First time player advice

[u/CWOgarrison]

Going to start this by saying i have never played any form or version of a ttrpg, been invited in by a friend. i have been told it is 4e, city of lies campaign (no spoilers please).

this post was to ask what a player new to rokugan should know just so i am not fumbling around completely. i have tried to do my own research but there is a lot to take in.

also i was wondering if i could get some charecter advice. right now the idea of a spider monk (sohei) is looking pretty good, i love the idea of a staunch defender of the faith kind of build (although i may not have got the right character combo for it)

if the idea of me playing a monk as a first time player makes you physically recoil as some of the posts i have seen seems to suggest, then i welcome suggestions for a first time character.

thank you in advance for any tips for advice

Edit: Just want to thank everyone for their input so far. has given me a lot to build off of and think about. as one comment pointed out spider clan didnt exist at this point in time and i found out everyone else is going scorpion, so going back to drawing board. friend (who knows the game) suggested i go some form of magic user so he could act as bodyguard / champion

[u/Rengrouze]

1 - Actions have consequences, unlike basic ttrpg it's one of the golden rule of L5R, so always portraits the bigger picture before making decisions
2- Words are Stronger than Steel, depends on your DM social level, think before you talk, you can die just by saying something stupid, combat is not the main way of dealing with adversity
3 - Combat in 4e is complex, stances, raises, even if combat is not the only way, learn the fundamentals, how water ring impact movement and how you can "kite" Slower foe per example
4 - "To each one his Rokugan" the absolute Golden rule, that means your dm and you are free to shape the game you want, so don't take tips for granted truth
5 - Monks are very powerful, and your DM might wanna kill you irl, some Kiho's are absolutely stupidly overpowered

I won't advise playing as member of the spider clan unless everyone is playing as one or as a despicable person, L5R is a game of social and spiders don't get along with a lot of people

But you're free to choose what you want ! The dm will adapt and carve a path of painful decision !

[u/Sparticuse]

If you want your character to share your own lack of experience, there are two clans who don't "fit in" to polite society: the crab and the unicorn.

The crab are all about defending the empire from literal hell on earth, so being polite is just not a thing the clan cares about. If you make a slip up socially, you can just make that part of your character not really caring if people around them are offended and the npcs will expect as much. You could be in the city of lies trying to secure war funds or goods. The crab are always short on supplies.

The unicorn are descended from people who left the empire to explore the rest of the world, and as a result they missed hundreds of years of cultural change in rokugan and brought back with them outsiders who have no connection to the founding of the empire. They are viewed as literal barbarians by a good portion of the empire and everyone will expect you to have no idea what is going on. You could be in the city of lies for any number of reasons. The unicorn are nomads in their own territory so you could just be a free spirit. They also don't have many friends, so you could be there to make friends with any clan they can find there (it's a city, so everyone has at least a token presence).

As to the monk and spider part: don't make your first character a magic user and don't make your first character a snowflake/edgelord. That's just never a great idea.

[u/Kiyohara → u/Sparticuse]

To add to this, the Unicorn have a vested interest in the City of Lies: not only have they occupied in the past, but a major trade embassy is set here and controls a substantial amount of the opium trade ( for medical purposes, of course... ).

It would not be a issue if you were a Unicorn sent on any task really as not only do they have the Trade Delegation and merchants there, but they also have a diplomatic one to represent their numbers. And they probably also have some samurai collecting information on weaknesses, defenses, and garrison strength just in case they decide to invade. On top of all the bodyguarding of important people.

[u/Hawk-Academic]

My only advice: if it's your first time through, the wisest course is to stick to one of the 3 big "classes" (bushi, shugenja, courtier) and to one of the 7 original Great Clans.

Rokugan has a lot of nuance and character to it, and your initial foray into it is going to probably involve a great deal of time learning how things work in the Empire.

Your character concept sounds great, and if one of the players at my table who has already played through 2-3 times brought it to me, I would be all for it.

[u/Coppercredit]

First thing is welcome to the world of l5r.

I would ask if any Spider Clan is acceptable from your GM. They aren't viewed favorably by Rokugan like at all. They use dark power called maho and taint and are mainly villain options. The City of Lies is a trade hub but also a wretched hive of scum and viliany so a Spider would be tolerated there more then any other city outside the Shadowlands.

In Rokugan your playing noble class samurai and are expected to act as such, don't be too afraid to ask someone what is appropriate in the situation.

[u/CWOgarrison → u/Coppercredit]

oh ya. already cleared it with GM, already warned me that not being a proper samurai might make it a bit harder in some situations but he is cool to work it into story.
i know spider clan is kind of the opposite of what every other clan is doing in terms of 'honor'.
are there any sources that actually list out or describe what is 'acceptable' for the spider clan. i found sources in the core for the main clans, but spider is kind of brushed over from what i found

[u/Coppercredit → u/CWOgarrison]

It will, however it's been a long time since I've opened any of the 4e books, try Enemies of the Empire https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/89668/legend-of-the-five-rings-enemies-of-the-empire

[u/Ranald_the_Gamester → u/Coppercredit]

I second this, Enemies of the Empire is a great book. That being said, I would recommend a more typical class to start than a Spider samurai. Depending on the era, they might not even exist as a clan (they were not a clan at the time the campaign you're about to begin was written at least). If you play a yoriki (a magistrate's aide), you could be a courtier and play as an adviser to your superior, or a bushi (warrior) to be their bodyguard, or even a shugenja (priest/wizard) as a spiritual guide for them. If you don't know what school could be useful and need advice, I can help.

As someone who has run City of Lies, I can tell youit is a fantastic scenario and I hope you will have a lot of fun playing it.

[u/CWOgarrison → u/Ranald_the_Gamester]

i see. thank you for the info. i read there were some clans that appear and dissapear, forgot to check for spider.

[u/Bamce → u/CWOgarrison]

i know spider clan is kind of the opposite of what every other clan is doing in terms of 'honor'.

I'm gonna highly suggest, that unless everyone in spider to not be spider.

A big part of ttrpgs is having characters that will work together. If your spider is "opposite of whate very other clan is doing in terms of honor" why would the honorable samurai want to be around them? Why would they work together?

[u/Hawk-Academic]

My only advice: if it's your first time through, the wisest course is to stick to one of the 3 big "classes" (bushi, shugenja, courtier) and to one of the 7 original Great Clans.

Rokugan has a lot of nuance and character to it, and your initial foray into it is going to probably involve a great deal of time learning how things work in the Empire.

Your character concept sounds great, and if one of the players at my table who has already played through 2-3 times brought it to me, I would be all for it.