Welcome to the third edition of Oriental Adventures (OA). OA 3e contains all the stuff necessary to play a campaign centered on the Orient (again, Japanese culture is ascendant in OA 3e, but there is a reason for this). Oriental Adventures introduces a new campaign setting for use with Oriental play, Rokugan. Now the reason why OA was produced is because Wizards of the Coast sold the Legend of the Five Rings (L5R) card game to Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG). However, when they put up L5R for sale, I wanted to buy it. However, I lacked the resources to buy it -- even the resources to consistently support it. However, AEG was a good steward of L5R for upward to 2017, when they sold L5R to Fantasy Flight Games.
Despite that, I desired the rights to L5R, and I'm waiting for my time to buy them. Since I have the resources right now to purchase the rights to L5R. Plus, Fantasy Flight Games is not doing a good job supporting L5R, despite the beauty of their books.
OA brings Rokugan (L5R's fantasy land) into the d20 System. At first, I thought that the d20 System would not be a good fit for Rokugan, however when AEG put out Rokugan later, they did a good job making the setting of Rokugan fit the d20 System. The book was published over twenty years ago. The writer is James Wyatt. The book came out in 2001.
Overview
OA is a book trying to play the kid who wants to be a friend to everyone. OA includes the setting of the Legend of the Five Rings into it's framework, but at the same time it's trying to be an update of the Original OA (reviewed here earlier). The book tries to be all things L5R and all things Kara-Tur (in the Forgotten Realms). Still, it's a beautiful book -- printed in full color -- the art in the book brings Rokugan, and other realms in the Orient, to life.
The book starts with an introduction, and James Wyatt did a good job of writing it. Adventures in the Orient (although L5R takes it's primary inspiration from the Sengoku era of Japan, there is some Chinese and Indian influence). The idea is to have adventure in an exotic land. And Rokugan is certainly exotic.
The next chapter goes over character creation, and the players should ask their DM about the setting and rules to play in. Then races are introduced, including humans and Nezumi (which are found in Rokugan). Spirit folk, Koboruku (asian dwarves), Vanaras (based on Hamuman from the Ramayana) and Hengeyokai. The last fit in a campaign that is not Rokugan.
Then classes are introduced. There are few classes from the Dungeons and Dragons Player's Handbook that are introduced as a way to fit the Asiatic concepts of Rokugan and Kara-Tur. But the book introduces two new classes: Samurai and Shugenja. The Samurai class in the original OA is suprisingly very adaptable and flexible. Player characters would be able to customize their Samurai character in a number of ways. The shugenja class is the same way, although presented as a variant of the sorcerer class. Another new class introduced is the Shaman class, which is a variant of the cleric class in the PHB. Finally, the Sohei and Wu Jen are introduced, which are classes updated from the original Oriental Adventures. If one is running a Rokugan campaign, then only the samurai and shugenja are the new classes to include in that setting. After that, there are a few banned classes that don't fit in the world of Oriental Adventures. But the NPC classes are discussed. One, the Aristocrat, is included in Rokugan as a courtier. However, Rokugan introduces the courtier class, which will be discussed in the next review.
After the character classes are introduced, then the prestige classes are talked about. Of note is the Ninja Spy prestige class. While not worked as a full class, the idea behind the Ninja spy prestige class is that a group of player ninja start out as another class, and then takes the ninja spy prestige class when they are ready for it. This graduates them into full ninja.
Another prestige class of note is the Yakuza, which is good for rogues, apparently. The yakuza prestige class in Rokugan makes a perfect fit for the Kolat and other organized crime families in Rokugan. There are other prestige classes. Some of them fit the monk class.
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| By Aaron Lovett |
After that, character options: skills and feats -- are discussed. The skill section includes on how the skills fit the Rokugan campaign setting. Of course, new skills are introduced in the Rokugan book. Then a number of feats are introduced. Most of these feats are ancestor feats, where the characters in a Rokugan campaign takes an ancestor feat for their human bonus feat. However, Rokugan has a different feat option. And there are a few feats in OA that are regular feats.
After that there is a chapter on alignment, honor, and equipment. In an oriental campaign, honor is better to use than alignment. However, Alignment is discussed anyhow. In some oriental campaigns, alignment might still be used. In Rokugan, honor takes precedence over alignment. Though this still discussed. Then a number of equipment is also discussed. After that, combat is covered in another chapter.
After that, magic is discussed. This is an important chapter, since it goes through the Shugenja spells that are available to certain Rokugani Shugenja schools. The new spells also update the spells from OA 1e, allowing wu jen and other spellcasters of Oriental campaigns have their magic. The only schools missing are the schools for the Isawa family of the Phoenix clan. This was, sort of, rectified in the Rokugan book. After that comes a chapter on magic items.
Then comes a chapter on monsters. While the chapter on monsters discusses which monsters from the Monster Manual fit in Rokugan, many more monsters -- such as seven varieties of oriental dragons -- are introduced. Some of the monsters are introduced fit in Rokugan, but many do not. After the book on monsters comes a chapter on campaign design. Which is a good chapter, to say the least. This next chapter provides options with which the GM/DM can design a campaign.
After this chapter comes an overview of the land of Rokugan. Plus the setting begins the Four Winds saga (the emperor is killed, and without a designated heir, his four children try to take the throne). Also, the land of Rokugan is described in some detail, with some prestige classes compatible to each great clan. After that, was a chapter on the Shadowlands. Taint rules are introduced here, along with the Maho-Tsukai prestige class and a monster template.
Hits and Misses
Again, Oriental Adventures tries to be something of a child that wants to be your friend. While the focus is still on Rokugan as a setting, other options fit other settings. This is a strength, although a weakness at the same time. Some people still think that the d20 system wasn't a good fit for Rokugan, I beg to differ. OA does a good job, and Rokugan does a better job, of fitting the setting of Legend of the Five Rings to the d20 system.
Conclusion
I do believe this book is a good book to get if you are planning a game in Legend of the Five Rings, and find the EDGE Studio's version of Rokugan to be unlikable. While the EDGE Studio does a good job (and I was reading the book for purposes of review), I think both AEG and Wizards of the Coast did a finer job of fitting the world of L5R to the d20 system.
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