Fūma Kotarō — Head of the Sagami Scouts
Fūma Kotarō — Head of the Sagami Scouts
A Missing Boatman and Two Claimants
- Alias: Fūma Kotarō
- Gender: Male
- Race: Human
- Occupation: Head of the Fūma scouts, ferrymen and intelligence households
- Religion: Ancestral rites and local shrine customs; private observances vary by household
- Allies: Fūma branch captains, Sagami boatmen and guides, selected retainers along the Kantō roads
- Enemies: Patrons demanding hostages, rival intelligence buyers and anyone betraying a Fūma safe house
- Abode/Base of operations: Changing lodgings in Sagami, Hakone and the approaches to the western Kantō
- Nationality: Japanese
- Languages: Japanese (and possibly other dialects relevant to his espionage work)
- Alignment: Neutral (places the safety of his households above the demands of rival lords)
- Affiliation(s): Fūma Clan (current head; Kotarō is an inherited leadership name in the campaign)
- Significant others: Family relationships are kept from outsiders because dependants could be used as leverage.
A boatman has vanished from a Sagami crossing with a valid travel permit issued in somebody else’s name. Kotarō, head of the Fūma households, knows the permit could identify a family that changed sides in the struggle between Ashikaga Shigeuji and the Uesugi. He wants the boatman found before either claimant can force the ferrymen to name everyone they carried.
Kotarō commands through branch captains, couriers and families who know the roads. They obey him because his decisions have kept those households alive, not because he possesses an army of faceless assassins. A prosperous patron can hire his riders to carry a letter or find a missing witness; buying their loyalty for a massacre is another matter.
His immediate problem is a captain who has accepted an advance from the wrong side. Confronting the man may split the clan; ignoring him may put three safe houses in enemy hands. Kotarō will listen to adventurers who bring evidence, but he will not surrender the names of his dependants simply because a noble bears an official seal.
Game Statistics — D&D 5e (2014)
Medium humanoid (human), neutral
Armor Class 17 (unarmored defense) Hit Points 138 (20d8 + 40) Speed 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 (+2) | 20 (+5) | 14 (+2) | 16 (+3) | 16 (+3) | 18 (+4) |
Saving Throws Dex +9, Wis +7 Skills Acrobatics +9, Perception +7, Stealth +9 Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 17 Languages Common, Japanese Challenge 15 (13,000 XP)
Evasion. When Fūma Kotarō is subjected to an effect that allows him to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, he instead takes no damage on a successful save and only half damage on a failed save.
Ninja Reflexes. Fūma Kotarō can take two reactions each round.
Ninja Stealth. Fūma Kotarō can hide even when only lightly obscured, and he can’t be tracked except by magical means.
Nimble Escape. Fūma can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of his turns.
Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker Fūma can see hits him with an attack, he can use his reaction to halve the attack’s damage against him.
Actions
Multiattack. Fūma makes three attacks: one with his katana, one with his kunai, and one with his shuriken.
- Katana. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d8 + 5) slashing damage.
- Kunai. Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d4 + 5) piercing damage.
- Shuriken. Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4 + 4) piercing damage.
Ninjutsu Techniques (Recharge 5-6). Fūma Kotarō uses one of the following abilities:
- Smoke Bomb. Fūma Kotarō throws a smoke bomb, creating a 20-foot-radius sphere of heavily obscured vision that lasts for 1 minute or until a wind of moderate or greater speed (at least 10 miles per hour) disperses it.
- Shadow Step. Fūma Kotarō can teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space he can see as a bonus action.
Legendary Actions
Fūma Kotarō can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. He can take only one legendary action at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Fūma Kotarō regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
- Move. Fūma Kotarō moves up to his speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
- Hidden Strike (Costs 2 Actions). Fūma Kotarō makes one attack with his katana or kunai.
- Disappear (Costs 3 Actions). Fūma Kotarō becomes invisible until he attacks or uses a Legendary Action.
Equipment
- Katana (Magic Longsword)
- Kunai (Dagger)
- Shuriken (Darts)
- Smoke Bombs (2)
- Ninja Outfit
- Grappling Hook
- Thieves’ Tools
Magic Items
- Cloak of Shadows: While wearing this cloak, Fūma Kotarō can cast the Invisibility spell once per day.
- Amulet of Ninja Reflexes: Grants Fūma Kotarō his ability to take two reactions.
Lair Actions
Fūma Kotarō’s lair is his hidden mountain fortress deep within the forest. In his lair, he can manipulate shadows and terrain to his advantage:
- Shadow Veil: Fūma Kotarō can create a 20-foot-radius area of magical darkness, as if casting the Darkness spell.
- Concealing Terrain: Fūma Kotarō can cause vines, foliage, and debris to shift, granting him and his allies half cover (+2 AC) until the start of his next turn.
- Ninja’s Escape: Fūma Kotarō can use a bonus action to teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space he can see.
What Is Fūma Kotarō Doing Right Now?
Kotarō dresses as the journey requires: a riding coat on the Hakone roads, a plain travelling cloak at a ferry, a retainer’s more formal clothing when summoned to a lord’s hall. He seldom carries anything that announces his office. His escorts recognise him by the riders he trusts and the questions he asks, not by a distinctive black uniform.
At a riverside storehouse he has assembled a ferry ledger, a forged travel order and three contradictory reports of the missing boatman. Two armed retainers wait outside for his verdict. Each serves a different claimant, and neither knows the man they seek was taken across the river by someone from Kotarō’s own network.
He will ask the characters to find the fourth witness before dawn. They may bring her to him, take her to the magistrate, or help her disappear. Kotarō offers safe passage in return for the truth; if his own captain ordered the abduction, he must choose between protecting a trusted officer and keeping the clan’s promises to the river families.
History and the Campaign
The Fūma are best known from later accounts of their service to the Hōjō rulers of Odawara, particularly in the sixteenth century. The name Kotarō is associated with successive leaders, but the stories attached to the most famous holder of that name do not describe the captain who appears here. See Odawara’s account of the Fūma tradition for the historical background.
In this campaign an earlier Fūma network operates around Sagami during the Ashikaga–Uesugi struggle of 1454. Kotarō’s present identity, his household loyalties and the missing-ferry affair belong to that deliberate alternate history. The later Hōjō service is neither an accomplished event nor a guaranteed future. The Fūma Clan entry describes its branches and current disputes; the late-medieval timeline places them in the wider world.
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