A topic from AEG's L5R CCG Rules forum, copied for Oracle of the Void from a copy of the forum saved in October 2015, so pages it didn't save are missing. Players' names are left out; the rules officials are named. Rulings are as they stood on these dates; later rulings, the rulebooks and the Rules Archive may differ.
A player, 21 January 2014
OK, so as per this thread, you can't announce a Seeking the Way attached to a bowed shugenja just to gain the 2 honor. Just to be clear (and to save everyone the trouble of asking similar questions about different cards), this doesn't work because of the "to" joining the first two effects of "bow this shugenja" and "move home a target attacking personality," correct? And since the (only) mandatory targeting of the action is tied into the second half of the effect, if the shugenja is already bowed, you won't be able to meet the targeting. As a point of comparison, if the action read "Bow this shugenja. Target an attacking personality and move him home if this shugenja bowed. Gain 2 honor.", then that WOULD work because the targeting isn't conditioned on the bowing, right?
Sorry to be a little pedantic about this, but I'm trying to make sure I and my playgroup are exactly clear on why this doesn't work so we can apply the rationale to other cards.
Thank you
Brook Cunningham (rules official), 21 January 2014
OK, so as per this thread, you can't announce a Seeking the Way attached to a bowed shugenja just to gain the 2 honor. Just to be clear (and to save everyone the trouble of asking similar questions about different cards), this doesn't work because of the "to" joining the first two effects of "bow this shugenja" and "move home a target attacking personality," correct? And since the (only) mandatory targeting of the action is tied into the second half of the effect, if the shugenja is already bowed, you won't be able to meet the targeting. As a point of comparison, if the action read "Bow this shugenja. Target an attacking personality and move him home if this shugenja bowed. Gain 2 honor.", then that WOULD work because the targeting isn't conditioned on the bowing, right?
Sorry to be a little pedantic about this, but I'm trying to make sure I and my playgroup are exactly clear on why this doesn't work so we can apply the rationale to other cards.
Thank you
Looks like you've understood all our points correctly.