Yakuza
Yakuza know all that goes on in the Shao Yan and control all illegal activities within it. Fear, intimidation, and even an occasional helping hand are all tools that this moblike organization uses to maintain control of its criminal territory. A yakuza has a pattern of tattoos on his body. This pattern tells other members of the yakuza profession all about the character’s rank, abilities, and ties within his organization. Higher-level yakuza are often completely covered by tattoos on their backs, chests, and arms. In order to prevent easy identification by non-yakuza, these tattoos are never placed upon the face, hands, or feet.
Role
Each yakuza belongs to a “family,” an organization of yakuza similar to a thieves’ guild that controls a particular urban area; the bigger the family, the larger its district. Each family is very protective of its area, which is the very source of its power and income. Within cities and towns, secret wars are often waged between yakuza families as they try to protect or usurp a particular district of the city. A yakuza is expected to treat all criminal “family” members with the same respect as accorded to natural family members. Although yakuza are sometimes condoned or even respected, they are still criminals and thus subject to legal action. They all constantly risk arrest, imprisonment, and even execution to maintain their unlawful empires.
Distinctive Appearance
None
Special Benefits
As a benefit of their constant dealings with all sorts of people, yakuza can sense and anticipate an opponent’s offensive moves for a short time. This lets the yakuza position himself to minimize the damage from an attack by sidestepping at the last instant or partially blocking an attack. Although this maneuver doesn’t stop the attack, it does reduce the amount of damage the yakuza suffers by one-half (round fractions up). The yakuza must announce that he is performing this maneuver immediately after an opponent’s successful attack roll. This ability can be used a number of times per day equal to the yakuza’s ability level.
Special Hindrances
All yakuza suffer a -4 reaction adjustment to any law-enforcement personnel they meet if (accidentally or by force) their tattoos are revealed.
Skill Progression: As a major part of their duties includes information-gathering, the thieving abilities most useful to a yakuza include Move Silently and Hide in Shadows (to eavesdrop and shadow contacts), Detect Noise (to make sure that they are not being tailed), and Open Locks and Pick Pockets (to get to information not easily accessible).
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