The Head-Hunting Samurai

The two warriors stood in the center of the battlefield, a maelstrom of death all around them. One garbed in blue and gold, his armor chipped but whole. The other in red and black, his face covered by a terrible mask. Neither spoke. There was no need for words to express what was to happen.

They rushed together, their weapons blurring in a storm of swings and strikes. Sparks flew, and steel clashed as each sought an opening, trying to drive their advantages for all they were worth. The warrior in the armor of the sky was fast and nimble, his towering opponent strong and long-limbed. Finally, as they drew together in a clench, the warrior in black drove his armored fist into his opponent's elbow. There was a sharp, sickening crack, and before he could recover, the masked warrior slashed his weapon across his enemy's throat. Blood fountained, and he fell to his knees, gurgling. The victor put a hand on the dying man's shoulder, and then pushed the chipped blue helmet off his head.

"You have made many enemies," the dark warrior said, his blade flashing as it bit deep once again, cleaving through Sarukan's throat and separating his head from his trunk. "You will be worth your weight in silver. I will accept no less for a man of your honor."

Kentaro reached back with one hand, and slid the leather loop off the basket he wore on his back. He placed Sarukan's head inside, where it joined the five other generals he had slain that day. As he took up his blade again, Kentaro smiled beneath his mask.

He would be a rich man after today... assuming, that was, no one managed to take his head before the sun went down.

A Gruesome Tally

I will be the first person to say that there is no need to tie real-world history to an RPG that is not, itself, set in our actual past. To remind folks that many times the name of a class is just an adjective, and it does not convey specific, in-game associations. Barbarians can live in major urban areas, clerics don't have to be priests, fighters can be warriors of a church, monks might be members of elite special forces, and so on, and so forth.

With that all said, however, the core idea behind the Head Hunting Samurai as a concept is that the character is a warrior who proves their prowess in battle by bringing the heads of their defeated opponents to their employer, or their master. With the additional caveat, however, that it has extra impact if the character has some variety of social position and honor code that seems like it would be against this very thing.

The dichotomy between the ideals of honor and proper conduct with something so brutish is what makes the character so eyebrow-raising. And while the concept could be done with a samurai or a ronin, it can apply equally well to cavaliers, rangers, fighters, barbarians, and most other martial classes. It can even be used for spellcasters if they wield their magic in service to a paymaster or noble lord. If you want to use a class that has an alignment restriction, like a paladin, cleric, warpriest, etc., it is important to speak with your Game Master first to ensure that head-taking isn't going to cause eventual shifts toward undesired alignments in their game, as that will be quite frustrating for everyone involved.

In addition to the actual gruesome task, though, it's important to remember why the samurai were taking heads in the first place; gold and glory. Taking heads was proof of your victory, and the face on the head made sure you couldn't just present a scalp that you'd taken from a peasant, or a random corpse before lying about your deeds. Not only that, but the list of growing names at your back became a tally to strike fear into your enemies, and to inflate the value of your services. It is through the defeat of your foes that you climb the ladder; more gold, titles, land, position, all of it built on a foundation of skulls you've taken with skill, steel, and perhaps spells.

And that is what really makes this character concept pop. It's not just the taking of the heads, but that desire for glory, recognition, and to climb the ranks by building your reputation.

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That's all for this week's Unusual Character Concepts post!

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