Himitsu Yojimbo School

Originally, this was not a school at all, merely a set of harried samurai chasing after overly inquisitive shugenja which they had been charged to protect. Over time, however, certain effective techniques emerged and were passed down from veterans to new recruits.

Just don't call them "Cat Herders" within earshot.

School Package

 * +1 Wits
 * Melee as a Favored ability, with a 1-dot specialty in Parrying.
 * +1 Resistance, Awareness, Integrity, and Stealth
 * Honor: 3.5
 * Gear: Light armor, either a one-handed sword or a polearm, traveling pack.

Techniques

 * (Rank 1) Herding Cats:Once a Yojimbo of this school has seen a person, they receive a bonus equal to their School Rank to find them again in any circumstance. More often than not among the Himitsu, this is utilized to keep track of their wandering charges. This bonus is lost if the target remains out of the Yojimbo's sight for a full day.
 * (Rank 2) Swat the Hand: If Defending Another, the Yojimbo may reflexively attempt to disarm an opponent they have just parried an attack from, resolved in the Counterattack stage.
 * (Rank 3) Dangling String: The Yojimbo takes on a stance with several glaring gaps in their guard. Taking this stance is the only action the Yojimbo may take for the round. Until their next turn, anyone attacking the Yojimbo in this stance is subject to an "interrupt attack" from the Yojimbo, which resolves before the triggering attack and cannot be defended against without aborting the triggering attack. However, the Yojimbo cannot parry the triggering attack and their Dodge DV is reduced as normal by their own attack. This technique obviously cannot be used against ranged attacks.
 * (Rank 4) Hunter's Pounce:If a target is unaware of the Yojimbo's presence, the Yojimbo may automatically inflict knockdown upon the target with no roll to resist (they must still successfully strike the target with an attack, however). The Yojimbo has the option of initiating a grapple with the downed target, as well (this is rolled and resisted as normal).
 * (Rank 5) Paws Under the Door: The Yojimbo receives bonus successes equal to their School rank on any Awareness check to detect opponents on the far side of any obstacle (generally the other side of a closed door).