The samurai is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.
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The samurai was introduced in the original first edition Oriental Adventures book.[1]
The samurai appeared in The Complete Fighter's Handbook as a character kit.[2]
A version of the samurai appeared in the 3rd edition Oriental Adventures book; this was subsequently revised in an article in issue 318 of Dragon Magazine to be in keeping with the 3.5 update.
A second class by the same name appeared in Complete Warrior.[3] There have also been numerous samurai related prestige classes in various books as well.
The samurai is supposed to represent the stereotypical "loyal retainer" who appears in Japanese fiction and movies. Currently, they are a brave and noble warrior trained in the use of the Daisho who can intimidate foes with fearsome shouts, and fight with two blades.
No currently published race has Samurai as a favored class, although the supplemental rules presented in Oriental Adventures has the class favored by the dwarves.
Partly based in portrayals of samurai in fantasy and history, this class is also designed to fit the image of samurai as presented in Rokugan: nobles both male and female who are trained in a particular martial tradition, deeply rooted in the social and cultural structure of their homeland. Like fighters, the samurai is a martial class which receives bonus feats as they advance in level. Unlike fighters, these must be drawn from a list of feats appropriate to the character's clan, reflecting the specific traditions of each. Samurai not belonging to any of these clans are still required to choose from a single list, whether the character is simply imitating that style, or belongs to a tradition which is mechanically similar.
Mechanically the class is similar to both the fighter and paladin base classes. In 3.0 and the subsequent 3.5 update, it received bonus feats (though at a slower rate than the fighter) as well as having an alignment that must remain lawful, similar to the paladin or monk. It receives more skill points than either class, however, allowing a samurai to have some ranks in the diplomatic and artistic abilities that the romantic image of a samurai would justify. The inclusion of skills in the Oriental Adventures book like Iaijtusu Focus grant the class the necessary mechanics to perform the duels typically visoned between two samurai.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of the samurai class, this is a paired masterwork set of a katana and wakizashi (or similar weapons from other cultures) which are inherited from the character's ancestors. As the samurai advances in level, they may visit a shrine or temple to make sacrifices which draw out the latent powers of either blade, granting it bonuses and powers as a magical weapon. Note that the daisho remain ordinary masterwork weapons until thusly empowered, after which they are considered magic weapons for the purposes of spells and effects. Although not using their daisho causes no penalty to a samurai, the loss of either or both is considered dishonorable.
Built intentionally as a separate concept, the samurai that is presented in Complete Warrior is a marked change from the earlier base class presented in Oriental Adventures. Where the samurai in Oriental Adventures is a generic, generally customizable class with only one class ability and many bonus feats, the samurai from the Complete Warrior is described by author Dave Noonan as a "different take than the one presented in Oriental Adventures. This one has a squinty-eyed gunslinger feel about him"[2].
The Complete Warrior samurai is different from the older Oriental Adventures class due to its almost complete reliance on the two weapon fighting style. Over the course of the class progression the samurai gains the ability to wield both katana and wakizashi at once. Numerous other class abilities, most often in the form of specific bonus feats, are also conferred upon the character. An example of an ability that simply doesn't duplicate a feat is an ability that acts almost identically to the Smite Evil class ability of the Paladin. It relies heavily on the ability score of charisma to fuel some of the more unique class features.
Furthermore, the grievous loss of honor or a change in the lawful alignment of the samurai character results in the complete loss of all class abilities that rely on a roll based on charisma. These class abilities cannot be used again until the samurai finds proper attonement. They also suffer the same multiclass penalty as the paladin and are unable to return to their class when they deviate from it.
Complete Warrior took a unique take on the status of ronin, one that the Oriental Adventures book does not. While the Oriental Adventures book looks at ronins as purely a social station that has no mechanical considerations, samurais who loses their station using the Complete Warrior rules are eligible to take levels in the ronin prestige class. This prestige class emphasises the infamy of the masterless samurai and allows them to regain some of their lost class abilities due to the loss of their class.
An attempt is made to give the class a bit of historical flavor, as their primary combat ability mimics the style of Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryu whereby the samurai wields both a katana and wakizashi at once. However, unlike the traditional style, the Complete Warrior samurai's class feature does not emphasise the use of the wakizashi as a defensive measure. It also doesn't provide for the application of the more historically common style of fighting, wherein a katana is used two-handedly, and the wakizashi is of ceremonial nature.
The Complete Warrior samurai class has received a fair share of criticism, primarily from the regulars of the Oriental Adventures board hosted on the Wizards of the Coast Dungeons and Dragons forum. It is generally felt that the samurai class as presented in the Complete Warrior is a flavorless class that is further from the actual historical concept of a samurai. The small amount and poor selection of skills and meager skill points gained make the opportunity of branching into other possible aspects of a samurai character rather dim.
Some claim the samurai as presented in the Complete Warrior is more based on a combination of popular western stereotypes about historic samurai. They cite examples of samurai who are either frightful, used two weapons, or donned heavy armor, but rarely (if at all) all at once as with the Complete Warrior samurai.
The talk about the two classes continues still in the - Oriental Adventures vs. Complete Warrior thread.
In Dragon #404 (October 2011), the samurai has been added as a character theme.[4]
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