately Tanenaga is exploring methods for collapsing the recursion altogether, beginning with the assassination of the Shogun. Aiding her is a secret cabal of a few other Karou she’s been able to suborn, as well as entities from the Northeast Quarter.
Karou Hirotomo: level 4, tasks related to civil administration as level 6; katana melee attack inflicts 6 points of damage; long-range revolver attack inflicts 4 points of damage; returns to life a few days after being killed
The Shogun, who is none other than Edo’s original founder, Ieyasu Tokugawa, has survived many generations longer than a normal person. Those under him attribute his longevity to the grace of the gods. Few have complaints with the Shogun, as he is fair in his decrees and generous to those of every class. On the other hand, he is also known for never allowing laws to be bent. He has ordered Karou and others beneath him to commit seppuku rather than make an exception to the rules because of extenuating circumstances.
Before the founding of Edo, Tokugawa and three others (including Hirotomo) encountered an oni during a phase of the moon when Magic swirled. The oni and its horde of a hundred brigands attacked the group, but the swordplay and superior tactics of the defenders kept the attackers at bay. Enraged, the oni called upon fell spells, attempting to rip the life from the four and feed it to the brigands. Possibly because of the relic artifact carried by Tokugawa, the spell rebounded. It was the oni and the brigands who died, and in so doing, The Shogun is usually protected by two or three elite samurai at all times.
Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa: level 6, tasks related to civil administration and pleasant interaction as level 7; melee attack with Kusanagi (sword artifact) inflicts 8 points of damage; returns to life a few days after being killed
Samurai: level 4, initiative tasks as level 6; health 15; Armor 1; katana melee attack inflicts 5 points of damage (or 7 points if the samurai made the first attack on a foe)
Elite samurai: level 5, initiative tasks as level 6; health 18; Armor 2; katana melee attack inflicts 6 points of damage (or 8 points if the samurai made the first attack on a foe
Several areas of Edo conduct lively commerce, but the quarter known as Shinagawa contains the most popular shops and inns. Because Edo is a destination, travelers are common, and Shinagawa does its best to lure them with parties, festivals, and welcoming establishments. If one wishes to conduct trade, buy something peculiar, make a deal with ronin, or have a good time in Edo, Shinagawa is the place to visit.
This inn has a public house where drinks and food are served as well as communal baths and tatami-matted rooms for travelers. It is one of the best places in Edo to hear gossip, make connections to the locals, and have a good time. The proprietor, Matsudaira, is reputed to have been a brigand who became a merchant. Whether true or not, people are afraid to cross him. Despite his white hair, he still stands almost 7 feet (2 m) tall.
Matsudaira: level 5; health 25; melee bokken (wooden sword) attack inflicts 7 points of damage
One of the most popular shops in Shinagawa sells technological marvels such as revolvers, electric fans, batteries the size of gallon milk jugs, and more. Nobunori is rarely around—in fact, she’s available to talk with customers only when Magic is high because she is a mythological creature known as an enenera. When Standard Physics is high, she usually takes the form of a piece of equipment in her store. Like many mythological creatures, she is fascinated by marvels of science.
Nobunori (enenera): level 3, stealth tasks as level 7, knowledge of myths as level 5; health 12; can transform between immaterial smoke, an inanimate object, and a kimono-wearing woman armed with a katana that inflicts 4 points of damage
A fortune teller wrapping himself in colorful fabrics wanders the Shinagawa quarter, offering to tell the fortunes of those he meets, for a price. He isn’t a native of Edo, but a recursor from Earth on the run from those who’ve sworn vengeance against him. Everyone in Samurai Sky knows him as Tengen (short for “fortune teller”), but on Earth he was known as Michael Crawford. To safeguard his position in an Earth organization, he employed tactics to make himself seem indispensable, no matter which of his friends he had to betray. In the end, his deeds were discovered. The organization he sought to remain a part of put a price on his head. Unfortunately for Crawford, recursors were part of the organization, so he fled through the Strange to a limited world that not even the Estate or OSR had heard of. Tengen keeps a wary eye out for other recursors, and he likely reacts with violence if he encounters one.
Tengen: level 3, tasks related to deceit and pleasant social interaction as level 5; learns one random fact about a person or location within short range that is pertinent to a topic he designates
The phase of the moon has frozen in the sky, and Magic is high all the time, causing oni, phantoms, and other creatures of the Northeast Quarter (and other places) to run wild. Discovering why Magic has frozen and how to restart the normal cycle is the Shogun’s number one priority.
The riverbanks beside Ryogoku Bridge are lined with food stalls, restaurants, and crowds of people. Often, there’s an exciting sumo match to watch, but lately a contender who wears a demon mask has defeated all comers. The newcomer, who calls himself “Kyoto Killer,” has unfortunately lived up to his name, and now few wrestlers dare to challenge him. Someone needs to challenge the Killer to a match and show him up, or the sport of sumo may be doomed in Edo.
A giant mechanism, perhaps 100 feet (30 m) high, armed with cannons and more dire electrical weapons, tramps toward the city. Presumably crafted by the enemies of Edo, the machine must be stopped, or it will wreak untold destruction on the city and its populace.
A blind ronin wearing a black scarf tied over his eyes has been challenging any samurai he finds to a duel. Given that refusing a challenge is not especially honorable, and that fighting the blind is even less so, most samurai give the swordsman the honor of the first cut. That is a mistake, because the challenger seems preternaturally gifted with the sword, and if not stopped, he will continue to kill off Edo’s samurai.
Evil spirits travel from the northeast, or so local Edo legends tell. And when Magic is high, it's literally true. Phantoms sometimes visibly stream from the graveyards in that area, and oni disguised with devil masks and spells brave daylight (or the night) to gather rare herbs, flowers, and other ingredients that appear only at those times.
Anyone looking to hire an assassin, acquire an evil spell, dig up a grave, or transgress in some other fashion that involves death and pain should come to the Northeast Quarter. However, intruders are recognized immediately by gangs of toughs (some of which contain ronin) or, worse, wandering nuppeppos. Nuppeppos are animated lumps of human flesh that walk on vaguely defined limbs and smell of decay and death. They're mostly harmless, but sometimes they go after strangers in groups of up to eight.
Nuppeppo: level 2; health 12; Armor 1; sticky flesh forces victim to make a difficulty 5 Might-based roll to pull free; melee attack inflicts necrosis (1 point of Speed damage per round until the affected flesh is cut away, dealing 4 points of damage)
Level: 1d6
Origin: Samurai Sky (emergent)
Law: Standard Physics
Form: Katana fitted with power cables and a battery backpack
Effect: This katana inflicts 4 points of damage if wielded with one hand or 6 points if wielded with two hands. When it strikes a foe, the wielder decides whether to activate the electrical charge as part of the same action, which deals additional points of damage equal to the artifact level. If the weapon is depleted on a use, the final electrical charge is dealt to the wielder instead of the target.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20
Level: 1d6
Origin: Samurai Sky (emergent)
Law: Magic
Form: Hammer inlaid with kanji that read “Uchide no Kozuchi”
Effect: A wielder who spends a minute using the hammer on a solid surface of stone, metal, or a similar substance can wish for an object and tap it into existence. Objects created can last for several days or weeks, depending on their simplicity and purpose. The level of the item is determined by the GM but is no greater than the level of the artifact. The more powerful the object, the more likely the GM will limit its existence. For example, an object with an effect like a cypher probably lasts for only one use, like a regular cypher, while a chair might last for weeks.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20
Level: 1d6+2
Origin: Samurai Sky (emergent)
Law: Magic
Form: A 2-inch (5 cm) jade statuette of a dragon
Effect: When the statuette is activated, it grows into a living dragon-shaped creature 30 feet (9 m) long that obeys the user's commands. The creature is level 5 and persists for up to eight hours. The dragon can bear up to three human-sized creatures on its back, attack with a bite, or (once every other round) breathe fire at short range on up to three targets within immediate range of each other.
Depletion: 1 in 1d10
Level: 1d6+3
Origin: Samurai Sky (emergent)
Law: Magic
Form: Sword forged of white metal
Effect: This sword functions as a normal weapon of its type. If a target lies while the tip of the blade is pointed at him, the wielder feels a vibration in the hilt. If the wielder spends a round concentrating, she learns the exact location of every creature within long range, regardless of how well hidden they might be.
Finally, if the wielder attacks a foe with the blade, she can choose to inflict 2 additional points of damage beyond the 6 points normally dealt by a heavy blade (8 points total).
Each special use of the weapon requires a depletion roll. If the artifact is depleted, it finds a way to become lost and pass on to a new wielder.
Depletion: 1 in 1d100
Level: 1d6+1
Origin: Samurai Sky (emergent)
Law: Magic
Form: Pistol inlaid with serpent designs in mother of pearl
Effect: This pistol inflicts 5 points of damage on a target within short range. When the special function of the pistol is activated, instead of a normal shot, it emits a ray of slithering energy at a foe within short range. The snake-shaped ray inflicts damage equal to the artifact level. As another option, the wielder can choose to fire an empowered slithering ray (requiring two depletion rolls) that deals damage equal to the artifact level plus 3 additional points of damage.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20
Level: 1d6
Origin: Samurai Sky (emergent)
Law: Magic
Form: Six-shooter inscribed with kanji
Effect: This revolver inflicts 5 points of damage on a target within short range. It inflicts additional damage equal to the artifact level to undead, spirits (even if intangible), and other paranormal creatures (generally speaking, creatures that rely on the law of Magic to exist).
Depletion: 1 in 1d20
Level: 1d6+3
Origin: Samurai Sky (fictional)
Law: Magic
Form: Bejeweled necklace
Effect: The wearer radiates an aura of kind benevolence, which provides an asset on tasks related to pleasant social interaction, persuasion, and deception. In addition, each round the wearer can choose one creature within short range that becomes besotted with her aura and will not attack her as long as she does nothing to attack the target or its allies.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (check with each use of the ability to prevent direct attack)