Glossary of Terms

[KitsuneWarlock]

Game Terms
Attributes: Special abilities or powers your character has that can range from extreme beauty to the ability to wield a katana and a wakizashi with extra-ordinary skill. You start with 10 points worth of attributes and earn more points as you level.
Flaws: Character traits that hurt your character's ability to function normally (such as a negative social standing or loss of a limb).
Classes: Choose two classes and get all abilities of those classes. They level equally and can't USUALLY be changed over time, except with...
Effect Level: Only used in arguments regarding "which move is stronger?" Usually used for parrying or clashing of two attacks that seem equal in power...most members can completely ignore this.
Prestige Classes: These classes represent (usually) specialty dojo, jobs or special types of persons who focus on one thing in their class and get cool specialty skills. They cannot be taken from the outset and trainers for these classes must be found in quests or events.
Quests: Staff members will post quests (which are usually jobs or missions) that players can sign up for and complete. Doing so gives you a level as well as rewards. Easy quests cannot be done by extremely high level people unless no lower level people sign up for a week or two.
Role: Ninja, Shaman, Pirates, Bushi and some other classes are separated into roles. You choose 1 or 2 roles and specialize in that role. You cannot change this role, but each role has a wide variety of options. If you choose only 1 role, it increases at double the speed.
Style: Monks and possibly some other classes have ability groups separated into styles. You can leave these styles and work on another style if you wish, or choose each time you level to remain in the same style.
Abilities: All classes have abilities that all members of that class can attain, regardless of the roles or styles chosen.
Technique: A special "attack", "defensive manuver" or stance a samurai can learn as it levels. They can be taught to other samurai as well (who will attain them when they level).
Kiho: A mystical effect shamans, sohei and some monks can perform by rearranging the elements within their own body and using them for extraordinary effects (such as curing poision, deflecting arrows with wind or causing your skin to become as hard as a rock.)

World Terms
kami: a special type of pseudo-spirit that exists throughout reality. They are sentient beings that empower and give life to all things on earth. A rock, for example, can have a minor kami within, while a mountain can contain a major kami. But both will be earth kami. Shugenja partition the kami when casting spells.
Kami: The gods, essentially. They are not omnipotent like many western gods, but instead are more like "saints", except only rarely were they ever once mortal.
Founding kami/Kami: The 8 Kami who founded the empire of Saiken. (note: under case only used with by the word "founding")
Saiken: The empire. Consists of China, Japan and parts of northern Laos and Vietnam, Korea and small parts of Russia.
Elements: The elements that make up the heart of all things. Fire, water, air, earth and void. Shugenja manipulate these elements which are manifest in the kami.
Traditional Elements: The physical structure of all things. Fire, water, air, metal and wood. Wu-Jen manipulate these elements.
Nemuranai: Any item given a heart (i.e. "awakened") via a special event, divine intervention, special ritual or just being used/wielded by a legendary user, or regular user but quite often.
Gaijin: Foreigner. Usually used in a disrespectful way.
Ronin: Any person without a Lord/Daimyo. In some cases, it can refer to a person without a clan.
Samurai: When used mechanically (as a game term), this refers to the class "Samurai". When used in character, it refers to the caste. Out of character, you should call the caste the "Samurai caste" to avoid confusion.