(reposting from the official boards)

Street Samurai. We know 'em, we love 'em, they've been with us since day one (with 0.1 Essence!), and they're with us even today.

But I'm curious to see how y'all define 'em. Obviously, the default answer to every question that'll follow in here is "It depends", or "Well, THIS character is X while THAT one is Y..." but I'm hoping that you guys can nail it down a bit, grit your teeth, and give a definitive answer. Rather than slap all the questions in here at once, I was hoping for more organic flow,as some answers might generate more questions.

So, I'd like to start with an easy-hard one.

1) What single weapon best defines the Street Samurai archetype in your mind.
a) Raw physical striking (punching, headbut, etc)
b) Retractable cyber-melee weapon
c) The Katana
d) Smartpistol (Ares Predator and friends)
e) Smartsmg (Ingram and friends)
f) Assault Rifles
g) Big Guns
e) Other (Fill in the blank, please!)

If you want to give a bit more detail on why you chose one answer over another, I'd be much obliged.

It's a hard answer, because to me part of the Street Sammie's job really is being able to point at that list and say "all of the above, bro. That's my job."

Are we discussing classic, original Street Samurai, or are we discussing the current "Class" that uses that name?

If the former, it's the Katana, hands down. that and a code of honor are what separated the Sammy from the Merc.

Modern Day? It's a "Class" that encompasses pretty much any non-magical, physical-combat focused character.

to me its all of the above and more
A Streetsam is a Char that is(should be) prepared for any kind of Combat
and with a Mindset that sets him apart (and above) from Gangers, Merceneries or Cyberclaws
To narrow him down to just one kind of Weapon ist the most stupidest thing I could imagine

HougH!
Medicineman

Now, trying to unpack it and pick just one answer to the "iconic" question, gun to my head, and I have to pick just one?...I'm gonna go with some sort of cyberspur or other implanted weapon. Not because they're necessary, or because the rules necessarily support it (with bone lacing making you almost as nasty without them, with the way skills have broken down across various editions making their actual utility questionable, and on and on and on), but because that's where "razorboy" comes from, or similar nicknames...and for good reason.

At that level, you're making yourself a weapon. There's an implication there, that such augmentations often go hand-in-hand with being faster, stronger, more willing to take a hit (because you're modding your body to get in close and stab people). Replacing part of your arm with knives is friggin' hardcore. It's a statement of intent. That's important. That intent, that purpose, that willingness to augment yourself for combat, is a big deal.

Yeah, I concur with the others, option E. Iconic street samurai combine a range of ranged and melee skills with augmentations to make them tougher, faster, and more accurate.

For me its not the weapons. But the code of honour and the 'ware.

It's the code, full stop. Sprawl's full of gangers, toughs, and Gillettes with any pile of chrome and guns, but what makes a samurai is in the head and the heart.

Doesn't matter if it's some drek hot slitch with eyes like mirrors and razors under her nails, or a gunman with a duster and a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas.

That said, I've always considered any weapon to fit a sam, but the iconic image is a monokatana for me.

Now we have to go back and watch Ghost Dog again.

I have to agree with some of the others here... The Samurai is the specific Code of Honor that he embraces (strict and inviolate), not the Equipment that he uses (which is interchangeable based upon need).

Oh, questions about the Code are on the way as well. I'm just giving the questions out a lil' at a time. Some of the answers might naturally evolve future questions. For now, what I'm looking for is "When you picture "Street Samurai" in your head, what weapon do they have?" It gets trickier later.

I suppose the Katana would still be something I would expect the sammie to have, even if he never draws it during the run.

It is as much a status symbol as a weapon and it does help to project the calm certainty that he can kill everyone in the room if need be, but only if necessary.

Street Samurai is a matter of mentality, not physical equipment. ever seen Ghost Dog, with Forrest Whittaker? That's a street samurai. Much like a traditional Samurai, he should be skilled with a variety of weapons, and have a solid grounding in tactics. He should be able to operate in a variety of roles.

Nowadays, if they are not actual street sams, I call'em Trigger Pullers, Gilletes, Razor Boys, Stepping Razors, or Vending Machines.

While the Katana's iconic, what defines the Street Samurai - the urban, cyberpunk cyber-warrior - are retractable blade,s hands down. It's the one weapon that's unique to them.

And actually, with cyberpunk urban warriors, "Street Ronin" IMHO would have been much better a fit, but Gibson made a different choice.

i would go with the Ingram smartgun, for several reasons. its a good weapon, concealable, sound suppressed, and yet cost effective and easy to replace because its an off the shelf weapon.

as for what weapons a sam will have... i would expect at a minimum a knife, pistol, SMG, assault rifle, and scoped rifle, and several grenades. he wont normally carry all of that at once, but he should have them available, and carry what the job needs.

likewise, i would expect a sam to be able to ride a motorcycle, and do so with skill. driving a car takes less skill, and you often have a rigger to do that job with skill, but on a motorcycle you are on your own. its sort of like riding a horse for the modern world. some will prefer faster, more agile bikes, while others will want larger, tougher machines. combat biking is the new mounted combat.

Honestly, I need to play SR again. Real street sams are a blessing, and should be encouraged at every turn.

Gonna mimic what some of the others have already said here and go with it depends on what you mean by street samurai. If you mean A) someone who is a follower of the bushido or some code of eithics and offers his services as a sell sword, then the katana. If you mean B) a non magical, non razorboy/vatjob murderer then i would go with all of them. The sniper will always be better then the street samurai at sniping people, but the street samurai is better at pistols and submachine guns and assault rifles and heavy weapons and baseball bats and katanas and monofilament whips. They are the jack of all trades of murder.

e) All and none of the above.

I never saw a particular weapon as the defining element of a Street Samurai. For me it was always about a certain mindset within a very specific social environment which - if anything - created a certain preference for melee weapons but never to a degree where firearms (of any size) would be totally neglected. For me a Street Samurai is someone who is driven by the idea of instilling a certain amount of fear into "lowlier" people and respect into those of equal or higher social rank through the implicated knowledge that if need would be the Samurai could pretty much instantly end the lives of people surrounding him in various and mainly gruesome but still somewhat artful or even artistic ways. The main focus for achieving that goal is turning himself (and thus his body) into a living weapon with any available means ... and that happens to include augmentations to his natural physical traits like strength, quickness, dexterity, reaction and/or incorporating weapons like spurs and other blades into his system.
The tendency towards melee oriented combat is because unlike ranged weaponry this particular combat type always involves and allows for showcasing the Samurai's body as a whole instead of just the weapon used.

And whatever cannot be fitted into the body is simply used as an external tool to the same end: Master whatever weapons you come across, turn them into an extension of your body and display them openly in order to tell your surroundings which social group you belong to.

Unlike the historical prototype the Street Samurai isn't born into his social position but must claim it by his own choice. His weapons - while still representing his social status - are not granted or gifted by any ruler for the Street Samurai is his own ruler that decided to rise above the "peasants" in his surroundings.

Whether or not the Street Samurai is ultimately recognized as being one heavily depends on whether or not he manages to avoid looking like the next crazed murder hobo in the line ... and that's where his adherence to the "code" comes into play. And no, that code doesn't necessarily have to be Bushido.

Really need a Like /+1 button for the Cochise's post above.

I agree. Early Shadowrun emphasised blades and spurs as archetypal Sam weapons through its art and fiction. Not that they weren't adept with a variety of weapons but the cyber weapons were a signature.
As for Gibson I think alliteration influenced his choice, Street Samurai rolls off the tongue.

At one time he did play about with the term Road Ronin, but it just did not come off as smoothly.


Some other terms that (thankfully) never made it off of the cutting room floor:

Backalley Bushi

Avenue WuShu

Super Slab Super Stab (Honestly don't know what they were thinking on that one.....)

Well, if we are not discussing the Code, then I Gotta agree here... the Street Samurai's Sidekick^TM is so iconic that it is directly supported by its moniker. Ingram Smartgun X all the way, backed up by Cyberspurs and Katana.

I think the main things defining a street samurai are his augmentations, and his professionalism/competence. I prefer the pragmatic, hard-edged SR1 street samurai to the later versions that had a ludicrous code of honor, studied thing like Zen koans and ink brush painting, etc.

That doesn't preclude some weapon being the definite street samurai weapon


For me it would also be the spurs, it's just the classic cyberpunk image to me.

The Smartgun (or generally an SMG with brain interface) coming close second. Guns linked to the brain are another obvious classic, and IMO pistols are just too "ordinary", while longarms...you can't pull an assault rifle from a trenchcoat

I may borrow Back alley Bushi as the level title for first level Street Samurai in my AD&D SR hybrid.

Good total recall! That term was actually trademarked in SSC, probably has genuine legal status.

This.
Nowadays a street sam is simply a non-Awakened character specializing in physical combat. The rest is fluff.
(That said, if I had to choose from the variants offered, it's (f). And not just assault rifles, but Ares Alpha specifically).

I'll try to go the other way around and link the equipment to a character:

a) Raw physical striking (punching, headbut, etc) => Big troll or adept
b) Retractable cyber-melee weapon => Razorboy
c) The Katana => Adept or Street sam (depends if he's wired) or poser
d) Smartpistol
Ares Predator => Punk
Another gun => Runner
e) Smartsmg (Ingram and friends)
Uzi => Ganger
Ingram => Pro/Security/Street sam
f) Assault Rifles => Merc/Military
g) Big Guns => Crazy Merc

So yeah, Katana+implants+Ingram.
Strangely, monosword will make me think streetsam more than adept.

I'd agree with both of the above. In quite a few historical cultures a sword was the mark of the upper class, professional, warrior (knight, samurai, etc). It may not have been the weapon you'd want to hit with first in battle, but swords are portable enough that you could wear them close to always, and easy enough to draw that you could therefore almost always be armed in an instant. Plus they were relatively expensive, so not something that the part-time fighter would be apt to invest in (versus spears, bows, axes, etc). So carrying a sword said you were invested in being a warrior and were always ready to fight at a moments notice.

In the SR setting, I think spurs would signify much the same thing.

Although to me perhaps the dividing line between 'tough guy' and 'street samurai' has always been the somewhat extreme wired reflexes (or equivalent). Part of the threat of the SS is not just that they will smash you, but that they will smash you before you can even react. Combine that with a broad array of weapon skills so that no matter the situation, no matter how geared or not they are, a street samurai will always be dangerous.

Time for more questions!

2) When you picture "Street Samurai" in your head, what race are they?
A) Dwarf
B) Elf
C) Human
D) Ork
E) Troll

3) One thing that everyone agrees on is that a Street Samurai has cybernetics. But which upgrades are the *definitive* ones? The ones that change "Guy with cyber" into "THAT one is a samurai"? Not only do you get to pick three on this one, but you get to put them in order of must have, should have, and probably has.
A) BOD enhancement (Dermal plating, Skeleton upgrade, etc)
B) AGI enhancement (Muscle replacement, Muscle toner, etc)
C) REA enhancement (Reaction enhancers but NOT Wired Reflexes (se below))
D) STR enhancement (Musce replacement, Muscle augmentation, etc)
E) INITIATIVE enhancement (Wired reflexes, synaptic accelerator, etc)
F) Cyberlimbs (Arms, legs, etc)
G) Cyberweapons (Spurs, Cybergun, etc)
H) Cybereyes (NOT including Smartgun link)
I) Smartgun Link
J) Skillwires
K) Other (Please define)

Remember, on this one, you get three, but you need to put 'em in order of importance. I'm still looking for *Iconic*, not neccessarily "Most effective".

Oddly enough usually Human with an occasional Ork or Elf (though the latter oddly was usually a pariah for this to happen)
Trolls are just Hulk-Lite and don't need to bother with most of this.
Dwarves strangely enough just do not invoke Sammie the same way, though one would think they would be ideal with sturdy frame and focused mindset, but they just did not impress in the same way.


From Top Priority on down:
#1 Initiative enhancement. Now this goes back to old school initiative when speed was king and a sammie could sometimes take half your squad out before they even started to react.
Yes, it was hell on the initiative-deprived and had to be balanced a bit gamewise, but it set you apart from the rest of the world that plodded along.
#2 Smartgun Link. Making your firearm literally an extension of your body.
Especially cool when you start locking on targets, ala original Robocop when he locks onto all the baddies before opening up on them.
#3 Cyberweapons. All the coolest toys that meant you were never totally disarmed.

Cyberlimbs/Cybereyes were not necessarily a mark of a street sammie, indeed it often meant you had bad things happen to you.
Remember way back when in one of the early edition shadowtalks they were thinking someone was a bit of a loon to voluntarily chop off two good arms to get cyber replacements, but as players many wouldn't think twice about it.

The various enhancements like STR/BOD/AGI were nice to have, but more often than not, it was the posers who really bulked up on these.
Yes a sammie might have some of the above, but it rarely was something he would have thought as defining himself while the poser who be all maxed out labmade muscles and twitching from time to time because his reaction was tweaked a bit too much.

The Sammie may have had low essence, but he still looked largely human while the poser often had a freakish look from going overboard on the shinies.

2. Human, then Ork, are the Street Sams that I see most. Occasionally I see an Elf, but not as often for some reason. I have seen a Troll or two, but just one or two. Never seen a Dwarf Samurai.
3. Initiative Enhancements, Smartgun Link, Agility Enhancements.

Well, baseline humans are baseline for a reason, so I mostly imagine characters as humans. But I can easily see elf or ork sammies; troll sammies with a bit of stretch (they're more ganger material in my head); and I have problems picturing a dwarf sammy.
Dwarves generally get very little love, for what I've seen. What are they seen doing, other than being riggers and maybe security spiders somewhere in the background?

Wired Reflexes. Cybereyes. Smartgun link. Cyberweapons. Cyberlimbs.
Basically, the iconic augmentations haven't moved much since the Molly Millions times.

For the first question it is the ingram smartgun. Something about a one-handed gun mowing people down with precision does it for me.

Question two I almost always picture a human. Must be my inner humanis sympathies.

Question three above all is wires. Moving faster and more gracefully than everyone else in the room. After that comes the cybereyes and then a cyberarm as a distant third. Eyes just seem like an improvement that would make the most sense if you have no problem with going under the knife.

Human (white). Probably been conditioned by the SSC, which had [metarace] Streetsams as alternate characters. White because 90s gaming, I guess. Interestingly, most Streetsam characters I played with have either been nonhuman or nonwhite. Still, my mental image is Cyber Dolph Lundgren.


Must Have: Cybereyes (NOT including Smartgun link). As the belief goes, Eyes are the windows of the soul. This one sold hers in a bargain with technology.

Should have: Cyberweapons (Spurs, Cybergun, etc). Because I'm a cyberpunk traditionalist and those are Molly Millions' iconic weapon (though the Flechette is more effective and she actially only kills two people with them in the entire Sprawl trilogy).

Probably has: E) INITIATIVE enhancement (Wired reflexes, synaptic accelerator, etc). You'll only know when it's too late but it goes well with dead eyes and hand razors. Also, for the record, I'd have combined this with REA enhancement since Wired Reflexes grant REA boni as well.

I see humans as being the most iconic street samurai, mainly because the other metatypes all have some kind of stat bonus. You see an ork street samurai, and he's partly tough because he's a street samurai, and partly tough because he's an ork. A human street samurai possesses whatever edge he has solely because of his augmentations.

The most iconic parts of a street samurai are the wired reflexes, which more than anything else set the street samurai apart as a superhuman killing machine. That sense that just by watching him move, you get the impression of watching an alpha predator. Following that are cybereyes (although I disagree with splitting them from the smartlink - the two really go together, for me), and some kind of cyber-implant weapon. A street samurai with only those three things would be kind of a half-assed street samurai, to be honest, but at least he would look like one.

1: e some of the above
2: ork
3: e, Initiative enhancement

For me a Street Sam has always been about his mentality (other augmented combat types are razors or gillettes) The street sam understands that his business isn't just violence, but the application of violence, knowing how to best achieve an end through violent means.

Human or Ork mostly. Dwarfs are for some reason riggers in my head, Elves tend towards adepts instead, and Trolls don't get much from most augs that they can't do naturally.



E, I, F for me.

The need for speed is a defining point of samurai through the years. Being able to out draw, out run, and generally outfight anyone with superhuman reflexes even when ambushed is iconic and central to the mindset. Smartguns follow, because what is more street samurai than constantly having targeting information on your field of vision, no matter where you happen to be or what you are doing? Cyberlimbs (to include things like dermal sheathing and cybertorsos/skulls) are last, and mostly on the level that only a samurai or a madman would willingly give up their body to just further hone their edge.

For the cyberware it's definitely wires. Inhuman reflexes (coupled with inhuman jerkiness) are what makes the quintessential samurai.

*edit* After some additional thoughts I had to slightly alter my initial response to question 3



Time to avoid giving answers strictly within the given choices



When I personally picture "Street Samurai" I would have to go with:

F - all of the above but with general favoritism towards standard human due to racial distribution and alternative 'career choices' for certain metahuman races within the social environment that usually creates Street Samurai within the Shadowrun Universe.



Well, I'm not in agreement with some of the separating choices you've made there because they seem to focus partially on flavor and partially on crunch elements like game stats. But I'll try to stay as 'close' to your choices as I can:

1. E/C: Augmentations to Initiative / Reaction with a strong "preference" towards cybernetic versions under the motto "Be quick or be dead". The Bioware versions - for me - lean more towards the trope of a bio-engineered super soldier with a more SotA and corporate touch than a person trying to rise above others from a street level.
2. H/A/B/D/F: Sensory organ / limb augmentations and replacements. Eyes (and possibly ears) as the "low" entry point of sacrificing one's visible "human" side and entering uncanny valley in order to achieve the goal I outlined in my previous post: Instilling some levels of fear / respect into others by creating visual cues that tell the observer Don't mess with this guy/girl. After that there's a form of diversification. While cybernetic limb replacement certainly is an option (even voluntary ones) they aren't necessarily "iconic" in the sense that a person with cyberlimbs represents the epitome of "Street Samurai" picture. Cyber limbs are certainly also common for Deckers, Riggers and certainly anyone who needed a limb replacement but couldn't get a cloned one. So the "iconic" theme would drop onto "structural enhancements" like dermal armor, bone lacing, (cyber) muscle augmentations ... but not in a clear cut style because there's another - previously unmentioned - thing that is important to the Street Samurai: A level of individuality that prevents them from being strict "copies" of each other and subsequently dilutes a clear "iconic" picture to some degree.
3. G/I: Direct combat augmentations with the goal of inflicting more and potentially "gory" damage.

Probably based on the illustration in 1st & 2nd editions, I default to thinking of street samurai as humans. There may also be an element of balance in this, that people tend to play an orc or troll due to the strength and then focus more around that, or an elf for the agility and focus on that. To me, a samurai has a lot of balance in their physical stats, they may not be the best in any of them, but are good in all of them

Although one NPC dwarf samurai totally sold me on them as being viable and convincing in the role. They make for a great ‘nothing stops me’ character build, so I’d make that my second choice.

As for enhancements:

1st – e. by far my number one is initiative enhancers.

2nd – A (body enhancers) plus a bit more—any form of ‘toughness, keep you in the fight’ enhancers. (sure bone lacing or dermal armor, but also the bioware that knocks a box of damage off of each hit, pain suppressors, even toxin resistance). . A samurai has to be able to take a licking and keep on kicking. In earlier (1-3) editions I would then have gone with a smart-link here, but in fifth smart links are not as powerful, so not as defining

3rd – If it wasn’t that bone lacing also helps melee combat I’d go with spurs for the ‘always armed’ factor. But given that bone lacing is a high priority item, I’ll say B (AGI enhancers). Not just because they will hit you, but because it gives them more tactical options with called shots and faster movement. A samurai isn’t always about maximum lethality—sure they can do that just fine, but they need the flexibility to take other options in other situations, or else they are just a particularly tough thug.

One reason I have never given that much credence or praise to the mental code of bushido as a stret samurai is that I have always had chracters based from the the CAS, and military training makes a lot of sense there. There is the paranoia of a Yankee invasion, and the very real reality of a low intensity conflict with Aztlan. I have always imagined it was something like an Israel/Palestine issue in scope. Limited scope, but fairly constant warfare.

So in the south, I imagine a lot of your "street sams" start off with a military background. Service in the military is one of the quickest ways to get in on the SIN life, and the south has a large military.

Perfect timing, as it's now time for the next question!

The Samurai Code.

One of the most definitive things in the eyes of many is that a Street Samurai has a Code. Just what that entails, however, varies! Let's see by how much. Which of the following best defines the Code by which your typical samurai follows?

1) The Samurai Code. Teh Seven Samurai Virtues, especially absolute loyalty to one's master to the point of suicide if so ordered.
2) The Ronin's Code. The Seven Samurai Virtues, especially Honor above all else. You will not cheat, lie, ambush, or serve a dishonorable master.
3) The Assassin's Code. You kill only who you are paid to kill and are above common violence. You, after all, are a professional.
4) The Mercenary's Code. You fufill the contract, no matter your personal beliefs. If you agreed to erase a place and it's an orphanage, too bad. A deal's a deal.
5) The Soldier's Code. Looting bodies is forbidden, as is attacking civillians/non-combatants.
6) The Hooder's Code. Rob from teh Corps, give to the SINless. Never let a fellow Hood be arrested. Nobody's ever too poor to not share.
7) Codes are for suckers. Do what it takes to win 'cause the streets will chew you out otherwise. No such thing as an unfair advantage, and the whole point of getting somebody down is to hit them when they're vulnerable! SCrew you, I got mine.
Other - Fill it in!

Sort of one part Ronin/ one part Other:


This is a person who is driven to attain his goals through force, power, and intimidation.

Yet they remain apart from the norm corporate VP or criminal boss due to his own personal code of ethics (although twisted ethics by the standards of good). The exact code does vary from individual to individual, but remains pretty close to Ronin codes within certain limits.

He expects loyalty from his those working beneath him, punishing disloyalty and treachery with a swift, merciful death.
Simply failing in a task set by him may bring his displeasure and dismissal, but rarely costing you your head if it was honest failure.

Collateral damage is kept to a minimum, but should the task require someone in the way being removed and there is no reasonable way around them or get them out of the way peaceably, it will be done.

They will always keep their word of honor and uphold any bargains made with another honorable party.
Note that this also means he can lie and cheat those he deems dishonourable-his code doesn't mean stupid, and to be fair he does not just say 'oh this guy is dishonorable' just to be convenient as that would dishonroable in itself. He is a bastard, but he won't weasel out on a promise.
That said, someone who screws him over on a deal can expect no mercy and all the stops are pulled as his vengeance is unleashed. Again, the code does not mean stupid so no kamikaze runs and while it may take years, he never forgets.

He will define his terms and live by them, whether anyone else likes it or not. Love him or hate him, at least you know where he stands and in a world of evershifting grays he stands in stark contrast in his singular essence of just being himself in every sense.

(7) of course, wouldn't be in the streets otherwise.

I see a street samurai as having a professional's pride and ethics, but I just can't see the consummate shadowrunner, which I see a street samurai as, having a rigid code that is quite as inflexible as the ones presented.

The Samurai Code? No, a street samurai might pride himself on getting the job done, but omitted details might void the contract in his eyes if they significantly change the scope or nature of the job, and betrayal will be met with retribution.

The Ronin Code? Not usually, a street samurai might aspire to some of the listed virtues, but is usually too pragmatic not to ambush someone, or do whatever else it takes to win. I might make an exception for those from an environment (such as one of the Japanese Megacorps) where such ideals are heavily ingrained.

The Assassin's Code? No, a street samurai might avoid unnecessary violence, but someone who threatens a street samurai, or sometimes, even disrespects him, can expect a lethal lesson.

The Mercenary's Code? No, a street samurai is not a cheap thug - he has some standards, which can vary on an individual basis.

The Soldier's Code? Maybe. I could see it for a lot of street samurai, especially ex-military, but not the ones who come from the streets, where scavenging means survival and there is no such thing as a non-combatant.

The Hooder's Code? Only rarely. I could see a street samurai choosing to do something just because it is the right thing to do, but I have a hard time seeing him doing it as a full-time thing. Exceptions might be a street samurai born to a poor community where people have more solidarity than the norm, or one who has embraced the Neo-Anarchist philosophy.

Codes are for suckers? Well, I personally think that while codes severe enough to qualify for the 15-point negative quality will be rare, most street samurai aspire to some kind of honor or professionalism to set themselves apart from the scum of the sprawl.

So in the end, my answer will be "other". The only thing street samurai have in common is that they are reliable, professional, and get the job done. I don't think there is a code of honor that a "typical" street samurai follows - they will usually have some kind of code they follow, but they will be eclectic, individual ones.

2, for the most part, but a bit spun for the realities of the street. Even the historical samurai viewed the Virtues as something to aspire to as much as a rigid rule.

7 is fine for street monsters and murder machines but does not a samurai make.

The street samurai code?
Be the strongest, fastest, deadliest. Hone your ware, your body and your mind for this.
The rest is just flourish.

I'll go with Hatchetman and Matador and say #4 - The Mercenary Code. Maybe with elements from the Ronin's Code, varying from person to person.

4 or 7 for me.
4 if it's a fair deal, i get the needed info before accepting the contract and nobody tries to screw me over.
7 if any of my standards are not met. You screw with me, i screw with you.