Hares (including rabbits, but really, what ninja knows the difference?) are the least adept in battle of all the major species of summoned animals. Much like their wild counterparts they are not predatory and have no natural defenses beyond their ability to flee (which they are, to be fair, quite good at).
That alone ensures that most ninja do not consider the rabbits worth the time and effort involved in fostering good relations with them. Still, some go to the trouble of doing so. Hares are kind-hearted creatures, but not weak-willed. They will not tolerate a master who takes delight in causing others suffering, or who is unwilling to attempt to resolve issues peacefully. Similarly, when confronting enemies who they view as genuinely evil, the few combat-capable summoned rabbits display a shocking degree of remorselessness.
It does exactly what it says: summons a small rabbit. These are remarkably docile and friendly creatures, and an exception to the standard that summoned animals won’t simply wait around at their summoner’s leisure.
The rabbit cannot talk, and lacks any obvious supernatural talents. It likes carrots and lettuce, and will allow itself to be carried around and petted at the summoner’s leisure.
Effects: If anyone attempts to attack the rabbit or its summoner it flees immediately, leaping away before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
However, whenever there is someone hidden within 10+X yards who the summoner doesn’t know about, the rabbit will tense up begin shaking, going very still as its ears perk up.
Attempting to negotiate as a ninja is a risky prospect, because as often as not the people you try to talk to really don’t care that you have a white flag, and would rather jump and murder you than listen to you explaining why violence really isn’t necessary.
This technique creates a wooden pendant, a circle with three carved hares inside it forming a triskelion of sorts, which can only be worn by the summoner (and, if not put on within a minute, crumbles to dust). So long as it’s worn, they have significant protections against hostility, though in exchange must live up to their own set of standards. The pendant’s design looks something like this.
Effects: Anyone attacking, hindering, or taking other hostile actions against you has a -15 penalty to any associated Stamina and Chakra Exhaustion rolls, and a -5 penalty to their Accuracy and other offensive rolls against you. Additionally, during this technique’s duration you gain 100 DR.
However, you cannot attack anyone who hasn’t attacked you first or take other hostile actions that aren’t in self defense (including Taking the Hit for someone else). You may not hide (via Stealth) unless it’s during battle. You cannot enter any buildings, camps, or other guarded areas without first making your presence known to the owners, occupants, or guards (as appropriate) and receiving their permission.
If you break the restrictions of this technique, the wooden pendant shatters and its effects end immediately. When this occurs you automatically advance two Fatigue levels; this increase in Fatigue cannot be avoided.
You can also take the pendant off, in which case it simply crumbles to dust. The pendant must be worn obviously; you cannot tuck it into a shirt or otherwise deliberately hide it. If you do so, or if you attempt to actively goad people into attacking you (to inflict its penalties on them before you retaliate), it breaks. This includes summoning it mid-combat and not mentioning that you give up. The pendant will not last longer than 6 hours.
According to legends, the goddess Amaterasu was once wandering the land looking for a place to rest for the night. As the story goes, she was approached by a rabbit which took her to the town of Inaba, and for its kindness she gave it her blessings.
It’s rather hard to believe that the story’s true, the rabbit was real, and it’s still alive and available to be summoned–it’s more likely that ‘Hare of Inaba’ is the collective term given to these large (for rabbits) white rabbits, though more supersticious people are hesitant to harm them all the same, as the myth claims anyone who does so will incur the sun goddess’ wrath.
Effects: This summons a white rabbit which cannot speak. When it’s called, the summoner asks it to guide them to a location of their choosing. This may be a place the summoner is familiar with, or a descriptive (rather than specific) location; “The other side of this mountain range” or “The nearest town” would both be acceptable, but “The enemy camp,” or “The nearest group of shinobi hiding from us” would not. In short, it could not be used to find a person or group that doesn’t want to be found or whose existence the summoner isn’t aware of.
However, it will then flawlessly lead the summoner and anyone with them, at a pace equivalent to a brisk walk (or slower, if necessary), to the chosen location so long as it’s within a week’s travel. It will lead them around all ambushes, traps, snares, hidden enemies, and so on. If it reaches a point where this is impossible (there is only a single bridge crossing a river and there are explosives planted on it, or enemies waiting to attack on the other side) it will stop and sit there, shaking, until either the threat is dealt with or it’s carried through the ‘danger zone’ by its summoner.
If the rabbit is attacked, it flees instantly, though there may be more to this story of a ‘curse’ befalling those who attempt to injure it than most shinobi believe. However, attempting to use the rabbit as a ‘shield’ of sorts (summoning it in battle as a deterrent to someone attacking you or the area near you) is a Breach of Contract.
Following the hare’s ideals of nonviolent resolution of conflicts, this technique facilitates peaceful negotiations by ensuring that those who attempt to use diplomacy as a cover to ambush or attack their enemies are punished for doing so. How the technique works at all puzzles shinobi, as it doesn’t have similarities to any known sort of jutsu.
After the technique is completed, the entire affected area somehow seems lighter and more peaceful. Anyone inside its boundaries instinctively knows that hostility is not welcome, and has a marked aversion to any such actions.
Effects: Taking any sort of offensive action within the area is prohibited, as is deliberately launching attacks into it. Offensive actions include all attacks and targeted genjutsu, whether or not they deal damage. Setting explosives and modifying the terrain for combat (for example, the A-rank Yomi Numa, or Katon explosive clouds) are offensive actions. However, performing medical jutsu to heal, meditating or seals that cannot be used offensively (CANNOT, not are not) are not.
Breaking this rule carries a harsh penalty: Anyone who does so has a -10 penalty to their Accuracy, d20 rolls, offensive and defensive rolls (including grapple checks), and fatigue rolls. This penalty lasts for as long as they are in the Sanctuary, and one hour afterwards.
Once a person has violated the sanctuary’s restrictions, they can be attacked and otherwise subjected to offensive actions with impunity; anyone attacking them is not breaking the rules of the sanctuary. Anybody who aids them, however, such as taking a hit for them or giving them supplies midbattle, is similarly affected if they do so within the field. Likewise, once you leave the Sanctuary’s area, if you commit any sort of offensive action, you can not benefit from any of its protections for an hour.
The field lasts for X/4 hours, to a maximum of 12. The summoner may not choose to end it early, and is subject to the same restrictions and penalties as anyone else.
Said to be the rabbit who lives under the moon, it only comes out at night. One of the caste of direct minions of the avatar, he is the moonlight to the avatar’s moon in actuality. You should not summon the Jade Rabbit during the day, it is too busy sleeping and if you do it has dire consequences (Read below). It actually floats around and can help you find anything touched by the moonlight. It will not attack unless it is attacked first.
Vitality: 400
STR: 45
RES: 40
CHA: 100
DEX: 80
AGI: 80
Accuracy: 30
Chakra Exhaustion: +14 Dodge: +22
Genjutsu Defense: +14
Initiative Bonus: +20
Physical Damage Bonus: 3.0
Ninjutsu Damage Bonus: 6.6
Movement: 3 yard per IC, Floating
Athletics: +15
Awareness: +18
Resistance: +10
Stealth: +20
Elusive Target
The rabbit is small and has the luck of the moon! It has access to the Ninjutsu, Kawarimi, which it does not have to pay any CE or AP to utilize. It also takes no damage from AoE attacks where it isn’t the sole target.
Might of the Meek
Jade Rabbits, while they do not speak (at least, not to humans), are capable of understanding them sufficiently to work alongside them, provided they respect the Jade Rabbit’s nocturnal natures. Whenever you summon a Jade Rabbit, subtract the minimum XP required to summon it (1600 XP) from your Earned XP: that is the X value to determine what bonuses, if any, it gets from the following modifiers. X has a maximum of 3400.
In all cases, you round down. The bonus to skill rolls only applies to skills the summon has listed.
Shining Light
While under the moonlight the rabbit emits a bright light, this shines out for 20 yards and anyone in Stealth is revealed, but while this light shines you cannot stealth either.
Standard Actions
The Jade Rabbit may use the Dodge and Move actions as described in the Combat chapter of the PHB, without their summoner needing to spend AP.
Blinding Flash (Speed 10, 12 AP)
The Jade Rabbit is a beacon of hope but also one of light! This technique uses the C-rank Raiton Taiyoken.
Bite (Speed 8, 4 AP)
Not an amazing combatant, the Jade Rabbit usually gets out of dangerous situations using it’s teeth. A bite inflicts 4d8 piercing damage and is considered a basic unarmed attack. The Jade Rabbit’s bite is far more painful than it is actually damaging and if it hits someone who is grappling it, it automatically gets a roll to escape the grapple, with a +10 to its roll.
Burning Brilliance (Speed 14, Delay 4 + Special)
If you do, in fact, summon the rabbit during the day, it appears in a spot 1d12 Yards away from you in a random direction (Chosen by rolling a D8 and north, north-east, etc). Once it appears there it bursts into flames and suddenly combusts, unsummoning itself in a burst of fiery flames, the blast counting as a C-rank Katon that does 10d20 damage in an 8 yard AoE centered on the Rabbit. The Rabbit’s damage bonus is tripled and if it hits the user, it deals double damage.
The Jade Rabbits are a straightforward bunch and will stick around with you as long as you need their light and as long as it’s not day time! If you do summon one during the day it will perform Burning Brilliance (see above) and then not be summonable for 30 Days OOC.
Literally meaning ‘bodyguard’, the yojimbo is just that. It’s a three foot tall bipedal white rabbit wearing a blue haori, black hakama, and straw sandals, with its ears tied together by white cloth an an imitation of a topknot. Yojimbo hares each carry a single katana. They have hands, rather than forepaws, complete with opposable thumbs.
You summon X Yojimbo, up to a maximum of 3. You can summon Yojimbo twice a week (rather than once a week), and may even do so during the same battle.
Trained as unified bodyguards, the caste of Yojimbo are the warriors who protect the lesser rabbits. They are trained in martial skills and despite their size can pack quite a punch. They each wear swords and will fight for you though will not attack the innocent.
Vitality: 850
STR: 30
RES: 50
CHA: 60
DEX: 80
AGI: 70
Accuracy: 32
Dodge: +18
Parry: +26
Genjutsu: +16
Damage Bonus: 3.0
Movement: 3 yard per IC, Floating
Athletics: +15
Awareness: +12
Resistance: +15
Stealth: +10
Chakra Exhaustion: +12
Compatriots
For every Yojimbo after the first present on the battlefield, all the others receive +3 Accuracy, an additional +2 to parries, +2 to Take the Hit, +1 to their damage bonus, and -1 to their AP costs. This stacks up to five times (when there are six Yojimbo present).
Standard Actions
Yojimbo may use Dodge, Move, Parry, Katana Base Attack (10d10, Speed 13) and Block as described in the Combat chapter of the PHB, without their summoner needing to spend AP.
Iajutsu Strike (Speed 10, AP 15)
The Yojimbo can make a quick strike as their first unsheathing, it gains an additional +3 Accuracy. The base damage is 10d10.
Defensive Formation (Speed Variable)
Protecting a target is their bread and butter, well-trained Yojimbo keep their targets alive, it is their honor and their life. While there are two or more Yojimbo present, they can use the ability Defensive Formation, Total Defense, and Guard, as detailed in the Physical Abilities section.
Breach of Contract:
An exception: If an enemy surrenders, and then turns on whoever they surrendered to, the Yojimbo will not object to their death. Indeed, the hares will fight fight to kill that enemy, and any of that enemy’s compatriots in that encounter, unless explicitly told not to.
From the deepest parts of the plains the hares roam, Satsu no Usagi is a loner, a singular, powerful entity who has always been a force to be reckoned with. The rest give him his space but he still manages to lash out occasionally.
As soon as Satsu no Usagi is on the field, he will attack the closest target besides you. If there is no other target he will attack you. He will continue to kill until he can’t find anyone.
No one can escape his wrath.
Vitality: 1500
STR: 50
RES: 70
CHA: 80
DEX: 100
AGI: 150
Accuracy: 45
Dodge: +35
Damage Bonus: 17.0
Movement: 5 yard per IC
Athletics: +15
Awareness: +35
Resistance: +15
Stealth: +0
Chakra Exhaustion: +20
Bad-Tempered Rodent
The mind of this rabbit is very singular. It is immune to Stun, Genjutsu, Immobilize, and takes half damage from Bleed, Ignite, or any other damage over time type ability.
Elusive Target
The rabbit is small and has the luck of the moon! It has access to the Ninjutsu, Kawarimi. It also takes no damage from AoE attacks where it isn’t the sole target.
Caerbannog Killer
Whenever Satsu no Usagi misses, it gains +2 Accuracy for the remainder of the battle; whenever Satsu no Usagi hits, it gains +2d20 and +25% wounding for the remainder of the battle.
Satsu no Usagi can use the Dodge and Move actions without spending any of its Summoner’s AP.
Sharp Teeth (Speed 10)
And he can leap about! When you use this attack, he can move up to 50 yards. This does 10d20 damage, and after you calculate it fully out, you double the total. In addition, it counts 100% higher for the purposes of wounding. It inflicts Slashing wounds and if it ever inflicts a critical head, roll 1d20. On a 20, the opponent’s head comes clean off and they die.
Summoning this creature is actually considered a Breach of Contract for the hare contract itself; the Murder Rabbit can still be summoned during the regular Breach of Contract period, which does not count as a ‘new’ offense (the rest of the contract will be usable again after the three OOC week period from the initial summoning of the Murder Rabbit). Once the Rabbit has been summoned it cannot be dismissed until it has taken at least one human life.
The Moon Rabbit is a large rabbit, though not in the same way that most summoned avatars are: it’s barely two feet long from nose to tail. The rabbit has downy white fur, and keenly intelligent jade-green eyes. When summoned, it typically appears sitting upright on its haunches, with a mortar and pestle in front of it (how it handles the pestle with its paws is quite the mystery, though it seems to have no trouble doing so). When the rabbit speaks, it does so with a soft, serious, androgynous voice.
The hare avatar is not exactly a pacifist, but it does refuse to engage in combat (if it would even be able to defend itself is a largely academic question). Some summoners claim that they’ve been able to get it to negotiate with the avatars of other contracts, both leaving the field of battle, but even if the Moon Rabbit is willing to do that, it probably doesn’t appreciate being used as, essentially, a glorified bargaining token.
The rabbit is not exactly friendly, though ‘amicable’ might be a fair description. It’s a fairly serious creature, and while it will make an effort to be helpful to its summoners, it won’t appreciate being treated like their personal dispensary or advisor on a regular basis. Despite its diminutive stature, it’s still a summoned avatar.
According to legends, the Moon Rabbit lives on, well, the moon, where it prepares a magical elixir which grants the gods their immortality. This is probably not that rabbit, though there are certainly similarities.
The Moon Rabbit has extensive medical knowledge, and can identify almost any malady which might be affecting someone, and suggest treatments for almost any condition. If called upon to provide consultation for medical matters, it will freely do so, and its advice will almost always prove excellent. Though it won’t stay for more than a few hours, that’s enough time to coordinate the actions of an entire hospital for maximum efficiency, and set up highly effective triage procedures.
More commonly, however, shinobi will call upon it for its other famous skill: the rabbit is probably the greatest apothecary alive. It can produce restorative elixirs, medical poultices, antidotes for any known poison (and probably some that aren’t known), and, supposedly, that mythical “elixir of immortality.” The lack of immortal shinobi suggests that it does not, in fact, confer immortality, however.