"This is a land of undeniable honor, unshakable duty, and unflinching resolve. It is a land of heroes, a land of virtue, and land of nobility. A man could make quite a bit of profit in a land such as this." - Garen Hawthorne

Rokugan is a land of law and order, where samurai enforce the Emperor's will with strength of arms and by example. Paragons of bushido, samurai are expected to stand for all that is honorable and virtuous in the world. But not everyone can live up to this example, and not all who dwell within the Empire respect the Emperor's laws.

This book explores another side of Rokugan, the criminal underworld that lurks just beneath the surface of this civilized Empire. In the shadows, smugglers ply their trade, shadow conspiracies make plans, and criminal masterminds spin webs of power that ensnare mighty samurai. The tools needed to lure these criminal organizations to a campaign are presented here, all that a party needs to fight these shadow societies - or even join them.

Within Way of the Thief, you will find the following:

• New background information for the Kolat as well as other criminal organizations, including smuggling, bandit, and pirate groups found throughout the Empire.
• New setting information and NPCs for centers of criminal activity such as the City of Lies and the City of the Rich Frog.
• Helpful ideas for beginning a new campaign for both magistrates who fight the criminals described in this book and parties who wish to begin a career as a criminal masterminds.
• New rules for Doji, Kitsuki, and Shinjo magistrate characters.

This book is a dual-system supplement for the Legend of the Five Rings RPG, 2nd Edition, and Rokugan, the d20 Companion for Legend of the Five Rings. Players and DMs may also find it useful as a source of interesting new feats and abilities for any d20 System campaign.

Game Masters running the Second Edition L5R RPG will need a copy of the Legend of the Five Rings Game Master's Guide and the Player's Guide. Players need only the Player's Guide.

Dungeon Masters running d20 System games will need a copy of the Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide, Oriental Adventures, and Rokugan. Players will need only a Player's Handbook.

96 pages