Courtier School selection help

[Nheko]

Guys what kind of Courtier (and why) can compliment the following L5R 4E party:

Toku Bushi
Hida Bushi
Kuni Shugenja
Yogo Wardmaster
Akodo Bushi (not confirmed yet)

No Spider allowed.

[BWR]

No Spider allowed.

As it should be.

Frankly, any courtier will do.
If what you need is someone with social skills, all courtiers should be proficient in all the important ones, and which other skills are considered important depends on the game you will be playing.

Considering the rather militant and anti-social nature of your party (a Hida, a Kuni and a Yogo), you might want one that works well with such folks. Having another Crab in the mix will mean you have one who already knows the tendencies and weaknesses of their clan and how to smooth things over when they mess up. Having a Crane there means automatic respectability and status that no other Clans can match, which may be useful to offset the rest of the party. Scorpion courtiers don't play fair, which could lead to trouble with anyone but the Yogo if found out, but can also be very useful. Phoenix courtiers tend to be skilled in a wide variety of Lore skills, which may prove useful. A Lion courtier is probably more suited to taking charge of the group and keeping unruly elements in line, and they are good entertainment on the road. Unicorn courtiers are almost universally liked, even by those who don't like Unicorns, and can make friends easily with everyone, high and low alike, based on personality and skill alone without the need for gifts or favors or trade. Mantis courtiers are good at getting their way fast, but can engender resentment if not given the chance to cement their position. Dragon courtiers are great if you are going to be doing a lot of investigating. MC courtiers are minor. I would suggest avoiding Dragonfly and Tortoise if you have a Lion in the group, but other than that it doesn't matter.

Most importantly, whatever clan and school you choose, make sure it works with the group. Even Lion can be gregarious and charming if you decide you want to play the one exception to rule.

[Nheko]

Thanks! I decided to give the Ikoma Bard a chance it seems quite fun.

[LibraryOgre]

Completely unrelated thought that amused me:

A game where EVERYONE is secretly Spider Clan, and none of the other players know it. Like, this ad hoc group of samurai gets thrown together, and they coincidentally are all deep cover Spider agents.

[BWR]

Completely unrelated thought that amused me:

A game where EVERYONE is secretly Spider Clan, and none of the other players know it. Like, this ad hoc group of samurai gets thrown together, and they coincidentally are all deep cover Spider agents.

Now why does that make me think of this (ignoring for a moment that there is no such thing as the Spider Clan)?

Edit: and apparently my girlfriend played in one game where all but one of the Crane characters were actually undercover Scorpion.

[LibraryOgre]

Now why does that make me think of this (ignoring for a moment that there is no such thing as the Spider Clan)?

Edit: and apparently my girlfriend played in one game where all but one of the Crane characters were actually undercover Scorpion.

Heh. I had apparently thought of things like this before... a Marvel game where the players slowly realized they were deep-cover Skrulls.