March 2005 Ruling Archive

Feign Death and Restrictions

According to Marty :

Quote:

"Loyal" and "Singular" impose control restrictions - which prohibit you from gaining control of a card in violation of Singular or Loyal through any means including Personality Theft, having an opponent's Personality theft effect expire and return control to you, or bringing a card into play.

Overlaying only exempts you from play restrictions - restrictions which only prevent a card from being brough into play - such as "Unique" and "May play this card only if you control a courtier," etc.

Control restrictions are not considered play restrictions, so Overlaying does not allow you to bipass Singular or Loyal.

- Marty Lund

Deputy Rules Monkey

Are "controling restriction" waived by Feign Death?

No. The term "control restriction" is one Marty has coined for convenience and has no meaning in the current rules. "Restriction" does have a defined meaning in the current rules (Diamond glossary).

Surge vs. Duel question

I tried to crawling through the archives, but I want to be sure of my conclusion.

The setup.

I have a Togashi Kansuke defending in the current battle. Honor and Glory has resolved. My opponent has a Kanjiro attacking. He has an Agasha Seruma at home with Suitengu's Surge attached.

I target Kansuke to play Steel on Steel against Kanjiro. My opponent reacts with Surge. From what I can gather, the action's target is gone so the action fails.

1. Is the action cancelled or are all the remaining effects that rely on targeting negated?

2. Assuming that it does fail in some way, am I correct in saying that I will not gain honor for issuing a challenge during battle?

Not cancelled.

Surge vs. Duel question

Assuming that it does fail in some way, am I correct in saying that I will not gain honor for issuing a challenge during battle?

Sure looks that way.

Celestial Imbalance Vs Weigh the Cost

Quick question, I never saw this get answered on the CCG forum list.

lets say Celestial Imbalance has resolved and I enter a duel.

I focus a Fortunes Smile (3fv).

I focus a Weigh the Cost (3fv).

and I focus a Random 4fv card.

In what order do things happen:

A) C.I. checks and see's FS & WtC are the same, make them 0, then FS makes itself 1 and one other card 1 higher?

B) WtC makes itself a 4fv and one other card (the smart guy would not pick FS) so the 4fv to a 5fv, and C.I. doesnt nuke any of the values.

C) some other possibility?

Is this an active player type situation? So depending on whose turn it was depends on the answer?

Relevant text:

C.I.

Text : For the rest of the game, whenever a Personality reveals more than one Focus card in a duel with the same Focus value, reduce all those cards' Focus values to 0.

Weigh the Cost

Text : When this card is revealed as a focus in a duel, add 1 to its Focus value and to that of one other card you focused this duel, then draw a card.

Please search this forum before asking questions. I answered this two days ago.

Declaration

Is it legal to declare an attack and send no one. Would you still resolve battles? Could i use a Tireless Assult to make a guy Psudo-calvery?

Could allies join?

thank you

(i have a large play group, we play everyday)

You have no idea how much you've cleared up for us Zen, south central wisconsin thanks you

not a rules question but whats your favorite clan?

Yes. Diamond rules, pg. 79: "The attacker declares which, if any, units attack..."

Declaration

Would you still resolve battles?

Yes.

Declaration

Could i use a Tireless Assult to make a guy Psudo-calvery?

Yes.

Declaration

Could allies join?

Provided they are invited.

Soul of the clan and yajinden

Soul of the clan text reads: Battle: Target a bowed Personality at your home that has not been in an army this attack, and a bowed Personality at the enemy leader's home. Straighten both targets, even if they cannot straighten. Move your Personality, and the other player's (if he wishes), to the current battlefield.

Yajinden's ability reads: Maho Limited: Bow Yajinden, who may remain bowed, to take control of another player's Personality with less than 3 Chi while Yajinden remains bowed and in play.

If I targeted yajinden in my opponent's home bowed with soul of the clan after he used his ability to take control one of my personalities will he straighten or may remain bowed. Thank you

"Cannot straighten" is not the same thing as "May remain bowed." "May remain bowed" is an effect that gives you a choice each time an effect would straighten the card. "Cannot straighten" is an effect that blanketly negates any effect that would unbow the Personality. Soul of the Clan only gets around "cannot straighten."

Yajinden's player may elect to not unbow his Personality.

This is the same answer I gave this question back in the Rules for 2 July 2005 on the old L5R-CCG list when asked about Fires of Bushido vs. Desparate Wager, just incase anyone wants to check past precident.

Razpr's Edge Dojo

The Text The first time each phase each other player targets one of your Personalities with an action, he must discard a card from his hand. Battle: Bow Razor's Edge Dojo to give each of your Crab Clan Personalities in the current battle +1F.

Is this talking about Action and Attack Phases per turn or if you use such as Desperate Wager which makes a second Attack phase would you need to discard another during this attack?

Yes, they need to discard. Amush, too.

Errata'ed Saori

quick question:

With the errata on Saori, is she still a valid target for her own ability?

edit: thank you.

It is true that targets are picked before costs are paid, but Saori's targeting requirements changed with the Errata.

Now if Saori bows to issue a challenge, she can target herself, but she becomes an illegal target during Cost Payment, and consequently her Challenge effect will fail to produce any effects on her, as per this prior ruling:

Errata'ed Saori

If one or more of an action's targets become illegal between when they are chosen and when the action begins to resolve, that action will not affect those targets. This remains true even if they become illegal, then return to being legal. [JA, 15 June 2004; 22 June 2004]

Saori's action will fail to produce a Duel since she's an illegal target and the duel would affect her.

Previously, Saori's targeting requirements was only "target a duelist," with the restriction on Unbowed status stemming from the page 54 of the Diamond Edition Rulebook:

Errata'ed Saori

Also, a bowed Personality may not cast Spells, and may not perform actions that issue challenges."

To meet that rule, the Personality casting a Spell or Performing a Challenge Action must be unbowed at the start of that Action, but could become bowed in the course of paying for it - as most Spells require that of Shugenja (Walking the Way, Cascading Fire, etc.) and most Personalities do to issue innate challenges (Kakita Toshimoko, Akodo Jusho, etc.)

However, once you make "unbowed" part of the card's own targeting requirements, becoming bowed to pay for the cost is going to hose you.

Under the current Errata and Rules, Doji Saori can't successfully initiate a Duel between herself and anyone else via her ability unless you find some way to waive the cost of bowing her.

Iaijutsu Challenge, Keen Eye and Fields of Pyrrhic Victory

Iaijutsu Challenge wrote:

Limited: One of your Personalities challenges another player's Personality. If the challenge is refused, Iaijutsu Challenge dishonors the other player's Personality and causes the other player to lose 7 Honor. The winner's controller gains 5 Honor.

Keen Eye wrote:

Reaction: Negate the effects of a Reaction taken by another player during a challenge or duel involving one of your Personalities. Draw a Fate card.

Fields of Pyrrhic Victory wrote:

Singular Infantry Followers and Infantry Personalities have -1F while at this Province. Reaction: After a Limited or Open Action targets a Unique Personality you control, bow this card: Cancel it.

Situation: My opponent plays an Iaijutsu Challenge on one of my Unique Personalities.

Question: Can he react with Keen Eye when I cancelled with my Fields of Pyrrhic Victory?

Presumed: I thought that my cancelling occured during targeting only and not the challenge yet coz he thought that once playing the I.Challenge, my Reaction would fall on the "during a challenge" and therefore will make him legal to play Keen Eye.

Pls. Enlighten Us!

No. Archive, General, Duels.

Kolat recruiter + HR

Do I ignore HR's with Kolat Recruiter? Im pretty sure 'no' having to meet minimum requirements but just wanted to double check.

See Archive entry for Kolat Recruiter or search this forum.

No.

how does it intract with Plains of Otosan Uchi? does the card get discarded when it moves or does it just not refill the second card?

Same as if destroyed: discarded.

battle maiden honor gains!!

there has been some discussion on when a battle maiden honor gain occurs. lets say a battle maiden army has assingned to defend province A against two personalities, of which both attacking personalities were destroyed thru ranged attacks,peasant vengence , or duels , now at resolution there are still 3 battle maidens there, and all the attackers have been defeated before resolution, does the unicorn sensei still allow the 3 honor for having won the battle?

Reminder: Please mention card titles when asking questions. "Unicorn Sensei"?

Diamond rules, pg. 84. No honor.

Winning Raids with Rend

I apologize ahead of time if this question has already been asked. I checked the rules archive as well as this forum and didn't find anything!

Ok, I believe that you can win a Raid battle with a Rended personality if they are unopposed as per the stronghold's own text. Can you win a Raid battle with an opposed personality who has been Rended?

You win, then Rend the Soul makes it a tie (card text), nobody dies (stronghold text) and everyone goes home happy.

Re: Battle Maiden Honor Gains

The card Shinjo Styla is speaking of is:

Tadaji Sensei

Unicorn Clan Sensei Personalities with a printed Personal Honor less

than 2 will not join you. After each time an army containing your units

wins a battle or destroys a Province (or both), you may gain Honor

equal to the number of Battle Maidens you control in that amy.

I believe the answer would be yes. A battle at your provence is still a battle, and your units at that battle are still considered to be in an army. It does not mention anything about having to be the attacker.

I knew what the card is. The answer is still no. The trigger for Honor gain is "winning a battle," which does not happen if all opposing units are removed before resolution.

Creating Opposition

With 'Summon Earth Kami', can I create opposition to my army at the current battle?

Elemental Earth Battle: Once per turn, bow this Shugenja to create a 1F/1C Personality card in the current battle, controlled by either the Attacker or the Defender and in that player's army. Remove that Personality from the game when the turns ends. You need not bow this Shugenja if he is an Earth Shugenja.

Yes. You can create the new Personality in either army. He will be controlled by that army's leader. [card text]

Creating something in the current battle satisfies the Rule of Relevance. If that "thing" is a unit you control, creating it also satisfies the Rule of Presence. The only time you couldn't use Summon Earth Kami to put a Personality into the enemy army is if you don't control any units in your own army.

Questions about Isawa and Asako Bairei

In another post about Isawa, was said that spells that isawa cast never enter play, sooo...

Can those spells be recovered with The kami watch over me?

When Isawa cast a spell, can I use the reaction on Kyuden Tombo to draw a card?

And about Asako Bairei:

Can i use his second abilitiy to draw a card after a surged unit containing spells returns to play?

If the first answer is Yes, does this happen in my turn or in my opponent's turn?

I'm going to say no, because it did have effects that resolved.

Questions about Isawa and Asako Bairei

When Isawa cast a spell, can I use the reaction on Kyuden Tombo to draw a card?

I'm going to say no here, too. Look at action cards: action cards don't enter play, but I doubt anyone would want to argue that you could use Kyuden Tonbo after resolving the effects of an action card.

Questions about Isawa and Asako Bairei

Can i use (Asako Bairei's) second abilitiy to draw a card after a surged unit containing spells returns to play?

Yes.

Questions about Isawa and Asako Bairei

(D)oes this happen in my turn or in my opponent's turn?

When the unit returns to play, before your turn (Suitengu's Surge text).

Far from the Empire / Shrine of the Sun

Hello, I would like to know if when a shrine of the sun ends the effects of the event Far From the Empire the permanent change created by Far From the Empire of the honor requirement for victory is brought back to 40 or if its still on the new number? And if its the same things as ending the effects with Unexpected Strike.

Thank you very much.

40. See Archive, General rules, Effects for a list of things that are not "ongoing efects."

Far from the Empire / Shrine of the Sun

And if its the same things as ending the effects with Unexpected Strike.

Yes.

P'an Ku

P'an Ku (F Personality [DotE] SD): 0F 1C -H 9G 0PH * Unaligned Mad Dragon * Creature * Unique * Open: Once per turn, target another Personality. Permanently copy the target's printed Force. * Open: Once per turn, target another Personality. Permanently copy the target's printed Chi. * Open: Once per turn, target a non-Dragon Personality. Copy one of the target's abilities or boldface traits until the next time this ability is used.

I noticed that P'an Ku lacks the traditional "this does not refer to Dragon Clan Personalities" clause after it says "non-Dragon". Does this mean that he actually can't copy Dragon Clan Personalities, or is there something I'm missing?

I noticed that P'an Ku lacks the traditional "this does not refer to Dragon Clan Personalities" clause after it says "non-Dragon". Does this mean that he actually can't copy Dragon Clan Personalities(?)

P'an Ku can copy Dragon Clan Personalities, but not the scaly Dragons.

Shahai and Dead Personalities

Shahai (R Personality [WoL] SD): 5F 5C -H 8G 0PH * Shadowlands Lady of Blood * Bloodspeaker * Shugenja Experienced * Unique * Lose 6 Honor. * After Shahai enters play, give all Personalities you control a Blood token. * Maho Limited: Destroy a Blood token on Shahai: Target a dead Personality. Shahai gains a copy of one of his printed abilities until she uses this ability again. She may use it once per turn. Remove the target from the game.

The rulebook syas that when a personality is destroyed it gains the Honorable Dead or Dishonorable Dead status. The rulebook nor the archive don't specify that this designation goes away if they are returned from the dead pile to play. Does this mean that if I have Shahai in play, Shahai can use her ability on a personality that has been returned from being destroyed (such as Feign Death) because she does not specify that they need to be in a dead pile?

You've got to be kidding.

Okay, fine. Here it is. Cards in play are not dead. Official.

Shahai and Dead Personalities

Does this mean that if I have Shahai in play, Shahai can use her ability on a personality that has been returned from being destroyed (such as Feign Death) because she does not specify that they need to be in a dead pile?

No.

Re: Mirumoto Takige

1. If I use Takige's reaction while she is dishonored, will I get the 3 Honor or will Takige be rehonored in the discard pile?

2. What if I play Feign Death on her after using her reaction? Will she get rehonored instead of the Honor gain?

Thank you!

Gain honor. Cards out of play are not subject to card effects (Diamond rules, pg. 55).

Re: Mirumoto Takige

What if I play Feign Death on her after using her reaction? Will she get rehonored instead of the Honor gain?

Rehonored.

secluded waystation question

everytime u bow it does it get a wealth token added

First, we appreciate proper spelling and punctuation. Please put a little effort into your posts. It doesn't take that much more effort to type "you" instead of "u".

You only add tokens if it is producing gold.

Razor's Edge Dojo and Ambush

If a player plays Ambush to target an Personality whose controller is using Razor's Edge Dojo as his stronghold, does he have to discard for targeting in both the Limited Phase and the first time he targets with a Battle action during the Ambush's battle?

Edit: My apologies. I was looking specifically for clarification to the answer given to the linked question. With the present set up, it is difficult to ask follow-up questions. That's the trade-off for official rules answers I guess.

I answered this less than two days ago. Heck, the thread is titled "Razor's Edge Dojo," and it's still visible on the front page. Please search the forum before asking questions.

Yes.

Rage of matsu

The first ability to give someone tactician, do they gain it permenetly beings it is in bold print??

rokuro

No (Diamond rules, pg. 70).

Bayushi Paneki

Quick question about his ability to play cards from other players' hands.

Can this be used to, say, play a Call to Arms from an opponents hand after someone declares an attack?

-KK-

Yes. "During an attack" means the whole Attack Phase.

Tadenori

I came up with this after reading the Rain of death thing, so does that let you use tadenori exp tactical battle to reduce a unit back to printed force?

Does what let you use Tadenori's ability?

Tadenori

is a formation considered an oposing card(?)

No. Diamond glossary: Opposing means cards in armies. Armies are made of units. Units are Personalities and attached cards.

tadenori exp prt 2

The fact it was stated you didn't have to be at the battle to use tactical battle actions, then for my understanding you could use his ability to reduce a personality's force to printed. His card says oposed personality does that mean it has to oppose him?

Tactical Battle: Reduce the Force of an opposing Personality or Follower to its printed Force

rokuro

The fact it was stated you didn't have to be at the battle to use tactical battle actions(.)

Stop.

That was not a general ruling. It was specific to one action on Rain of Death.

tadenori exp prt 2

His card says oposed personality does that mean it has to oppose him?

Yes (Diamond rulebook, pg. 81).

Tangen sensei and duels

Does it have to redirect the action to a "legal" target? If there is a battle lets say, Kurihito and saori opposed by Pankae, and kurihito does his duel, can tangen sensei redirect it to saori?

Yes. All together now: You can only redirect to something that could have been picked in the first place (Diamond rule, pg. 74).

Rage, Rage, and more Rage.

Now according to the second part of rage of the Matsu:

Tactical Battle: Target a Personality in his controller's home. Move him into the current defending army. If he moved, straighten his unit

now if i am defending and the attacker has someone at home, using this the way it is worded i should be able to bring that peronality into my army because i am defending. i have been told that i cannot because i am not his controller, but according to the wording i do not have to be the controller if i am the defending army, just as long as the personality is in his controllers home when i play this action. Is this correct? or just bad wording?

Nope. Archive, General, Battle, Action Segment: Units can't enter an army unless your its leader or ally.

Question regarding proxying.

While I know that it is illegal to proxy any kind of Fate or Dynasty card in tournament play, is it also illegal to proxy a Stronghold or Wind?

Winds may be proxied in the Sealed Deck format. Other than that, neither Winds nor Strongholds may be proxied.

Question regarding proxying.

Also, while looking through the Code of Bushido rules I got confused with one term.

What is "Deck Backing"?

Deck backing refers to using clear sleeves and putting an identical copy of some other card behind each deck card so it shows from the back instead of the card's real back.

Re Rain of Death

Marty ruled that Tsuruchi Technique couldn't modify Rain of Death of tactical action becuase the formation is what is producing the ranged attack.Pg 92 of the Diamond rulebook says that, "Such Personalities have the Tactician trait, and are the only Personalities allowed to perform Tacticial actions." Second Tacticial Battle on Rain of Death confirm that it the Tactician performing the action when is says "Bow and destroy the performing Tactician" So wouldn't the personality performing the action mean that the unit was making the range attack. Wouldn't that allow it to be modfied by the Tsuruchi Technique.

No. Marty's ruling stands.

Shinjo Suboto coming into to play

Shinjo Suboto has the ability to enter play during a battle that reads:

Battle: Pay Suboto's Gold cost if you are not the Defender: If Suboto is face-up in one of your Provinces and will be opposed, bring him into play in the current battle.

Can you bring him into play as the defender for free. I think you cannot because you cannot pay the cost of the ability which requires you to not be the defender.

Short answer: what Zen said. ["Yes."]

Long answer: Everything between an action's type keyword and the second main colon describes that action's cost(*). Restrictions on when the action can be taken appear at the beginning of the targeting & effects section. Any conditional clauses in the cost part only alter the cost; they don't change when the action is usable.

If you are not the Defender, this action's cost is "pay Sabuto's Gold cost".

If you are the Defender, there is no cost at all.

The only built-in restrictions on using this action are that Sabuto be face-up in one of your Provinces, and that he be opposed if he enters the current battle in your army.

* Don't forget that Action cards have a Gold cost, too. It's also part of the cost of every action on the card.

Feign Death legality

If it is known that a just-dead Personality will not enter play again (say the Personality is Singular, and the controler already controls another copy, most likely due to some Egg business), is it legal to play Feign Death?

(sure, the Personality will not enter play, but some of the effects will not be negated: the dead Personality will be dishonored, and the player playing Feign Death will lose 2 Honor, so my guess is, it's a legal, if usually dumb thing to do)

No rule says all effects must resolve. Yes.

Shinjo Suboto's ability cost query.

Will a Roadside Shrine produce 3 gold for him? Provided he has taken his Gempukku as a Samurai... can you reduce his cost by 4 with a Hiruma Dojo?

Yes. Yes.

Shadow Dragon Experienced clarification

Just saw the preview.

I will be standing by my policy of not answering card questions based on previews. Jeff or Marty may want to stick their necks out, though.

Feign Death and Restrictions for Loyal

Hi Rules Junta. I tried finding the answer in Rulings and in previous posts, but couldn't find anything definitive.

Relevant cards:

Egg of P'an Ku wrote:

Unique Limited: Target a Personality, including a Unique Personality or one who will not join you. After entering play, this card becomes a copy of that Personality's printed card plus all permanent changes in effect on it. None of the Personality's costs need to be paid and no entering-play effects are produced.

Gold 9

Feign Death wrote:

Reaction: Play after a Personality is destroyed to return the Personality to play, bowed, in his previous controller's home, ignoring all costs and restrictions. (Entering-play effects occur. Cards attached to the Personality are not returned to play.) Dishonor the Personality. Lose 2 Honor.

Assume that for Loyal, I am NOT a Scorpion player.

1st Question:

I copy, say, Bayushi Paneki, who is Loyal, with The Egg of P'an Ku

A later effect destroys him.

Will Feign Death bring him back into play succesfully? I.e. will Feign Death ignore Loyal Restrictions?

2nd Question:

My Egg copies my Kakita Tamura who is Singular. A later effect destroys her, and I still have the original in play . Will I Feign Death her him back into play succesfully? Will Feign Death ignore the Singular Restriction?

3rd Question:

My Egg copies Matsu Taniko, who is Unique. A later effect destroys her, and my opponent still controls the original Taniko. Will Feign Death bring my Egg back into play succesfully? Will Feign Death ignore the Unique Restriction?

I understand that Feign Death ignores restrictions. I am unsure if these restrictions (Loyal, Singular, Unique) are succesfully ignored by Feign Death.

Thanks again for all your hard work.

This is partly my fault for abusing the word "restriction" in such rulings.

Feign Death will get around Unique. It won't get around Singular or Loyal.

The Diamond Edition Rulebook defines a "restriction" in the glossary.

Feign Death and Restrictions for Loyal

An effect governing whether or not a player may bring a card into play

The Uniqueness Rule is one of these.

The rules for Singular and Loyal are not. They govern whether or not a player may "control" a card by any of a broad variety of means - not just bringing a card into play, but stealing one with Kolat Master / Ninja Thief, or having control of one returned to you due to Show of Good Faith expiring.

targetting and redirection

If an action gives you a choice to target item or follower and say, you chose to target a follower, can the person redirecting the action change it to target an item instead of a follower?

Yes. You can redirect to anything that could have originally been picked (Diamond rules, pg. 74).

training exercise

it means that the followers are strightened at the end of the battle, before the resolution segment?

Yes.

Unexpected strike

How exactly do unexpected strie affect the following events ?

Price of Power or such (Goemon's ascencion ) : my guess is no effect at all (card is in play at home, no ongoing effect).

Shattered focus : stays in play at home, but while in play forces focusing. Is that an ongoing effect or not ?

Thanks for any answer.

How exactly do unexpected strie affect the following events?

Archive, General, Effects: Having something in play is not an ongoing effect. Such events stay in play.

Unexpected strike 2

If I may reformulate my question :

When Shattered focus resolves :

A. The card stays in play.

B. While it is in play, personalities must focus at least once in duels if able.

C. The reaction part.

I understand neither A or C are ongoing effects. Is B a ongoing effect (the "while this card is in play" part of the card text) ?

Yes.

few against many-shosuro

this combo plus a 4F personality for shosuro infiltrator to attach to...will provide an infinite # personalities. is this legal in the l5r game environment?

Yes. It will be in the Archive soon.

Isawa's Storm Question.

I was curious, is the second ability on Isawa's Storm

considered to be coming from the targeted Shugenja?

"Coming from" is not a game term in L5R. "Performed," for example, is a defined term, and Storm of Isawa is performed by the Shugenja.

Isawa's Storm Question.

Specifically, can you then use a Tsuruchi Technique to raise the ranged attack from 4 to 7?

No. The source of the attack is Storm of Isawa. What card performs is does not matter (precedent: Rain of Death).

Fushin vs Right Hand

personality X is dishonored and targeted by Fushin's ability. can it's controller respond with Right Hand's movement negation? it was argued in my area that he can't since he no longer controlled the personality.

No, for the reason mentioned.

Canceling and Same Old Tricks

In the Diamond Ed rulebook, pg 72, under "Canceling Actions and Negating Effects", it says:

"If an action or Event is canceled, the entire thing is stopped. It does not successfully resolve. The attempt to use it does not count against any maximum number of uses per game/turn/battle/etc., although for actions, the failed attempt still counts as its player’s one opportunity to act before play passes to the left."

Same Old Tricks says:

"Reaction: Before the second or later time in one turn the same action on a target non-Formation card is used, cancel that action and permanently remove it from the card."

If I cancel an action with a "once per turn" restriction, my opponent can then use it aginst me again, so long as he can afford the costs, right? Can I then respond to that second use with The Same Old Tricks to cancel it again and remove it?

Thinking here in terms of Utako Tarako vs RED...

No.

Eclipse Targets

what are the restrictions on "target a card"?

Has to be in play (Diamond rules, pg. 55).

Re: kakita, focusing

kakita can play shadow's claw as his opportunity and may not focus anymore.

Correct.

Re: kakita, focusing

Kakita and smoke and mirror and may not focus anymore.

Correct.

Re: kakita, focusing

before kakita focuses, his controller may use tsuma dojo's reaction for one among the three cards focused.

Correct.

Re: kakita, focusing

the first card focused by any player counts for BOTH (Shattered Focus) and Kakita.

Correct.

Re: kakita, focusing

if a fall cancels Kakita's SC or SaM, only the reaction is 'lost'. kakita did not lose his opportunity and may still focus.

or is "instead of ..." a cost?

Incorrect.. "Instead of" is an option, a decision, that is announced to make a Reaction legal to use. See Archive, General Rules, Duels, Focusing. Incidentally, I've changed the entries for dueling in an effort to make specific rulings easier to find, with subsections like "Focusing" and "Resolution."

Show of Good Faith & Suitengu's Surge

I take control of my opponent's personality with SoGF. Then, before end of turn, i target it with some action, and I'm using SS to remove personality's unit from the game.

Personality returns to game before beginning of my next turn and ...

1) Who is personality's controller and why ? SoGF effect wore off in the previous turn, and unit has RETURNED to game, not (re)entered play or bringed to play. On other hand, I've moved unit to game.

2) If Personality is now under my control, why ? See above questions.

3) Does any temporal or permanent effect came back 'from oustside the game' ? What is change to such statues like dishonored, reduced chi etc ? Personality was 'out of game' - and there are no such things as permanent/temporal effects ?

4) [generic] If a card effect says 'take/give a cotrol of [card/holding/personality] and says nothing about time of such control, how long the control last ? Until another change ? Until end of turn ? "Control" is not a temporary status of a card... If 'control' is temporal effect like all other, what the sense of Blackmail card or Imperial Assembly is ? To take a holding until end of turn ?

Show of Good Faith :

Political Limited: Bow one of your Courtiers to take control of another player's Personality until the end of the turn. You may not declare an attack or move cards or tokens to or from that Personality while he or she is under your control.

Suitengu's Surge :

Reaction: Before an action targets a unit you control, bow this Shugenja: Remove the unit from the game. Return it to the game, with all attached cards and tokens, before the beginning of the next turn.

[ Edited : adding ... ]

Examples of 'gain control' card w/o determined time of control

Blackmail

Limited: Choose one Province and one Holding of another player. You take control of that Holding. If your opponent decides to reveal the Blackmail as an Open action, then the target Province is destroyed, the Holding is returned, and you lose 10 Honor. If the Province is destroyed, Blackmail is too.

Imperial Assembly

Unique You must discard the Imperial Favor to bring the Imperial Assembly into play. Any player may, as a Limited action, discard the Imperial Favor to take control of the Imperial Assembly. Reaction: Before a player takes a Political action, bow the Imperial Assembly to prevent the action from being cancelled and its effects from being negated.

See Archive, Show of Good Faith (which specifically mentions its interactions with Suitengu's Surge) and Archive, Suitengu's Surge. Any effect with no stated duration is end of turn (Diamond rules, pg. 70); I was unable to find any exception for changing controllers, though I'm sure Marty or Jeff will point out if there is one I overlooked. The cards you mention are old, and may need a "grandfather clause" ruling, as those were definitely played as though control was permanent.

Can setai ability destroy the kuro's fire attached to a shugenja in the battle? Supposing of course that a lion with gold cost of at least 6 is going to be destroyed.

My question is attached cards are considered to be attached to the pep?

Battle: Restore to Honor (if you wish) and destroy one of your Deathseeker Personalities to destroy an opposing card with no attached cards and a Gold cost less than or equal to your Deathseeker's.

Yes.

(A)ttached cards are considered to be attached to the pep?

No. Archive, Attaching.

Action 'state'.

So if somehow the cost of using the action is prevented (ie, Jigoku Sensei ability cancelled by Surge) and it's allowed to be cancelled, does that mean that the action is not 'taken' because I did not pay the cost? Meaning, it would not be a legal target for Same Old Tricks?

Yes. Yes.

kakita stuff

Hello.

i have seen these posts.

http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13497

http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12949&highlight=kakita

They look contradictory to me.

So i ask this:I m worng in this(the parentesis text)?

Quote:

i-kakita can play smoke as his opportunity and may not focus anymore.

(this is false, since S&M isnt played as a focus , it is played intead of focusing and in resolution it doesnt have a effect that makes you focus other cards like shadow's claw count as focus because they have a effect that says "focus it/with...". So after play a S&M Kakita can still focus once.)

"Reaction: Play instead of focusing in a duel to discard your opponent's last focus card without effect. Draw a Fate card."

What Zen is saying is that playing Smoke and Mirrors happens instead of the whole act of focusing, rather than just replacing one of the 3 cards Kakita would use in his Focus.

After playing Smoke and Mirrors, Kakita still hasn't focused. If he gets another opportunity to declare a Focus or Strike (after the other Personality does), he can still make his "up to 3 card" Focus.

Kakita hasn't focused yet, if you use Smoke and Mirrors instead of Focusing with him.

However, playing Smoke and Mirrors still takes up Kakita's opportunity to declare a Focus or a Strike.

kakita stuff

Quote:

ii-before kakita focuses, his controller may use tsuma dojo's reaction for one among the three cards focused.

(this is false, since the tsuma dojo's text says you only focus with one card, the same will happen with shadows claw, you only get to focus one card by the reacctions card text,so he cant use one of these reacctions and conbine them with more cards from the hand.)

"Reaction: Before you focus in a duel: Once per turn, target a card in your Fate discard pile. Focus with it instead of a card from your hand. Remove it from the game after the duel ends."

(Both effects make you focus a card, so Kakita must strike next time since he has indeed focused already in this duel.)

You're incorrect about Tsuma Dojo. Tsuma Dojo is not played "instead of focusing" but rather "before focusing" and allows you to pick a card in your Discard Pile to "focus with it instead of a card from your hand." It is still your "normal" act of focusing, however, just with a different card pool.

Kakita normally lets you focus with up to 3 cards from hand. Using Tsuma Dojo lets you focus with upto 2 cards from hand plus 1 target card from the Discard Pile.

Fall On Your Knees/Misdirection

Is this a legal sequence of events:

Player A bows his stronghold to negate one of his units from going home with Kaneka as a wind

Player B plays FOYK

Player A plays FOYK targeting the first FOYK

Player B plays Misdirection redirecting Player A's FOYK to his own reaction to prevent his unit from going home.

If this isnt legal can Player B play Misdirection redirecting Player A's FOYK to Player B's Misdirection.

You can't redirect Fall on Your Knees because it doesn't target.

Due to its timing trigger, there is never more than one Reaction it can legally be played against. It can only be played against the Reaction that the current Timing Window is associated with. Reaction aren't like "Instants" in Magic. They can only be played at their legal trigger.

The sequence would work like this:

Send Home Effect

--> Reactions to Send Home Effect (and only that) must be played now

--> Reaction Played: Righ Hand

----> Reactions to Right Hand (and only that) must be played now

----> Reaction Played: Fall on Your Knees #1

------> Reactions to Fall on Your Knees #1 (and only that) must be played now

------> Reaction Played: Fall on Your Knees #2

--------> Reactions to Fall on Your Knees #2 (and only that) must be played now

--------> All players pass

------> Fall on Your Knees #2 resolves, canceling Fall on Your Knees #1, which can no longer be responded to.

----> Reactions to Right Hand (and only that) must be played now

----> All players pass

--> Right Hand resolves, Negating Send Home Effect.

No effects. Timing Windows closes. Next opportunity to take a Battle or Open Action.

Decoy

Can this be used for ablities that require the person to be destroyed?

Im sorry but I have a hard time remebering card names. She's a Daidoji with a built in psudo-to do what we must.

Reaction: Before this Personality is destroyed, bow and destroy Decoy to negate the destruction.

Battle: Destroy Setsuko:

Sure. You can destroy Decoy and Negate her destruction.

But then you haven't paid the cost "Destroy Setsuko" because you Negated her destruction. You have to either try and destroy her again, or let her Action get canceled due to non-Payment, as per the Diamond Edition Rulebook.

RE: Decoy

So if the cost isnt paid the ability dosent happen?

understandable.

But what about somthing like diplomatic apprentice? Where it says bow "when this person would bow"

Lets say you have an apprentice on a 4 chi personality, can i bow the apprentice and dishoner a 3 chi person with "Lies" or does lies read the 0 chi of the apprentice?

also can the apprentice bow for the favor . (lobbying is a political action right?)

Look at the text on Diplomatic Apprentice. It says what it does.

RE: Decoy

You may bow Diplomatic Apprentice instead of this Personality when he would bow to pay the cost or part of the cost of a Political action.

So when you have a cost to bow the Personality, you can bow the Apprentice to pay the cost instead (card text).

With Lies, it would be perfectly acceptable to target your 4 Chi Courtier Personality as the Courtier who would pay the cost, and then pay the cost with the Apprentice. It would dishonor someone of 3 Chi.

Lobbying is a Political Action. Your Personality would perform the Action, and the Apprentice would bow to pay the cost of bowing the Personality.

Alternate methods of paying costs typically have explicit text that states they pay the cost in some alternate method. They don't just say "negate X" where X is the cost of some other Action.

First Oni and Danjuro

If the The First Oni (inexp) uses his ability on a unbowed shugenja, can Shiba Danjuro jump in the way?

Will the action become illegal if he does? (see rule below)

Accumulated Rulings: Actions and abilities wrote:

If one or more of an action's targets become illegal between when they are chosen and when the action begins to resolve, that action will not affect those targets. This remains true even if they become illegal, then return to being legal. [JA, 15 June 2004; 22 June 2004]

Danjuro's Reaction will be the Action that has effects that fail to resolve.

You elect to use his ability to redirect (he's currently a legal target to redirect to). You bow him (he's no longer a legal target to redirect to). You try to resolve the effect. You can't redirect to an illegal target (bowed Danjuro) according to Page 74 of the Diamond Edition Rulebook, so that effect (redirection) is Negated.

When page 74 talks about "something else it could have targeted originally," it does not mean that you look back in time to find all the cards that could have been chosen then. It means you use the same requirements for targeting that existed back then on the cards as they exist right now.

Next player gets an opportunity to React to the First Oni's ability.

All players pass on Reactions.

The First Oni gleefully eats your Shugenja while Danjuro falls flat on his face.

Re: Surge/Occult Murders

Can Suitengu's Surge save a personality targeted by Occult Murders?

No. Not an action (Suitengu's Surge card text).

Re: Saori, breaking the rules and make a ruling

If really Saori can do it with the actual errata text, Jeff are breaking one Accumulated Ruling, posted in the original question by Marty:

RULING

If one or more of an action's targets become illegal between when they are chosen and when the action begins to resolve, that action will not affect those targets. This remains true even if they become illegal, then return to being legal. [JA, 15 June 2004; 22 June 2004]

This Ruling helps to solve some problems:

1.- Shi-Tien Yen-Wang Temple and 4C Personality vs. Kolat Assassin

Kolat Assassin targets 4C Personality

If you give +1F/+1C with Temple --> 5C

He is no legal target before Kolat Assassin's effects

Kolat Assassin do nothing.

Q1: What happens now?

If the Ruling doesn't apply to Saori I must think it will never apply more to this example. Kolat Assassin kill 5C Personality. I am wrong?

Actually, you're wrong. The same thing will happen that happened before:

Personality does not die. The Kolat Assassin's player still loses 4 Honor, though, because this part of the action doesn't affect the Personality.

There is still the rule on page 75 that when an action's target becomes illegal because of a Reaction, the action won't affect it. That rule is not going to change.

At stake is the ruling that expands this existing rule to cover all situations where a target becomes illegal, not just those where a Reaction caused it. It looks elementary and basically sound on the surface, and some of its results are intuitive, but others aren't. I'd like it to make intuitive results every time, if that's possible without making things more confusing. If we can't, we'll change Saori's rewording.

Re: Saori, breaking the rules and make a ruling

2.- 2F Ranged Attack vs. Shosuro Saemon

I target Saemon without Followers with a 2F Ranged Attack

Saemon reacts and give him a 1F Follower

Again, the existing rules cover this regardless of the expanded ruling.

Clarify

my play group and I have been waching the loyal thing.

We are all questioning what exactly does loyal mean?

there all wanting to know if they could use byushi peneki in other clan decks such as a lion or a crane deck?

Jeff can you please clarify this for us....

Rokuro

Jeff already clarified it for you, when he had the Web of Lies Rulesheet printed:

Here is a handy PDF for you to read.

It also comes in each Web of Lies starter deck. It says the Loyal people won't join players that don't play a Faction they are aligned to.

You can certainly put Bayushi Paneki XP2 in your Lion and Crane Dynasty Decks, but you'll have a devil of a time getting him into play. You aren't allowed to gain control of Paneki XP2 unless he's aligned to your Faction, so that will thwart your attempts to bringing him into play.

Your only immediately apparent avenue of controlling a Bayushi Paneki XP2 is to play the Egg of P'an Ku targeting your opponent's Bayushi Paneki XP2 - though I'm sure Leon could rig up some ellaborate plot involving Possession, Mask of the Maw, P'an Ku, and Temples of the Crow or something.

Loyal, Singular, and Hantei Genji

The other day, a post was made by Marty, stating that "Loyal" and "Singular" are not restrictions.

Would this mean that Hantei Genji's ability cannot bring a Loyal person from another faction into play under your control? I believe it was answered that he could in an earlier post, when we were all under the impression that Loyal was a restriction.

Ever since Zen pointed out that "control restriction" wasn't an official term, I was viewing Loyal and Singular as a "non-entering play restriction", since entering play restrictions have been coined before in official terminology. Thanks for clearing up that they're not restrictions after all.

Yes, as Zen pointed out, "restriction" is a reserved Game Term with a glossary definition. Neither Loyal nor Singular have rules that qualify as a "restriction" so Genji's abilty will not ignore such traits.

He will ignore the Uniqueness Rule, though.

Sorry for another Kakita question

Just needed to clarify this:

Quote:

After playing Smoke and Mirrors, Kakita still hasn't focused. If he gets another opportunity to declare a Focus or Strike (after the other Personality does), he can still make his "up to 3 card" Focus.

So the following is Legal?

Personality a: Focus

Kakita: Smoke and Mirrors

Personality a: Focus

Kakita: Smoke and Mirrors

Personality a: Focus

Kakita: Focus with 3

Yes.

Show of Good Faith & Suitengu's Surge (still waiting)

Then , when I take someone's personality with SoGF, and before end of turn kick it into the Void with SS, what happens when the next turn begins :

You keep the Personlity permanently. The last "entering play" effect is the one that matters (Archive). And this in fact indicates that my earlier comments about change of control being end of turn was incorrect; I suspected I was off base there, but I couldn't find the text that moment to back it up.

You will not gain honor for the Personality returning. See Archive, General Rules, Entering play.

Strength In Numbers

Battle : If you control at least three cards that share one of the following traits : Air, Earth, Fire, Void or Water, bow one of your units led by a samurai to destroy an oppising unit.

The three cards dont have to be in the current battle do they?

No.

Rain of Death and tactician at different battlefield

Can I perform RoD first battle action (two ranged attacks) with tactician in different battlefield ?

Archive, Rain of Death: Yes.

Utaku Tarako

could get verification that as long as she meets Relevance and Presence (meaning all she has to do is be in a battle) I can destroy one of my regions and kill a personality in my opponents home or even another province?

Sorry if this is beating a dead horse, but I know my play group will scream when I pull this. Thanks

Tarako's action, like all Battle actions, is legal if you meet Presence and Relevance and obey all text on her card, including the implicit restrictions on phrases such as "this battle" and "opposing" (neither of which appear on her, so this does not restrict her).

Tarako's action is legal if:

You control a unit in the current battle,

AND

Tarako is in the current battle, OR

The target to be destroyed is in the current battle, OR

The Region you destroy as the cost is in the current battle.

Re: City of Blood

Just looking to verify that the stonghold only makes Phoenix clan Shugenja bloodspeakers after they come into play?

Correct. "Phoenix Clan Shugenja you control have the Bloodspeaker trait." [card text] Cards not in play have no controller. [DE p. 55]

Re: City of Blood

This would mean that Kinuye's Garden would only produce 4 gold for those personalities which already have the bloodspeaker trait on them while they are in your province waiting to be purchased during dynasty and not for just any Phoenix shugenja in the province right?

Right.

I believed in you

Will work on Personalities whose honor requirements were ignored for purposes of coming into play (e.g., Toturi's Army stronghold) but not those ignored continually (e.g., Naga strongholds). [Reversal, DW, email, 4/7/99]

How does this work With the Iron Fortress of the Daidoji? Shadowed tower of the Shosuro?

Can this card be used with show of good faith?

Both are continuous, so their reductions will be in force when you play I Believed in You.

I believed in you

Can this card be used with show of good faith?

Be more specific. If you want to steal and kill, yes, why not?

Moto Ogedei + Poisoned thread

Would Moto Ogedei be considered to be immune to the effects of "Poisoned thread"?

Yes.

Playing a ring and reactions

Let's say I satisfy the condition for playing a Ring of Fire, I assume I might play the ring and use the reaction to draw the cards I've focused in the duel because playing it is a Triggered Effect and not a Reaction, right?

Yes.

Playing a ring and reactions

Then let's say I want to play Introspection, am I allowed to, or I can't because I've lost my chance to react to putting the ring in play?

The chance to play a Reaction is not "lost" because something else happened. Any trigger can be responded to as many time as there are Reactions to play.

Re: Two more rain of death questions

Can the Scorpion redirect one of the ranged attacks back to a card in the Lion army?

No; you can't redirect to what you couldn't originally aim at.

Re: Two more rain of death questions

Can I bow and destroy another player’s Tactician to perform Rain of Death’s second action.

Archive, General rules, Costs.

Scribing the Tao and RoV

So I bring Scribing the Tao into play, copying the Ring of the Void's Limited ability. I bow the spell instead of RoV and the 4Chi shugenja it's on to draw the card. Does this count as casting a spell? (For say, Ring of Air?)

Yes.

Scribing the Tao and RoV

When a spell bows to perform an ability, is that also considered casting the spell?

Yes.

Kakita and drawing cards

If I focus during a duel and Kakita is in play and my opponent Smoke and Mirrors my card does that still count as a card focused for the purpose of drawing after the duel if I win.

Yes. You focused. The trait does not say anything like "the number of focus cards revealed when a strike occurs."

Smoke and Mirrors used against KAKITA

Some suggest (not me) that if someone plays SMOKE AND MIRRORS after KAKITA has focused with his 3 cards, that ALL 3 (having been focused at once) would be discarded.

"Last focus card" is singular. Only one goes.

Hida Rikyu

if he is bowed can he use his second printed abaility: " Battle: Bow a follower attached to Rikyu: once per battle, straighten Rikyu"

Yes (Diamond rules, pg. 54).

Doji Konishiko and Gozoku Pawn

1. If I bring Doji Konishiko in play and used his reaction, making Gozoku Pawn his permanent ability, does his ability still counts as a political action?

Yes.

Doji Konishiko and Gozoku Pawn

In relation to question 1, can Konetsu copy the ability of Doji Konishiko (after he reacted, of course)?

Yes.

Doji Konishiko and Gozoku Pawn

If I then use Doji Konishiko's ability (Gozoku Pawn text), are the following steps correct?

a. Target an opponent's personality(.)

b. Pay costs which now only involve bowing a courtier/gozoku personality. In this step, I choose to bow Doji Konishiko because he is a courtier. No need to pay 4 gold.

c. Resolve action as normal even though the last phrase of Doji Konishiko's ability wasn't met ("...bows as an added effect.") since he is already bowed for the cost.

Correct.

Rain of Death and Tangen Sensei

I still don't understand why cards in the Lion's army are not legal targets for redirection of the ranged attack.

Because you can only aim Ranged Attacks at the enemy army. We had Arrows from the Woods for about nine years and nobody ever questioned that before. Expect a new ruling in the Archive soon, something like "Action cards generating Ranged Attacks can only target cards in the enemy army."

This loophole is now plugged.

Hoshi Masote and Turn of Fortune

I've been questioned about the legality of using Hoshi Masote ability to give +2C to an opposing personality to make him issue an irrefusable challenge to one of my personalities and then using Turn of Fortune to redirect his target to another personality (Eg. from Masote to Satsu).

The question was if the said targetting is part of the action or just an effect of the action itself, making ToF an illegal React.

Thank you.

If I understand the question correctly, the answer is "no." You can't use Turn of Fortune to redirect the Challenge your opponent's Personality issues from its original target to anyone else via Turn of Fortune.

Hoshi Masote and Turn of Fortune

Kiho Reaction: Target one of your unbowed Shugenja or Monks to redicect an action targeting him to one of your Samurai, or targeting one of your Samurai to him.

Battle: Once per battle, target an opposing Personality. Give him +2C. The target issues an unrefusable challenge to an opposing Personality with less Chi.

Note that Masote's ability does not explicitly instruct the other player to target the "opposing Personality with less Chi." As per the Web of Lies Rules Sheet, there is not implicit targeting for this card (printed in Web of Lies).

Hoshi Masote and Turn of Fortune

Actions do not target anything without explicitly stating so or by implicitly targeting by producing a Ranged Attack or Fear as the first effect.

So, the short answer would be that you can't redirect the Challenge from some person to another because at no time during the use or resolution of Masote's Action does the Challenged Personality become a target.

RE: I belived in You

If i use Show of good faith, does the IBiY look at your family honor or your opponents?

Whoever controls the Personality at the time is whose honor you check.

Death of Ryoshun Question

On of my players believes that you can not use the action on Death of Ryoshun during battle. His argument is that you are nto targetting a card in the battle, you are only naming a card, therefore it has no relevence.

Diamond rules, pg. 81: The action needs to "target or directly affect." The card is affected. Death of Ryoshun can be used provided a card with the appropriate title is in the current battle.

Show of Good Faith & Suitengu's Surge (STILL waiting)

Okaaaay, so you're saying I'm keping personality permanently ... And ruligns for this can be found in section "Entering play" of archieves.

That's not what I said. The "Archive, General rules, Entering play" link was behind the statement about honor gains, not the one about keeping the personality permanently. The question about Honor gains was answered there.

The question regarding permanance is under the entry for Show of Good Faith (that's as close a link as I can get): "If a later effect gives you control of the Personality, that duration takes precedent over the one listed." I should have been more specific, for which I apologize. I assumed that the first place someone will look is the archive entry for a specific card.

Q: What gives you control over a non-Attachment card in the first place, when there are no card effects on it at all?

A: The fact that you brought it into play.

Q: So what happens if I bring such a card into play, it dies, and another player brings it into play from my Discard Pile?

A: You lost control of the card when it left play. Then the other player brought it into play. He's now the controller of that card by default, for the same reason you were the controller by default when you brought it into play.

Q: Who controls the cards in a unit that is removed from the game by Suitengu's Surge?

A: No one. The cards aren't in play, so they have no controller.

Q: So what controls the Personality when Suitengu's Surge returns the card to play?

A: The player who's effect returns it to play (Suitengu's Surge) is bringing it into play. He becomes the controller by default, just like any other time a player brings a card into play and the effects at work don't specify that another player gains control of it.

The cards in the unit enter play. They enter play like any other cards enter play - default controller, triggered effects, enter play in their default states (Tsuruchi Nobumoto enters unbowed, Mantis Raiders enters bowed).

This is all following the basic rules of the rulebook and instructions on the cards. Suitengu's Surge does not restore the card to the exact state it left play in - it simply puts the cards into play, and the basic rules for bringing cards into play govern where you go from there.

- Marty Lund

Deputy Rules Moneky

Re: Hoshi Masote and Turn of Fortune

I think he was asking a different question, which was "When your opponent challenges personality X, can you redirect the challenge with Turn of Fortune?"

No, because the challenge is not targeted (card text). (Edit: Correction, following Marty.)

Saori, breaking the rules and make a ruling #2

Finally, with the errated text, and Saori allowed to duel with herself succesfully:

Q: What happens with RULING (see below) and how Saori can avoid the RULING?

I am sticking on it because I don't see if Saori is allowed to do it because:

a) Ruling will be reversed -partially reversed (soon but not now)

b) Saori can do it because this ruling doesn't affect him at all

c) Is an exception. Ruling will cover all cards except Saori's hability

d) Saori will have a new Errata, which will fix this problem

e) other (please, explain)

As I understand this problem must be solved before 1st April. Time enough to don't make exceptions, wich are against consistency.

More on this, as a player I prefer that Saori could make the duel with herself, as intended. I am not worried about the power or not power of Saori herself. My blame is about to break a ruling or make a statement without enough arguments. The L5R players need to understand HOW Saori works, but also WHY.

RULING

If one or more of an action's targets become illegal between when they are chosen and when the action begins to resolve, that action will not affect those targets. This remains true even if they become illegal, then return to being legal. [JA, 15 June 2004; 22 June 2004]

[Accumulated Rulings, Actions and abilities]

Thanks for your patience.

The ruling on Saori doesn't match the general ruling Marty brough up. They are in conflict. I admitted this as soon as Marty pointed the general ruling out. This conflict will not stand. Something is going to change so there are no special cases.

Thank you for your persistence, but this is a known issue.

Re: Challenges Targeting

You misunderstand- I know why there is an issue

The question is whether it was intentional, and if not will it be fixed

More context would be helpful. I assume you're referring to this:

Re: Challenges Targeting

Marty notes that challenges aren't considered to implicitly target, whilst RA and Fear do.

Is there a reason for this or is it an oversight?

It's not an oversight. Ranged Attacks and Fear have a years-old simple, abbreviated syntax that we wanted to retain. They needed implicit targeting rules to keep that syntax and not change their function wide-scale.

There are going to be choices on cards come Lotus that don't count as targeting but would have in Diamond...just like there are actions now that modify Honor gains that aren't Political but would have been in Obsidian days. On the other hand, you will never again have to guess whether or what an action targets.

Re: Challenges Targeting

The question is whether it was intentional, and if not will it be fixed

As to whether it was intentional, I cannot say because I do not know. Asking if it will be "fixed" presumes there is a problem, which there may or may not be. Our job is to inform people of what is the case now: Challenges for cards after Dawn of the Empire do not target unless the card says so.

First Oni's attack

Can other personalities assign or move in to join the First Oni's ambush attack?

Nothing prohibits it, except that effects that moves people to Provinces (there isn't one) wouldn't work.

Re: a question about rich coffers

I was wondering if you were to bow a rich coffers with a crystal mine, would the crystal mine straighten because of rich coffers when it straightened?

No.

random question?

if my personality dies in batlle and i feign death him, then i win the battle and gain x amount of honour can i then rehonoured my feignd personality?

Not only can you, you must (Edit: Provided the Personality is in your army at resolution, as Marty notes). Rehonoring is not optional.

Unexpected Strike

If the event has both (an) ongoing effect and an effect that is not considered an ongoing effect (for example, Shattered Focus), does Unexpected Strike just end the ongoing effect, and leave the rest of the event in play?

Yes.

Plains of Otsan Uchi

When this region attaches does one of the dynasty cards flip or do they both remain face down? The card doesn't say this occurs, but my play group insists this is what happens.

When processing Provinces from left to right during your Events Phase to check for Events/Regions, if the number of card positions within a Province increases, you stay in that Province revealing the new positions and do not move on to the next Province until the current one has no unrevealed positions left.

Likewise, if the number of positions in a Province decreases, you move on to the next Province a little earlier rather than revealing/resolving every card that was in the Province when you started revealing positions, regardless of where those cards are now.

Basically, you don't "lock in" the number of positions you'll reveal when you first get to the Province. You double-check each time you try to move on whether there is anything you missed, and if there is, you stay and handle it.

The most common ways for the first situation to occur is for Regions of Rokugan to resolve and place a Plains of Otosan Uchi on the current Province, or for Plains of Otosan Uchi to resolve and enter play there itself. In both cases, you reveal the second of the two positions the Province now has before moving to the next Province. Alternately, due to Plains of Otosan Uchi's own text ["You control the order in which they are revealed and refilled."], you can declare that the position you just revealed is the second and the other one is the first, which effectively skips it. Most players don't do this, but the card allows it.

Attaching Regions

My play group insists that when a region comes into play in a province where a region is currently attached the new region replaces the old one (the attached region is discarded and the new region is now attached). Is this correct?

No.

Shattered Focus and Wrath of the Emporer

Ok, the setup is as following

Wrath of the Emporer and Shattered Focus are in Play

I play Steel on Steel in battle. I have no cards in hand.

The question is:

Do I have the ability to strike or do I have to play wrath?

I did search for the answer before looking, if it was there, I missed it.

Thanks in advance

You may strike. You are never obliged to play a Reaction.

Question about when to discard?

If it isn't your turn and you have more cards in your hand than the maximum allowed due to some card effect, do you have to discard down to the maximum immediately, at the current player's discard phase, or at your next discard phase?

Only during your End phase (Diamond rules, pg. 86).

Freezing the Life Blood/Curse of Blood

I cast Freezing the lifeblood on a bowed personality. He cannot straighten. I cast Curse of Blood on the sleep token. It becomes a 2f/-1c nonhuman shadowlands follower. Does the token retain the sleep token title? Does it retain its former trait?

No. No.

New Saori Errata Question

Can she target another bowed Saori?

No (Self-referential cards, Diamond rules, pg. 69).

Useless errata on Saori

I check the rules and I discovered that the errate is useless.

The ruled said:A bowed personality may not perform action that issue a chalenge.( diamon rule book)

The Saory ability is:Open: Bow Saori: Target a Duelist you control and a Personality another player controls. The Duelist issues the other target an unrefuseable challenge.

So if you target a bowed duelist whit Saori, you make him issue a chalenge, but he can't issue the chalenge( diamon rule book) beacause he's bowed.

So why making an errata agaist an action that was already illegal. I just dont understand?

It wasn't already illegal.

Unless, of course, Kakita Korihime, Kakita Toshimoko, Akodo Jusho, Doji Reju, Judgment, and every other card that requires the duelist bow to issue a Challenge was also illegal - which they weren't.

AND only unless every Spell that says, "Bow this Shugenja," as its cost was also illegal - which they weren't.

Shugenja only need to be unbowed when you begin the act of Casting with them. Personalities performing Actions that issue Challenges must be unbowed when you begin the act of that Action. That rule is not part of the Action's targeting requirements, but a separate a rule prohibitting you from announcing certain Actions.

a couple questions...

If I [move] my opponents personality to another province where I have another personality, can that personality react with Slaughter the Scout even though that is not the battle currently resolving?

Yes. Reactions are legal whenever the trigger occurs.

a couple questions...

My opponent plays Ambush. I react with the Underhand to stop one of his samurai from assigning, can he select another target to send into the Ambush?

No. [ML, L5R-CCG list, 24 May 2004]. You pick targets, assign, and are prevented. Can't retarget. (Edit: Correction.)

Egg of Pan Ku

Why, once you Egg a Loyal and/or Singular guy, breaking normal rules... do you get to Keep him?

Because there is no rule governing what happens if a player legally gains control of more than one card with the Singular trait (e.g. "If you control two Singular cards, destroy one" or somesuch). Once a card comes into play legally, it stays where it is unless some other effect acts on it (much like attachment requirements).

You gain control of the Egg in play well before it gains the Singular trait.

Since you already established control of the card, before it acquired Singular or Loyal, you can't be prevented from gaining control of it - that's in the past.

And, as Zen pointed out, there is no rule that says what to do if you already have control of a card that then becomes illegal to control (such as by gaining traits like Singular or Loyal).

So it stays put until acted upon by an outside force.

- Marty Lund

Deputy Rules Monkey

Champions and Uniqueness

Pankae and Sunetra. Both scorpion clan champ?

Who is really ?(pankae has the sword it looks like?)

More importantly, Can they both be in play? Both Legal to have in a deck?

Who is "really the Clan Champion" is a matter for the Story Forum, not this one.

There is no limit to the number of cards that can have the "Clan Champion" trait. Goodness knows, it would create problems in Open Format otherwise.

Uniqueness has nothing to do, rules-wise, with the Clan Champion Trait.

There are no rules regarding "Clan Champion" other than the Keyword Rule that says it is an exception. You can't combine two separate instances, on of "Clan" and the other of "Champion" to composite the "Clan Champion" trait from separate traits on the card, unlike most other combinations.

Asahina Sekawa XP, for instance, has "Crane Clan" and "Jade Champion" on his card, but he is not the "Crane Clan Champion." You need Doji Kuwanan, Doji Hoturi, Doji Satsume, Doji Kurohito, or a copy of "Assuming the Championship" for that.

Swift as the Wind

Second, Slaughter says opposing Personality. If I remember correctly, it was ruled that you can only satisfy the 'opposing' requirement in the current battle. Am I mistaken? Thanks!

Diamond rulebook, pg. 84, say "only if the card the action is printed on is in the current battle." This refers to cards in units; action cards like Slaughter the Scout never enter play, so this rule doesn't refer to them.

Let's go to the Rule itself then:

Swift as the Wind

A player can take an action that refers to an “opposing” card or “this battle,” or that includes an implicating phrase such as “another attacking card” or “the Province this card is defending,” only if the card on which the action is printed is in the current battle.

Slaughter the Scout is the card on which the action is printed. It can not be in a battle. It can never abide this rule when played. That is considered a case of a card's instruction explicitly contradicting a Rule (can't do what you are told to by the card, ever, without braking that rule. By the First Cardinal Rule (page 34), this card ignores the above rule.

Shiranai Toshi Question

When searching my fate deck for battle action to play, using either Superior Strategist or Rage, I'm required to immediately play the card for one of it's battle actions. Does the battle action on Shiranai Toshi to play a terrain from your hand count towards this if I searched for the terrain?

No. The action must be on the card retreived.

If Otaku is bowed, destroyed, sent home bowed, bowed indefinitely, killed, murdered, or made to no longer exist, can she use her reaction to apply the same effect to on an opposing personality?

See here.

Question on Ruling regarding Ambush vs Underhand

Daidoji Maseru wrote:

My opponent plays Ambush. I react with the Underhand to stop one of his samurai from assigning, can he select another target to send into the Ambush?

Zen Faulkes wrote:

Not only can he, he must, or the action is canceled. Archive, General rules, Targeting

The errata of ambush reads: "Ambush 0G 2FV Limited: Target one of your units that can legally assign to attack and another player's unit to assign to defend (even if illegal). Declare an additional Attack Phase and assign the two targeted units. Units in this battle are neither at a Province nor at home. No other units may assign or move to this battle. Units cannot move into or destroy Provinces this battle. After this Attack Phase ends, lose 5 Honor and resume the previous phase." [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003; erratum, ML, 21 May 2004]

So, you play Ambush, target your attacker & your opponent's defender. Assuming no reactions to the targeting, you declare your additional Attack Phase at which point he underhands your attacker. Why is it that you go back to the targeting step?

I assume that your original ruling was based on this segment of the Targeting rules: If a Reaction that alters the targeting requirements of another action gets canceled, the original action is still announced and pending. A legal target must be chosen if possible. If not possible, the action is canceled. (Note that it is legal to try to play another Reaction that alters targeting requirements.) [JA, 2 May 2002]

However, I don't believe the targeting requirements of Ambush have been altered. I think the relevant section of the rules would be this one: If one or more of an action's targets become illegal between when they are chosen and when the action begins to resolve, that action will not affect those targets. This remains true even if they become illegal, then return to being legal. [JA, 15 June 2004; 22 June 2004]

This would seem to negate your ruling though. Now my question: Does your ruling stand? If so, what is the basis of your ruling?

Whoops. That was how it worked before Marty changed the rules. Yeah. I'll blame Marty.

Yogo Rieko

That if she was bowed at a at home can see use her ability to unbow another bowed rieko in a battle at a province that the attacker has tried to resolve.

I'm not sure what "tried to resolve" means. If you mean current battle, yes. You don't need Rieko to straighten another Reiko, since a card can straighten itself.

Shosuro Tsuyoshi

Does he have to be in a battle to use his reaction?

Yes. His ability must follow all normal Ranged Attack rules. [Marty Lund, 5 December 2004]

Shosuro Tsuyoshi

Even if he is in a battle can he shoot someone that is at my opponent's home if he is targeted by one of my opponents actions?

No.

Shosuro Tsuyoshi

Can I shoot followers even if they don't have chi or do I shoot the personality directly?

Followers have a Chi stat, written in the upper right corner. It's usually zero.

Shosuro Tsuyoshi

What happens if he is targeted with a limited action during the action phase. That would trigger his reaction and since reactions act outside the normal timing rules can he then perform his ranged attack?

No. There will be no legal target.

Shosuro Tsuyoshi

What happens if I am playing Tangen Sensei and I use Tangen Sensei ability to redirect an action to him, does that trigger the reaction to shoot someone or does that could as me targeting him as I am the one who used Tangen Sensei's ability.

Depends on whether you redirect your action (not a valid trigger) or an opponent's action (valid trigger).

Shosuro Tsuyoshi

(D)oes the ranged attack have to target the personality that targets him(?)

No.

Shosuro Tsuyoshi

Return for training-does this target him or not?

Yes.

Attack phases created by Ambush/Aramasu's Pride/etc

Are attack phases created by Limited actions (such as Ambush or Aramasu's Pride) still considered to be within the player's action phase?

No. The Action phase stops and resumes.

Kenshinzen + Contested Holding

I have a Personality with attached Kenshinzen ("Challenges made by this Personality are unrefusable.").

I now play Contested Holding on him ("Limited: Bow one of your Personalities and target another player's Holding to issue a challenge to that player. The player may accept the challenge with any of his Personalities. If he refuses, or loses the duel, bow the Holding and gain permanent control of it, but do not destroy the opposing Personality. If your Personality loses the duel, destroy your Personality.").

If my opponent controls one or more Personalities, does he have to accept with one of them?

Yes.

sinister trasformation

I can target a creature with this ability and they will gain a bonus?

Yes.

Post-errata Saori question

After the new errata takes effect, if P'an Ku copies Saori's ability, he will be able to issue the duel himself, right?

Diamond rules, pg. 69. Yes.

Double Tribute and Naga Storm

If Naga Storm is in play and someone's second province destroyed in one turn was to pay the cost of a Tribute, what happens?

The cost of Tribute to Your House wasn't paid, so you follow the Diamond rules on pg. 72 to see what happens next.

Several questions

If I surge a unit that contains a card that has a honor loss, will I lose honor when it comes into play again?

Yes (Archive entry on Suitengu's Surge).

Several questions

IF I surge a unit that is honorable and has blade of penance attached, will my personality be dihonored when the unit comes back into play?

Yes.

Several questions

IF I had a personality with the ablity, "once per turn pay 0 gold to give target personalty +1 force" would I need to bow a holding to use that ability?

(I assume no because actions cost 0 gold and you don't need to bow holdings to play them)

Do you need to bow holdings to pay for Action Cards with a Gold Coin with a Stat of 0 in them? (Rhetorical question - the answer to which is, "no.")

Savagery of Moto

Does action that 'switch locations of units' is considered to be 'moving' units in/out battle/ home ?

Archive, General, Battle, Action segment. Yes.

Savagery of Moto

When SoM is played for second action (swap regions) and then one province with 'swapped' region is destroyed, what happens to the other region ?

It stays where it is. Control has never changed.

Misdirection/Rage of Matsu Question

Can you change the target of Rage of Matsu from one of your personalities @home to one of your opponent's personalities @home with Misdirection?

Could you have picked your opponent's Personality in the first place? Then yes. If not, then no (Diamond rules, pg. 74). There are a couple of variables that aren't stated in the question that I'd need to give a more specific answer (like, which of the two abilities on Rage of Matsu are you talking about?).

Targeting dead personalities

Can I cast flee the darkness when he targets one of my discarded peeps with Hinome's action? What if the personality is in one of my provinces?

No and no. Flee the Darkness can only be played when a Personality you control is targetd ("your" glossary definition, Diamond rulebook, pg. 105). (Edit: Correction.)

Do i need to check honor requirement when not in dynasty ...

For exemple ....

Text Lion Clan Kami. Samurai. Double Chi. Tactician. Unique. Loyal Will not enter play normally. Akodo may perform any number of Tactical actions per battle, once per printed action. After each Tactical action Akodo performs, give +2F to all Personalities in his army. Battle: If Akodo is face-up in one of your Provinces and your army has a total Force of at least 10, bring Akodo into play in your army.

if i go in battle and do not have 10 honor may i put akodo into play ?

Archive, General Rules, Honor Requirements.

Kolat recruiter and honor requirements

Are honor requirements a restriction?

Yes (Diamond rules, pg. 103).

Savagery of Moto / Mihoko Sensei

(W)hen Switching two units, does the one that goes home count as being 'sent' home?

See here.

Few Against Many

May i use FAM to negate the destruction of a Steel on Steel or any other duel that implicity destroy the target? Because the destruction is an effect of the card or a rulebook effect?

See Archive, General, Death & Destruction. Yes.

Yumi of Fire and Castle of the Wasp

Can i use the CotW ability to make a ranged with a personality without bow, and then combine with yumi of fire and make a the first ranged attack combined with yumi+personality ranged.

Looks that way.

Lobbying

Do you target your personality when you lobby?

Diamond rules, pg. 91: Yes.

The Price of Power & Danjuro

I have The Price of Power, Isawa Sezaru and Shiba Danjuro in play. My opponent has Shinjo Loruko in play.

I want to use the The Price of Power's Limited action. I choose Sezaru and Loruko as targets. Now,

Q1: Can I react with Danjuro, redirecting the target of The Price of Power to him?

Only if the answer is YES

Q2: What happens now with Danjuro and Loruko?

a) Both are destroyed

b) Only Danjuro is destroyed

c) Nobody is destroyed

Note: edited for typo

I can react with Danjuro, redirecting the target of The Price of Power to him?

Was he a legal target in the first place? (Diamond rules, pg. 74) No? Then you cannot.

Targeting, costs,effects

If I use the Rain o Death's first ability and target two opposing units, do I have to bow and destroy my tactician first before targeting the opposing personalities?

Target, pay cost, do effects. This is true for all cards post-Dawn of the Empire.

cloak of night

is the effect, "...enters play w/o gold cost." until end of turn?

Not even that. It's a special one time offer. The gold cost doesn't change (see Archive, General, Costs), you're just not paying it the one time the card enters play dyue to the Cloak of Night's effect.

Ruby of Iuchiban

if the target personality is dead before the opponent action phase can he discard a card to destroy the ruby? does the personnality stiil add its personnal honor? same question if the personality is removed from the game

Yes ("While the Ruby remains bowed and in play"), yes (a card's stats don't change in the discard pile), and yes (the target's last known Personal Honor value is used).

wear him down + tsuma dojo

can i play Wear Him Down from Tsuma's Doji reaction and use Wear Him Down's reaction (oponent must focus) ??

Answered in the Archive entry for Tsuma Dojo.

Ruby of Iuchiban XP

Ruby of Iuchiban XP wrote:

You must target a bowed Personality, other than the one Ruby of Iuchiban is attached to, to play or overlay the Ruby.

Is this an entering play effect, or a restriction (For possible interaction with Suitengu's Surge)?

Diamond rules, pg. 103: Restriction.

Khol Walls Event Phase

I apologize if this has also been asked before. For whatever reason, my TO seems to constantly claim that there's a magical "override" ruling out there somewhere (he plays Unicorn).

During the Events Phase of a KW player, he gets a region in a province with no regions. He refills the province face-up, and it's another region. Does this region attach immediately and allow him to refill again face-up, or does it sit unattached in his province until the next turn?

Kakita Rokusaboro

Why would he refill the Province face-up?

Do any of his cards or Stronghold tell him to do that?

The Khol Wall sure doesn't.

What part of "After each of your Events Phases," confuses him?

The idea that there is some sort of "Override ruling" is pure fantasy.

You resolve your Events Phase normally with The Khol Wall, keeping in mind its good bonus of being able to have 2 Regions per Province rather than just 1.

AFTER the Events Phase is OVER, he turns up face-down Dynasty cards in his Provinces with Regions attached. Events an Regions revealed outside of the Events Phase just sit there. You can discard them like any other Dynasty Card during your Dynasty Phase, or hold them there until your next Events Phase to Resolve / Bring into Play normally.

Commanding favor and Confusion at court

Commanding Favor wrote:

This card remains in play in your home. While it is in play, you may discard it to pay a cost of using or discarding the Imperial Favor.

Confusion at court wrote:

Reaction: Play after the Imperial Favor is used to negate all effects it was discarded to pay for.

Does "Confusion at court" negate the effects of an action where the "commanding favor" was used to pay the cost of discarding the Imperial favour?

I would say yes, but the Imperial favour hasn't really been used or discarded by using "commanding favor", so is there a trigger for "confusion"?

Yes. It will mess with anything that requires using the Imperial Favor, even if someone uses an alternative method to meet that cost.

Effects that look for the Imperial Favor being used / discarded also respond to alternatie methods of meeting that cost like Kyuden Bayushi, Political Adjunct, or Commanding Favor.

Cumulative?

Here my Questions:

1. If Kaiu Hisayuki has a Senpet Scimitar does this make the force bonuses from action increased by 2?

2. How about Kaiu Hisayuki on the effect of Heart of a Hero?

3. And what if i played 2 Heart of a Hero?

just want to ask if they are cumulative.

They are separate opperations.

If something tells you to add one, and something else tells you to add one, you've added a total of two.

If you have an Action that would be increased by both Hisayuki and something else, both increases happen. Two Heart of a Hero would work too. Each gives +3. That's a total of +6 in the end.

Ambush?

Can Ambush be redirected by Tangen Sensei?

No. Targets are picked before Ambush creates its Attack Phase.

Terrains last till after battle resolution. Diamond Rulebook, pg 85:

After the Battle

The battle has now resolved, or perhaps a card’s effect ended it without resolution. Either way, destroy any Terrain still in play for the battle (even indestructible Terrains).

An attacking unit returning home takes place before this (pg 84), thus still in the Battle, and before battle resolution has completed. The battle is still taking place, though you can no longer take battle actions.

Suitengu's Uncertainty says:

Immediate Terrain Elemental Water Kiho Battle: You must target one of your unbowed Shugenja or Monks in this battle to play this card. Each time any unit leaves this battle, you may have it move to an adjacent Province of your choice instead of its original destination.

This is a battle action that grants an ability to a player, if I read correctly (IE: it's not a matter of using a battle action, or reaction) to do the movement redirection.

Can you then redirect an attacking unit to another province when he is returning home after winning a battle? If not, why not? I can't see anything contradicting it.

[ADDITIONAL] Hope someone sees this...

I get what you're saying Zen, but Suitengu's Uncertainty says nothing about triggering off movement, only about leaving battle, which surely is what is happening. The movement is what you choose to do instead.

Archive, General rules, Battle, Resolution Segment: "A unit returning home after battle is not considered to be moving."

Just saw this while going to archive.

To clarify, Suitengu's Uncerainty only keys off of cards moving out of a battle. It does not recognize units going back home after Resolution.

That's straight from Jeff.

- Marty Lund

Deputy Rules Monkey

Suitengu's Uncertainty and Battle Resolution

If I use a Well-Prepared on one of my bowed personalities to unbow him, can my opponent use Misdirection to redirect the action to one of his unbowed personalities?

Well, Well Prepared says:

Suitengu's Uncertainty and Battle Resolution

Bow or straighten one card in the current battle.

So there are two effects this card could produce:

Bow target.

Straighten target.

Nothing about that restricts you to targeting only Unbowed or Bowed cards. You can choose to straighten an unbowed card. The effect simply fails, going to waste.

When Misdirection gets played, another player gets to choose the targets of the Action. However, he does not get to change the decision made on announcement about whether Well Prepared will Bow or Straighten its target.

So, if you tried to use Well Prepared to bow one of your enemy's cards, he could Misdirection it to one of his already-bowed cards, but he could not make the Well Prepared straighten that card.

Khol Wall and Suitengu's Uncertainty

I am not sure how these two cards interact.

Khol Wall relevant text - Battle: Bow a Region you control: Target two unbowed Personalities with the same controller. Switch their locations.

Suitengu's Uncertainty relevant text - Each time any unit leaves this battle, you may have it move to an adjacent Province of your choice instead of its original destination.

Real question - I play this as the defender against an attack by the Unicorn player. He tries to switch the location of two personalities (mine or his) and do some nasty reaction to said movement. However I redirect the movement of the leaving personality to the adjacent province. Does this a) negate the action entirely and all personalities remain where they were, b) move the leaving personality to the adjacent province and negate the movement of the new personality into the battle, c) allow the new personality to move into the battle and the leaving personality moves to the adjacent province, or d) some other outcome I have yet to think of.

The only ruling I can find related to this is -

Switching units counts as moving the units, and is one effect. Preventing one unit from moving prevents switching. [VRD, 10 December 2000]

You are not really preventing the movement of the unit leaving the battle, however you are preventing the units from switching their locations. I believe the answer would be b) but really am not sure.

Frankly stumped

UK Ronin

C. The effect of Suitengu's Uncertainty comes into play as a unit leaves, meaning the switching effect of Khol Wall is already legally resolving.

Tengoku Acolyte

When I bring a dragon creature into play can I search my deck for a Tengoku Acolyte to put in my hand if I have no Acolyte's in play in much the same way you search for a gifts and favours, or do I have to have one acolyte in play already to do this?

Gifts & Favors

"Reaction: During your End Phase, if you’ve brought no Gold-producing Holdings into play this turn, bow your Stronghold to search your deck, then face-down Provinces, for this card. ..."

Tengoku Acolyte

"Reaction: After a Dragon Creature enters play: Once per turn, gain 2 Honor. You may search your Fate deck for a Tengoku Acolyte"

You may not play a Tengoku Acolyte from your deck. Gifts refers explicitly to searching your deck for the exact physical card you're reacting with. (The clause about playing the first one you find exists because it is impossible to specify exactly which you used if there is more than one.) Tengoku Acolyte instead lets you search for "a" Tengoku Acolyte.

Double Suitengu's Surge and Egg of P'an Ku

Both the Unique personality and the Egg get surged on the same turn. What will happen before the beginning of the turn after?

This one:

Double Suitengu's Surge and Egg of P'an Ku

C. The active player decides which effect resolves first.

Latomu exp, FoYK and Slaughter the Scout

Latomu:

Unicorn Clan Personalities you control have the ability: "Reaction: After moving to a battlefield: Produce a ranged attack with a strength equal to the number of Regions in play."

Slaughter the Scout:

Reaction: After a target unit moves into a Province opposing one of your target Personalities, bow your Personality to destroy that unit.

Let's say my opponent has Latomu exp in play among other personalities. He declares an attack. I defend with Chimori and Amika at province 1.

My Opponent brings in Loruko and use her Reaction given by Latomu.

As active player, my opponent has first opportunity to react to Loruko's moving into the battlefield.

I play Fall on Your Knees, canceling the Ranged Attack. So, if I get this right, we go back to the trigger of Loruko moving to the Battlefield but now it's my turn to react to that trigger.

I bow my Chimori to pay for Slaughter the Scout.

Is this play sequence correct?

If yes, I'm assuming Loruko dies without being able to React again to her moving into the Battlefield.

Am I right?

No. This is a case of a plyer causing a trigger, so first opportunity goes to opponent (Diamond rules, pg. 75).

Are spells part of the unit for the price of power?

I have an ongoing discussion about this with a Mantis player. he says that only personalities and followers are considered part of a unit total cost for this card. I think that items and spells are also part of the unit, and they add to the total cost of the unit.

So, to put it more clearly, let's say that I have a ratling conjurer, with an eclipse, a ratling bushi and a layered armor attached. the cost of the unit is:

a) 4 (peep) + 3 (eclipse)+6 (ratling bushi)+1(layered armor)=14

b) 4 (peep) + 6 (ratling bushi)=10

c) other combination

thanks in advance.

Diamond rules, pg. 105. Unit = Personality + all attached cards.

Akodo Minako

Is Akodo Minako a "printed Tactician"? What about if there's a Formation in play?

No. No.

Tangen Sensei

Can Tangen Sensei redirect the Ichiro's Yumi action to the personality it's attached to?

Could you aim it there in the first place? No? No legal (Diamond rules, pg. 74).

Questions

Does Seikua/Ukuro gain 1F/2C or 1F/1C for each Ring in Play? Do Kuni Yori and Toku have the errata for their Soul Of versions(Koto, Kuni Tansho)?

All most recent printing (MRP) information and errata to cards can be found in the Rules Archive.

Suitengu's Surge and Once per turn

On cards like Price of Power, removing a target from the "in play" area using Suitengu's Surge doesn't cause the action to be cancelled. Is that the case now for all cards? When the target is chosen, I Surge my unit out of harms way, but the action is still said to have resolved?

There's not going to be a blanket answer to those question. There are too many variations in card text that might matter.

Suitengu's Surge and Once per turn

Does that interact with "Once per turn" as if the action occurred?

Actions either resolve, or they don't. An action can generate no effects but still resolve. If so, it counts towards "once per turn" and similar such limits.

Suitengu's Surge and Once per turn

Has this always been the case (i.e. pre-Web), or is this something to do with new card templating?

The new style of writing card text has not really changed much in the way of rules for executive effects.

Duels: instead of focusing - cancel vs. negate

In the section about Duels -Focusing, it reads:

- If a Reaction that is played instead of focusing is canceled (e.g., Keen Eye), the player may not then focus, because the player has already chosen not to focus. [Summary of other rulings]

The problem is that Keen Eye negates the reaction.

The ruling is correct. All that needs to be done is to add "or negated" to that entry and it's all good.

Duels: instead of focusing - cancel vs. negate

It's my turn to Focus: I chose to react with Wrath of the Emperor ("Reaction: Instead of focusing in a duel, ..."). My opponent plays Fall on Your Knees. What next?

This one:

Duels: instead of focusing - cancel vs. negate

1) as written above, I have lost my chance to focus;

Ambush #2

Ambush text reads: Limited: Declare an additional Attack Phase. Target one of your units that can legally assign to attack and another player's unit to assign to defend (even if illegal). Units in this battle are neither at a Province nor at home. No other units may assign or move to this battle. Units cannot move into or destroy Provinces this battle. After this Attack Phase ends, lose 5 Honor and resume the previous phase.

Is targeting my unit and another player's happen after I declare an attack phase? or you target units first before an attack phase is declared? Thank you

Yogo Rieko

Yogo Rieko can use her abilities out of an army in a battle?

What does her card say?

Yogo Rieko

Battle: Pay 2 Gold: Target a Personality. Straighten him.

No restriction to where she must be to use her ability.

So the only thing you need to worry about is meeting Relevance and Presence. You just need to have a unit in the Current Battle (not necessarily Rieko) and Target Rieko's ability on a Personality in the Current Battle.

Alternatively, you could have Rieko in the Current Battle herself and be able to unbow Personalities at any location.

Mask of the Maw XP + Depths of Jikogu

Hi,

Can Depths of Jigoku be used to go fetch the Mask of the Maw XP?

It is an Oni card. It has the "Mask," "Oni," and "Experienced" traits all out of that phrase.

Experienced Traits do not have a special exemption from the Keyword Rule on pages 63 and 64 of the Diamond Edition Rulebook.

Formations and Death of Ryoshun

Due to the recent threads about Rain of Death and how its actions are used,I have come to the conclusion that,while formations enter play,they NEVER belong to an army.Furthermore,another ruling a while back(on the ccg-list I think)(again about rain of death)said that if you play a formation,somehow suspend the current battle(eg Summon Air Kami),and began resolving another one, if you still met the "formed by " requirements, then the formation was still in play and its actions usable in the new battlefield,therefore showing that formations played during a battle at a battlefield are not specific to that battlefield.

My question is:Can a formation in play be targeted by "Death of Ryoshun",thus making the use of its actions unplayable?

I believe that targetting a formation with "Death of Ryoshun"would not satisfy the rule of relevance.,since nothing would be targeted or affected in the current battle.However,I have seen many players do this very thing(usually shutting off "invincible legions"),most recently during the mouzaka championship,and I don't know which ir right.Could someone enlighten me?

The Mask has the "Experienced Mask of the Oni" trait. Do experienced traits count for card typing? I know Soul Ofs don't work, but what about Experience traits?

Death of Ryoshun does not target.

The bizzare "Summon Air Kami" example Zen answered doesn't alter the location of the Formation card played. It is still at the suspended battle. However, that does not mean its effects stop working just because another battle is resolving.

Naming a Formation that is in play at the Current Battlefield, however, affects that card by making its abilities unplayable, so it is Relevant. Naming a Formation in play at a battle suspended by Summon Air Kami rather than the Current Battle, however, is not.

Kaneka, and overlaying 2 Q's

Is the standerd action of discarding to give a tactical force bonus considered a prited action.

Yes. It is printed once in the Rulebook. For the game's purposes, there is only one Rulebook. Producing multiple physical copies of that document does not count as multiple printed instances of the ability.

Kaneka, and overlaying 2 Q's

Can you discard your whole hand to kaneka?

Well, if your whole hand was 1 card, I suppose so. You can only pitch to the Standard Tactical Action in the Rulebook to boost Kaneka once per battle, however.

Kaneka, and overlaying 2 Q's

2. I have kakita noritashi and noritashi xp in my provences. Can i play Noritashi, then overlay the xp on the same turn?

Sure. There are no rules preventing this. Play one card. Play the other card. No tricks.

Kaneka, and overlaying 2 Q's

2nd turn noritashi xp? Honor requirement is waved when overlaying right?

Yes sir. Honor Requirement entering-play rules are a "Restriction," according to the Diamond Edition Glossary, so Overalying ignores them.

One would note, however, that Kakita Noritoshi nonexperienced is neither Diamond nor Lotus bugged, and in Open Format there are far more daunting things that can happen in the 2nd turn's Dynasty Phase.

Kakita + Amaterasu's Blessing

If Kakita (or Mirumoto for that matter) is targeted by Amaterasu's Blessing, does this mean when you reajust his chi in a duel it can never go below 5?

Yes.

Stat minimums are imposed after all other bonuses and penalties are applied to the stat.

If Kakita dueled Koto, he'd give himself a -6 Chi Penalty, to a 1 Chi total, but than the Blessing would force the stat to have a value of 5.

Of course, Kakita would then Focus with up to 3 cards. If he focused a 1 a 2 and a 3, his Chi would now be 7 again.

7 - 6 + 1 + 2 + 3 = 7 > 5 so no minimum applied.

Remember, the minimum or maximum is always applied dead last, regardless of the order of the bonus or penalty effects.

Rain(s) of Death - after riposte

Question was :

Some time ago there I was asking whether I can use Rain of Death ability (two ranged attacks) with tactician from outside a battle. Answer was "yes".

There are following questions :

I played Rain of Death in battlefield A. Can I use tacticians in battlefield A ro 'rain a death' on units in battle B ? If no - why 'other-battle' tatician is allowed to RoD unit in current battle ?

As above, but i try to RoD units in battlefield B with tacticians in home / battlefield B / other. subquestion - as above.

Note that RoD says nothing about opposing or 'this battle', and as a formation it cannot oppose anything neither... Thus it's RA are rather strange.

Rain of Death

Tactical Battle: Produce two consecutive Ranged 3 Attacks.

Zen said :

Quote:

Quote:

Sejmitar wrote:

Can I use tacticians in battlefield A ro 'rain a death' on units in battle B ?

Yes.

[ link : http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13865 ]

Marty said :

Quote:

You can perform the Tactical Action with a Tactician at any location.

You must, however, still target the Ranged Attack from the Formation against cards in the Current Battle, opposing cards you control.

Oh, and Tsuruchi Technique fails the Rule of Relevance if it targets anything outside of the Current Battle.

[ link : http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13875 ]

Which answer is cosidered final ? Marty was last.

Additionaly, Marty said :

Quote:

You must, however, still target the Ranged Attack from the Formation against cards in the Current Battle, opposing cards you control.

WHY my ranged attack should be targeting a card opposing to a card I control but different that source of attack at battle ? Here are some rules :

Making Ranged Attacks (DE Rulebook, p. 90, no erratas on Rulesheets, no rulings relevant in Archieve)

Some cards have ability to make range attacks. A ranged attack must target a single card opposing the card or cards making the ranged attack: either a Follower or a Personality with no Followers.

Glossary : opposing (DE Rulebook, p. 102, no erratas on Rulesheets, no rulings relevant in Archieve)

For a card or unit: In the opposite army from the card or unit.

There are no sentence 'when you are making ranged attack, it should be tageted at a card opposing your cards". the only thing that should be opposed to a target is the card that MAKE a ranged attack.

"Hey, but your Tactician is performing this action" - yes, he is performing action. But from th beginning of Diamond edition Jeff said one, two, LOTS of times that performing and making an action is not the same. Check for Castle of the Wasp rulings, for example.

Then we are back at beginning - card that MAKES this attack is a formation. Only card that has be opposed by targets is card that MAKES attack. Then formation HAS to target opposing card(s). Then :

- this formation is a dude and cannot shoot at all - because formation cannot be opposed and as such cannot find any opposing cards;

- or this formation IS opposed, and this means that all actions targeting opposing cards can target a formation;

- or there is third way, which allows formation to shoot while unable to target opposed cards.

In second case Marty is right, but provides wrong backup for his words. Not to mean how nice the setting will be when formations (and battle terrains, why not) should be considered to be opposable.

In third case there is no force than a separate ruling 'out of air' that can explain why RoD can not shoot to different battles.

Please let me know where I am wrong. Thank you in advance for answer.

You know, I just discovered that my Web-based email account actually has search functionality? Booyah.

Anyway, here is what Jeff (the Lead Designer) said about the card and how to play it back in November. Some of that may need to go in the Accumulated Rulings.

Rain(s) of Death - after riposte

>Marty/Jeff,

>

>Can you clarify the rules on ranged attacks, please? If a personality

>performs an action on an action card that creates a ranged attack,

does

>the ranged attack count as coming from the personality or the action

card?

Effects come from the card with the action. What "performs" the

action is irrelevant.

>If it comes from the action card, the question becomes, do Formations

>count as attacking cards, if you're attacking?

No. Only cards in the attacking army are "attacking cards".

> If they don't, how does

>Rain of Death get around the fact that Ranged attacks can only target

>opposing cards?

The same way Tsuruchi Technique does, and Arrows From the Woods before

that.

A reference to "an opposing card" means "a card opposing this card"

when it is used on a card that can be in [an army]. It instead means

"a card opposing a card you control" when used on something else.

> If they do, can a Tactician who's not in the battle

>perform the action on Rain of Death?

Yes.

>Can I combine the Ranged Attacks on Rain of Death with....

No. You cannot combine them, period, because they come from the

Formation, and the Formation is not in a unit. Only ranged attacks

from multiple cards in one unit may be combined.

I think it has been long-established that Rain of Death is very badly phrased card that needs a lot of clarification / explanation (as well as Duct Tape and Bubblegum) to hold it together. I've been pulling for an MRP myself.

Troll War Band

I attach Troll War Band to Hoshi Eisai (exp) and declare an Ambush with him. My opponent plays Refugees on his personality as his first action. None of us has any more Battle or Open actions playable, neither on cards in play, nor in our hands, except of course Eisai's ability. I cannot pass because the War Band is unbowed (and I cannot use its abilities), but I can copy someone's Force infinitely many times with Eisai. Is the game a draw?

No, you lose for annoying a deputy rules guy. Look, use a little common sense here. Send the War Band unit home and get on with the game. (No, this is not a rules based solution. This is a pragmatic recommendation of what I would do as a tournament judge to ensure that games progress in a timely manner.)

Troll War Band

If either of us has Same Old Tricks in hand, are we required to play it, to let the game continue?

No. You are never required to play a reaction.

Troll War Band

Could I play Fall On Your Knees on my opponents Same Old Tricks, deliberately creating a situation, where the game is locked (e.g. he has no more cards, therefore I know that this will be the case)?

Yes.

It's amazing what goes through your head while you're getting your teeth cleaned. It took me a while, but I have a rule-based answer now.

The first ability on Troll War band is not targeted (Web of Lies rulesheet). Therefore, it is legal to take regardless of whether there is a Province in the battle or not. Obviously, the reduction in Province strength will fail, but this removes the possibility of mandated actions by an unbowed Troll War Band. If a player chooses to use the Experienced Hoshi Eisai's ability repeatedly in this situation, then that player is stalling.

Battle Phase Curiousity

Do all of the battle's happen at the same instance, but the method of play suggests that you do a single battle at a time, to make it easier to understand?

There is one Attack Phase that includes all battles (outside of those created by card or stronghold effects). Resolved battles are still battles until the Action segment is over (Archive, General Rules, Battle, Aftermath).

Balance in Nothingness and Rain of Death

Opponent: 2 Larukos, one of them bowed

Me: 2 tacticians, Rain of death. Target the unbowed laruko first and then the bowed one with the bow and destroy action on rain of death. Opponent: Plays balance in nothingness. Does the unbowed Laruko still die?

The only one dying is your Tactician Personality. The whole action is canceled by Balance in Nothingness after Rain of Death targets. You must now pay the cost and destroying your Tactician Personality (Archive, General rules, Canceling).

A few questions about Purge the Weak

heya all,

I've had some confusion in my deluted little brain about how Purge the Weak works.

"Maho reaction: Once per turn, after one of your Limited, Open, or Battle actions resolves, reduce this shugenja's Chi by 1 to take another action of the same type."

First, is the 1 chi loss permanent?

Second, What does the same Type mean? Does type mean, another battle, limited or open action, or is it more concise than that, and if I were to say, Do a range attack, would it have to be another range attack. Does this care about specialty things, like doing a raid action. If I did a raid battle action, would I be able to do a normal battle action?

quietcorn wrote:

First, is the 1 chi loss permanent?

Diamond rules, pg. 70: No.

quietcorn wrote:

What does the same Type mean?

If you take Battle action, you can only take another Battle action. Limited lets you do another Limited. Open lets you do another Open.

Zen Faulkes! * Crab Clan Scholar * Unaligned Archivist

* * * * * * * * * *

Post subject: Range Attacks

Kolat wrote:

Sejmitar wrote:

Can I use tacticians in battlefield A ro 'rain a death' on units in battle B ?

Yes.

As above, but i try to RoD units in battlefield B with tacticians in home / battlefield B / other.

Fine.

_________________

Zen Faulkes! * Crab Clan Scholar * Unaligned Archivist

-----

Ummmm... Zen where is this coming from?

Does this mean that anyone producing a range attack can shoot anyone, anywhere, anytime? Cause it has NEVER been that way. You need a specific card effect, No Hiding Place for example, to do crazy things like that. Range Attacks target cards opposing the card producing the range attack. Simple as that.

If your going on the entire idea that, RoD doesn't "oppose" anyone, your being uber liberal with the rules, and creating a bad precedent. Though this would then apply to Tsuruchi Tech, as it does not "oppose" another card and it produces a range attack.

I honestly think your wrong in this.

Though I am sure every person playing Castle of the Wasp just wet their pants...

You can perform the Tactical Action with a Tactician at any location.

You must, however, still target the Ranged Attack from the Formation against cards in the Current Battle, opposing cards you control.

Oh, and Tsuruchi Technique fails the Rule of Relevance if it targets anything outside of the Current Battle.

A few questions about Purge the Weak

Ummmm... Zen where is this coming from?

People are trying to make this more general than it is. This is very specific to Rain of Death and how that card is worded.

More specifically, it is a result of trying to tighten the definition of "opposing" down from its traditional, highly context-sensitive usage to one where we can state only one definition for it that accurately covers how the word is used on every single card that doesn't explicitly address "opposing what".

Jeff Alexander

Lead Designer, L5R CCG

Alderac Entertainment Group, Inc.

Action type

If a personality has the ninja trait at anytime

does an ability printed on the card gain the ninja trait(?)

Tip: punctuation. You may have heard about it, it was in all the papers.

Diamond rules, pg. 64.

consecutive ranged attacks and cancelling

Quote:

steve simons wrote:

Opponent: 2 Larukos, one of them bowed

Me: 2 tacticians, Rain of death. Target the unbowed laruko first and then the bowed one with the bow and destroy action on rain of death. Opponent: Plays balance in nothingness. Does the unbowed Laruko still die?

The only one dying is your Tactician Personality. The whole action is canceled by Balance in Nothingness after Rain of Death targets. You must now pay the cost and destroying your Tactician Personality (Archive, General rules, Canceling).

_________________

Zen Faulkes! * Crab Clan Scholar * Unaligned Archivist

I thought consecutive ranged attacks were targeted and resolved seperately, according to DE rulebook. If this is the case, wouldn't the unbowed personality be targeted and resolved before the 2nd, bowed laruko is targeted, and thus before balance in nothingness takes effect?

Rain of Death has two abilities. I was answering the question about the second, which is not a Ranged Attack.

In time of War vs Surge

Situation:

I have a Kanjuro with Suitengus Surge and three Tengoku Accolytes.

In Time of War is in play.

I surge. Returning to play before the beginning of the next turn.

Question:

Do I gain 6 honor from my Accolytes or 5 honor due to ITOW?

Thank you.

Six. Suitengu's Surge text says, "before the beginning of the next turn," and In Time of War starts counting "when the turn began." [ML, 5 January 2005]

Rage of Matsu without presence

Can a defender play Rage of Matsu to target a tactician at home to bring it into the defending army?

Yes.

Dangerous Extremes vs Defenders of the Realm

Dangerous Extremes (Event)

For the rest of the game, no player may declare an attack against a player using the same Wind. This restriction has no effect if either the Attacker, intended Defender, or both have no Wind. Each player may end this effect on himself by destroying his rightmost Province as a Limited action.

Defenders of the Realm (Action)

Reaction: Play this card when one of your Provinces is about to be destroyed by an event. No Provinces are destroyed by this event.

Can I save the province I have to give up for "Dangerous Extremes" with a "Defenders of the Realm"?

If yes, does it save the opponent's province if he has to give it up? I am guessing no, since his province is destroyed in another turn. But what if he decides to destroy his province in the same turn I save my province by playing a "Plans within Plans"?

Yes, but then the effect of Dangerous Extremes continues because you didn't pay the cost.

Dangerous Extremes vs Defenders of the Realm

If yes, does it save the opponent's province if he has to give it up?

Yes. "No Provinces are destroyed..."

Dangerous Extremes vs Defenders of the Realm

But what if he decides to destroy his province in the same turn I save my province by playing a "Plans within Plans"?

"No Provinces are destroyed..." is absolute.

Control and death

Setup: I have Yajinden in play, and Jigoku Sensei, and reduce my opponent's Isawa Sezaru to 2 Chi. I then bow Yajinden to gain control of Sezaru. Following this, I use Jigoku Sensei's ability to discard a shugenja (Sezaru) and bring a non-unique oni into play (cost limit - 12). Isawa Sezaru goes to my discard pile, since Yajinden still has his effect going on.

My question is this. If I straighten Yajinden next turn, does Isawa Sezaru remain in my discard pile, or does he move to my opponent's? Further, if Sezaru were killed instead of discarded (by, for example, To Do What We Must), and afterwards I straightened Yajinden, would he switch piles or stay?

Faith in My Clan + Shinjo Suboto

My opponent is the defender and brings Suboto into play in the current battle. I have a clan champion there and I play faith in my clan to cancel the action. What happens to Suboto?

Not a lot. See Diamond rules, pg. 72.

Shosuro Tsuyoshi v.s. Followers

This action can target Followers (and consequently destroys almost any Follower). If a Follower has a +X chi bonus which it grants to the Personality attached, the ranged attack's strength must equal or exceed the bonus to destroy the Follower.

Yes. Yes.

What can House of the Spring Chrysanthemum cancel?

Situation 1: Bane of the Bastard is targeting a face-up ninja in one of my provinces.

Situation 2: Moshi Hinome wants to steal a dead Yogo Reiko with her raid ability.

Can either of these actions be stopped with the House of the Spring Chrysanthemum?

The following ruling is tentative.

What can House of the Spring Chrysanthemum cancel?

Bane of the Bastard is targeting a face-up ninja in one of my provinces.

No.

What can House of the Spring Chrysanthemum cancel?

Moshi Hinome wants to steal a dead Yogo Reiko with her raid ability.

Yes. The difference between these two situations is that the Experienced Hinome's ability specifically says, "Personality," while Bane of the Bastard doesn't.

I say this ruling is tentative, because I remember a rule that cards in Provinces are treated as generic Dynasty cards for most purposes, but I have not been able to find it. I'm sure Marty or Jeff will help out if I'm mistaken.

I don't know about any ruling like that, Zen. Face-down Dynasty cards? Sure. Face-up, I don't think so. There are tons of effects that refer to specific cards in your Provinces as having traits and the like.

It is a face-up Ninja Card.

It gets targeted.

House cancels it.

- Marty Lund

Deputy Rules Monkey

Broken Sword Of The Lion

Lose 3 Honor. Dishonor all Lion Clan Personalities you own.

Lion Clan Personalities you control have a Force and Chi bonus equal to their personal honor.

Question : Does the bonus only apply to re-honored personalities? Or is it that until they are re-honored their bonus is 0?

Also does having the sword in play automatically dishonor all personalities you bring into play until they can become rehonored again?

Continuous.

Broken Sword Of The Lion

Also does having the sword in play automatically dishonor all personalities you bring into play until they can become rehonored again?

Yes (Diamond rules, pg. 59, 70; Archive, General, Dishonor).

Paying costs of cards

A question about paying costs. Can I voluntarily pay more gold than necessary to bring into play a card. For example, if I have 2 Quartermasters (produce 2 gold each) and 3 Gifts and Favors (produces 2 gold each), can I bow all of them to pay for a personality with a cost of 8, and then bow my Storehouses to put a counter on it?

Storehouses (holding)

Reaction: Bow when you produce more gold than is necessary to bring a card into play. Add one storage token to the storehouses. Reaction: Bow and destroy any number of storage tokens when you are bringing a card into play to produce gold equal to the number of storage tokens destroyed.

Second question: Can I bow a holding without having something to pay?

If no, can I pay for something than normally does not have a cost, but could have a cost, like an innate ability?

Well, technically you aren't "paying more," but you can produce more than you need to pay the cost with. You pay the exact cost out of what you produced (any amount) and the rest is then lost (taxed away by the Emperor or some such).

So yes, you could bow 5 holdings that each produce 2 gold for a total of 10 Gold, using 8 of it to pay the cost and having 2 lost, causing a trigger for Storehouse.

You could even play a 0 Gold Cost Action Card and buy a holding to produce 2 Gold, then pay the 0 cost and have the 2 lost, causing a trigger for Storehouse.

You can not produce gold without trying to meet a required Gold Cost for a play or effect of some sort, though (even a "0" cost will count). An ability with only non-Gold costs, for instance, would not be grounds to bow a holding and produce Gold.

Face-down cards and illegal targeting

A while back I posted asking if I could eclipse cards in provinces or in the hand. Zen pointed me to page 55 of the DE Rulebook, saying that cards in, "decks, provinces, discard piles, and hands are not considered 'in play'... and cannot normally be targeted or effected by other cards" (Rulebook 55)

Why then, can Bayushi Kamnan target facedown cards? He clearly does target them, since a player, "has to choose what it effects" (72). The same question goes for Tishi sensei. Why can these cards target out of play cards, while eclipse cannot, when the rules clearly do not allow it?

The rules do allow it. "An effect that targets a face-down card may target any such card, including one not in play." [DE p. 73]

Furthermore, Tishi Sensei is a simple matter of card text and would work even without that rule:

"Open: Once per turn, bow one of your Scorpion Clan Personalities to look at a number of face-down cards in an opponent’s hand or Provinces up to your Personality’s Chi."

When a card tells you to do something that is illegal by definition, such as "target a card in a Province", that is a clear case of card text overriding the rules -- in this example, the card explicitly makes itself an exception to the rule that only things in play can be targeted. Such an action does not need to carry extra verbiage such as "This may target a card in a Province even though that card is not in play." to make itself legal.

Overlaying and abilities

as I understand it an overlayed card keeps the traits and abilities of the card it overlayed.

No (Diamond rules, pg. 66): Traits replace, abilities add.

Overlaying and abilities

so if Noritashi is overlayed: IE ability reads: Reaction:Discard a card when Noritashi enters a duel to double the focus value of one card whos FV has not ben modified. Upon reading the way Double Chi works i found that the focus valur is added twice, not "doubled". so if I have him overlayed-issue a challenge- and use his reaction, then focus a 4 the 4 becomes 8 then added twice? a whoping 16 bonus to the chi in one card?

Looks about right.

Overlaying and abilities

Also does overlaying remember ongoing effects from the IE card.

Yes (Diamond rules, pg. 66).

Overlaying and abilities

Ex: Togashi (cant remember names) Champion is overlayed, would he be able to attack? IE version says he cant but E version dosnt.

It's Togashi Satsu. (I'm sorely tempted to start a policy that if you can't provide card titles, we can't answer questions).

Traits replace. Attack away.

hida hitoshi bomb

when overlaying hitoshi xp over regular hitoshi, does it copy the "gains +1F when a follower is attached?"

Diamond rules, pg. 66: No.

traits in provinces?

quote: (from What can House of the Spring Chrysanthemum cancel? thread)

I don't know about any ruling like that, Zen. Face-down Dynasty cards? Sure. Face-up, I don't think so. There are tons of effects that refer to specific cards in your Provinces as having traits and the like.

It is a face-up Ninja Card.

It gets targeted.

House cancels it.

- Marty Lund

Deputy Rules Monkey

Does this mean cards in the province still have their traits then? So if i had a card that said target a monk, to do so and so I could target a face up monk in my province? Or if it said target a ninja, i could target a ninja in my province i haven't even got out in play yet? Are you sure you want to do this Marty? I see the game breaking already.

No. Diamond rules, pg. 55: "Cards in decks, in (not attached to) Provinces, in discard piles, and in hands ... cannot normally be targeted or affected by other cards." The situations we are discussing are all Reactions triggered by effects that specifically deal with cards in Provinces, etc. Those effects avoid the above rule by their specific card text, and the Reactions responding to them avoid it in a similar way.

traits in provinces?

Are you sure you want to do this Marty? I see the game breaking already.

If we had a nickel for every time a player said that, Marty and I could quit our jobs and do L5R rules full time. We could set up a PayPal account and live like kings.

traits in provinces?

Does this mean cards in the province still have their traits then?

Zan,

If they didn't have their traits, how would you ever be able to bring Shosuro Mikado or Matsu Mieko in for 2 less for having a Courtier / Tactician in play?

They have their traits, though they can not affect any card but themselves while not in play unless otherwise stipulated.

traits in provinces?

So if i had a card that said target a monk, to do so and so I could target a face up monk in my province? Or if it said target a ninja, i could target a ninja in my province i haven't even got out in play yet?

Zen has already addressed this part, Zan.

You can't do that, but there are Action that target "cards in your province," and if they targeted a face-up Ninja Personality in your Province, they would create a Reaction trigger of "a Ninja Personality being targetted."

Also, remember that you don't control those Personalities either, so a lot of Reactions won't be valid, seeing as they say, "When one of your Personalities is targeted," or the like.

Additional Attack Phases

If I declare an additional attack phase, such a Raid Attack...

Are we still on the Action phase? Or the Action phase is stopped and the resumed?

I ask this 'cause the use of Kaeru Kields on a Raid Attack, or in an Amush

See here.

This was answered 3 days ago.

Searchy the search button wants to be your friend.

The Fortunes Smile and Dishonored Personalities

Will the honor gain from The Fortunes Smile restore a dishonored personality to honorable status if revealed in a duel?

See here.

Re: Surge vs In time of War

Zen Faulkes wrote:

Six. Suitengu's Surge text says, "before the beginning of the next turn," and In Time of War starts counting "when the turn began." [ML, 5 January 2005]

Wouldn't this mean I will gain 5 honor (or even less) because I count for the turn I am STILL on (the same one when the Surge happened)?

No. "In reference to the direct question about "In Time of War," effects that happen "before the beginning" of the turn (say with Suitengu's Surge) will completely skirt around the Honor-cap, since it is after the last turn ended, but before In Time of War has established a new cap for the turn."

Utako effect

If you duel a personality in Utakos army and he died, can Utako kill another personality in your army? If so, what if the result is a tie, can Utako kill another of your personalities?

Death by duel resolution, even the implicit effect "destroy the loser" that is the rulebook default, is still an effect of that Duel. So if the Duel is from an Action on a card the other player owns and it destroys one of your Personalities other than Otaku, she will allow you to destroy one of that player's cards opposing Otaku.

Straightening and Gozoku.

I have forwards sentries in play. I bring in a bowed personality with a follower. The personality is gozoku locked. Normally their whole unit straightens but gozoku does not allow the personality to straighten. Does the follower still straighten?

Yes.

Followers with +1 and receiving force bonuses

Let's say I've got a Political Adjunct (+1/+1) attached to Hida Daizu (4/4) in the current battle, this means that Daizu is now a 5/5 personality. What happens if I play Heart of Rokugan? Because HoR gives both Human Personalities and Human Followers +1 force, does the +1 force given to the Adjunct then transfer over to Daizu who also received the force bonus - thus effectively making Daizu a 7/5?

Yes. +F Followers are very effective that way.

The loyalty trait......

What is the offical ruling on that trait??? question came up. you can't bring them out of your province unless you are of that clan. but what about being taken control of when it's on the board?

What official ruling?

The rules for Loyal are on your Web of Lies Rules Sheet and the definition of "join" is in your Diamond Edition Rulebook.

Being able to figure out whether or not you can steal someone who isn't aligned to your Clan with the Loyal trait should be very clear from reading the documentation.

No ruling required.

Canceland reactions

hello! i'm a new TO so i'm going through the rules again. however i have some questions.

after reading diamond rules, on page 72, i'm confused on the negate and cancel actions part. lets say i have naka tokei(with the shadowland trait) in play and i use his ability

Quote:

Elemental Limited: Once per turn, straighten a card if Tokei does not have the Shadowlands trait, or bow a card if he does.

my opponent use House of the Spring Chrysthanemum reaction ability to cancel my action.

Quote:

Reaction: After an action targets a Ninja, bow a Scorpion Clan Samurai you control: Once per turn, cancel the action.

so by doing that naka tokei's bowing doesn't take place, am i right to say that? if yes from the rule book,

Quote:

if an action or event is canceled, the entire thing is stopped. it does not successfully resolve. the attempt to use it does not count against anyt maximum number of use per game/turn/battle/etc.

so if this is the case, can i use naka tokei's ability to bow another person?

The next time you are allowed to take such an Action? Sure thing. It doesn't count towards any limit on the number of uses if it is Canceled.

Canceland reactions

secondly on reactions, assuming i'm in a battle and i have Shinjo Loruko who is at home and Moto Ogedei is attached with Baraunghar Amulet in the current battle. i use Shinjo Loruko battle ability and send her/him in the battle.

Quote:

Battle: If Loruko will be opposed, once per turn, move her to the current battlefield.

and because she's being brought in i can use her reaction.

Quote:

Reaction: After Loruko moves to a battlefield: If that battlefield's Province has no Regions, create a blank Region card attached to it and controlled by the Defender.

however the question is that my opponent has Slaughter the Scout. and i want to use Baraunghar Amulet's ability

Quote:

Slaughter the Scout

Reaction: After a target unit moves into a Province opposing one of your target Personalities, bow your Personality to destroy that unit.

Quote:

Baraunghar Amulet

Reaction: After another Unicorn Clan Personality you control moves to this Personality's battlefield, destroy this card: Search your discard pile for an Action card. Put it in your hand.

who will react first? Loruko or slaughter the scount or even Baraunghar Amulet.

Priority to play Reactions to a given trigger is first given to the player to the left of the one who caused the trigger. Since you created the trigger by moving Loruko, your opponent has the first opportunity to React (DE Rulebook, page 75). He plays Slaughter the Scout and Laruko goes to the Discard Pile before you can ever use any of the Reactions to that same trigger on cards in her unit.

Living Blade Dojo and a bowed Duelist

Living Blade Dojo

Cost:

2

Singular Bow this card: Produce 2 Gold. Open: Destroy this card: Target a Duelist Personality you control. Search your discard pile for an Action card. Play it for one of its Battle or Open actions that issues a challenge, performed by the target. Remove it from the game. Negate any Honor gains you receive from winnin

If i target a bowed duelist when i use this open action does the duel go still go off or does it become and illegal action since bowed people cant issue challanges. If no how is this different from saori?

That's not the rule. It's "may not perform actions that issue challenges" (Diamond rules, pg. 54). Thus, the question is whether the Personality does perform the action on Living Blade Dojo, and he or she does, following criterion 3 on pg. 71 of the Diamond rulebook. Thus, the action is illegal to use on a bowed Personality.

Bane of the Bastard vs Face-up Regions

Can I use Bane of the Bastard to target any number of face-up regions in an opposing player's provinces (providing he's using Kaneka as his Wind) to put them at the bottom of his Dynasty deck? Also, does it matter if the regions are attached or not when using this action?

The second question is more important than the latter, because that answer is, "Yes." Bane of the Bastard looks for cards in Provinces, not attached to Provinces. Regions in play won't be affected.

Tangen Sensei

when a personality is targeted by an action that targets unopposed personalities can i redirct it...

To anyone who would have been a legal target in the first place (Diamond rules, pg. 74).

Bayushi Shusui, just making sure

When a action is issued, does he get the stat bonus immediately?

He gets it after you play the action. Archive, General, Actions: That's after it's been announced, targeted, and paid for.

Bayushi Shusui, just making sure

When he uses the card draw ability, does he stick around and contribute his force to the resolution?

No.

Moving home and being sent home.

Is there a real difference between the two?

No.

What is a Naval Raid attack

Could someone please explain this and how it works ?

Thanks

The rules for Naval are spelled out in the Diamond Edition rulebook (with one small addition on the Web of Lies rulesheet). Links to these are at the top of the Archive. There are no general rules for Raiding.

Duration of effects

How long does an effect last if the card doesn't state duration?

Diamond rulebook, pg. 70. In bold type.

no victory

can you 'no victory' of any duel you win?

Yes.

"Playing" a card

What counts as "playing" a card?

Archive, General, Actions.

Horrible Egg of P'an-Ku question

The egg doesn't say that it ceases to be an action or that it loses its own text when it copies the personality.

It does. That's what "becomes a copy" means.

Contested Holding again

Concerning my question here.

Why was it not answered?

Contested Holding is not a new card.

It's really a grammatical question and should be "answerable" without regards to EoME.

You referred to something in Enemy of My Enemy - "Contests."

The only things that refer to "contests" are in Enemy of My Enemy.

If Enemy of My Enemy has any special rules relating to Contests (makes them a specially reserved term, or whatnot) then an answer we give on the matter might be misleading.

Ergo, Zen's not answering the question.

That said, look at the first two rulings under "traits" in the Accumulated Rulings for similar examples under the current rules - "Corrupt" vs. "Corrupted" and "Tattoo" vs. "Tattooed" aren't equivalent (they aren't singular, plural, or posessive forms, per the Keyword Rule.)

Ring of the Void/Same Old Tricks

If I fulfill the Ring of the Void requirements, can my opponent react with the Same Old Tricks and cancel me putting it into play and erase it's play requirement?

No. There's no action on a card to be removed. There's a trait that allows you to perform an action.

Playing a card Part 2

there is nothing in that section that says whether discarding a card for a cost counts as playing it.

That would mean it doesn't, then.

Plans Within Plans and Raid Battles

Hello,

Quote:

Plans Within Plans: Play during another player's Action Phase. At your next opportunity to take an Open action, you may instead take a Limited action. Effects that last until one of 'your' phases ends, end during the appropriate phase this turn.

If my opponent is using Aramasu's Pride, and provided I get a chance to play PWP: If I play PWP, then my opponent uses AP to create a raid battle, can I take a Limited action during one of the battles since it will be my 'next opportunity to take an Open action'?

Thank you for your time.

Follow Up: Plans Within Plans and Raid Battles

Mirumoto Stephen wrote:

Quote:

Hello,

Quote:

Plans Within Plans: Play during another player's Action Phase. At your next opportunity to take an Open action, you may instead take a Limited action. Effects that last until one of 'your' phases ends, end during the appropriate phase this turn.

If my opponent is using Aramasu's Pride, and provided I get a chance to play PWP: If I play PWP, then my opponent uses AP to create a raid battle, can I take a Limited action during one of the battles since it will be my 'next opportunity to take an Open action'?

Thank you for your time.

Zen Faulkes wrote:

Quote:

Yes.

As a follow up, let's say you were to play Show of Good Faith as that Limited Action, targeting one of his Personalities:

Show of Good Faith:

Quote:

Political Limited: Bow one of your Courtiers to take control of another player's Personality until the end of the turn. You may not declare an attack or move cards or tokens to or from that Personality while he or she is under your control.

Would you be able to bring that Personality in to defend in one of the Raid battles as a battle action with a card like Tireless Assault or something similar? I'm assuming that when you take control of another player's Personality, they are in your home now.

As a follow up, let's say you were to play Show of Good Faith as that Limited Action, targeting one of his Personalities(.) Would you be able to bring that Personality in to defend in one of the Raid battles as a battle action with a card like Tireless Assault or something similar? I'm assuming that when you take control of another player's Personality, they are in your home now.

Diamond rules, pg 55. "If you gain control of another player’s card, and the card is not one that attaches to a Province, it goes to your home, even if this means removing it from any battle or duel in which it was participating. This rule overrides any card text that prevents the card from leaving the battle or being sent home." So, yes.

Abuse of the favor

I scored the rules and all it says "you can only lobby once". But no restrictions aginst uses.

No, there are none.

Abuse of the favor

can you use a no hiding place on a tsurachi tech?

No; not at attacking card.

Gozoku Influence, when exactly ?

Gozoku Influence wrote:

Reaction: After the Resolution Segment begins, target a Courtier Personality or a Gozoku Personality you control: Target a unit at the current battlefield and another unit with the same controller. Their controller may show you his hand. If he does, you may discard a card from it; otherwise, switch the targets' locations.

Can this action change the result of the resolution ?

To put it straight:

Does it takes place before we add and compare force total or non ?

Togashi Imura

Simpler is better

Gozoku Influence can change the outcome of the battle. Effects that occur when or immediately after the Resolution Segment begins occur before final army Force totals are calculated.

Tangen sensei and once per turn abilities

Tangen sensei text reads: Reaction: After an action targets a card you control during an Attack Phase: Once per battle, redirect the action.

If an action targets a card I control like Akodo rokku's reaction to move a unit from another player's home into his battlefield during the maneuver segment can I redirect it to another card or personality I control infinite times thus stalling the game?

If a personality leaves play after I use one of his ability with a clause "Once per turn" then I reacted with feign death to bring him back into play again can that personality use his ability again on the same turn? Thank you

No (Diamond rules, pg. 75).

Tangen sensei and once per turn abilities

If a personality leaves play after I use one of his ability with a clause "Once per turn" then I reacted with feign death to bring him back into play again can that personality use his ability again on the same turn?

No (Diamond rules, pg. 70).

Strength in Numbers question

"Battle: Bow three of your units to destroy an opposing unit."

Assuming you have presence, can you use 3 units not at the battle? Or since it says opposing, do you need all 3 to be there? Or can you do it with just one of the 3 present, since your target is AN opposing unit?

Thanks.

You need to bow 3 of your units to destroy a unit opposing them in the Current Battle.

Kurihito and Gozoku sensei

If im playng with the G.Sensei, and kurihito comes out:

This one:

Kurihito and Gozoku sensei

I get both winds and sensei.

The reason is that Gozoku Sensei cannot be played if you have a Wind, not "is detroyed if you ever control a Wind card" or some such. If you bring in Winds after revealing your Sensei, nothing illegal has happened.

Another Stupid P'an Ku Question

if I copy the second ability off Isawa Sachi(,) am I able to use this ability even though the personality performing it is P'an Ku and not Sachi?

Diamond rules, pg. 69. Yes.

Another Plans Within Plans and Raid Battles Question

Can you use Plans within Plans to declare a raid battle on the opponent's turn??

Aramasu's Pride text: "Raid Limited." What would stop you?

Bayushi Shusui

so does this mean that no matter how big Shusui is as long as he used his ability he won't be able to destroy any province?

Unless you can find a way to bring him back from the grave in the battle unbowed -- yes, that is what it means.

tsuruchi etsui

can (Tsuruchi Etsue) target unassigned personalities/personalities not in any army?

There is no such card with this title. (Edit: Corrected card name in thread title to facilitate searches.)

See Archive, General, Battle.

Tik'tek and enemy leaders

Sorry if this has been posted before, I checked the posts for the past 10 days and I didn't see it.

There is a Search function that checks all days.

Tik'tek and enemy leaders

Can Tik'tek use his ability even if there are no opposing units?

If in the battle, yes.

shattered focus

sorry! just wondering another question about shattered focus.

Quote:

This card remains in play in your home. While this card is in play, Personalities must focus at least once per duel if able. Reaction: After focus cards are revealed in a duel, discard this card: Discard one card focused by each Personality in the duel

i know that i must focus. however lets say, shattered focus on happening and i issued a challenge. he focused and i focus. Next he use Smoke and mirror

Quote:

Reaction: Play instead of focusing in a duel to discard your opponent's last focus card without effect. Draw a Fate card.

i can call for strike and reaction with shattered focus right? and remove his focus card without mine as i do not have any focus?

sorry if this question is answered in the past but i can't find the tread. also to clarify another question, can i Feign Death my opponent's personality? if yes, who loses the honour?

thanks for taking time to answer my question ans sorry for asking a question that is answered already.

Yes.

shattered focus

sorry if this question is answered in the past but i can't find the tread.

There is a Search function for this forum. Please try it! Please also see the Archive entry for Shattered Focus.

shattered focus

can i Feign Death my opponent's personality? if yes, who loses the honour?

Yes. You.

Imperial Herald Promo Cards

I'm sure this thread has already been answered some day, but i couldn't find it with the search engin.

When do the promo cards of the emperial herald be tournament legal?

Thanks

Akodoluxo

When the following regular expansion set becomes legal (30 days after its release).

Shadowlands ?

If i bring a shadowlands card into play ignoreing all cost, and i'm bringing him into play out side of the dynasty phase do i still lose the honor for it?

Yes.

follow up shusui

since he dies before resolution, his force is not added when computing hich side won or lost right?

What part of this are people not getting? (Serious question, not sarcasm.) Bayushi Shusui's ability reads, "Destroy Shusui when this Battle Action Segment ends." This is before the Resolution segment, when a winner is determined (Diamond rules, pg. 82).

Fiegn Death and Once per battle actions

if Shosuro Osamito uses his once per battle range 3 attack, then later dies in the battle, but is saved by fiegn death, then is tireless assault into the very same battle. Can he do his range attack again?

Diamond rules, pg. 70: "Effects on a card do not end prematurely if the card is destroyed, discarded, or even sent back into its owner’s hand or deck." No.

Death of Ryoshun & Terrains

Hey I saw a post by Zen saying that you can Death a terrain in play. I recently discussed this with Jeff and he stated that Death doesnt satisfy relevance. At least I think that is what I remember him saying.

Just wanted to get this clarified

Rulings not made in a public forum don't hold much weight. Jeff, Marty and I all read each other's posts, and let each other know if we disagree with rulings. Until there is a public reversal, the current ruling stands. You are, of course, welcome to convince me that I have made an error and should reverse my own ruling.

It really depends on the Terrain.

Death of Ryoshun is only Relevant when you name a card in the Current Battle that has an ability that a player could use during battle.

Some cards have abilities you can play after they are in play.

Some cards have no abilities you can use after they are already in play.

Most Terrains and some Formations fall under the second category, but there are a significant number that fall under the first category as well.

Based on prior rulings on Death of Ryoshun and Relevance, it has to do with whether using Death of Ryoshun takes away the ability to use an Action on a card already in the current battle. If the named card has no abilities to use in the first place, or is not in the current battle, then naming it with Death of Ryoshun fails Relevance.

- Marty Lund

Deputy Rules Monkey

Outmanuvered in Court

Can I play 2 of them(?)

Yes.

Gifts and favors/AFR

Do they need to be in play to use their abilities??

Of course not. They say that you have to search your deck for them. If they were in play, you couldn't find them in your deck, now could you?

Gifts and favors/AFR

If not, how is that legal?

Because you are doing exactly what the card tells you to do and there is no other legal way to use the ability.

"If any card or Stronghold explicitly contradicts these rules, the card or Stronghold takes precedence." - Diamond Edition Rulebook: Cardinal Rules, page 34.

Gifts and favors/AFR

AFR-Before you start any turn? or a new turn?

If you have started even one turn this game, you can't use the ability ever.

Suitengu's Surge and Imperial standard

I target kanjiro who has the imperial standard and surge attatched. He uses the surge to remove him out of play. Does he/she have to discard the imperial favor in order for Kanjiro to come back into play?

Regardless if they need to or not, would they still gain the 4 honor?

Already answered in a prior thread.

Here.

The Search function is one of the big improved features of having a Forum set up. I used it to get this result by selecting the L5R CCG Forum and askingit to match all the following terms: "Surge" "Imperial" and "Standard."

Answer found in under a minute. It is really handy. I recommend it to everyone.

A question about targeting followers.

From the Diamond Rulebook, page 32

Quote:

Removed the rule prohibiting a player from targeting his own bowed personalities with his own actions. Added the simpler rule that bowed personalities cannot preform challenge actions.

Am I allowed to target my own bowed followers with my own actions? This rule looks like it only applies to personalities. I was unable to find any elaboration elsewhere in the book.

Prior to Diamond, it was illegal for a player to target bowed Personalities he controlled with his own actions. It was quite specific and applied only to Personality cards. That is why only Personalities are mentioned in the Diamond summary of changes. They need to be to accurately describe which rule was removed.

There has never been a rule against targeting one's own bowed cards of other types. There still isn't.

A few questions that have bugged me for a little while

For Outmanuevered by Force, or Ide: do bowed units still contribute force to this?

No (Diamond rules, pg. 83: "A partially or completely bowed unit fights at less than peak effectiveness. Its total Force might be lower based on the following rules. These rules hold true any time at which you need to know a unit’s or army’s Force total, not just during battle resolution").

A few questions that have bugged me for a little while

The Egg of Pan Ku: once it copies someone is it still the Egg?

Archive, Egg of P'an Ku. No. (It used to be, but that changed in Diamond.)

Sinister Transformation

Can sinister transformation be used on a personality that you dont yet own(?)

No (Diamond rules, pg. 55).

[MARTY's NOTE - "that you don't yet own" should be replaced with "that is not yet in play" since you own even the cards that are in your deck.]

Overlaying and traits

Does this overiding remove all non-bold face traits from a card when it is overlayed?

Yes.

Political Outcast and attachments

I play political outcast at the start of my turn. Can I still play attachments without bowing a gozoku personality?

Yes.

Another Proxy Question

Why can't I proxy Strongholds?

Because the Code of Bushido rules don't allow it.

Umasu Sensei, and force duels.

Umasu Sensei:

Personalities you control may not receive Force bonuses from cards or Strongholds while they have no Followers attached.

Does the restriction on force bonuses apply on bonuses gained from focusing in a duel of force, as well? (i.e. in a duel of force, focusing provides a bonus to force, but is it "from a card or stronghold") Thanks.

Behold the power of "Search"!

I clicked search (above). Typed in "umasu AND sensei" as keywords, picked "L5R CG Rules" as the forum, and... Ta-da! I'm led here where it has the answer.

Not About EomE REJU xp3 but maybe relevent to it

The rulebook says: In a standard duel, the loser dies.( DE p89). If a card gives an alternate outcome e.g "Dishonor the loser" then that effect changes the outcome for both parties to the duel. But what about "Enough Talk!" Can your oponent's personality die to "Enough Talk"?

If not, if a card intended to do something in addition to destroying the loser it would have to say "If X wins, destroy the loser, do something else". But X would still be destroyed for losing. Is this correct?

And finally, if that's true, it seems to me that Concede Defeat would not save the opponent in this duel, but would save X.

And it seems to me that the answers to these questions should shed some light on Doji Reju.

Thanks

gh

"Destroy the loser" (card text). Yes.

Not About EomE REJU xp3 but maybe relevent to it

If not, if a card intended to do something in addition to destroying the loser it would have to say "If X wins, destroy the loser, do something else". But X would still be destroyed for losing. Is this correct?

In sentence one, you write, X wins. In sentence 2, you write "X loses. You can see how this makes it difficult to answer anything.

no victory + egg of pan ku

If you egg the no victory token does the egg go away at the end your 2nd next turn?

Aside: No Victory does not create a token ("Create a 6F/5C Duelist Personality card...").

No, because removal is not a change to the Personality created; it's another effect of the action used to generate it.

Show of Good Faith

If I used Show of Good Faith to temporarily take control of an opponent's personality, could I do any of the following: Sacrifice the person to Suiteiru no Oni to lose a bunch of honor and make a bunch of podlings? Sacrifice the person to Refuge of the Three Sisters to go get a card?

Yes. Yes.

Hello.

Continuation of http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14201

Sorry to ask this again.But that means that the enemy units no longer ger the +2 bonus.....and the prerrata text did.

Note: it gave the +2f bonus when they used other way to move in of course.

http://www.l5rsearch.com/images/cards/Strategic%20Crossroad.jpg (card pic)

So this means that only your allies get the bonus, so the bonus only works in multiplayer,isnt it?

Thanks.

Greetings.

Correct. I checked the physical card, and the entry in the Archive is written as the card is written. The card works different than it used to. That's the point of reprinting and the "Most Recent Printing" rule.

Tangen sensei

If I use the sensei's reaction to redirect an action during the maneuver segment can I react again on another trigger.

Yes.

Soul Of The Clan/pan'ku

hello. Sorry again! i have one question to ask about soul of the clan. firstly here is the printing that is on soul of the clan.

Quote:

Reserve Formation Formed by 2 bowed Personalities at your home. You may play this card without Presence. Battle: Target a bowed Personality at your home that has not been in an army this attack, and a bowed Personality at the enemy leader's home. Straighten both targets, even if they cannot straighten. Move your Personality, and the other player's (if he wishes), to the current battlefield.

here's the question. assuming my opponent has no unbowed personalities at his home and all of them are defending in another Province and i have bowed personalities at home. can i use the ability to move juz my personalities into the battle and not my opponent 's?

i know this maybe stupid but i'm asking a question that someone has asked. but just to present the steps clearly to you. juz wondering if it's allowed to do the pan'ku's infinite copy. the ability of p'anku that is used is shown as below.

Quote:

Open: Once per turn, target a non-Dragon Personality. Copy one of the target's abilities or boldface traits until the next time this ability is used.

during your opponent's turn, p'anku copy the oni trait from one of your onis.

during your turn, you attach mask of the maw to any personality.

Quote:

Open: Bow the Mask and target an Oni Personality to copy all actions on that Oni onto this Personality until the end of the turn. If you wish, until the end of the turn, the Oni may not use any of its actions.

and bow the mask to open p'anku's copy ability. and after that you just use p'anku's ability to copy the copy ability from the mask. thus by doing this, it's like this,

first turn, copy oni

turn 2, bow mask to copy the copy ability(thus give mask the copy abilities)

turn 3, use p'anku's ability to copy the copy ability from the mask. (so p'anku has 2 copy ability)

turn 4, use p'anku's second copy ability to copy the the copy ability from the mask again( p'anku nw has 3 copy ability) and u continue doing this until you have enough.

next, using all the copy abilities that p'anku has, you use the last ability that u have copied to copy Chimamire no Oni's reaction.

Quote:

Reaction: If your Stronghold is the Spawning Grounds, after Chimamire no Oni is destroyed, put a -1C token on up to two Personalities.

so in short from just now,

turn 4, use copy ability 3 to copy the reaction.

turn 5, use copy ability 2 to copy the reaction.

turn 6, use copy ability 1 to copy the reaction again.

turn 7, kill p'anku.

thus triggering the reaction and killing everyone on the opponent 's table.

thanks for taking time to read my post and making the necessary time to do the typing. thanks once again.

Guessing you mean "bowed" here, as that's what SOul of the Clan look sofr.

Soul Of The Clan/pan'ku

and all of them are defending in another Province and i have bowed personalities at home. can i use the ability to move juz my personalities into the battle and not my opponent 's?

No (Diamond rules, pg. 73: "You cannot announce a targeted action if a legal target does not exist.").

Leaving the P'an Ku question for Marty.

Fields of Phyrric Victory and Shosuro Maru

If I am targeted by my opponent's Shosuro Maru, can I choose to target a Unique and use Fields of Phyrric Victory?

Yes.

Gold Buys Security + Doji Konishiko

Just a quick and hopefully easy question:

Gold Buys Security

Political Open: Bow one of your Courtiers to target one or more Personalities. Each time any of those Personalities assigns or moves to attack you, his controller loses Honor equal to the Personality's Personal Honor, then the Personality is dishonored. This card's Gold cost equals your starting Family Honor (minimum of 1) times the number of other Personalities targeted.

Doji Konishiko

Crane Clan Thunder. Courtier. Disciple of the Kami. Experienced 7. Unique. Loyal May overlay any Crane Clan Courtier you control. Reaction: After Konishiko enters play or overlays: Once per game, search your hand and discard pile for a Political Action card. Permanently give her one of its Limited or Open actions; she may take the action once per turn and bows as an added effect. Remove the card from the game.

What happens when Konishiko takes the ability from GBS? Can she target everyone an opponent has and in consequence and result in changing her gold cost? Is this change in gold cost (if it exists) permanent? Or is it until end of turn (most likely)?

Thanks.

She follows the instructions laid out in the ability on her card text.

Gold Buys Security + Doji Konishiko

Can she target everyone an opponent has and in consequence and result in changing her gold cost? Is this change in gold cost (if it exists) permanent?

Yes. No.

Zen Faulkes wrote:

Quote:

Matsu Ikujinashi wrote:

Can your oponent's personality die to "Enough Talk"?

"Destroy the loser" (card text). Yes.

I don't see that on the card text:

Reaction: Before another player's target Personality performs a Political action, target one of your unbowed Samurai Personalities to issue an unrefusable challenge to the other Personality. Resolve the duel before the Political action. If your Samurai wins, negate the Political action's effects.

Are you saying it destroys the loser anyway, by the rulebook effect, since nothing overrides the rulebook effect?

Quote:

Matsu Ikujinashi wrote:

If not, if a card intended to do something in addition to destroying the loser it would have to say "If X wins, destroy the loser, do something else". But X would still be destroyed for losing. Is this correct?

In sentence one, you write, X wins. In sentence 2, you write "X loses. You can see how this makes it difficult to answer anything.

You'll have to forgive me, I studied economics, and have never been able to writ clearly since. To restate in general terms:

If a card that triggers a duel gives a result of winning, but not of losing, does the rulebook effect still destroy the loser?

Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks

gh

I don't see that on the card text(.)

Stoopid http://www.l5rsearch.com with its scan of the Gold Edition card with the same art as the Diamond Edition card.

If a card that triggers a duel gives a result of winning, but not of losing, does the rulebook effect still destroy the loser?

Yes. "In a standard duel, the loser dies" (Diamond rulebook, pg. 89).

Pan'Ku copying abilities

Can Pan'Ku copy an innate ability from a shugenja(?)

Yes. Innate abilities are abilities (Diamond rules, pg. 101). And it can use it, because once copied to a non-Shugenja Personality, it s not an innate ability any more. Plus, there is no rule that says a non-Shugenja cannot use an innate ability, just that, by definition, only Shugenja have them.

Shiba Aikune + Sword Of Gales

Shiba Aikune : Open, once per turn target any number of your shugenja to raise Aikune's force and lower his chi

Sword of Gales : This personality has a minimum chi equal to his printed chi.

Can I then raise Aikune's force by as many shugenja as i like without it ever dropping below 5? Or is it an illegal action as you know the second part of the action will fail due to the sword?

Yes. There is no rule that all effects must resolve.

Mirumoto/Kakita and sword of gales

If I enter a duel with Mirumoto or Kakita who has a sword of gales attached and I challenge a personalinty with say 2 chi, does their chi stay where it is because their minimum chi is 6?

Yes.

A bunch of questions on Asako Tsuruko

If I use Tsuruko's reaction and have Yajinden in play can I use his reaction to redirect the chi loss to another personality?

No. It's a cost, not an effect.

A bunch of questions on Asako Tsuruko

If Tsuruko's chi is under 2, can I still use her reaction(?)

No.

City of Gold and Crystal Mine

Can I use Crystal Mine together with City of Gold (no more holdings)??

No. If you have no other holdings, it's known that Crystal Mine cannot produce gold on its own, so it is not a legal trigger for City of Gold. City of Gold is not a holding, so can't be used to pay the additional cost of Crystal Mine.

kobune scout

If i have more than one copy out, must they discard two more cards per copy i own?

Yes.

Mirumoto?

Can Mirumoto strike(?)

Yes. Once he has focused, the requirement of his trait is fulfilled.

Yogo Rieko & Shosuro

If I leave Yogo Rieko at Then put Shosuro Maru in the active battel can I use Yogo Rieko affect on Shosuro Maru?

Yes.

Yogo Rieko & Shosuro

Can I leave Shosuro Maru at home and put Yogo Rieko in a active battle And use Yogo Rieko affect on Shosuro Maru then Use Shosuro Maru affect, even if she is not in the active battle?

Maybe. Maru's ability is not legal in all cases when she is not in the current battle. See ARchive entry for Yogo Asami.

Effects vs. Destruction

What happens to Effects (1st 'Ongoing Effects', then Effects with a stated duration) when a card is destroyed.

Diamond rules, pg. 70.

Item Tokens

Are item tokens cards?

Web of Lies rulesheet. Yes.

Personalities that produce gold

If i use Yoritomo Katoa no-exp gold bug, to pay the cost to use Tireless assault in katoa, or call to arms, when the action take the effect? after or before i use to pay the cost?

Archive, General, actions: Announce action, pick targets pay costs, resolve effects.

Archive, General, actions: Announce action, pick targets pay costs, resolve effects.

Re: Tangen sensei + blade of the master

when i destroy the blade of the master and target one oposing personalitie, and this personalitie targets one of mine whith lower chi, can i redirec the target whith the sensei to a personalitie whith more chi and strike?

Was it legal to aim it there in the first place (Diamond rules, pg. 74)? No? Then you can't redirect it.

The emporer returns

if iw as to play the emporer returns and i was to have 2 champions in play would my personalities get +1/+1 from having a champion in play or +2/+2 for having 2 champions in play?

+2F/+2C ("each").

Paneki (abillity)

Question about :

...Once per turn, during an attack, you may play a face-up card from another player's hand. ...

1. Hi may use this only during attack (not when defending)

2. Hi may use this during any attack phase

3. Hi may use any player card for action on card

4. Hi may use card for tactician bust (discard?)

Akodo Jacek

These:

Paneki (abillity)

Hi may use this during any attack phase

Hi may use any player card for action on card

when Producing gold

Is the wording on Barley farm and the like merely redundant?

Usually, but there have been rare cases where you're supposed to produce Gold as an effect. These wouldn't be legal in those cases.

Konishiko follow-up

Quote:

Kitsune Matsuo wrote:

What happens when Konishiko takes the ability from GBS?

She follows the instructions laid out in the ability on her card text.

Kitsune Matsuo wrote:

Can she target everyone an opponent has and in consequence and result in changing her gold cost? Is this change in gold cost (if it exists) permanent?

Yes. No.

_________________

Zen Faulkes! * Crab Clan Scholar * Unaligned Archivist

Are you saying that the action would merely change Konishiko's gold cost without requiring you pay for the action each use?

Yes.

Kolat Recruiter and Others

(W)hy would you have to meet an honor restriction when playing a kolat recruiter?

Because of the specific card text on Kolat Recruiter and the clarifying ruling in the Archive for it.

Kolat Recruiter and Others

would you have to meet the restriction when using Shiroko's raid ability? for Hinome exp's raid ability?

No. No.

Kolat Recruiter and Others

(I)f saemon is at province 1 and the active battle is province 2, can saemon target a personality of his owners in province 1 and give them a follower?

Yes (Diamond rules, pg. 81).

Kolat Recruiter and Others

(I)f a personality is killed by non-permanent chi death, does he have 0 chi permanently?

No (Diamond rules, pg. 70).

Yogo Rieko \ More info please

Sorry there was nothing in the Archive.

Then where did I just copy this from?

Yogo Asami

* Her action is legal during a battle she is not in if all of the targeted player's unbowed Personalities are in the current battle. [Reversal, JA, 18 April 2001; 29 August 2003]

Yogo Rieko \ More info please

No if Yogo Rieko bowed out side the battle can she use her self to staten her self? ( even she is not in the active battle? ) What about in another battle? bowed/unbowed?

No. No.

Suitengu's Surge Timing

When does the Surged unit actually return to play? Is there something of a in-between turn void where it comes back? How does this interact with Once per turn effects that are triggered with the unit comes back (eg, Tengoku's acolyte)? On what turn is the usage counted (if it is counted at all)?

Before the start of your next turn (card text), whcih puts it within your turn but before things that say "when your turn begins or "at the start of your turn." It matters for once per turn effects. Your turn.

House of Tao and Introspect?

When you bring your ring into play at the beginning of the game when strongholds are revealed, can you play introspect?

You haven't drawn Fate cards yet. No.

Effects vs. Destruction (Round 2)

If a card that will be removed from the game at the end of your next turn is destroyed, is it removed from the discard pile and placed outside the game at the end of your next turn?

Yes.

Effects vs. Destruction (Round 2)

If a card that will be removed from the game at the end of your next turn is shuffled into the dynasty/fate deck, is it removed from the appropriate deck and placed outside the game at the end of your next turn?

Yes.

Effects vs. Destruction (Round 2)

If so, (in tournament play) what is the proper process for resolving this effect?

You must eat the card. Sleeve too. It's the only way to be sure.

Effects vs. Destruction (Round 2)

If a card that will be removed from the game at the end of your next turn is removed from the game during that turn using Suitengu's Surge, will it be returned to play before the beginning of the next turn?

Get thee hence to the Rules Archive and readest thine rulings for Suitengu's Surge, wherein there is writ: "No new effects will apply to the targeted unit while it is out of play; this includes effects that occur after a card was initially played (e.g., tokens from Fury of Hida will not be removed, because their removal is a new effect; the Personality created by No Victory will not be removed, because that removal is a new effect). Existing effects will continue for their normal durations. If this causes a card or token in the unit to be removed from the game before the unit returns to play, that card or token does not return with the unit (e.g., tokens generated by Yoritomo Utemaro)."

Death of Ryoshun clarification

From Death of Ryoshun:

"Until the beginning of your next turn, actions on the cards with that title may not be used."

Does this also refer to actions copied from that card?

Does it affect identical actions on cards with other names?

Examples:

P'an Ku copies Saemon's ability to react to being targeted. Saemon is named with Death of Ryoshun. Can P'an Ku still use the reaction?

Chimamire no Oni is named with Death of Ryoshun. Then Personality Bob uses Mask of the Maw to copy Chimamire no Oni's ability (after Death has been used). Can Bob use the Chimamire's ability?

Bob has the ability "Battle: Bow for a ranged 3 attack"

Fred also has the ability "Battle: Bow for a ranged 3 attack"

Bob is named with Death of Ryoshun. Can Fred not use his ability because he has the same action as one on the card named Bob?

Thanks,

Leon

No. No.

Blessing of dragon/draw

Quote:

Elemental Fire Kiho Open: Bow one of your Shugenja or Monks to give a Personality +2F or +2C. If the caster or Personality is Dragon Clan or has the Fire trait, you may then draw a card.

does this mean that you are forced to draw the card if the personality casting the kiho is a dragon or has the fire trait??

No ("may").

Specifics on Rain of Death

I have 2 tacticians on battlefield A, one tactician on Battlefield B, and one tactician on my home. I'm resolving battle A first. I play RoD. ¿Can I use the ability of destroy 2 opossing cards on battlefield B (destroying my tactician on B)?

Yes.

Specifics on Rain of Death

Since the errata/ruling says "The action generating Ranged Attacks may be performed by a Tactician who is not in the battle" This ranged attack can target units con battlefield C (I'm still resolving battle A, and I dont have presence on C) ?

No, it must be the current battle. See Archive, General, Ranged Attacks.

Re: Well laid plains

Can i use this card if only Naname is in play.?

No.

More abou Naname

Can i use the House of the Jade princess ability if i reduced naname's cost by 4, (giving him the -2 chi penalty)

Yes.

More abou Naname

Does HotJP look for printed gold cost or what you paid?

"...target one of your Personalities with a printed Gold cost above eight to target another player. If that player has a Personality with a printed Gold cost..."

More abou Naname

Does naname's ability effect printed gold cost for purposes of jade princess and price of power?

No. Printed means what is physically on the card in ink.

Petty insults and rhetoric

Petty insults says: "Bow one or two of your courtier personalities to target another player. You and that player each lose honor equal to the gold you spent on this card or the coutiers' total personal honor, whichever is less. Your loss cannot be copied or modified. The other player's honor loss cannot reduce him below his starting family honor."

Can my loss [from Petty insults] be redirected to the opponent using rhetoric?

No. That's a modification.

Shokansuru and Summon

Whats a summon card?

Keyword rule, Diamond rules, pg. 63.

Lotus at Dusk

Is the additional action you get after playing a formation considered gaining an action for the purposes of Lotus at Dusk

FAQ.

Imperial Quest

Can Imperial Quest bow a personality that's already bowed?

Yes.

Endless Horde and Formations in General

His opponent told him that you could only use the action on Endless Horde once even though he still had units with unbowed followers.

Don't you love "helpful" opponents? That was incorrect.

Tsuruchi Shiroko + Aramasu's Pride

Tsuruchi Shiroko

Mantis Clan Samurai * Magistrate * Pirate Ally * Unique

Raid Reaction: After you win a Raid battle, even against no units at resolution, turn all cards in the current Province face-up. you may pay 6 Gold as a cost to target one Personality in the Province and bring him into play in your home, ignoring all other costs.

Aramasu's Pride

Raid Limited: Once per turn, declare an additional Attack Phase. This is a Raid attack. During it, battles are Raid battles, and battle resolution does not destroy armies or Provinces and does not bow Pirate cards. After it, target a number of Holdings up to the number of battles you won (even against no units at resolution). Raise their Gold production by 4

Question: Can you use the gold bonus from the stronghold for Shiroko's ability or has the opportunity to use that ability already passed by the time you can use the bonus?

No. Shiroko's ability is after a battle; Aramasu's Pride is after the whole attack phase. (Edit: Correction.)

Effects vs. Destruction (Round 3)

Is there a rule or rules that prohibit you from search your deck without a card effect?

This is such a basic assumption that there isn't a rule for it, but yes. After the game begins, you're supposed to leave your deck alone. In the case of an effect ending such that a card is supposed to be taken out, that's a legally occurring effect.

Effects vs. Destruction (Round 3)

Is there a rule governing searching your deck for a card when you are required to remove it from the game via it's own card effect?

No special ones. Just the fourth cardinal rule.

Effects vs. Destruction (Round 3)

If playing against a new player, is it recommended that a judge be called to go through the process?

Probably only needed if there is actual confusion.

Keen Eye vs. Feign death/Hidden City

Can you use keen eye to negate a feign death or the Hidden City ability used on a personality that dies due to a duel?

Archive, General, Duels.

Toturi Kurako and a question about Amnesia

Can the reaction on Toturi Kurako ever be used(?)

Yes (First Cardinal Rule).

Toturi Kurako and a question about Amnesia

If I target a Khol Wall stronghold with Amnesia, what happens to those provinces that have two regions attached?

Nothing. See here. (Edit: Correction.)

Death of Ryoshun and applicable targets

Strongholds are not cards, so no targetting with Death, right?

Correct.

Death of Ryoshun and applicable targets

What about Sensei?

Can be targeted and affected.

Death of Ryoshun and applicable targets

Are winds cards and as such targetable by Death?

Can be targeted and affected.

Open Stronghold question

(W)ould the gold cost already be paid and the personality in play before Osugi canceled it, or would she pre-emptively negate the gold production, if the stronghold bowed for 7 gold when paying for her?

You can't buy her using the stronghold power to produce more Gold but taint.

Kenson Gakka timing question

When, during the Attack phase, is an army formed?

As units are assigned in Manauvers Segment.

Ancient Sword and Family honor

Ancient Sword says:

This card has +2F for every full 10 points of Family Honor you have.

Can your family honor be a negative amount to gain the bonus?

If you had -10 or lower honor would the Sword have +2F?

No.

kakita

if kakita has a -1C token on him, and he's in a dual. is his chi stil the same as the personality who in a dual with kakita?

Yes.

Yogo and the Armor of Shoju

Yogo (Scorpion Personality) Cost: 15

Scorpion Clan Fire Shugenja • Disciple of the Kami Accursed • Experienced Asako Yogo • Unique

Limited: Once per turn, target a Personality with less Chi than Yogo. Straighten the Personality.

Battle: Shuffle Yogo into your deck from the current battle: Search your Provinces and deck for any number of Personalities with a total Gold cost less than Yogo’s. Bring them into play in your army, ignoring costs.

Shoju's Armor (Item)

+1F +1C 8G 4Fo

Unique. May only be attached to a Scorpion Clan Samurai. Attaches to Bayushi Shoju without gold cost.

This Personality gains a 1F/1C bonus for each Black Scroll in play. The gold cost of your Scorpion Personalities is reduced by

two while this card is in play.

Do these two play well together? I mean, the rulings state:"Effects that reduce a card's cost do not affect the cost of abilities on cards already in play." So, I'm guessing that although I have the armor in play, Yogo's gold cost is still 15 for use with his ability. But are the Scorpions in my deck playable through Yogo's ability at -2 cost, or do I need to count their full gold cost for my total of 15?

No, it's 13; Shoju's Armor doesn't say "printed."

Yogo and the Armor of Shoju

But are the Scorpions in my deck playable through Yogo's ability at -2 cost, or do I need to count their full gold cost for my total of 15?

Count full cost.

Shosuro Toson Exp

my Shosuro Toson Exp is unbowed at home during a battle. my opponent has Shosuro Maru present in a battle and uses her ability.

This one:

Shosuro Toson Exp

illegal since, despite the fact that I'm the one doing the targeting, it's still his action

Imperial quest and locked-down personalities.

What will happen if Imperial quest targets a bowed personality that is somehow prevented from straightening? Can he still gain the 2 honor?

No.

Imperial quest and locked-down personalities.

(I)f Imperial quest targets a bowed personality that is then straightened before its controller's 3rd straighten phase,and outside the straighten phase in general by an effect(eg soul of the clan),will the personality be dishonoured?

Yes.

Isawa sezaru

Can sezaru use his ability to straighten all shugenja if he is bowed?

Yes.

Using Wedge and Pointless Sacrifice?

Can you use Wedge and Pointless Sacrifice together to destroy a Province, or does Wedge destroy your unit before Pointless Sacrifice can be activated?

Wedge

Quote:

Battle: Target one of your units in this battle. You cannot target that unit or cards in it with actions until after the battle ends. Destroy the unit when the battle ends. If the unit is still in this army at the beginning of the Resolution Segment, double the Force of the Personality and each Follower in the unit.

Pointless Sacrifice

Quote:

Reaction: Play as the Attacker after your army wins a battle against a defending army to destroy that Province if your army's total Force is greater than the Province's strength.

"When the battle ends" is distinctly after the battle resolves. All army-killing and province-destruction happens before wedge destroys anything. Pointless Sacrifice is played during the resolution, so it is played before Wedge destroys your unit.

Khol Wall, Regions, and Open Warfare

I play Open Warfare. Khol Wall's trait that allows to have 2 Regions on each province disappears. Does the Khol Wall player have to destroy a region on each province?

No; see here. (Edit: Correction.)

Rage of Matsu

This card say that you can bring a personnality still at home in the defending army. My opponents bring some of my own personnality in his army, so i was forced to kill them ... Can he do that?

No he can't. Units controlled by players who aren't controlled by the Leader of that army or Allies of that Leader can't be in that Leader's army.

See here.

P'an Ku infinite copying

I know it was just answered whether P'an Ku can copy abilities infinitely, but it was left vague to not spoil the combo.

Assuming the combo goes:

PanKu, an oni, and a copy of the Mask of the Maw are in play

Pan Ku copies the Oni trait

Then the Mask wearer copies P'anKu's ability to copy on the next turn

The dragon copies immediately the ability back and then using the new copy, copies the copying ability.

Repeating the last step over and over, you get infinite copies of the copy.

*edit:* Reformatted for easier reading.

That's where the combo gets weird. If I use the last ability in the chain, to copy to something else, that's fine. However, if I do that and then copy using the second to last copying ability in the chain, the final ability to copy on the copying chain goes away. Does the copied ability at the end of the chain go away too? I think this has been fuzzy for a lot of people now due to page 68 of the rulebook where it says "if a copied ability is lost, remove from the game any tokens it created and end any effect it produced whose duration depends on its own card". Does that apply to the copying abilities?

I hope I explained that well enough.

Answered here.

Summon the Dead

Does Summon the Dead's final destruction clause target?

It helps if you quote the card text in question.

Summon the Dead

Destroy all Personalities this Spell has targeted if it leaves play or has no tokens.

Why would it target? It affects all Personalities of a certain class, and that very class is having been already targeted by the action. No, you can't try to sleaze out of the destruction effect by playing Balance in Nothingness when the time comes for all your undead puppets to fall apart.

Summon the Dead

Also, will Summon the Dead's destruction clause re-destroy a personality that is once again in the discard pile (turning a previously dead personality who you Summoned and then discarded with Jigoku Sensei into a dead personality in the discard pile)?

It can only successfully destroy cards that are in play when it produces the effect. It will not destroy a Discarded card in the Discard Pile, so you have no worries about being converted from "Discarded" to "Dead" status.

Summon the Dead

Example of play:

Shukumei dies.

Yajinden casts Summon the Dead to bring Shukumei back.

I trade Shukumei for an Oni with Jigoku Sensei.

Yajinden leaves play for some reason.

Is Shukumei

a) dead in the discard pile?

b) discarded in the discard pile?

c) both?

"B" - A destruction effect that tries to resolve against a card that isn't in play at that time simply fails.

Shosuro

If you use Suitengu's surge on Shosuro exp.7, when she returns to the game, does her entering play ability go off?

Yes.

Shi-Tien Yen-Wang Temple and chi penalties

I searched a few differant places, to no avail.

If say my Benjiro is WiB'd and I react with the Shi-Tien Yen-Wang Temple, at the end of the turn, does the active player choose which wears off first, or do they happen at the same time, and Benjiro lives?

I have seen the awnser before, but can not find it now.

Thanks.

They expire at the same time. There is no conflict between the two things happening at once, so it does not need to be sequenced. You go from 1 number with two effects modifying it to 1 number with no effects modifying it.

Well-Laid Plains

If it turns out that I cannot use one personality for both target requirements, please can you explain why?

You can't, because "Target an X and a Y" requires two targets, just like "Target two Xs" does. Targeting one card twice does not work for this.

Targets that appear in different sentences may be duplicates.

Re: Actions, Costs, and "Smart Card Rulings"

Does

Quote:

For Reactions that occur "before" costs of a trigger action are paid, you must have a legitimate way to pay for the trigger action in order to perform the Reaction. [JA, 11 June 2003]

And "Smart Card" rules

Quote:

Whether an action is legal to try takes into account the known state of the game (i.e., ongoing effects, bowed status, placement of units in battle), not just the action's own effects (the so-called "Smart Cards" ruling). [JA, 18 April 2001]

Whether an action has a given keyword is not affected by game state. [JA, 13 May 2001]

For cards printed before Dawn of the Empire: Whether an action targets is not affected by game state. [JA, 13 May 2001]

Game state does not include information that is not visible to all players (e.g., knowing information about cards face down or in decks). [JA, 23 May 2001]

The information must be publically visible, not calculated and inferred from other effects. E.g., a card focused face down in a duel has an unknown value, even if effects in play would raise it to some minimum or maximum value. [JA, 29 October 2003]

Establish a precedent that it MUST be visible, public knowledge that the costs of an action can be paid when the action is announced?

No. Actions and other effects are only legal to announce if their player has a way to pay their costs. However, this takes into account private as well as public knowledge.

As usual, the Smart Cards ruling is being interpreted over-broadly.

Whether an action counts as "an action that will do X" depends on whether it will do X when played at the moment in question, as influenced by all involuntary game effects that are known to all players, rather than just by the card's own text. For example, Block Supply Lines does not count as an action that will move a unit if played on a unit that cannot move home. Geisha Assassin does not count as an action that will create a duel if played on a Personality who cannot be challenged.

The Smart Cards ruling applies when actions are legal or not depending on what their effects will be. It does not apply to judging something legal/illegal based on whether it can be afforded.

Re: Actions, Costs, and "Smart Card Rulings"

Here is an example:

I have a Goblin Wizard in play. I have an unbowed Chuda Agent and all my other holdings (including a Pillar of Flesh) and my stronghold is bowed.

Can I, at this point, announce and attempt to play Kolat Assassin?

Yes.

Understanding 'Retribution'

Hi, I have some questions about Retribution, to make sure I understand it correctly:

1 - Because it creates an additional Attack Phase, even though you may only "assign" one unit, there is nothing to stop other units from "moving" into the battle once you begin to resolve it correct?

2 - Even though you only assign one unit, the card states you create an additional Attack Phase; therefore you do resolve all of the defenders provinces, and not just the one your lone unit assigned to, correct?

3 - Based on the response to question 2, though very unlikely, it would be possible to use it and take multiple provinces from the (newly surprised) defender. Is this correct?

Correct on all counts.

Tokaro and Shrine to Daikoku

I was told a ruling was made and dont know how to look it up for validaty. If tokaro targets a singular holding like say shrine to daikoku, and a personality when you have that holding as well it kills the personality since they can't give you a singular hlolding you alrteady have?

Answered before here.

Kaimetsu-uo and Yoritomo Kajiko

(C)an Kajiko use her reaction to pay for Kaimetsu-uo the first time he comes into play?

No.

MARU q's that dont have to do with P&R

Can fields of (cant spell this word) victory be used to cancle her ability.

Here.

Raiding and Card Ruling

With the cards: Pointless Sacrifice, and Lions Rampant, does it require you to still defeat actual personalities there(?)

Archive, Strongholds, Aramasu's Pride.

Oda Q

I have two Hiruma Odas out. I attach to one a Follower, and I get Direct Assault. If I attach the other a Follower, can that Oda go get another Direct Assault since that Oda's ability hasn't gone to get Direct Assault yet, or does the fact that one Oda got it so no others can't?

One per Personality.

Political Outcast question

If I chose the courtier option, does it have to be a courtier I controll, or is it also affected by the "controlled by any player" clause?

Any player.

Uso Sensei vs. Temple of the Ninth Kami

Can a dragon personnality [controlled by an Uso Sensei player - ZF] targeted by the Temple of the Ninth Kami issue the duel or does he become dishonored?

It can be issued, because Temple of the Ninth Kami does not force your Samurai to issue a challenge during your Action Phase. It's the Shadowlands player's Action Phase.

refude of the three sister and show of good faith

can i use show of good faith to steal a personality from a player and then use refuge of the three sisters on said stolen peep to destroy it and search for a card?

Yes.

Actions, Costs, and "Smart Card Rulings" pt 2

Quote:

Actions and other effects are only legal to announce if their player has a way to pay their costs. However, this takes into account private as well as public knowledge.

Then who is to determine if the action is legal when announced if the ability to pay the costs is only private knowledge?

Its player.

Actions, Costs, and "Smart Card Rulings" pt 2

The opponent could argue that it is not possible to announce the action as public knowlege would show that the costs could not be paid.

Except the ruling says that public knowledge is not sufficient, so he can't legitimately argue that.

Actions, Costs, and "Smart Card Rulings" pt 2

Is this a case where "The Refugee of the Three Sisters" rulings would apply wherein I would have to reveal my hand to a TO or secondary party to prove that the costs of the action CAN be paid?

Yes. Or simply wait a second to see what he does to pay for it.

Actions, Costs, and "Smart Card Rulings" pt 2

Futhermore, I'm I still forced to play the cards (ie Ray of Hope) if the action's target becomes illegal by Shi-Ten Yen Wang Temple's reaction at the targeting phase?

Quote:

Although targeting occurs before costs are paid, if an action is canceled at the targeting step (e.g., Balance in Nothingness), all costs must still be paid, using any (and, if necessary, all) available sources that do not require actions or abilities to generate. Variable costs may be chosen based on the knowledge that the action has been canceled. [JA, 15 May 2003, 18 December 2003; ML, 21 September 2004]

states that the costs must still be paid with available resources that DO NOT require actions (the Ray of Hope Reaction).

You can decide not to use Reactions you haven't announced yet. Actions are always voluntary.

Actions, Costs, and "Smart Card Rulings" pt 2

This ruling also brings up another interesting queary if the 10 gold cost can only be produced by use of a Barley Farm's reaction and the action is canceled at the targeting phase. Am I still force to used the barley farm's reaction to pay the cost?

No.

Actions, Costs, and "Smart Card Rulings" pt 2

Futhermore, if the action's costs cannot or is prevented from being paid, "the player returns the card from where it came (rulebook page 72)" Was the action considered to be taken

No. Read the sentence before the one you just quoted. The result of not paying an action's full cost is the canceling of that action. Canceled actions don't count as taken.

Actions, Costs, and "Smart Card Rulings" pt 2

and has the "once per turn" restriction on Shi-Ten Yen Wang Temple's reaction been considered used?

Yes, since you used it.

Fear & Items

Are Fear actions printed on Item cards, considered to be produced by the Personality or Item?

The source is where the text is printed in ink.

Fear & Items

If a Personality has an Item with a Fear producing action, is it considered "his or her" Fear strength for the purposes of Private Dojo?

No.

Surge and Keen Eye

If I issue a challenge to a personality with Suitengu's Surge using Now Face Me, then the personality bow's to cast Surge, can I use Keen Eye to cancel the Surge?

No (Archive, General, Duels).

Raiding and Card Rulings 2

I looked in the archives but it didn't fully answer the question. You wrote:

Only prevents Province destruction from battle resolution, not from card effects (e.g., Pointless Sacrifice). [ML, 29 November 2004]

Pointless Sacrifice

Reaction: Play as the Attacker after your army wins a battle against a DEFENDING ARMY to destroy that Province if your army's total Force is greater than the Provine's strength.

Would Aramasu's Pride allow you to forgo the clause of defending army or would a personality have to be opposing you in the raid itself?

Lion's Rampant also follows a clause like that and would it allow itself to be played?

The relevant Archive ruling is, "If there is no opposing army, the battle is only counted as a win for the purposes of the stronghold's own text, not any other effects (e.g., Rend the Soul)."

Otomo Sensei Question

Otomo Sensei (+0/+0/+0)

All Clans

All cards that would go to your discard pile are instead permanently removed from play.

Reaction: When a player searches for and gets a card from his deck or discard pile, discard from play a card from your hand to discard the players card from play.

Question: If I'm running Otomo sensei, can I save a perso of mine who is destroyed with Feign Death or Kisada's Shrine, or does the sensei prevent that, because they are removed from the game before I can save them?

No, for the reason given.

Another open question

Shosuro Chian, great scorpion card that he is, has the requirement that you "must discard 3 cards from your fate hand" to bring him into play. Is this considered a "cost", by rulebook definition?

Yes.

some questions

1. My friend was playing Shadowlands and using this terrain.

I need to know what the name of the Terrain in question is to be able to give you an answer. The text involved is key.

some questions

2. I just want to confirm that attaching a spell doesn't bow the shujenga, but when you use the spell, it does (depending on the text of the spell?) ex- Touching the Elements, when using it, only the spell bows?

Attaching Spells does not bow the Shugenja. Casting Spells costs whatever the ability lists as a cost. Some say to bow the Shugenja. Some say to bow the Spell. Some say neither. Go with the card text.

some questions

3. There is an item which you can bow and give someone -3 force, then use a rang 0 attack against him (if legal). If you have that, and either a follower or personality with a ranged attack, can you use that ability, then combine the range 0 attack and the personality/follower attack? For instance, if I have a spearmen on someone, and that card, could I give an opposing personality with no followers -3 force, then combine the ranged 0 and spearmen ranged 2 attack together to kill him?

Ichiro's Yumi, right?

There is an entry in the Accumulated Rulings under Ichiro's Yumi. It says:

some questions

The Ranged Attack cannot be combined with another Ranged Attack, because whether or not the Ranged Attack will be made is not known when the combination must be declared. [JA, 30 April 2004]

Basically, it says, "You may then," which means you don't choose to make the Ranged Attack until after the first effect resolves. That timing is incompatible with the timing for declaring combined Ranged Attacks (the beginning of the Action).

some questions

4. If I have Mystic Ground but no shujenga, can it stay in that province till the next events phase in which I have a shujenga or does it get discarded immediately?

If you reveal the Region during your Events Phase, and it can't come into play due to being illegal or you not paying a cost to do so, it is discarded as per the Diamond Edition Rulebook, page 76.

[MARTY'S NOTE: Editted to correct my incorrect reply. I confused revealing a Region outside of the Events phase with doing so during the Events phase but not paying the cost.]

some questions

5. Can the rings come into play whenever you fulfill the requirement? So, for example, if I play three spells during a battle (with the pheonix clan stronghold's ability), can I just put into play? Does this count as an action? Or do I have to play it during the action phase?

They are put into play with a timing similar to that of Reactions, and thusly are not restricted to a particular Phase like Limited Actions are. You can drop Ring of Air during a Battle.

some questions

6. Each province can only have one type of fortification, though it can have multiple different fortifications, or is that wrong?

No, each province can only have one copy of each Fortification card attached. You could have an "Unscalable Walls" and a "Moat" on the same province, but not two copies of "Unscalable Walls" on the same Province.

Direct Assault question

Direct Assault

Center Formation

Formed by four Samurai or Bushi, each with a Follower or Item.

Battle: Bow one of your units in this battle to destroy an opposing unit or a Holding controlled by an opposing player.

Must you have opposition at the battle you play Direct Assault to destroy a holding or does opposition at any battle work?

Opposition in this battle.

Event Question

I believe that there is a ruling that says events can only resolve once.

1.Is that per played? can my oponent and i resolve the same event in the same game?

2.what if an event like shatterd focus is in play (resolved?) and it gets reshuffled by Shrine of the sun, can it resolve again?

Once per game.

It can only resolve again if some effect explicitly says so. Shrine of the Sun says, "If you have not resolved that Event this game, the Event no longer counts as having resolved this game."

So if you shuffle back an Event someone else resolved with Shrine of the Sun, it could resolve again.

Cor Question

For City of Remembrance, shugenja may not cast kiho. Would this apply to someone who "may cast kihos as a shugenja"?

Yes. Such Personalities are treated as Shugenja in all ways throughout the casting process.

Follow up on PánKu

(I)s the infinte copying ability allowed to be done?

It is possible, but several different versions of combos have been floating around. Some are incorrect or incomplete or otherwise not legal.

The Definition of "Play"

What is the definition of "play"?

It varies with with card type. For many, it means to put into play.

Rending, Raiding, and Sacrifice oh my!

During a raid battle you play rend, then play pointless sacrifice, will rend keep you from taking province from pointless?

This has nothing to do with whether it's a raid that I can see.

Your armies are not destroying the Province; Pointless Sacrifice is the effect that is destroying the Province. Note that you must be opposed to play Pointless Sacrifice.

Rending, Raiding, and Sacrifice oh my!

With akll cards in consideratoin would you still get gold bonus from rend you wrote on the archive that rend and raid are seperate but does it keep you form increased gold?

If you play Rend the Soul unopposed, battle is a win for the purpose of the stronghold text (more gold), but not a win for the purposes of Rend the Soul (no tie).

Ratling Raiders and ignoring gold cost.

Can I use an effect that brings a card into play "ignoring gold cost" on ratling raiders?

Like what? Anyway, probably yes; there may be some funkiness based on specific card text.

Ratling Raiders and ignoring gold cost.

is bringing into play ignoring gold cost equivolent to bringing into play for 0 gold?

No.

Ratling Raiders and ignoring gold cost.

Does "ignoring gold cost" mean the same thing as "without gold cost" or "waiving" gold cost?

Yes.

Storm of Isawa

I was wondering if the second Battle action on the card could be accumulated with another ranged attack on that unit.

No. Only cards in units can combine Ranged Attacks, and the source of the Ranged Attack is the action card, not the Personality.

Ciphered Scroll

Using "Ciphered Scroll", can I target a bowed spell attached to one of my people and switch it with one in my hand.

Yes.

"Playing cards"

Can you focus, tactian, discard as costs etc etc using (Bayushi Paneki, Experienced 2?)

No. Note I am only answering about Paneki (see here).

Probably Another Keen Eye Question

If my Samurai loses a duel to another personality, and then i attempt to use the second part of the Tsudao Wind to gain 2 honor from his death by duel... CAN MY OPPONENT KEEN EYE THAT?

No need to SHOUT.

Archive, General, Duels, Resolution. Yes.

refilling face-up

When using an effect such as Agasha Seruma's, which refills a Province face-up, is the card used to refill the Province considered to be turned face-up? This is notably relevant for Agasha Miyoshi, who must be turned face-up in your Province in order to trigger her "search for a Dragon" reaction.

The card is turned face up, but not "in your Province," which is also part of Miyoshi's text.

Tamori Watoshu

Does Tamori Watoshu have to be in battle to use her reaction?

No (Diamond rules, pg. 80-81).

Rend and AP

I'm not clear on whether you can win a Raid battle if you have Rend the Souled. I would think not but what Zen wrote in another post makes me think otherwise. Can you win at the battle you Rended?

It depends on whther there are opposing units or not. If there are, no; Rend the Soul makes it a tie. If there are not, yes, but only for the purposes of Aramasu's Pride. (Archive entry for Aramasu's Pride.)

Some Rules Questions

I 'smoke and mirrors' the first card someone focuses against me while using a duelist with kokujins daisho attached or shattered focus is in play. Does my opponent still count as having focused?

Yes. This has been answered many times in this forum; please search.

Some Rules Questions

I focus a 'The fortune's smile' using a 'tsuma dojo' - does the card count as being "revealed"? Do I gain the 2 honor and draw a card effect as soon as the reaction resolves?

Diamond rules, pg. 89.

Point: The word "Reaction" is written nowhere on the card.

Some Rules Questions

The formation 'Rain of death' allows tacticians outside the current battle to use their trait to fuel the action "Tactical Battle: Produce two consecutive Ranged 3 Attacks" as long as their action meet presence and relevance. Can bowed tacticians in another province or at home use their trait in a similar way?

Answered in the Archive under the card entry for Rain of Death and many, mnay times in this forum. Yes.

Some formations

I resolve battle A first, and I play Direct Assault, can I bow the unit on B to destroy a defending unit on B ???

No (Diamond rules, pg. 102).

Some formations

This would work similarly as RoD

What's RoD? No abbreviations, please.

Some formations

Direct Assault says: "...to destroy one OPPOSING UNIT or A HOLDING..." what does this mean?

Just what it says. A unit in the opposite army (Diamond rules, pg. 102) or a holding, which cannot be in the opposite army, since they're not in battle.

Some formations

where is the clause that says that my units need to be opossed to destroy a holding?

There isn't one.

Some formations

konn wrote:

where is the clause that says that my units need to be opossed to destroy a holding?

There isn't one.

Actually, this is another section where Direct Assault's text is important to review:

"or Holding controlled by an opposing player."

"An opposing player," is a player who controls cards opposing the previously mentioned unit (the one bowed to pay the cost).

This is just like Hida Kuon XP3 with his "force all opposing players to discard a card from their hands." Kuon only forces a discard from players who control cards opposing Kuon.

kami legal¿?

well, I have a doubt about the kamis (togashi and others) of dawn of the empire. Are they legal diamond? lotus? or open?

I´ve looked around but haven´t found anything

thanks.

How about checking the Cards?

If they have the correct "bug" in the corner, they are legal in the environment. If they lack it, they are not legal. I don't believe that any cards in Dawn of the Empire were improperly bugged.

Plenty of good personalities have both Diamond and Lotus bugs in Dawn of the Empire, but not all of them. If I recall correctly, none of the 9 Kami printed in Dawn of the Empire had any bugs on them. Most of the non-Celestial family-founders and lackeys, however, did have both bugs.

"Playing" personalities

(W)hat determines if a card is being "played"?

It depends on the card type.

"Playing" personalities

Usually, when we bring a personality out of the provinces to enter play by paying the card's cost, they're being brought into play. I'd assume you're "playing" this personality at this point?

Yes.

"Playing" personalities

Is a personality still being "played" when they're brought in through card effect (Fires in the Hidden City, I Give You My Name, A Wish Granted, etc)? Or do they enter play through some other means? What about if they're coming back from a Suitengu's Surge?

For Personalities, played is pretty much synonymous with entering play.

Ratling Village followers

Are the followers created by ratling village considered tokens or cards. Most effects specify tokens or cards, like the matrons and ratling raider, but ratling village doesn't say.

Archive, Ratling Village.

Wear Him Down

Does this card when used after Kakita strikes, add a focus to my personality, then Kakita is forced to strike due to his card text?

Yes.

Ring + Voice Question

If I use Voice of the Emperor to put a ring into play, does this count as playing that ring from my hand?

Voice of the Emperor card text: "put an Elemental Ring into play from your hand."

P'an Ku and yu

If I copy Kuon's yu 10, do I just get the yu trait, or yu 10?

Yu always has a value associated with it. 10.

Rain

So is the second ability always relevant, then?

Actions on Formations almost always satisfy Relevance. Diamond rules, pg. 81, on the Rule of Relevance: "In particular, the action needs to satisfy at least one of the following conditions: It comes from a card or token at the battle." The formation is at the current battle (though not in an army), so an action that it allows fills the bill.

Rain, one last time

Ok, sorry to keep bothering you guys, but Zen didn't really answer my question. The situation, again, is this: I play Rain of Death in battle A. Can I use the second ability and destroy one of my tacticans in battle B to destroy two cards opposing him in battle B?

We've established that this is relevant, but is it legal to do?

I answered this in a previous thread.

Ring of Fire

This is just to clarify what do you do and do not draw cards from when you use the Reaction on Ring of Fire.

As I understand it you do draw one card for each of the following.

1) Any card that has been focused but is then discarded due to Smoke and Mirrors, Shattered Focus or Concede Defeat.

2) Wear Him Down (since it focuses itself from your hand)

You do not draw cards for the following.

1) Cards focused using Tsuma Dojo

2) Cards focused using The Shadow's Claw

Thanks

This all appears correct.

Weigh the cost

If focused on its own, what is the focus of Weigh the Cost? 3, 4, or 5?

Here.

Formations not in armies?

So, how can those ranged attacks target anything if Rain of Death is not in an army?

Why did nobody ask this question about Arrows From the Woods nine years ago? Or Tsuruchi Technique a couple of years ago? Then we could have clarified a long time ago. They aren't in armies, either.

2 Questions

If I'm on a Raid battle with Etsui against no units and I target a personality in the defenders home with the Etsui Raid Battle action, can my opponent use the Reaction on Tangen Sensei to redirect the action ? Even without presence in the current battle?

Yes (Diamond rules, pg. 80).

2 Questions

If I'm on a Attack Against no units and my opponent plays Refugees and I cancel with the Reaction on the Kaneka Wind, can my opponent play Fall On Your Knees to cancel de reaction? Even without presence in the current battle?

Yes (Diamond rules, pg. 80).

P'an Ku and Yu Part 2

If P'an Ku copies someone's Yu trait and then the next turn uses his ability to copy another trait or action, would he lose the Yu trait completely, or would he have Yu 0?

Yu 0 (Web of Lies rulesheet).

Question About Bowing for the Favor

If my opponent bows someone to take the Imperial Favor and I play Outmaneuvered by Force to cancel it, does his personality still bow?

Yes. Archive, General, Actions: "An action is considered 'taken' or 'used' after it is legally declared, targeted, and paid for." Do those, which would include bowing the Personality as a cost, and then play Outmaneuvered by Force.

(Edit: Correction.)

Cost ignorance, restrictions - double checking

Cards: Te'tik'kir Experienced 2, Ratling Raider

Concerned Text (emphasis added):

Te'tik'kir wrote:

Open: Bow Te'tik'kir and remove one of your discarded Ratling Personalities from the game to put one of your dead Ratling Personalities into play, ignoring all costs.

Ratling Raider wrote:

Raider's cost may not be reduced.

Rules Archive wrote:

Putting a card into play directly, "without gold cost," or by "waiving" its cost do not reduce the cost to zero.

Again, just double-triple checking. Using Tek's ability on the Raiders would bring them into play for free, because "ignoring all costs" is not a reduction. I ask this because some may see it as setting the gold value to zero (the case in Chi, Force, etc), but the rules say its not setting anything, just ignoring.

So, free Raiders. I am correct, yes?

There is no need to triple check. The question has been answered here.

Ranged Attack actions

Zen Faulkes wrote:

Derrick wrote:

So, how can those ranged attacks target anything if Rain of Death is not in an army?

Why did nobody ask this question about Arrows From the Woods nine years ago? Or Tsuruchi Technique a couple of years ago? Then we could have clarified a long time ago. They aren't in armies, either.

This is hardly an answer. For Arrows from the Woods, Tsuruchi Technique and other fire-and-forget actions, it wouldn't matter even if they were briefly in your army. The status of Formations, however, is much more concerning, as if they're in an army they're vulnerable to many more actions - including Rain of Death.

Is this just obvious legality, is there something deeper at work, or are you guys going to get back to me?

The exact same principle is at work for Arrows from the Woods, Tsuruchi Technique, and Rain of Death. They are actions. They cannot be in armies. But, by their text, they generate Ranged Attacks. Therefore, they circumvent the normal situation that Ranged Attacks be from cards in an army by the First Cardinal Rule.

Ranged Attack actions

The status of Formations, however, is much more concerning, as if they're in an army they're vulnerable to many more actions - including Rain of Death

Formations aren't in armies, ever. Terrains aren't either. They are at Battlefields.

Suitengu's surge + Price of power

Relevant card text

Suitengu´s Surge

Reaction: Before an action targets a unit you control, bow this Shugenja: Remove the unit from the game. Return it to the game, with all attached cards and tokens, before the beginning of the next turn.

Price of Power

This card remains in play in your home. Limited: Discard this card: Target a unit you control and a unit with equal or lower total Gold cost controlled by another player. Destroy them.

So my friend targets his unit, and then targets my unit, he then destroys the units with price of power, then he proceeds to use suitengu's surge to save his unit.

My question is since, Suitengu's surge is used before targeting, doesn´t he need to target another unit, since the one that he originally wanted to target is not more in the game?

See posts here, here.

Moto Latomu Exp versus Rain of Death

Can this apply to Moto Latomu's shared ranged attack actions since the rulebook looks for the printed action to be in the current battle if I move another unicorn personality to another province where in he will be opposed?

No, no, and again, no. See Archive, Effects. People should stop trying to apply Rain of Death rulings to anything besides Rain of Death. They are often very particular to that card and how it is worded.

Rule of Obvious Legality

Where can I find the Rule of Obvious Legality in writen form?

Several Rulings reason with this rule, but where can I read this rule?

There is no rule of obvious legality. It's best thought as an informal way of referring to the First Cardinal Rule, namely that card text takes precedendent over general rules. If you break down the text of some cards to an extremely high degree, there are some that would never be playable by a strict reading of the rules. That would be silly, so the card must implicitly break the rules so that it can be used in the obviously legal way.

may remain bowed

Effects with no special duration expire at the end of the turn. So why does the "may remain bowed" lasts longer than until the end of the turn.

Because that's the way all cards have been written in the past, and nobody's ever asked about it before.

Player getting back into the game needs some help

the shop i played at shut down a year ago and i just started ordering the new sets. for some reason i cannot find any mention of the traits Duelist,Gozoku

(not sure of spelling on gozoku) and what right ,center,left,and reserve formations are. i have downloaded the web of lies rule sheet from alderac and i still cant find anything on it. any help will be greatly appreciated.

Edit:i also cannot find out what a raid battle is.

None of these terms has special rules associated with them. They are all keywords written on, and referring to, specific card or stronghold text.

Ring of Air and Focusing vs Playing and Ikoma storyteller

Is focusing in a duel with a card playing the card?

No, unless the card says so via special text.

Ring of Air and Focusing vs Playing and Ikoma storyteller

Can you ring of air to straighten the personality who cast the Kiho that allowed you to play the RoA?

Archive, Ring of Air.

Ring of Air and Focusing vs Playing and Ikoma storyteller

Can the Ikoma that gives +1/+1 to Lion who win an opposed battle use that ability on himself if he was in the battle?

Please give titles. There are a lot of Ikoma Personalities out there, and a lot of questions to answer, and I don't like guessing games.

In Search of the Future + tactician + White Shore Plain

Does In Search of the Future decrease force bonuses from the stanard use of the Tactician trait to 0?

FAQ: Yes.

In Search of the Future + tactician + White Shore Plain

If I play a white shore plain and then later play In Search of the Future do I gain the force bonuses?

"This does not affect bonuses gained after this card is played" (In Search of the Future text): Yes.

Please elaborate on ruling:

"Is focusing in a duel with a card playing the card?"

Can Isawa Sezaru focus the top card of your fate deck in a duel, once per turn, or not?

"Once per turn, you may play the top card of your Fate deck as if it were in your hand."

Generally, no. Again, there may be specific exceptions based on card text.

Do I play these to focus?

Primal Rage

When you play this card as a Focus card in a duel for a Shadowlands or Creature Personality, set its Focus value to the Personality's printed Force plus 2.

Let Your Spirit Guide You

When you play this card as a Focus card in a duel or use its Focus value for a Tactical action performed by a Personality, set its Focus value to the Personality's Personal Honor plus 3.

Yes, these are examples of cards "played" when used as a Focus in a duel, because of their specific card text. In general, using a card for an effect (whether trait or action) is an instance of playing the card. Using it strictly for focus value is not.

More confusion with dueling and "playing cards"

I was just reading primal rage, the first string of text:

"When you play this card as a Focus" combined with the logic behind Isawa Sezaru, "Once per turn, you may play the top card of your Fate deck as if it were in your hand."

Based on the original question posted by someone else "Is focusing in a duel with a card playing the card?"

Are you not playing the card? You aren't making direct use of an action, but from what Primal rage says, you have the ability (as does any fate card you control) to play a card as a focus. Primal rage doesn't seem to have any specific literation or condition that allows it to be played "as a focus", it is just re-establishing the fact that it can be done. Am I correct or just really, really bored and at work?

For Primal Rage and some other cards like it, yes, due to their specific card text (First Cardinal Rule), but this does not mean that every instance of focusing is "playing a card."

Whey the cost ?

I apologize if this was already discussed on another post I've been away from the forum and it would take my slow mind a year or two to wrap itself around everything that has been discussed not to mention new topics everyday.

This came up just playing around yesterday, target an opposing personality in the battle opposing one of your samurai. give the opposing target -3 force and give a province +/- 2 strength bow your samurai and send them home. now if i remember correctly the card says you may target another personality ( opposing) and give them -3 force, now can you play this card if there are no opposing units ?

ie Send otomo taneji to the battle and have him weigh teh cost to lower the province strength by 2 ( he's zero force).

can you play this card if there are no opposing units?

Yes. "You may target a Personality" (card text), which means you have a choice to target or not.

Imperial Favor

Hello...long time player...just coming back after a bit of a hiatus...and have my wife addicted...YAY

However, I have combed the Diamond Edition rulebook and can't find any reference to the Imperial Favor except for how to get it....I remember being able to discard it for various effects in different phases....but, has this changed completely, and what can you discard it for now???

I have seen several cards that you can add to your keep....that have imperial favor effects on them....

Thanks for the help....

In Diamond Storyline Simulation formats, the Rulebook has no special Actions you can use the Imperial Favor for.

However, there is a new kind of card, introduced in Gold Edition, called a Wind. The Diamond Edition Rulebook provides more details about these cards, but each one has a special ability that you can use at the cost of discarding the Imperial Favor.

Some of them will be familiar to you from the Classic Imperial Favor Rules - like the Left Hand of the Emperor (send home) or the Voice of the Emperor (Draw a card). Other effects will be completely new to you like the Underhand of the Emperor and the Right Hand of the Emperor. You might remember the effect of "Black Heart of the Empire" from the old card "The Dark Lord's Favor."

Bloodspeaker Ambush

My friend is playing Shadowlands and plays the terrain Bloodspeaker Ambush. Does this allow him to get infinite force as long as he has at least one unit in the battle? As in, can he keep using its ability over and over since he doesn't lose honor for being Shadowlands. If so, that's rough.

Infinite?

Most Terrains are played for their "Battle" Action when you put them into play. You can't put them into play again, so you can't use their ability again. Terrains aren't the same as Formations - which you put into play as a battle Action, then use the printed Battle Actions on them as a separate play.

Further, Bloodspeaker Ambush is an immediate Terrain and has an ongoing effect. It only hands out a single bonus to each card while it is in play. If you remove it from play and play it again, you don't double up its effect - the old one ends and a new one begins.

Check out the Diamond Edition Rulebook, page 82 for more information about Terrains. It is kind of awkwardly placed away from "Card types in detail" - instead kept under the expanded section about Battle.

Question about the Loyal trait

Do effects that bring personalities into play outside of the dynasty phase circumvent the "loyal" trait?

Say if I am a shadowlands player, and I have a Sunetra in my province when it gets destroyed, could Fire in the Hidden City (or some other method) bring her into play for me?

The rules on "Loyal" do not pertain exclusively to buying Personalities in the Dyasty Phase, or even bringing people into play. They prohibit getting control of a Loyal card that isn't aligned to your Faction by any means.

Also, the rules prohibiting gaining control of the card are not considered "restrictions" by rulebook definition either. Prohibiting you from controling something is a more broad effect than simply keeping you from bring a card into play.

Misdirecting costs?

When my opponent uses Tarako to destroy a region to pay the cost of her ability can I use Misdirection to change the targeted region from say: City of Gold to Plains of Otosan-uchi?

Can I play Gozoku Influence and then Armed and Ready? I took an extended break from the game and am unsure of the timing.

"You can not redirect costs, either." - Diamond Edition Rulebook, page 74, first paragraph, final sentence.

cool combo

would this combo work?

cards involed

note:i using chepo gold cost cards for argument sake...

spawning grounds -stroghold

oger mage- personaity shiggi

morisue -personality shiggi

-bleak portance -spell

suchiro no oni - weapon armour

tireless assult

k here we go...

-attach the spell and suchiro on oger mage (OM)...

-with out suchiro, which is a +2f/+2c, OM is a 4f/5c...

-bow morisue and OM to activate the rit spell during limited phase...

-attack and tireless OM into a battle

so does OM get a +2 on the spell, +2 on suchiro, +2 on him?

OM total force 12

card info

Bleak Portents

Shadowlands Maho Limited Ritual: Bow this Shugenja and one of your other Shugenja to give all Shadowlands cards +2F.

Gold 4

Focus 3

Suchiro no Oni

Armor. Weapon. Shadowlands Lose 3 Honor. This Personality's Personal Honor is 0 for purposes of attaching Followers.

Morisue

Shadowlands Shugenja. Bloodspeaker Lose 4 Honor. Maho Battle: Remove a Blood token from Morisue: Once per battle, give -1C to all opposing Personalities with more than 1C.

Force 3

Chi 3

Honor -

Gold 6

Phonor 0

Ogre Mage

Shugenja. Shadowlands Lose 5 Honor.

Force 3

Chi 4

Honor -

Gold 6

Phonor 0

So, basically, your question is in regards to giving a Bonus to an attached card that gives a bonus to the Personality? It works pretty simply.

If a +2F attachments gains a 2F bonus, it is a +4F attachment and confers +4F on its Personality rather than +2F.

If an attachment does not give its Personality a bonus (most Followers and Spells), then giving the card a Force Bonus will not cause it to start giving the Personality a Force Bonus. In the case of Bleak Portents, the card doesn't even have a Force stat, so you have to use the rules on page 63 in italics (effects trying to change the stat fail to affect it).

So your Mage is 3F +1 (Spawning Grounds) +4 (Suchiro no Oni) +2 (Portents) for a total of 10F.

Traveling Ronin and Rekai's Harriers

Can I bring Traveling Ronin into play from my Fate deck as an Open action?

No. You must play Followers, Items, and Spells from your Fate Hand unless specifically exempted (such as by Karo). Traveling Ronin lets you take the Attachment Action in the Rulebook as an Open Action rather than a Limited Action. That's all.

Traveling Ronin and Rekai's Harriers

Can I use Rekai's Harriers' battle action to reduce a force bonus from a weapon on an opposing personality to 0?

Yes.

Traveling Ronin and Rekai's Harriers

Will it matter if they just brought the weapon into play, or can I do this at any time to reduce the force bonus to 0?

Any time you could normally take a Battle Action and Rekai's Harrier's oppose the Personality

Confusion over some rules interpretations...

"Why City of Gold? Think about it. Crystal Mine + City buys Rokku for cheap, or Kuemon for full." - this seems to be implying that you can bow City of Gold (a Region) to use the Crystal Mine's gold production ability... Crystal Mine's card text reads: "*Singular* Bow Crystal Mine and one of your Gold-producing Holdings to produce 6 Gold." Does this mean that City of Gold is a Holding as well as a Region? or what?

It means that Kuemon costs 7 to buy at full and Rokku costs 7 to buy at reduced cost with the in-clan discount.

6 Gold from using Crystal Mine + 1 Gold from using City of Gold = 7 Gold.

You still need to pay the cost of using Crystal Mine, however, so you need another Holding - typically Gifts and Favors.

Confusion over some rules interpretations...

"One of the key plays in one of my games against Crane in Toronto this past weekend was using a Saori-locked tactician at home to Rage in my opponent's Saori and Slaughter her, thus ending her reign of terror." - I admit I don't have the rulebook in front of me, but I thought bowed personalities couldn't perform actions?

That's completely untrue. You find that Rulebook. It is available for viewing online. Check the sticky on this very forum for a link right to it.

You can't use Actions that are on bowed cards unless they would unbow the card. Rage of Matsu is not bowed.

Bowed Personalities can't perform Actions that create Challenges as part of their effects, nor can Shugenja Cast Spells while bowed.

There was a rule back in Gold Edition that you couldn't target your own bowed Personalities with your Acitons, but that rule never made it into the Diamond Edition Rulebook.

Confusion over some rules interpretations...

"Remember that you can use tacticians in other locations for Rain's first ability." - Rain of Death's card text reads: "*Center Formation* *Formed by 2 Personalities with the printed Tactician trait.* Tactical Battle: Produce two consecutive Ranged 3 Attacks. Tactical Battle: Bow and destroy the performing Tactician: Target two cards opposing him that have no unbowed cards attached. Destroy them." Again, I don't have the rulebook in front of me, but I thought Ranged Attacks had to be against opposing units, unless modified by something like No Hiding Place?

Rain of Death is the card with the Ranged Attack Action. It can't be in an army any more than Arrows from the Woods or Tsuruchi Technique can be - so it can never be opposed. For cards like that you use "opposing" in reference to the player taking the Action instead of the card with the Ability - so the Ranged Attack must target a card opposing cards you control in the battle.

Rain of Death says nothing, however, about those cards needing to oppose the Performing Tactician. It doesn't even target him, as per the Web of Lies Rules Sheet.

Will Gozoku Influence change the outcome of a battle?

Will switching a personality with this card have any effect on force totals?

Archive, Gozoku Influence.

Takige and a Dishonorable Personality

I have Hitomi Daisetsu and Mirumoto Takige in play. My Hitomi Daisetsu has been dishonored. If an effect kills Daisetsu and I decide to destroy Takige in his place, will I gain 3 honor or will Daisetsu be rehonored? (Is he involved in the honor gain?)

Gain 3.

Consecutive Actions and Negation/Cancellation

If i Flee the Darkness a Kuro's Fire or Rain of Death or Ikoma Korin Exp, The whole action, all consecutive ranged attacks are lost?

Diamond rules, pg. 72: yes.

Consecutive Actions and Negation/Cancellation

If i make one target illegal during a consecutive ranged attack (Say: a ninja follower being attached) does it cancel the whole action, or just that one target?

Diamond rules, bottom of pg. 75.

Followers, Suitengu's Surge, and Focusing...

When a player attaches a Follower from hand as a Limited action, this is considered a targetted action correct?

Diamond rules, pg. 77: yes.

Followers, Suitengu's Surge, and Focusing...

If a Follower is attached as a Reaction (ie. Kitsuki Yojimbo) is it still considered a targetted action?

There is no general answer to that question; you'd have to look at each on a case by case basis.

Kitsuki Yojimbo is post-Dawn of the Empire; it does not say it targets, so it does not.

Misdirection and ring of water

I have two bowed characters in play. One in the battle, and one at my home. I say : i use the ring of water on the bowed personnality in the battle to move it home. My opponent say : i play misdirection to bring your bowed character at your home in the battle instead, so both bowed personnalities will die in the battle.

Not legal. First, when a card has options about which effect to use, the choice of options cannot be changed by redirection. Second, moving someone from the current battle home does not target under Diamond rules (there is only one "home," so there is never a choice), so cannot be redirected.

Kaiu Kazu and cost reduction

Does Kaiu Kazu's ability to lower the next Follower's cost similar to Few Against Many in that the cost reduction lasts until the end of turn?

Diamond rules, pg. 70: yes.

Two Questions

One of my provinces was locked down due to Mantis raiding [Yoritomo Matsoru], meaning I couldn't discard cards from it or have them enter play. An event showed up in it. It specifically states in the Accumulated Rulings that events DO NOT enter play, but this was 'The Death of Ryoshun', which 'stays in play in your home'. As a result of the card's text, we assumed that this was an example of a card overriding the rules, so I left it in my province. Was this correct?

See here.

Two Questions

Another Mantis raiding related question. During a raid battle, the Mantis player used 'Moshi Hinome' to target one of his opponent's personalities in his discard pile. The opponent then played 'Flee the Darkness' to cancel the action. I ruled that this was allowed, since Hinome's text reads 'target a personality...' and Flee's reaction reads 'when a player targets one of your personalities with a Battle or Open action...' No mention is made that the personality being targeted must be in play. Was this correct?

Here.

In search of the future and Akodo mirotai

What does "except bonuses from cards in the same unit." means from In search of the future's text?

Just what it says: bonuses on a unit generated by cards in that unit are not reduced.

In search of the future and Akodo mirotai

Can (Akodo Mirotai) satisfy the requirement for playing rain of death after he losing the tactician trait for using his ability this turn?

See here.

Few against many and overwhelmed

Can a personality to be destroyed by overwhelmed be saved by Few against many considering that he has a follower?

Yes.

Ongoing effects of events

Do the events that stay in play (e.g. Commanding Favor) count as on going effects of an event for the purposes of Unexpected Strike?

Search please!

Here.

Here.

Here.

Help with some rulings please

If i play show of good faith on an opponents personality and later in the same turn i target the stolen personality and i use suitengu's surge on the personality. The personality return at the beggining of the next turn. The personality enter in play again under my control. At the end of this turn the personality returns to its original controller or i keep the personality for the rest of the game???

Archive, Show of Good Faith.

Help with some rulings please

I play shadow´s claw, can I used smoke and mirrors reaction as the card I´m going to focus?

I'm leaving that one for Jeff or Marty.

Help with some rulings please

I play shadow´s claw, can I used smoke and mirrors reaction as the card I´m going to focus?

Shadow's Claw says: "Reaction: Play before your Personality focuses in a duel. Look at your top five Fate cards. Focus with one, take one into your hand, and shuffle the rest into the deck."

Smoke and Mirrors says, "Reaction: Play instead of focusing in a duel to discard your opponent's last focus card without effect. Draw a Fate card."

Shadow's Claw has an effect that makes you focus in a duel. That focusing is a valid trigger to play Smoke and Mirrors from your hand. Instead of "Focus with one," you drop Smoke and Mirrors.

So the play would resolve as follows:

Opportunity to Focus or Strike:

--> Play Shadow's Claw

--> Look at the top 5 cards.

----> Instead of focusing with one, play Smoke and Mirrors from hand.

----> Discard opponent's focus card.

----> Draw a card (the first card on your deck, which you've already seen thanks to Shadow's Claw)

--> Add one of the remaining 4 cards you looked at to your hand.

--> Shuffle the remaining 3 cards into your deck.

Opponent's opportunity to Focus or Strike.

NOTA BENE: Shadow's Claw only lets you FOCUS with one of the top 5 cards - not PLAY them for their printed abilities (Reactions) as if they were in your hand. If you want to take a Reaction, make sure it is in your hand, not on top of your deck.

Clarification of bleak portents question

mlund wrote:

So, basically, your question is in regards to giving a Bonus to an attached card that gives a bonus to the Personality? It works pretty simply.

If a +2F attachments gains a 2F bonus, it is a +4F attachment and confers +4F on its Personality rather than +2F.

If an attachment does not give its Personality a bonus (most Followers and Spells), then giving the card a Force Bonus will not cause it to start giving the Personality a Force Bonus. In the case of Bleak Portents, the card doesn't even have a Force stat, so you have to use the rules on page 63 in italics (effects trying to change the stat fail to affect it).

So your Mage is 3F +1 (Spawning Grounds) +4 (Suchiro no Oni) +2 (Portents) for a total of 10F.

- Marty Lund

Deputy Rules Monkey

Ok so looking at 63 says cards that normally dont particular traits or stats will cause effects to fail. However, Inazuma Blade does confer a force and chi bonus. Is this possible ONLY because its also considered an item?

Thanks,

It is possible because the card is printed with "+3" in the spot where a card's Force goes and "+3" in the spot when a card's Chi goes.

Egg of Pan'Ku + loyal

Can i copy with the Egg of Pan'Ku a loyal personality?

In other words: Loyal is an entry effect or not?

Can Pan'ku copy loyal trait? And what happens if that occurs?

Loyal is a Trait - not an Effect.

The rulebook has some effects that Key off of "Loyal." [Edit - Retyped the word "traits" instead of "effects" the first time around]

The Egg of P'an Ku doesn't copy the Trait "Loyal" until it has already entered play and come under your control. At that point, you can't go back in time and undo the Egg coming under your control, so it stays under your control despite the fact that you are now prohibited from gaining control of it.

Comparing rulings for Isawa to Kan'chek

L5R Accumulated Rulings wrote:

Isawa (Experienced 7)

Spells cast from the hand do not enter play [ZF, Web, 28 February 2005] but are still considered to have been played and to have resolved (similar to how Action cards do not enter play but have been played and resolved). [ZF, Web, 1 March 2005]

The cards are worded almost identically, so yes. I'll try to get an Archive entry for Kan'chek in soon.

Same goes for Kan'chek?

Tarako Clarification

She now says "opposing", does that mean she has to be in the current Battle to perform her action?

Yes (Diamond rules, pg. 81).

Feign Death and battle gains

Does a personality that you use Feign Death on lose force or chi gains from battle actions for that turn?

No.

Fields of Pyrrhic Victory and Shosuro Maru

This rules dispute popped up in casual play last night:

Shosaru Maru from home bows to target the opponent, who has all 4 of his unbowed personalities at a battle, opposed.

The opponent attempts to use Field of Pyrrhic Victory to cancel the action.

The dispute is over the targeting. One player contends Maru targets the opponent, and not the opponent's personality. The choice of personality is part of the effect, and thus no personlity is being targeted by Maru (similar to the reasoning for why Flee the Darkness doesn't stop Overwhelmed).

The opponent contends his choice of personlity is part of the targeting effect, and thus able to be cancelled by Fields of Pyrrhic Victory.

Can we get clarification?

Here you go.

Ph34r my 1337 Search Skillz!

Hantei Sensei/Fortune's Smile

If you use Hantei Sensei and named Fortune's Smile, can you still draw a card and gain 2 honor when you reveal it as a focus card during a duel? I thought not at first after seeing this ruling:

Reads, "Another Time 0G 0FV When you reveal this card as a Focus card for a duel, cancel the duel and discard all Focus cards without effect." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]

Negates the effects of the duel. (Only actions can be canceled, not duels.) [ZF, 11 July 2002]

Because it causes the duel to be negated as soon as it is revealed, it will nullify Kharmic Strike and prevent Poisoned Weapon or Judgement of Toshiken from being used. [Card text, DW, 11/8/96]

Will not stop Shosuro Hametsu's poison token from giving -2C. [DW, 8/2/96] This penalty is applied when a strike is declared, which happens.

If named by Hantei Sensei, it is considered to have a blank text box. [JA, 7 July 2000]

Then I read Hantei Sensei in the Archive, and saw this:

Hantei Sensei

Treat "use" as "play." Its ability does not affect cards already in play. [DW]

I thought when you were revealing cards in a duel you werent 'playing' them at all.

There are exceptions -- primarily those that have some sort of special effect written in the text box. Those that are just used for their focus value as written at the bottom of the card are not played.

A clarification of "Loyal"

Rulebook, p.51 - "Join: Come under control of. A Personality who will not join a player of a given Faction will not enter play from that player’s Provinces, and such a player cannot take control of the Personality from another player."

"Loyal" is synonomous with "will not join you unless aligned with your faction". "Joining" explicitly states that it prevents the card from entering play from a province or being taken control of by another player (not the person with the personality).

No. Joining doesn't explicitly state that it prevents anything, "Join" can be replaced with "Come under control of." The examples given for Loyal are not an exhaustive list. You can't bring people who won't "join" you into play from your Discard Pile (Feign Death) or out of the game (Suitengu's Surge) either. If an effect it would give you control of a card that is Loyal and not aligned to your Clan (or Singular when you already have another one), it fails.

A clarification of "Loyal"

So what would happen if a "Loyal" personality was targeted by a Ronin Dojo to change it's clan?

He'd gain an extra Faction Alignment Trait, per card text. It does not remove any prior traits.

A clarification of "Loyal"

And subsequent to that what would happen if it died and was targeted with Feign Death to bring it back into play?

As far as I can tell, from the explicit wording of the effect you would keep control of the personality as its controller is not changing and you are not bringing it into play from a province.

You lost control of the card when it died. You are bringing it back into play under your control. You can't have control of it, so the effect fails. It stays in the Discard Pile. Make the Personality Dishonored. Lose 2 Honor.

A clarification of "Loyal"

Finally am I correct in assuming that the "Loyal" definition on overlaying personalities overrides the description on p.34 of the Diamond rulebook that states: "Overlaying doesn’t count as bringing a card into play; ignore all of the card’s play restrictions and effects triggered by the card “entering play” or “joining a player.”"?

What assumption? The text right in front of you says it can't overlay.

Beyond which, it doesn't even need that clause. Look at the Diamond Edition Rulebook's definition of "Restriction." Effects that say "Can not join / take control of" aren't considered "Restrictions" - only effect which say "May not bring into play" or "May not enter play."

The fact that being prohibited from "Join" won't allow you to bring a card into play in many cases doesn't make such effects a "restriction."

Bayushi Kwanchai (Experienced)

Scorpian personality A with an attached follower issues a Iaijutsu Challenge to personality B. Personality B wins the duel. As a reaction to the duel Kawanchi bows for his ability.

Bayushi Kwanchai (Experienced)

Text Scorpion Clan Martyr. Experienced. Unique Reaction: Bow Kwanchai before one of your bowed or unbowed Scorpion Clan Personalities dies during battle or duel resolution to negate that destruction. Either destroy Kwanchai or put him on top of your Dynasty deck (your choice).

Does the follower attached to Scorpian personality A die?

No. The Challenge only destroys the Personality, not the unit. If the Personality had actually been destroyed, it would have taken the attached cards with him - but he didn't die, so nothing bad happens to them.

Silly question? Maybe not? Rings and Events

A quick one thats sounds a little stupid.

Are rings and events cards that count as unique?

Expanding a little here:

Neither Rings nor Events are Unique (unless they somehow gain the "Unique" trait over the course of a game). However, like Unique cards, they are limited to one copy of each per deck under the deck construction rules on page 50.

Heart of the Hero

Is the bonus permanant, or does it end when the origenal bonus ends?

There is no independent bonus, just an increase to a bonus given. The Heart of a Hero increase lasts as long as the bonus given does.

Kakita Tamura

can kakita tamura use her abiliy to use the kakita dueling acadamies ability if the stronghold is bowed?

No. Because the stronghold is bowed, its ability cannot be used at all (Diamond rules, pg. 54).

Mask of the Maw + Oni personalities

If the Mask of the Maw is attached to an Oni personality, can the Mask copy the abilities of that Oni to itself?

Yes.

Isawa Sezaru and Scroll Cache

I have Sezaru in play. Can I play scroll cache from my hand and use that to attach a spell from the top of my deck?

Yes.

misdirection vs outer walls

If I have a courtier attacking province #a unopposed and my opponent plays outer walls, can I play misdirection to have him target province #b instead?

Diamond Rules, pg 74: Would it have been legal for that player to target it (Province) in the first place? (Asking this question answers 99% of all redirection questions.) No, because that would have failed the requirement for Relevance (Diamond rules, pg. 81), so it cannot be redirected.

Dragon of Water?

What exactly is an innate ability?

Diamond rules, pg. 101.

Tsuruchi Iyaken

Mantis Clan Bushi. Pirate. Naval Costs 2 less Gold if you control a Pirate Personality. Battle: Bow Iyaken: Target an unopposed Personality. Bow him. Raid Battle: If this is a Raid battle, once per battle, produce a Ranged 4 Attack.

The question I have is on his first battle ability. How is the Rule of Presence satisfied? If you are attacking, and are unopposed, then you don't want to bow yourself. If you are defending and unopposed, you don't want to bow yourself. If someone is attacking you, and they are unopposed, then you have no presence at the battlefield, so you couldn't use Iyaken's ability?

How is the Rule of Presence satisfied (for Tsuruchi Iyaken's ability)?

Diamond rules, pg. 80-81. You can use his ability if he is in the current battle, or if he targets a card in the current battle from outside that battlefield.

Dark Rings?

Do dark rings count as elemental rings for the purposes of card interaction, such as introspection. Why/Why not?

Archive, General, Rings.

clarification for shadows claw

If I play shadow´s claw, and I already have another shadow´s claw in my hand, can I play the second shadow´s claw, on my opportunity to focus from the first one.

Yes.

clarification for shadows claw

Also, if one of the cards I look with the first shadow's claw, is a shadow´s claw can I play it. (i think not but?????)

No. You may have missed Marty's point at the end:

"Shadow's Claw only lets you FOCUS with one of the top 5 cards - not PLAY them for their printed abilities (Reactions) as if they were in your hand. If you want to take a Reaction, make sure it is in your hand, not on top of your deck."

Opposed vs opposing?

Just wanted to ask to make sure I have ths straight.

When a card/action refers to an "opposed" personality, card, etc, that can be at any battle, not just the current one. This would seem to be a defensive use of opposition. It merely looks for the presence of 2 armies at a province.

When a card/action refers to an "opposing" personality, card, etc. (e.g. Ranged Attacks and the like), it must be at the current battle. This would seem to be an offensive use of opposition, where it's actively doing stuff, usually to the "opposing" card, and looks for an active battle, dynamic opposition.

Would this be a correct interpretation of what I've seen on the forum posts?

It would be silly for me to make any blanket statement about those terms, because there are enough subtleties in wording out there, dependent on the context of the card, that I'm sure some card would rise up and bite me in the butt if I were to try. The terms are defined in the Diamond rulebook (pg. 102) and the Web of Lies rulesheet, and we have not made any additions or modifications to those definitions through recent rulings.

Shosuro Toson question

Quick question: For Shosuro Toson, who reads:

Limited: Bow Toson to discard a Dynasty card from a province.

Can this include your opponent's provinces? or only your own?

Much urgency is needed in knowing, this way I might be able to win this game that I'm playing right now.

Yes.

Hida Kosho

(Hida Kosho's) action is to force duel, refusable by the other guy going home bow. Can my opponent use the righthand to stop the movement? Is the character then bowed anyways?

Yes. No (Web of Lies rulesheet, top of second column).

One more Loyal question

If i bring into play a personality who is loyal yo my clan, Then my oponant Egg of Pan-Kus the said loyal personality, then I play show of good faith on that same Egged version of that character what happens?

See Archive, General, Joining and changing controllers.

(Edit: Partial correction.)

Hordes of the Nezumi query

(H)ow many times can I use this ability in my turn.

Point: It's not an ability, it's a trait.

If you have used the card to pay a cost at all during the turn, you get to take it from the discard pile. That's it. It's not once for every time you used it with a cost.

Beating that Loyal dead horse

Quote:

Wait Zen.

I think the Personality was loyal to the 1st player, and then the 2nd player Egg'd him.

It would help to use a specific example.

I play Scorpion w/ Paneki XP2, who is Scorpion Clan and Loyal. My Unicorn opponent plays the Egg of P'an Ku on Paneki. So now he has a Scorpion Clan Loyal Egg of Paneki.

So now I (Scorpion Player) Show of Good Faith Paneki (Scorpion Clan, Loyal) and get control of him. When Show of Good Faith's "gain control" effect expires, I'm supposed to give control of Paneki back to the other player. BUT, the other player is a Unicorn Clan Player and the Loyal Egg of Paneki is not a Unicorn Clan Personality. So he can't get him back.

So it would be just like the Otomo Ambassador / Singular Holding example in the Archive - can't give it back until Paneki gets the Unicorn Clan trait or loses the Loyal trait.

- Marty Lund

Deputy Rules Monkey

Does this mean that you, as scorpion, couldn't attack as long as the Egg (which you Showed), is alive? Or after that turn where the Egg tried to go back, do the effects of Show of Good faith wear off (beside you retaining control of the Egg)?

See Archive, Show of Good Faith.

Temple of Hoshi

(Can I) react with Hoshi House Guard to take back the kiho?

Yes.

Temple of Hoshi

When I straighten my Personality with Strength from Weakness, (d0es) the opposing (Personality) stays bowed?

Yes.

This was previously stated:

Quote:

Quote:

Diego Abril wrote:

If I play shadow´s claw, and I already have another shadow´s claw in my hand, can I play the second shadow´s claw, on my opportunity to focus from the first one.

Yes.

However, the Claw's text is: Play before your Personality focuses in a duel. Look at your top five Fate cards. Focus with one, take one into your hand, and shuffle the rest into the deck.

Doesn't that imply that the focussed card has to be one of the 5 that you looked at?

Normally, yes, but The Shadow's Clan is played instead of focusing (Archive, The Shadow's Claw). Also, remember that in this scenario, the second copy of The Shadow's Claw is in your hand, not one of the cards looked at.

Personality vs Unit destruction

If a player targets one of my units for destruction, can I use a card that says 'before one of your personalities is destroyed, do X to negate/cancel the destruction?

Yes, but depending on the exact wording of the effect, it may only save the Personality and not the atatched cards.

Plans within Raids?

Can you use plans within plans to raid during the opponents Action phase?

Yes (card text).

Clarification on Sensei's

(T)he keyword rule does not apply to sensei's because they are not a card.

Right answer, wrong reason: Diamond rules, pg. 64.

Ancient Battlefield and Misdirection

i'm a phoenix player and i defend one of my provinces with sesaru, 2 kanjiros and another three (Personalities) against 4 lions with tactician trait. in the middle of a battle the lion play rain of death and kill sezaru and a kokujin daisho atached to danjuro.

danjuro can bow to redirect the target on sezaru or it be an illegal target because he has attachead the Kokujin's Daisho.?

later i play ancient battlefield and i gain the battle, when the delay terrain resolves he target a courtier in his home an play misdirection changing the target that i choose (in this case i choose to bring back sezaru) for an otomo taneji dead in the same battle.

he can do this target changin with misdirection or not

The general answer to 99% of all redirection questions: Could those have been picked as legal targets in the first place (Diamond rules, pg. 74)?

In the first case, assuming the second ability of Rain of Death was used, Danjuro could not have originally been picked, so he cannot redirect it to him.

In the second case, you could have picked someone else, so redirecting the action is legal.

Shadow's Claw

(S)ince it's been ruled that the 'focus' on Shadow's Claw is a 'normal' focus, if you have 3 SC's in your hand, you can react with all 3, there by focusing 3 cards? Focusing 1 card?

You'll end up focusing one card.

Shadow's Claw

If you use 1 Shadow's Claw, and react with a second while you are 'looking' at the 5 cards, do you 'relook' at the same 5 cards, or do you 'look' at the next 5 cards?

The cards aren't in your hand, they're still on top of your deck [ML, 22 September 2004], so you'll be looking at the same five.

Shadow's Claw

If you play 1 Shadow's Claw, and react to it's focusing with a second Shadow's Claw and it's cancelled, what happens to the 5 cards you are 'looking' at?

Nothing happens to the five from the first copy, as that action is still legally resolving. I'm not sure how the action of the second could be canceled midway through resolving.

Traits: X Clan Samurai

Mirumoto can overlay and "Dragon Clan Samurai".

Can Mirumoto overlay Gukochi? (Dragon Clan Sentry. Samurai.) Similarly, can Isawa overlay Agasha Miyoshi (Phoenix Clan Fire Shugenja)?

Yes and yes.

gold cost reducing vs price of power

If i use cards like "few against many" to reduce the gold cost of a follower, does the follower count in the total unit gold cost for price of power?

It'll vary from case to case depending on exact wording. Most cards reduce costs for one turn only (Diamond rules, pg. 70), and unless a card looks for printed Gold cost, the reduction will be taken into acount for that turn only.

Shamate Pass, Subuto, and Savagery of Moto

I am a Unicorn defending a province. I use Savagery of Moto to switch a region under a Shinjo Subuto for a Shamate Pass. I then bring Subuto into the battle. I know I won't gain honor, but what will Subuto's personal honor be?

If Subuto was face-up, his Personal Honor won't change because he was revealed before Shamate Pass was attached to that Province.

Gold Costs of Zero

Since it has been ruled in the CCG-Archive that it is possible to produce "0" gold when paying for a gold cost, is it possible then to NOT produce "0" gold, preventing a cost of playing a zero gold cost acion and returning the card to your hand (as per rulebook).

No.

Ring of Water and Misdirection

Lion attacks, provokes a personality. Dragon announces Ring of Water, with intent to move his personality out of the battle. Can the Lion Misdirect the personality target to a personality at home?

The magic (but apparently never asked) question: Was the Personality a legal target for the Ring of Water in the first place? Yes? Then the redirection is legal.

Ring of Water and Misdirection

If he can, the rule of relevance should then force the personality at home to move into the battle, but if for some reason it doesn't, does the Ring then target the province to which he is moving, allowing the Lion to choose the province to which the target goes?

As always, the redirection must be legal, so during battle, would have to meet both Presence and Relevance.

Province Destruction in a Current Battle

What happens when a Province is destroyed in the midst of a battle at said province?

You get smacked by the Deputy Rules Guy for not checking the Archive. See Archive, General rules, Battle, Action Segment.

Hordes of the Nezumi and discarding at the end of the turn

Does Hordes of the Nezumi return to your hand before or after you have to discard down to your maximum hand size at the end of the turn?

"Before your turn ends" is after the End Phase. Keep it.

Ring of Water//Misdirection Followup

Does the ring of water target BOTH the personality AND the location, or just the personality?

Both. You have to pick who and where.

Hordes of the Nezumi

Is focusing considered a cost?

No.

Implicit Targeting or not?

(C)an I use Flee the Darkness on an action that does not use the word Target, but does make a player make a choice.

If and only if the card was printed before Dawn of the Empire, yes.

Implicit Targeting or not?

(D)o actions still implicitly target or do they not?

They do both, depending on when the card was printed. As for duels, the current situation is the one described on the Web of Lies rulesheet.

Shi-ti-yen-wang temple, and chi death

Ok, We're a bit confused over here about the timing of effects wearing off at the end of the turn so..as an example

3 force 2 chi personality is hit with written in blood.

Controller reacts with the temple, raising the chi to 3 temporarily.

End of turn rolls around, what happens?

A. Active player determines the order the effects wear off, on controllers turn the peep lives, on the kihoslingers turn he dies.

B. Both effects end simultaneously, peep lives

C. Some other thing i havent heard of yet.

Ive heard both examples being used, and am aware of the "if theres a conflict active player chooses which resolves first" rule, im just not sure if theres a conflict between those two wearing off or what. If its been answered, could someone point me to the post, or rules clarification, ive been all over looking for an answer and turned up nothing.

Both the bonus and penalty expire at the same point.

Wanton Destruction redirection and Asahina Sekawa (Exp 2)

If I use Asahina Sekawa (Experienced 2) to rediect the type of duel (or duels) does the force pentaly still effect force is is move to the trait involled.

A different stat is affected.

Wanton Destruction redirection and Asahina Sekawa (Exp 2)

there are whole lot of other cards that affect ( give a pental) a stat and then do something base on that stats new value ( shinjo's courage) if you redirect the pentail ( say change to personall honor) does the rest of the affect related to that stat change as well?

No; you will continue to use the stats described on the card. It just won't have changed.

Wanton Destruction redirection and Asahina Sekawa (Exp 2)

is change the type of pentail rediecting it?

No. It would have to use the word "redirect" to do that.

Brutal Confrontation vs flee the darkness

can you use a flee to negeat the brutal confrontation from occuring?

It can be used against the actions granted by the card to the players (which target), but they can be taken again, but not against the initial playing of the card.

(Edit: Correction.)

Feign Death, Fall On Your Knees, and Drawing Cards in Duels

Okay, my opponent has just killed one of my personalities with a duel. I react with Feign Death. Then, he draws cards from Ring of Fire and/or Swordmaster Dojo. If he draws a Fall On Your Knees, could he cancel my Feign?

No. Actions resolve one at at time. The only way Feign Death could be cancelled is while it's resolving.

Implicit targeting (finale)

Basically, from what I understand:

DE rulebook p.72 still applies.

Web of Lies rulesheet applies.

Both never apply to the same card. (with possible exception for Cardinal rule 1, I suppose, though I can't think of a card where this would be the case).

If a card was last printed prior to the release of Dawn of the Empire, the template applied is the first one, or "implicit targeting".

If a card was last printed at or after the release of Dawn of the Empire, the template applied is the second one.

Correct?

Correct.

City of gold + stronghold!!???

Strongholds aren't considered holdings for any purpose, are they? City of gold doesn't produce 1 when bowing the SH?

No twice.

temples of gisei toshi

when using the ability of this holding, are you allowed to rearrange the order in which you put back the cards?

No. (When you look at cards in face down provinces, you can't put them back in other Provinces, either.)

Weight of the Heavens / Rain of Death

does Weight of the Heavens (Kiho) actually remove the "printed" Tactician trait - as in does it actually impact upon the formation / requirements of Rain of Death ?

Here.

Dragon's tooth (not about the Clan reference)

Reaction: When bringing a Dragon (Not Dragon Clan) into play, destroy the tooth to lower the Dragons gold cost by 4. Battle: Move one of your Dragons (not Dragon Clan cards) into this battle.

Am I stretching how the card reads if I want to for example use it to pay for Dragon Dancers holding? I do note that it doen't say Dragon Card, but neither does it say 'dragon creature personality' although 'a dragon' implies personality I feel. Just making sure I get this old wording right.

Dragon personality only.

Human / Nonhuman list?

When I research what constitutes Human / Nonhuman (NH) I found:

p65 Creatures are NH

p99 Mujina and Ratling are Creatures

p101 Many traits implicitly make a card NH, including Creature, Naga, Oni.

Further on is reference that Spirit and Undead do not automatically exclude a card from bein able to be human.

Surprisingly searches didn't yield anything more useful and I can't use something vague as 'many traits' when I need to be sure so I would like to ask if a list can be compiled to nail down those 'many traits', especially to avoid furhter pitfalls like Spirit/Undead. And even then Traits is only half the story, what about cardnames when I need to determine when something is nonhuman?

For example, the Ogre Mage in WoL is not listed as Nonhuman so would be Human unless Ogre in the title qualifies him as an Ogre card and maybe therefor nonhuman. And that's not even a trait to be captured under the nebulous 'many traits'. Since Ogre Bushi and Ogre Outlaw do have the Nonhuman trait, and common sense says they would be anyway, I want to know how I can be sure. A definite list may go a long way. It doesn't matter much for things like Onisu when they all have the Nonhuman trait anyway, but this Ogre Mage got me realising I may not always be able to tell.

The list of implied traits is spelled out in the Diamond rulebook, on the pages you cite. There are no mysteries. The Ogre Mage is human and there is no erratum to the card.

another series of questions

and throw -1C to Akodo Rokuro. he dies as a result of 0C. Can Matsu Hyun react and negate the destruction? if yes, is the attachment destroyed or kept?

She can Negate the destruction, but since none of the penalty effects end when Rokuro leaves play, he'll just die from 0 Chi again.

The attachments aren't destroyed due to losing their Personality unless Rokuro is destroyed. Chi death kills Personalities, not Units. Attached cards simply die when their Personality dies in that situation, per the rulebook.

another series of questions

Tokens created are destroyed once they hit the discard pile. so here's the question.

Not destroyed - removed from the game. There is a big difference there.

another series of questions

Lets say, my Opponent has Ik'krt (who is 1C) and Te'tik'kir (Experienced 2) on the table. i kill my chimamire no oni.

Quote:

Reaction: If your Stronghold is the Spawning Ground, after Chimamire no oni is destroyed, put a -1C token on up to two Personalities.

and his reaction kicks in. and i throw the -1C token to Ik'krt who dies due to 0C. Thus he hit the discard Pile. as a result, the token is destroyed. can my opponent now use Te'tik'kir (Experienced 2)'s ability(as show below) to bring back Ik'krt ? and can i use Chimamire no oni's rection and put two -1C token on one personality? or i can only put one on each personality

It says to put ONE token on each of up to 2 Personalities. You can't chose Ik'krt twice.

another series of questions

Open: Bow Te'tik'kir and remove one of your discarded Ratling Personalities from the game to put one of your dead Ratling Personalities into play, ignoring all costs

This is an OPEN Action. You have to wait until the Reaction on Chimare and whatever Action caused him to die fully resolves before you have a chance to take an OPEN Action. All the tokens need to be handed out before Te'tik'ker can bring someone back to life.

Still waiting for an answer to this guys.

Quote:

When I put Lotus at Dusk into play I gain two additional battle actions straight away, and one additional one in each of my attack turns thereafter, at the cost of not being able to gain actions of other cards.

But what happens when I play another formation? Lotus at Dusk is discarded, but how many aditional actions do I get?

A) One from playing the new formation.

B) One from Lotus at Dusk.

C) Two, one from the new formation + one from Lotus at Dusk.

D) None, neither of the gain action abilites is allowable at the appropriate time.

Also, does whether I play the new formation as my additional action or my original one effect this?

Additionaly, would I be able to :

1) play Lotus at Dusk, gaining two actions,

2) play Rain of Death, destroying Lotus + Dusk + gaining another action

3) take two of the actions on Rain of Death straight away.

?

Thanks for your time

This one is really already in the FAQ.

You play Lotus at Dusk as the regular Action, gaining one from the Rulebook and one from Lotus at Dusk (as per the FAQ).

You play Rain of Death, gaining one from the Rulebook (not affected by Lotus at Dusk, as per the FAQ), and destroying Lotus at dusk.

You can now take two more Actions.

If you waited until your next "regular" opportunity to take a Battle Action, you'd play your Formation, triggering Lotus at Dusk and destroying it. You'd gain one from Lotus at Dusk and one from the Rulebook.

End result is still New Formation + 2 pending Actions.

Into the Darkness + Tangen Sensei

A unique personality performs into the darkness to send home 2 opposing units. Then Tangen sensei redirects it. Can the new target be one of the 2 units?

The only redirection quetsion you ever need ask yourself: Could you have originally picked the unit in the first place? In this case, picking the same unit twice? No. Two units are going home.

More ?'s

Can you Keen Eye the Elemental Reaction of Ring of Fire?

Please search!

Here.

More ?'s

Can a dishonored personality with the ability from eloquence still use the ability to succesfully gain the favor?

Yes.

More ?'s

Does the effect Fires of Dishonor last until the end of the turn, or is it continuous until they bow?

Continuous. (Edit: Correction.)

City of Blood

Alright I saw the ruling on this earlier in the forum but was hoping for a more extended answer to it. According to the rule book for bringing cards into play (Quoted Below) You first bring a card into play observing all restrictions, chose all targets if need be, and then you pay costs.

See Archive, general, Entering play.

You're overinterpreting the rulebook. The "you must bring it into play" is a reference back to the phrase, "Before you use a card." The first part of the sequence is "observing all restrictions." Yes, it could be clearer.

Shiba Tsukimi Exp + Isawa Jun

Can I use the reaction on Shiba Tsukimi Exp to pay only 7 gold for Jun and still have her with 5 Chi?

No. The cost changes before Isawa Jun enters play, and cards in play cannot be affected without special text (Diamond rules, pg. 55), which Tsukimi doesn't have.

Shiba Tsukimi Exp + Isawa Jun

Jun's second trait activates every time she comes into play?

Yes. See Archive, Suitengu's Surge.

Returning to game: Gifts and Favors Question

Hi, to ensure that I am properly reading Gifts and Favors and its intent I've come here =)

1. If on my first turn I bring out no holdings and my stronghold is unbowed I can bow my stronghold and grab a Gifts and Favors from my deck and put it into play.

2. Further Clarification: I do not need a "Gifts and Favors" in play to use the reaction on "Gifts and Favors"

3. The intent of this card is to lessen the chance that I get gold screwed in the first few turns and not draw a gold production holding.

4. I can use this effect with Temple of the Ninth Kami even though the stronghold produces no gold (one of my friends posed this question so I might as well repeat it).

Thank you in advance.

You've got the whole deal down. You use the ability of a Gifts and Favors in your deck / provinces, not in play, otherwise the whole idea of "Search your deck for this card" would be lost. Note how it says "this card," not "a copy of Gifts and Favors."

This ability tells you to make a play that would otherwise be illegal, so the card takes priority over the standard rules, as per the Cardinal Rules on page 34 of the Diamond Edition Rulebook.

Gifts and Favors brings itself into play via the ability. You do not have to pay its Gold Cost, so having a Stronghold that produces 0 Gold won't get in your way if you search it out of your deck + facedown provinces, rather than trying to purchase it regularly.

If you turn it face-up on your first turn, you may run into some problems if that was the only copy in your deck, though.

Gifts and Favors and Death of Ryoshun

If, when going first, I get a first turn Death of Ryoshun, and then buy a Gifts and Favors - if I use it, during the opponent's Action Phase, to target my G&F, it does make it impossible for the opponent to search for a G&F, right?

Yes, for that one turn.

Loyal and Sealed Deck Tournaments

Can you play a personality who is loyal "out of faction" in a sealed tournament, because clan joining restrictions are waived?

"Loyal" is a restriction against joining a player based on Faction. [Web of Lies rulesheet] It is waived in the Sealed Deck format.

Doji Takeji and The Fortune's Smile

Can you draw a card with Doji Takeji from the honour gain from focusing a 'the Fortunes's Smile?

Yes.

Doji Hayaku / To Do What We Must / Few Against Many

Zee with one single ratling pack token follower attacks Crane province. Defenders assigns Hayaku. Plays To Do What We Must on rats unit.

This one, because Hayaku's Ranged Attack is before his destruction:

Doji Hayaku / To Do What We Must / Few Against Many

- dies as a cost of TDWWM

- kills follower

- destroys Zee

- rat player can't play Few Against Many

Superior Strategist

For Superior Strategist to satisfy Relevance, must the performing Tactician be in the current battle(?)

Yes.

Feeding on Flesh

Can Feeding on Flesh be cast by a person outside of the battle to target someone in the battle? I would think not, since page 90 of the Diamond Rulebook says:

p90 wrote:

A ranged attack must target a single card opposing the card or cards making the ranged attack

And since presumably the caster would be making the ranged attack, they would need to be actually opposing the person they want to shoot, right?

Feeding on Flesh wrote:

Kiho Maho Battle: Bow one of your Shugenja or Monks for a ranged attack whose strength equals the Chi of the Personality in the target's unit. If the strength exceeds the caster's Chi, the caster permanently has -1C. The caster permanently gains the Shadowlands trait.

No, for the reasons you stated.

Saemon and Kuro's Fire

When Saemon reacts to him being targeted by a ranged attack from Kuro's Fire, that makes the ranged attack fail (illegal target). Does that also cancel the whole action of Kuro's Fire ?

No (Diamond rules, pg. 75, bottom).

The Duelist Trait

I can't seem to find any information regarding what this trait does

Archive, General, Duels or Archive, General, Traits.

Shinjo's Courage Question

(D)o I have to destroy the personality/follower to gain the honor?

No.

Feeding on Flesh - again

From the FAQ online.

"Effects are considered to come from the card they are written on. When a Shugenja casts a ranged attack Spell, the Spell is the card producing the attack, even though the Shugenja is performing the action."

So if this is true, Feeding on Flesh is producing the range attack, not the Shugenja, so the Shugenja need not be in the battle.

However it also means the attack is always illegal regardless of where your Shugenja is coming from since Feeding on the Flesh is never in the battle and cannot oppose cards.

Personally I think the way we've been playing Feeding on Flesh for the past two years is correct (Shugenja casts it from outside the current battle to target a card inside the current battle).

Dave

Refer to the text of Feeding on Flesh:

Feeding on Flesh - again

Bow one of your Shugenja or Monks for a ranged attack whose strength equals the Chi of the Personality in the target's unit.

Ranged Attacks target "opposing" cards.

Well, "opposing" can't refer to Feeding on Flesh, as it isn't in an army.

Does Feeding on Flesh's text refer to a card that can be in your army?

As a matter of fact, it does - the Shugenja or Monk that bowed to cast it.

So "opposing" in this context means "opposing the caster."

Just like Steel on Steel says, "One of your Personalities issues an unrefusable challenge to an opposing Personality." Obviously Steel on Steel can't be opposed, but the Personality mentioned can be.

If you play an Action that has no references to a card that you could have opposed and it can not itself be opposed (Rain of Death, Tsuruchi Technique, Arrows from the Woods), then you fall back to "opposing any cards you control."

So basically you have 3 meanings for "opposing" in reference to cards:

1.) Opposing a previously mentioned card.

2.) Opposing the card with the Action on it.

3.) Opposing any card you control.

You have to figure out which one is applicable due to the context of the exact card text - and sometimes rulebook text if the card uses a short-hand term with a longer definition like "Challenge," "Duel," or "Ranged Attack."

We have some trouble with hte timing between Kuro's Fire and the Temple.

I play Kuro's Fire, make a first ranged attack with no reaction.

Then I create a second ranged targeting a 3 Force personality.

Here we have two choices and we don't know which one is good :

A - My opponent uses the Temple, the guy has 4 Force, and I decide to make a ranged 4 attack so I kill him

B - I must first announce the strength of my ranged attack, and then my opponent can react or not. In that case, if I say 3, the ranged attack has no effect. If I say 4, my opponent will probably not react and I will have wasted one point of ranged attack.

What is the good answer ?

Each Consecutive Ranged Attack after the first one mimics an Action in how it is played out. First you announce what you are doing, making the choice of how much strength Kuro's Fire does this time. Then you choose a target.

Reactions to that Targeting can then happen. You can't back up to make a different choice about the Strength of the Ranged Attack, so if someone gets a Force Bonus due to you targeting them, it is too late to decide to put a little extra "oomph" on your RA from Kuro's Fire without an outside effect of some sort. Tsuruchi Technique would help get the job done in that case.

Chi Bonuses - switching force and chi

Shosuro Naname - Text Scorpion Clan Samurai. Courtier. Sixth Legion Commander When bringing Naname into play, you may give him -2C permanently and reduce his Gold cost by 2. Battle: Once per turn, switch Naname's Force and Chi. Battle: Once per battle, switch an opposing Personality's Force and Chi.

I have brought Naname into play a regular cost. He has 3 force and 5 chi. I add a Blade of Truths to Naname and send him into battle. When I switch his force and chi as my first battle action is his force 5 and his chi 6? Alternatly does the chi bonus from the weapon tag along with the switch making him 8 force and 3 chi?

In the same fashion. If a personality with 0 personal honor and 3 chi with the same weapon (Blade of Truths) is altered by Force of Will (Open: Bow this Shugenja and destroy this Spell to switch the Personal Honor and Chi of a target Personality. If you control the target, you need not destroy this Spell.) Is the personality destroyed or do they still have the +3 chi from the Blade of truths?

A Stat-bonus from an Item isn't anything special. It is applied in order just like any other bonus or penalty.

Remember that "switching" stats really means giving one stat a bonus and one state a penalty so that their values are effectively exchanged.

Example #1

So start with a 3F/5C Naname.

Give him +3 Chi with Blade of Truths.

Now you have a 3F/8C Naname.

Swap his Force and Chi, giving him +5F and -5C.

Now you have an 8F/3C Naname.

Example #2

Force of Will works the same way.

OPH / 3C Personality.

Give him +3 Chi with Blade of Truths.

Now you have a 0PH / 6C Personality

Cast Force of Will on him, giving him +6PH and - 6C.

Now you have a 6PH / 0C Personality who the rulebook says has to die due to having 0C.

Asako Yogo + Kuro's Fire

When Asako Yogo casts Kuro's Fire,

can you discard a card for each ranged attack?

Discard four cards to kill the opponent's hand?

Or can you only do that once?

Thanks!

Asako Yogo says, "After the resolution of an action you took ..."

"After the resolution" means after you've completed the entire "resolve effects" step of the Action on Kuro's Fire.

That's only true once all the Consecutive Ranged Attacks of Kuro's Fire have been made. Once it is true, you can't make any more because you are done resolving Kuro's Fire's Action.

That trigger only happens once per Action, no matter how many Consecutive Ranged Attacks (which are effects) it produces.

Yoritomo Tokaro and bowing

I am sure of the answer but was disputed over it today in Yoritomo Tokaro's Blow up Pers. or Get holding and send home bowed ability, if I target an unnoppossed peronsality at home and one of his holdings would the personality bow, assuming he gives me the holding, cause the bowing is a part of the send home?

Let us look at the card text:

"The Defender may give you permanent control of the Holding. If he does, move the target Personality home and bow him; otherwise, destroy the Personality after this attack ends."

That is not the same thing as "move him home, bowed."

It doesn't fall under the "sent home, bowed is inseparable" clause in the Rulebook.

The same thing goes for Weigh the Cost. The effects are independent of one another. You'll bow even if you don't move.

Fires of Dishonor part 2

Zen Faulkes wrote:

Satori-to-Sassori wrote:

Does the effect Fires of Dishonor last until the end of the turn, or is it continuous until they bow?

Diamond rules, pg. 70: End of turn.

_________________

Zen Faulkes! * Crab Clan Scholar * Unaligned Archivist

I thought the text "until he bows" qualifies as a duration. According to DE rulebook, p. 70, if the duration is specified, you do not use the "end of turn" rule.

Limited: Give an unbowed Dishonored Personality +3F until he bows, at which time, destroy him.

"until he bows" is the duration of the effect of Fires of Dishonor. It does not expire at the end of the turn.

That's just like "while this card remains bowed," durations on various spells and items.

Egg, P'an Ku, and Gozoku Sensei questions

I've wondered for a while what counts as one of the "permanent effects" noted on Egg of P'an Ku. Are permanent effects related to ongoing effects in this situation? Are tokens permanent effects? What of the conditional straightening from Gozoku?

Wait. It's not "permanent effects," it's permanent change, which is slightly different. Permanent is anything that doesn't go away at the end of the turn (Diamond rules, pg. 70). Tokens are now card effects (Web of Lies rules), but those are not changes to the card. The impact of Gozoku Sensei would be copied.

Egg, P'an Ku, and Gozoku Sensei questions

Further, if a personality is Gozoku locked, destroyed, and then Feigned, does it remain locked down by Gozoku Sensei?

Yes (Diamond rules, pg. 70).

Egg, P'an Ku, and Gozoku Sensei questions

Shosuro Mikado has the Scorpion Clan Courtier trait, when P'an Ku uses its ability to copy a trait, it copies all of that since the words are not separated, correct?

No (Diamond rules, pg. 64, particularly example 1).

Egg, P'an Ku, and Gozoku Sensei questions

"Permanent" is a short-hand way of saying "until the end of the game."

- Marty Lund

Deputy Rules Monkey

Egg of P'an Ku & Call of Thunder

If I copy a Unique Personality with The Egg of P'an Ku, does Call of Thunder trigger - ie does the Egg bring a personality into play? Or does it come into play as an action card, then silently turns into a personality without Call of Thunder noticing? Or does the Call of Thunder's effect fall under the egg's "no entering-play effects are produced" restriction (I don't think so - this restriction should apply to the copied card only, not to other cards watching out for changes in the game's state)?

Quote:

The Egg of P'an Ku

Action

Unique

Limited: Target a Personality, including a Unique Personality or one who will not join you. After entering play, this card becomes a copy of that Personality's printed card plus all permanent changes in effect on it. None of the Personality's costs need to be paid and no entering-play effects are produced.

Quote:

Call of Thunder

Event

The next Unique Personality you bring into play this game permanently gains the traits "May assign even if bowed. After each time this card assigns, you may straighten it."

You don't bring a Personality into play. You bring a card into play that is not a Personality. After it enters play, the card becomes a Personality. That's not the same thing as bringing a Personality into play.

Gozoku + Suitengu's Surge

if i had a personality with gozoku sensei an i suitengus my personality with gozoku when he leave the play he removes the efect of gozoku or not.

in a past post i read that restrictions an durations (like in Show of Good Faith) will be removed from a card when it leave the play.

I don't see where you get that idea.

Read Show of Good Faith for a second. Show has two effects with different durations. One gives you control of the Personality until the end of the turn, at which point it wears off. The other keeps you from attacking and such until the target leaves play.

Suitengu's Surge causes a card to leave play, so it definitely causes the "leaves play" duration to end. The "until the end of the turn" duration runs out at the end of the turn as normal, but has very little effect since the card is out of play.

Whenever a card is brought into play, the controller, by default, if the player who brought it into play. Returning a card to play via Suitengu's Surge is no exception to that rule.

Now, Gozoku Sensei's effect does not expire at the end of the turn. It can "wear off" normally while the Personality is removed from the game presuming the Favor is again used or 6 gold is paid. If these conditions are not met before Surge returns the Personality, the Personality will still be subject to the "Gozoku Lock," though like most Personality, he or she will enter play unbowed.

Shi-Tien Yen-Wang Temple vs Rituals (or Targeting)

A follow-up on the answer :

Quote:

Each Consecutive Ranged Attack after the first one mimics an Action in how it is played out. First you announce what you are doing, making the choice of how much strength Kuro's Fire does this time. Then you choose a target.

I had receive some other information [and i ain't got the e-mail with me. good job me], concerning rituals and the bowing of extra shugenjas to "boost" the ritual.

So, if :

Player A bows three shugenjas to do a ritual to target a 3C personnality on my side.

Player B(me) uses Shi-Tien Yen-Wang Temple to give an extra +1F/+1C

Can player A bow an extra shugenja to "omph" his ritual after I react with the Temple?

Is targeting the "real" last step to which you can react BEFORE an action resolves [duel/spells/actions/...], or is there different rules for different actions?

[if it's of any interest, i'll post the e-mail I received that implied that you could boost a ritual after the targeting. I think it was JeffA that had answered, to be confirmed though]

Thanks

The process of using an Action is as follows:

1.) Declaration

2.) Targeting

3.) Cost Payment

4.) Effect Resolution

Kuro's Fire is not a ritual. The Action has a cost of bowing the caster. The Consecutive Ranged Attacks themselves do not have individual costs.

I'm not sure how relevant your question is to the ruling you cite.

That said, Cost Payment is after targeting, so for some Actions you could simply choose to pay a greater amount if the Temple is used than you had planned on paying if the temple was not used.

A good example would be paying 4 Gold rather than 3 Gold to bow Koto with Honor's Cost due to the STWT Reaction boosting him to 2C + 2PH rather than 1C + 2PH.

Tejina's Blessing and Monks

Does 'Monk' qualify as a Faction trait?

Diamond rules, pg. 65. Yes.

Provence Strength Question

My opponent says that if a provence is opposed, and he is able to meet the provence strength with his force (I was blocking with a personality with 0 force) the provence is destroyed.

Diamond rules, pg. 84. Incorrect.

Shadow's Claw

My turn to focus, I focus Shadow's Claw. I draw 5, and focus a second shadow's claw from my hand. I place the 5 aside, and draw my next 5.

Search please.

Here.

jin again... sorry but i didnt get a clear answer...

so are we going by the rules on:

1) kuni yori where it clearly states that you need to fulfill both requirements? or 2)are we going by seppun jin's text where it gives an 'option' (because of the word or) to fullfill at least one of the requirments?

You play Kuni Yori by his text. Seppun Jin by his text. How one works has no impact on the other.

Invincible leagons ruling

text:

Center Formation

Formed by all Personalities you control, minimum of 2, opposed by an army with greater total Force. Battle: Search your Fate deck for a card. Put it in your hand.

so does 'formed by all Personalities you control' mean all personalities in the battle? or everyone including those not in battle... in other words if you have 9 personalities and 5 are in the battle, can you play invincible leagons?

and if it is not played like this then how can you use it when blocking multiple provences...

What part of "all personalities you control" is confusing?

Everybody under your control. If anyone you control is at another location (home or another battle), the Formed By requirement is not met.

Call of Thunder and Shrine of the Sun

Are the effects of Call of Thunder, "ongoing effects" for the purpose of Shrine of the Sun?

(answer might be different, depending on whether the player has brought a Unique Personality since the Event resolved, or not)

Yes.

Dead Personality's Reaction

Supposed i have Hayaku in play and 2 units opposing in a battle. I play ToDo.. on the 1st unit thus exploding my Hayaku and producing a "Range:4" action to the 2nd unit. The enemy leader cancels it with Fall On Your Knees. Can i react again with RA:4 ability from the Dying Hayaku?

afaik, it's possible on cases such as "Nizomi reacts a chi upgrade on a personality during a battle-duel" coz the source of the reaction is a card already in play and not discarded. However, on this case, Hayaku is being discarded after he reacts with RA:4.

So, what will it be?

Doji Hayaku says, "Reaction: Before Hayaku is destroyed:"

That would mean that Hayaku is not out of play yet when you use his ability. You play his Reaction before an Effect destroys him. If you cancel the Reaction, he's still in play and you're still on the "before" timing window. Since canceled Actions do not count towards any limit on the number of uses, Hayaku can immediately be used again.

Kuro's Fire and Tsuruchi Technique

Kuro's Fire specifically limits the total strength of the ranged attacks granted by it to the Force + Chi of the shugenja casting it.

Kuro's Fire specifically limits the total strength of the Ranged Attacks produced by its Action.

If you modify the strength the Action produces, it still counts against the total produced by the Action.

Kuro's Fire and Tsuruchi Technique

Example: I have Sezaru with a Kuro's Fure attached. I bow the spell to produce up to 5 ranged attacks with a total strength of 9. I perform 1 ranged 2 attack, killing a 2F follower. I then target a ranged 3 attack, killing a 3F follower. Finally, I target a ranged 4 on a 4F personality. My opponent reacts with Shi-Tien temple, giving his personality +1F, bringing him to 5F. Could I play a tsuruchi technique to raise my ranged attack to a Ranged 7, even though this would increase the Ranged attacks beyond the limit of 9 total strength imposed by Kuro's Fire?

Yes.

Kuro's fire restricts the strength of Ranged Attacks you can declare based on non-optional effects like the continuous effect of Higher Ground or Shinjo Xushen XP ("Smart Cards" Ruling). It can not restrict you from playing additional Reactions to modify the strength after the declaration is already made like Tsuruchi Technique.

Just keep in mind that it DOES count against your total, so if you use it on any RA other than the last one produced by Kuro's Fire, it will cut into your total for further RAs.

the first oni limited action

I was just wondering if the first oni "inexp". Action bows him after the battle that his action created.

It creates an Attack Phase, with all the rules that accompany it (except for creating Battlefields at the Defender's Provinces, by Errata), including bowing Attackers after Battle Resolution and destroying losing or tied armies and all that.

Shrine of Fu Leng

Can you search for the same oni that you destroyed to activate the Shrine of Fu Leng? Example: Destroy Chimamire no Oni and bow Shrine of Fu Leng, grab the same Chimamire no Oni and return him to play.

Effects that let you to search for a particular card (e.g., Walking the Way) do not target the card. [JA, email, 19 January 2001; 23 July 2001; ML, JA, email, 19 October 2004]

That should cover it. You don't target the Oni you bring back with the Shrine, only the one you destroy. You can restore the same oni you sacrificed.

Kan'chek and Fist of Osano Wo

Destroying a spell is considered removing it from play? Is this ruling due to Isawa and Kan'chek specifically? Destroying just about anything else isn't removing it from play, because it goes into your discard pile and can still be targeted, so I just want to get a ruling on this from the Rules Junta. Thanks

Destroying something moves it from In Play to the Discard Pile, which is out of play. That qualifies as removing it from play. Kan'chek doesn't have good mojo with spells that destroy themselves as a cost to cast them.

Kan'chek and Fist of Osano Wo

Destroying just about anything else isn't removing it from play

That's not true. What you're thinking about is "removed from the game," which is different than merely leaving from In Play. A players Home and Battlefields are "in play." Cards in Discard Piles, Hands, Province, and Decks are "out of play" while a few special effects blow a card completely out of the game, where they can't be targeted or have new effects introduced on them other than ones that return them to the game.

Suitengu's Surge and Reactions on cards entering play

If an elemental dragon with a Tengoku Acolyte attached and Suitengu's Surge attached re-enters play, can the Tengoku Acolyte react to the dragon entering play?

Archive, Suitengu's Surge. "Entering play effects occur again when the unit is returned."

Suitengu's Surge and Reactions on cards entering play

When a unit surge's out, can you then pick a new legal target?

Archive, Suitengu's Surge. "The 'before an action targets' clause only puts the timing for this spell ahead of 'when' and 'after' actions target; the unit is targeted."

Mak'irtch and Feign Death

If Mak'irtch is killed, and he Feigns Death, is he considered to have "entered the discard pile" for this ability?

Yes.

Mak'irtch and Feign Death

I was thinking about this, because feign death doesn't prevent destruction, it just returns the card to play(.)

Incorrect. The Personality fully hits the discard pile and is fully destroyed.

more questions

firstly during my opponent's attack phrase he played circle of steel as a terrain(.) i kill Chimamire no Oni and thus triggering his reaction.

do i get to throw the -1C token on my opponent's personality if he has a weapon attached to him?

If the Oni is dying on your turn, then no, such Personalities could not receive tokens. Placement of the tokens targets.

(Edit: Correction.)

more questions

Razor's Edge Dojo: this trait is trigger everytime i do something to my opponent card? or only when i use an action card then the trait reaction??

Action = Limited, Open, Battle, Reaction on any card.

Dark Rings

Are Elemental benefits not considered abilities?

They are not.

Re: Shosuro Hokii and Political Outcast

If I only have bowed courtiers in play, and Shosuro Hokii among them, can my opponent exploit her trait to play Political Outcast?

Yes.

Do all ranged attacks bow ?

I think a ranged attack that does not say "bow this card" in the cost does not require bowing as a cost, but the glossary of the rulebook at "ranged attack" describes it as "an attack for which you bow...."

Can you confirm that bowing is a cost only when it is written on the card ?

Thanks !

- Marty Lund

Deputy Rules Monkey

resolution question

He quote some tourney ruling where JeffA stated if opposed an army need only meet the provence strength.

Ah, yes, the old "someone official said this somewhere, sometime" trick. I hate rumours.

Diamond rulebook, pg. 84: "If the attacking army’s Force total exceeds (not equals) the defending Force total plus the Province’s Strength, destroy the Province and all cards attached to it at the same time as the defending army" (emphasis added).

follow up on more question

Quote:

firstly during my opponent's attack phrase he played circle of steel as a terrain(.) i kill Chimamire no Oni and thus triggering his reaction.

do i get to throw the -1C token on my opponent's personality if he has a weapon attached to him?

Yes. Circle of Steel comes info effect "When the battle ends." Destroying cards is part of the Resolution Segment -- battle's not over yet.

i was trying to mean after the battle resolution, during my phrase where i do all my limited and open action phrase?

Then such Personalities could not receive tokens.

keen eye and legendary confrontation.

surely if you have won the duel already, then it is no longer during?

No. Duels do not end when someone wins. The consequences for winning and losing have yet to resolve (e.g., honor gains).

Voice and "play"

the Voice of the Emperor says, "Political Limited: Once per turn, bow your Stronghold or a Courtier to put an Elemental Ring into play from your hand."

Does that count as "playing" the ring?

Yes.

Soul of the clan

When playing this formation, which of the units moves first into the battle, the one of the player who played the formation or the other player? Can any of them play slaughter the scout bowing the entering unit?

Neither. No.

Re: Reactions on cards entering play

Thanks for the previous answer Zen. could you read through it this time instead of putting a link to the archives which doesn't answer my question.

I did read it. Given that Tengoku Acolytes are triggered by enterting play, the question seemed to be a variation on the commonly asked question whether entering play effects recur. The extra explanation that you added, which was not part of the original question, helps pinpoint the problem and better explain the solution.

Re: Reactions on cards entering play

If a unit that contains a Tengoku Acolyte attached to a Dragon has been Suitengu's Surge'd out of play, and re-enters play, is that Tengoku acolyte allowed to take its reaction? As the entire unit enters play at the same time, can one card in the unit (Tengoku Acolyte) take a reaction to another card in the unit entering play (the dragon).?

Yes, because the Reaction on Tengoku Acolytes is used after the card enters play (card text).

Ciphered Scroll

after exhanging spells in battle with Ciphered Scroll, could I then cast a limited action spell?

No. There is nothing on the card text allowing the casting of a spell that would not be legal at the time.

Mai Exp/Same Old Tricks/ Suitengu's surge

I use Mai's ability a second time during my turn. My opponent then plays Same Old Tricks. Can I use Suitengu's Surge to prevent the removal of Mai's ability?

Yes.

Mai Exp/Same Old Tricks/ Suitengu's surge

If Mai is no longer in play (because of the surge), does my personality still challenge a personality (because of Mai's ability)?

No. The removal of the source does not affect the action that was about to occur (Diamond rules, pg. 72). Same Old Tricks cancels the action (card text), which is a separate effect from removal of the trait.

A couple of questions

1) Tik'tek's Battle action says "Battle: Discard the top three cards of your Fate deck: Once per turn, the enemy leader discards the top 3 cards of his Fate deck." After doing this once during a battle, could I then pay the cost a second time, tossing 3 cards from the top of my Fate deck into my discard pile, then have the action fizzle because the enemy leader only discards due to this action once per turn? I'm not sure if the once per turn applies only to the effects of the action or to the action as a whole, including costs.

"An action's initial restrictions -- the ones that appear before targeting and effects -- govern whether the action is legal to use." [Web of Lies rulesheet]

A couple of questions

2) I checked the FAQ and the Accumulated Rulings, but didn't find mention of this. A Fallen Friend says: "Delayed Terrain Battle: The Defender bows one attacking unit in this battle, then the Attacker bows one defending unit in this battle." If I play it when I have Presence at the battle, then all of my units are destroyed before battle resolution, can I use it's action when the terrain resolves?

You aren't using its action. The "Battle:" on a Terrain refers to the action of playing it originally, which you did legally. Its effect is not a new action and does not need to meet Presence or Relevance to occur. It is also mandatory unless written otherwise (which this card is not).

Voice and "play" [follow up]

Is there somewhere a formal definition of "playing" a card ?

"Playing" varies with card type. For cards that can enter play, like Rings, "playing" more or less means means to enter play.

Ciphered Scroll [follow up]

There is no reason to my point of view not allowing you to cast a limited spell as your next action.

Ciphered Scroll card text does not specially allow you to break any rules for what actions are legal in battle.

Ichido no Shiryo

I have a personality that could grant me 7 tokens (from Ichido no Shiryo) but I only have 2 personalities on the board, do I just get 1 each and the rest are lost or could I stack say 3 on one and 4 on the other?

Two.

Norikazu's Ravings

So if Norikazu's Ravings is in play and a player tries to use a spell, costs are paid, targets are chosen, but are any effects actually produced?

Yes, effects resolve as normal.

Moto Latomu (Experienced) + Fall on your knees

Question, If the opponent is playing unicorn, and he has a Moto Latomu (Experienced) out, and moves one of his guys into battle and attempts to range my guy, can I use fall on your knees to cancel the range attack, or does he just get to react-range again?

Both. You can cancel the action, but your opponent can use it again (Diamond rules, pg. 72).

Ciphered Scroll [follow up²]

My claim, is there is no rule that says that limited action is not legal in a battle.

Diamond rules, pg. 74, emphasis added: "You can use Limited actions (those with the "Limited" indicator) only during your own Action Phase."

Ciphered Scroll's text does not allow your action of casting the Spell to be illegal in any way. It must follow all normal targeting and playability rules. Ciphered Scroll does not let you take a Limited action during a battle.

Jeff Alexander

Lead Designer, L5R CCG

Alderac Entertainment Group, Inc.

Suitengus' Surge + Blood calls to Blood

Scenario...

My opponent attacks. I assign a defender opposing an attacking unit.

1.) My opponent plays a card targeting my defender that destroys it.

2.) I react with Blood calls to Blood.

3.) I react with Surge as soon as I target with Blood

Which happens?

a.) Blood calls to Blood resolves, Surge flops

b.) Surge resolves, Blood flops

c.) Blood resolves, Surge resolves, the province strength still increases.

d.) Blood resolves, Surge resolves, province strength unchanged.

I'm asking in light of the clarifications on Surge and due to the Shinjo's Courage question answered on this forum.

E.) Surge Resolves, removing the unit from the game. Then Blood resolves, failing to remove the card from the game, but increasing the Province Strength. At the beginning of the next turn, Surge returns the unit to the game.

Chiyeko and Make Your Stand

If Kakita Chiyeko has the Courtier trait, can she be used to pay the cost and issue duels with Make Your Stand while she's bowed?

I'll open with this: Kakita Chiyeko herself works the way she does because Dave Williams says so. She's not a precedent for any other cards or interactions.

Chiyeko is supposed to be able to unbow herself to be able to legally issue challenges, including challenges with a cost of bowing her. Chiyeko could issue challenges with Judgement which said, "Limited: This Personality bows to issue an unrefusable challenge to a Dishonored Personality."

In for that point, Chiyeko's bowed status won't stop her from doing this action.

Tokaro and Bowing Follow Up

With Tokaros Send Home and Bowing Being 2 Seperate Issues, If I Target a Personality at Home With His Ability, will it Bow Him if He Guives Me the Holding?

If Torako's ability creates the effect "move the target Personality home and bow him," and the Personality is already home, unbowed, the movement fails but the Personality gets bowed.

If the Personality is at the battle, bowed, he gets sent home and the bowing fails.

If the Personality is at home, bowed, both effects fail.

Norikazu's Ravings + Surge

If I try to surge person with surge attached while Norikazu's Ravings out, which happens:

See Archive, General, Spells. The spell is considered "cast" before effects resolve. So it's this one:

Norikazu's Ravings + Surge

Ravings destory the spell then unit removed from game.

Surge ruling clarification.

When destroying a unit to pay the cost of something (Overwhelmed, TDWWM, Price of Power, etc) can you surge out your unit to negate its destruction and still have the card's effect go off as normal?

No; you didn't pay the cost. That said, be careful to read the individual card texts! Price of Power, for instance, only requires targeting in its cost. Covered here and here and here.

Victory or Death & No Victory

Question: can you win a Victory or Death challenge (against the most expensive enemy personality), search for No Victory (as per the text of Victory or Death), and then immediately play that copy of No Victory as per its text?

It seems to me that this is the idea of how the two cards are intended to work together, but I don't see how this fits with the following ruling from the accumulated rulings:

Quote:

Outside effects and reactions triggered by winning or losing a duel occur before the results of the duel itself, because winning occurs when Chi totals are compared and one is found to be higher. [JA, 19-20 February 2004]

Since No Victory is triggered "After you win a duel", whilst Victory or Death's search effect is a standard result of the duel, by the above ruling, the opportunity to react with No Victory falls before the opportunity to search for it.

Is this correct?

You've got a solid point there. It'll let you get No Victory, but the time to play No Victory has already come and gone.

That's just like the Walking the Way for Ring of Air situation, come to think of it.

So you can't follow up a Victory or Death with the copy of No Victory it fetches for you - at least until Jeff says otherwise.

Hida Atsumori during ambush

If i Ambush a Personality without attached card with Hida Atsumori, if i use his battle , does the opponent have to discard a card or can he refuse?

The player has the option of discarding or not; that's the only decision (Archive, General rules, Decisions). If the player does not discard, the following effects will simply fail to resolve.

Victory/Death/No Victory Follow Up

Doesn't that whole cardinal rule thing come into play here?

No. Nothing on the card texts of Victory or Death or No Victory overrides the general rule.

Victory/Death/No Victory Follow Up

The intended effect of the two cards was that they would interact with each other, correct?

"Intention" is only one factor in making rulings, and it often is a small consideration. Rules have to be consistent, and if "intention" and consistency fight... Let's just say that a ruling on "intent" affects one card; an issue with consistency affects many cards.

Victory/Death/No Victory Follow Up

So per the rulebook, you can't do it. Doesn't that whole cardinal rule thing come into play here? The intended effect of the two cards was that they would interact with each other, correct?

The First Cardinal Rule says nothing about intent.

The cards, as worded, do not let you play Victory or Death first, fetch No Victory, and then play the fetched No Victory in that same duel. This will not change until errata is issued to the rulebook or the cards in question, or until the current general rulings on timing within duels are reversed. Whether this particular card interaction was the intent (and it clearly wasn't) is irrelevant because the rules are unambiguous and this interaction does not create a power issue.

The Rules Team is considering refersing the ruling that Reactions and triggered effects that occur "when you win a duel" occur in the middle of resolution prior to the duel's own win/loss results, and instead have them occur immediately after the duel ends, as the current ruling produces several unintuitive and complicated results. However, we have not yet made this reversal, and will not until after the Kotei season is over even if we do decide it is the best course of action.

VICTORY OR DEATH AND NO VICTORY AGAIN

i thought that on any one action you are able to play as many reactions as possible on the original action that was played. so being that the ability to search for the no victory is part of the victory or death, shouldn't the reaction to play the no victory still be in the whole reaction phase of the duel.

No.

Here's how it goes: Enter the challenge. Personalities focus. One strikes. Flip the cards and total stat plus focus values.

Determine the winner; the Personality with the higher stat wins.

Play Reactions to winning the duel. the trigger has just occurred, and you can't wait to play the Reaction until other effects from the action have resolved (e.g., honor gains, etc.).

Continue to resolve those other effects of the duel, which, in this case, is to retreive a card and put it in your hand.

The current rules are unambiguous. There is no wiggle room. We're not going to "leave it that way" because it never was "that way." Not really. Just because many people assumed it was legal does not make it legal. I'm not saying it's intuitive, but it is consistent. I do not believe that players really want a game where two cards can have the exact same text but not work the same way. Enforcing consistency in the rules causes short-term pain, but long-term gain.

Khol Wall

is khol wall"s ability able to be used if the stronghold is bowed

Diamond rules, pg. 54: no.

Khol Wall

is the khol walls ability to switch personalities between provinces considered moving them(?)

Archive, General, Battle, Action segment: yes.

W or D and NV again

the argument is aren't you still in the whole reaction phase of things.... or are you just stating the fact that the reactions would have to resolve before the whole cards ablility to search for the no victory would come in.

Reactions must be played as soon as the trigger occurs, not after other effects have resolved. You can play more than one Reaction is response to winning a duel, but those have to be played as soon as it's known which Personality wins. The moment something else happens, the window of opportunity has passed.

This is a done deal for now. Things may change later, but I wouldn't expect it until Lotus Edition if I were you.

dirty politics

can someone redirect a honor loss to a shadowlands player then use dirty politics

No.

Last Shadows Claw Question

Quote:

Quote:

Mithras wrote:

Doesn't that imply that the focussed card has to be one of the 5 that you looked at?

Normally, yes, but The Shadow's Clan is played instead of focusing (Archive, The Shadow's Claw). Also, remember that in this scenario, the second copy of The Shadow's Claw is in your hand, not one of the cards looked at.

Does this mean I can draw 5 and then focus using my Tsuma Dojo?

That would follow logically from what Marty wrote (here).

I didn't see this one until it came up to go in the Digest.

The important part here is the exact text of Tsuma Dojo and Shadow's Claw.

Tsuma Dojo says, "Focus with it instead of with a card from your hand."

Shadow's Claw does not have you focus with a card from your hand, but rather a card from the top of your deck. You can't use Tsuma Dojo's effect to replace it.

- Marty Lund

Deputy Rules Monkey

Followup on Show of Good Faith and Loyal

Marty's answer made me wonder...

mlund wrote:

So it would be just like the Otomo Ambassador / Singular Holding example in the Archive - can't give it back until Paneki gets the Unicorn Clan trait or loses the Loyal trait.

(Background: Scorpion vs Unicorn; Scorpion plays Paneki, Unicorn Eggs him, Scorpion steals him with Show and cannot give him back since he's not Unicorn and is Loyal)

Does that mean, if the Egged Paneki somehow gains the Unicorn Clan trait, he also immediately changes controller?

(Say, if, as the Scorpion player, I then attach a Tejina's Blessing to him and give him the Unicorn Clan trait so I can play a Now Face Me - so this is not a purely hypothetical question)

If you are supposed to return a card due to the expiration of an effect that granted you control, but can not due to Loyal, Singular, etc., you return it as soon as it is legal to do so.

In the example given, yes, you would have to fork over the Unicorn player's Egg of Paneki XP2 as soon as Paneki gains the Unicorn Clan Trait or loses the Loyal trait.

That's the same as the Otomo Ambassadors / Singular issue - if you lose the other copy of the Singular Holding, you get the "pending" copy back from the guy whose theft-effect expired, but could not return it due to singular.

Zen Faulkes wrote:

Jeff Alexander already explicitly said that the Loyal trait is waived in sealed deck.

_________________

Zen Faulkes! * Crab Clan Scholar * Unaligned Archivist

This is the part cited from Code of Bushido.

Code of Bushido wrote:

Clan joining restrictions (“X will only join X Clan.”, “X will not join X Clan.”) are waived.

Much effort has been made to point out that by rulebook definition, Loyal is not a trait.

"Loyal" is a trait, although that fact bears no matter on the question at hand.

The relevant part of the Web of Lies rulesheet is this:

"When a Personality has the Loyal trait, he or she will not join you unless he or she is aligned with your Faction."

This is a restriction against joining you based on Clan (which is an outdated term that means the exact same thing that "Faction" means now). It is clearly waived by the Code of Bushido under the Sealed Deck tournament format.

Loyal

In open format, will Shosuro (from dawn) join a ninja player? ?

Yes.

Honor's Lesson Dojo VS. Fall on Your Knees

Will a Fall on Your Knees be able to stop the Honor's Lesson Dojo?

Yes.

rain of death + explored territory

I've read that if you bow and destroy an opposing tactician for the second habilities ef rain of death(...)

Wait:

Archive, General rules, Costs: "You cannot pay costs using another player's cards."

Palm strike and bowed personalities

Is it legal to cast\redirect a Palm Strike on a bowed personality or it wouldn't because all effects are already known to fail?

Ask the redirection question: Could you aim it there in the first place? (Diamond rules, pg. 74). Yes, because nothing on Palm Strike requires an unbowed target.

Rage of matsu + Kenson Gakka

If i give one of my personalities (under Kenson Gakka) tactician trait from rage of matsu can i give it force bonuses from tactician actions?

"Kenson Gakka only affects Personalities who do not have the Tactician Trait without Kenson Gakka giving it to them. If you hit someone with Moment of Brilliance or Fan of Command, Kenson Gakka's effect on them will expire. That means he's just a regular Tactician with no restrictions on Force Bonuses or anything." [ML, 26 May 2004]

More on Loyal

(W)ill any of the Thunders that have the loyal trait join the Dragon if Yokuni is in play?

Yes.

little question hihihi

can i redirect the stay your blade whith tangen sensei to another player personalitie?

Diamond rules, pg. 74: you can't redirect costs.

Kyuden Bayushi and Open Warfare/Amnesia

KB gets two Winds because of its trait. If that trait ceases to be effective (OPen Warfare, Amnesia), the implication, based on p.58, is that KB can only have one Wind.

Diamond rules, pg. 55: conditions for putting a card into play only matter when playing it. This situation exactly parallels Amnesia or Open Warfare and Khol Wall; second regions aren't discarded if a Khol Wall player's box is "erased."

Another Amnesia Question

On p.58 of the DE rulebook:

Quote:

A Sensei changes your Stronghold. Abilities and traits on a Sensei are considered to be on your Stronghold as well.

That rule is obsolete and has been superceded by the Web of Lies rulesheet. Sensei no longer modify strongholds.

battle and Te'tik'kir

a player uses Te'tik'kir's ability in a battle as a battle action. By doing this, where does the "Resurrected" rat come into play? in the battle or at home?

Where everything normally enters play: home.

few against many and duels

Can i use few against many reaction when one of my personnality dies in a duel(?)

Yes, because the Reaction trigger is before the Personality's destruction.

Tactical Actions - Documented Tactician Requirement?

p.92 of the diamond rule book reads: " Such personalities have the Tactician trait, and are the only personalities allowed to perform tactical actions." Is that supposed to also imply that Tactical actions, MUST be performed by tacticians?

Yes.

Tactical Actions - Documented Tactician Requirement?

p.33 : An action that “counts as a use of Tactician” is a Tactical action. Does that then imply that Tactical actions require the use of a Tactician?

No (though it doesn't contradict it, either!), that's just a statement to integrate how cards were written prior to Diamond Edition with those in Diamond Edition and beyond.

Jusai and Soul of the Clan

Can Soul of the Clan straighten Mitsu/Jusai if they have any fire tokens on them?

Yes. "Even if they cannot straighten," Soul of the Clan card text.

Book of Air question

Does (Book of Air) count as bringing a personality into play?

Yes.

Setting chi

If one of my personalities has a Chi bonus, and the other player set it to "his printed chi"... is this a Chi reduction that can be redirected?

It depends. Could that Personality have had the Chi reduction in the first place? (Diamond rules, pg. 74)

Setting chi

A unicorn player has a Lamotu exp. on play, so when he switches his personalities, he makes a ranged attack. If i react with a Fall on Your knees (reaction to the Ranged attack), the ranged attack is canceled. but some people says that the movement (switch) has not ended, so the can still react (again) with the ranged attack (so i lost my Fall on nothing).

It's not that the movement is still occurring, it's that the opportunity to respond to it isn't over until everyone passes on their chance to play Reactions. There's usually little point to playing Fall on Your Knees on abilities that do not have some cost associated with them (e.g., bowing), because those can usually be taken again.

Setting chi

The force (or chi) bonus from an item (or anything that has a "+"), adds directly to the personality? .. i mean, for purposes of "printed force", the item does count or does not ?

It does not. "Printed" = ink on that card alone. +2F (say) is a bonus.

Face down cards

Is a player allowed to change the order of the face down cards that make up his hand? I seem to remember a ruling that you cannot change the order or position of any face down card unless a card effect does so. But there is nothing in the accumulated rulings. This is particulary relevant to Bayushi Kamnan xp:

Quote:

Scorpian Clan Samurai. Spy. Experienced. Unique Limited: Once per turn, permanently lose two Chi to look at up to four face-down cards. You may then pay 2 Gold to discard one.

For example can a player, given that he has already used Kamnan on his opponent's hand and that the opponent has drawn more cards in between the 2 uses of Kamnan, then ask to see card X and Y (that were previously shown to him) and the 2 new cards that were drawn?

Yes. (Edit: Correction.)

Face down cards

But there is nothing in the accumulated rulings.

It will be in the next update; the general rule section now titled "Draw" will be renamed "Drawing and looking."

I think Zen may have misread the questions, especially since he gave only one answer.

Yes, players can freely rearrange the cards in their hands, in general. There are no rules allowing it, but there are none prohibiting it either, and prohibiting it would cause many issues with supposedly hidden information becoming compromised.

Rearranging them in the middle of Kamnan's effect is irrelevant. The player who saw the cards specifies which one of the four he's seen is to be discarded. There is no way to "dodge out of the way" of this effect by physically hiding and moving the card between when it's seen and when it's picked. The ones he's seen remain the ones he's seen no matter what.

Kamnan's player may not demand to see again the cards he saw the first time upon re-using Kamnan's ability in the same turn. He is not allowed to pick which cards to see based on past information which is now hidden to him.

Jeff Alexander

Lead Designer, L5R CCG

Alderac Entertainment Group, Inc.

explored territory + rain of death (2)

've read that if you bow and destroy an opposed tactician for the second habilitie ef rain of death, the destruction is negated but the "bow part" of the cost is already paid so you can destroy (again) the tactician to pay the remaining cost.

but the question is can i pay the remaining cost with another personnality which is bowed? does it count as another tactical action and "use" the tactical trait of the other personnality?

i'm afraid zen misunderstood my question (sorry it wasn't clear) I meant with one of my personality.

Explored Territory

"Immediate Terrain

Battle: The next time one of your cards in this battle (other than Explored Territory) would be destroyed by a card effect, negate the destruction and draw a card." [emphasis mine]

Explored Territory will not negate destruction costs. It doesn't interfere with paying the cost of actions, such as Rain of Death, To Do What We Must, or Overwhelmed.

Yayinjen

(I)ts legal to use Chuda Michime on one of my personalities, and the react with Yajinden to redirected it to another playe's personality?

Yes.

Shosuro Tsuyoshi!!!!

wen some one target him limited can eh react ? o just in batle??

See Archive entry on Shosuro Tsuyoshi.

Mirumoto Gukochi and winning duels

winning is determine right then cards are shown and you add to stats. So if i (Mirumoto Gukochi) win a chi duel, then wouldn't my chi be a lot ( assuming i focus a lot of cards) when is reaction tiggers giving me a lot of (Force).

Correct, but those force bonuses wear off when the duel ends. The force bonus to the unit fluctuates with Gukochi's Chi, rather than being a one-time bonus. (Edit: Correction.)

Khol wall again

sorry i tried searching on it but i am still getting used to the whole forum thing.....just a newbe when it comes to doing this....

my question is this when revealing cards in your provinces during your beginnning phase, and a region pops up and you refill the province and another region pops up.... does the second region just stay there till the beginning of your next turn/ end of your events phase or does the province refill again.

society_of_underpaid_gamers

Short answer: It just stays there.

Long answer:

During the Events Phase, each Province gets exactly one chance for a Region or Event to resolve from it. This chance occurs one Province at a time as you move from left to right turning them face-up, if necessary, then checking for these card types. An Event or Region that appears face-up in a Province at any time before or after this one check, even during the same Events Phase, does not resolve instantly. It just sits there.

Actually turning from face-down to face-up isn't necessary to resolve an Event or Region. One that was already face-up will resolve just the same.

You may voluntarily discard face-up cards of any type that are in your Provinces during your Dynasty Phase, after you have completely finished buying cards from them.

fall and feign death

If I play feign death on a personality that dies from a resolution of a battle, can my opponent play fall on your knees to cancel it?

No, not the action segment (Fall on Your Knees text).

fall and feign death

One of my personalities is dying, and ANOTHER player plays feign death for it... who loses the honor? the controller of the personality or the player who play it?

Same as every other card with an honor loss printed as an effect: the one who played it.

Gozoku Pawn

there's a rumor circulating in my group about a ruling that may or may not have been made regarding this card(.)

You know, we take pretty great pains to try to do as much possible out in the open here. The question to ask is, "Where was this ruling made?" If on this forum, a search will find it pronto.

Gozoku Pawn

if they have no legal targets (i.e. none of my personalities have lower chi) do they still have to target one of my personalities?

Search reveals I answered this one.

What may be happening is that people are misinterpreting the question, "If the player using Gozoku Pawn has no Personalities with lower Chi than the target opponent, it is legal to play Gozoku Pawn at all?" (Here).

Forward Sentries and Latomu

If I bring in an oppoents bowed unicorn personilty into a battle with foward sentries, can he use the range attack reaction granted to him by Latomu?

Diamond rules, pg. 54: no.

Redirection

imagine 2 scorpions and 3 cranes .... scopion attack, as the defender cranes have firts batle o open action, the crane use To Do What We Must. the cranes player choose the personalitie.

1. can u redirect that personality to another crane ...

2. if i choose one my personalities die can i redirect to cranes personalities.

all these are legal targets .... can i redirec my personlities to them??

This question is very difficult to understand. I'll guess at the answer.

The initial destruction (usually Crane) is a cost, and cannot be redirected (Diamond rules, pg. 74). The second destruction is an effect, and can be redirected to a target that could have legally been picked in the first place (Diamond rules, pg. 74).

ruleing on ninja shape shift

if a ninja shapeshifter copys pan ku's ability to permantly copy the force of another personality, does it only last the turn(?)

Diamond rules, pg. 68: Effects from copied abilities have normal durations, other than tokens or effects that depend on its own card.

More Mitsu Goodness

Does Mitsu/Jusai still gain 6f from Temples of the New Tao?

No.

Misdirection

I challenge a duel in one of my opposing peeps, then my opponent uses this card. Can he/she redirect it to my own peeps? What about I use Rain of Death or To Do What We Must? Can he/she do the same way?

Diamond rules, pg. 74.

Mystic ground and regions of rokugan

My opponent say that he doesn't have to pay the requirement of bowing a monk or a shugenja for bringing (Mystic Ground)into play when he searched it from his deck with the event "regions of rokuagn".

Your opponent is incorrect. The event does not waive costs.

Re: cost reduction and glory of the shogun

The event Glory of the Shogun was resolved. And I play an item with gold cost more that 4, but, it cost is reduced by some way... (por example, Exquisite armor, costs 6, but costs 3 less Gold when ...), so, it cost 6, but i pay 3... do i draw a card after attaching it?

Glory of the Shogun looks for current cost, not printed. No draws for you.

Scroll Cache

My stronghold is Kyuden Agasha, I play Scroll Cache and attach Purge the Weak. How much gold do I have to play?

This one:

Scroll Cache

Kyuden Agasha does not reduce the gold cost of Purge, so Scroll Cache lowers it to 0.

Re: singular trait

I cannot BRING a singular card INTO PLAY if I already control a singular card with the same name.

Not quite. You are prohibited from having two copies of a card with the Diamond rules, pg. 104: Singular limits you to one at all times. Bug Marty for more details; he's been more active in ruling on this trait than me.

Re: singular trait

What if I use Tokaro's ability to steal a holding from the oponent, and I choose a singular holding that I already have in play. Since both holding were already in play, can i do it?

The card will stay where it is. Because control can't be transferred, a Personlaity will have to be destroyed. (Edit: Addition.)

Follow up on Invincible Legions

In (Invincible Legions) it must be made by your personalites, In Spirits and other formations can it involve other personalities that you don't control like in a multiplayer game?

Web of Lies rulesheet: allies can normally help create formations. Cards that specify "your Personalities and so on do not check allied units.

Attaching cards and Suitengu´s Surge

what happens when I am going to attach a weapon

to one of my personalities and I use Suitengu´s Surge? the weapon is discarted, returns to my hand, or something else?

Action is announced, target is picked, target leaves, costs are paid (Archive, Canceling and negation), effect fails, Fate card is discarded (Archive, Costs).

Discard Pile?

Are cards in the discard pile considered "face up" or "face down"?

Diamond rules, pg. 51.

Discard Pile?

Is it legal to rearrange the order of cards in your discard pile, or would this be a violation of some rule?

Given they're face up, why would it matter? No.

Wikki'thich-hie Z-ee + Suitengu's Surge

If I (cast Suitengu's Surge on Wikki'thich-hie Z-ee), what happens when he leaves play?

Archive, Suitengu's Surge: "Existing effects will continue for their normal durations."

Wikki'thich-hie Z-ee + Suitengu's Surge

What happens when he re-enters?

Archive, Suitengu's Surge: "Entering play effects occur again when the unit is returned."

about regions

(I)if a region is revealed out of this phase (for exemple with koll wall when i put cards face up on my regions in play or with seruma in my dynasty phase), what about this region?

It stays where it is until it can enter play. Same with events.

Shosuro Infiltrator question

When (does Shosuro Infiltrator) returns to a personality (before or after personality bows due to a battle resolution)?

After.

Opposing retrictions for cards in play but not in an army

Hello.

Opposing retrictions for cards in play but not in an army

Sorry to bring back this one.

"Opposing" restriction vs Rain of death's second action.

From March 2005 Ruling Archive

konn wrote:

I have 2 tacticians on battlefield A, one tactician on Battlefield B, and one tactician on my home. I'm resolving battle A first. I play RoD. ¿Can I use the ability of destroy 2 opossing cards on battlefield B (destroying my tactician on B)?

Yes.

From March 2005 Ruling Archive

A reference to "an opposing card" means "a card opposing this card"

when it is used on a card that can be in [an army]. It instead means

"a card opposing a card you control" when used on something else.

From DE rulebook.

An action which refers to “this battle” always refers to the battle currently being resolved. In addition, if the card it appears on is of a type which can be in battles (such as a Personality), the card must be in the current battle for the action to be legal.

The Diamond Edition Rulebook, page 81 wrote:

A player can take an action that refers to an “opposing” card or “this battle,” or that includes an implicating phrase such as “another attacking card” or “the Province this card is defending,” only if the card on which the action is printed is in the current battle.

From Acc. Rulings.

actions targeting "opposing" cards require the card making the action be in the current battle. [Extension from Moto Latomu, 12 May 2004]

card text

Tactical Battle: Bow and destroy the performing Tactician: Target two cards opposing him that have no unbowed cards attached. Destroy them.

So when you try to destroy your tactician in battle B,while resolving battle A.

-you have presence (the 2 tacticians.)

-you have relevance (the action comes from the formation that is in the current battle)

-the card that has the action with "opposing" is in the current battle, but

-Since the formation cant be opposing (it cant be in an army only in battlefields) it must transmit the opposing to other card that is in the army.

Opposing means cards in an army that has an enemy army at the same battlefield.

[It instead means "a card opposing a card you control" when used on something else.]

So now is the tactician in battlefield B who must meet the "opposing"

Q)Has the tactician to meet the "opposing"?

Q)when [It instead means "a card opposing a card you control" when used on something else.] is applied you only check if the card with the action on it is in the current battle?

Q)Rain of death is "special". Could this be applied to other formations/terrains?(cards that can be in battlefields but not in an army)

Thanks.

Greetings.

Re-read page 81.

In the case of Kumari and Rain of Death the card with the Action is in the Current Battle.

So page 81 is satisfied by Rain of Death simply being in the Current Battle - regardless of where the targets and Tactician are.

As for "opposing" in relation to Rain of Death - Rain of Death can't oppose anything. It can't be in an Army. When using a Reference to "opposing" from something that can't be in an Army, you have to find out what it is refering to actually establishing opposition. It might mention another card to be opposed like the Tactician who paid the cost of the second ability, or it might mention no one like the first ability on Rain of Death - in which case it means opposing you the player.

We have definitions that fit both those situations, and precedents for them as well. For the first ability of Rain of Death, see how Tsuruchi Technique and Arrows from the Woods work. For the second ability, check out To Do What We Must.

Legions charge

Legions charge : Reaction: Play when a phase ends in which two or more of your Personalities were destroyerd by one other player's actions. If it was an Attack Phase, create a permanent +4F/4C Cavalry Samurai Personality card with 4 Personal Honor in your home under your control. If it was not an Attack Phase, create two such cards.

isawa sachi : .../... Reaction: After a Personality you control is destroyed, bow Sachi: Target the Personality and one of your Provinces. Discard a card from the Province then fill it with the Personality.

here is the situation. I have a legions charge personnality and sachi in play. Can i react with sachi if my legions charge is destroyed? If no, why? If yes, what is the cost of this personnality to bring it into play?

It is a Personality Card, not a Token (card text). It goes to the Discard Pile when destroyed as Honorable Dead like every other Personality Card.

Any unspecified number of the card would default to "0" when you need a reference.

Tamori Shiki

Can Tamori Shiki straighten himself after any personality entered play (due to her reaction) ? Or only exactly this entering play personality ?

Here.

Discard pile order

In a recent post, Mr. Faulkes stated that the order of the discard piles does not matter.

That is not what I wrote. Please read my post again. I asked why it would matter. I then said, "No," to the question asked, meaning, "No, you are not allowed to reorder your discard pile." Thereby rendering all further questions asked in this post moot.

Also, if you insist on formality (I don't; I prefer Zen), it's "Doctor," not "Mister," actually.

Feign Death

If I try to Feign Death a personality with 0 chi, when will it be dishonored?

Effects occur in the order written on the card, so Immediately after being returned to play, before the honor loss.

Feign Death

Are rulebook effects checked continuously?

I'm not sure there's any general answer to that question.

Confused on Surge/Price of Power

I thought I'd read a ruling that stated that if a target leaves play between the targeting step and the effects step of an action then the action is cancelled.

I suspect you're thinking of this ruling from the Archive, Actions: "If one or more of an action's targets become illegal between when they are chosen and when the action begins to resolve, that action will not affect those targets. This remains true even if they become illegal, then return to being legal."

"Does not affect those targets" is not canceling.

Surge + tokens

Hello.

Tokens cannot be sent to your Fate hand, deck, or discard pile. [ZF, 4 October 2003; JA, October 2003]

i-They dont move(the effect is negated) or are they removed from the game instead?

ii-What happens if a token-card is moved to a province(in) instead of in the deck?

iii-If a token personality gets surged is he removed from the game?

iv-the same happens with token followers,etc?

v-A card personality created by a effect (action,etc) is represented by a token, are they Tokens if the action didnt describe them as tokens?

I know that the "Cards" thing comes from the initial rule that only followers were toke-cards, but this has changed.So actions that created personalities were worded to create "cards".

Edit:ignore question iii and iv

Removed from game.

Surge + tokens

What happens if a token-card is moved to a province(in) instead of in the deck?

Removed from game.

Surge + tokens

A card personality created by a effect (action,etc) is represented by a token, are they Tokens if the action didnt describe them as tokens?

No.

Another Misdirection question...

Ok I looked at the rules on redirecting but am still unclear on some things. It says you cannot redirect targets after a challeng has been accepted but says nothing about when targets are declared..so does that mean you can have said challenge redirected to one of that players own personalities? Also what about Rain of Death?... It says tactical battle produce 2 consecutive range 3s..now the rules state they can only target the enemy army but once the action is declared I misdirect and target enemy units? Is that right? Also what about Utaku Tarako and Yoritomo Etsui? Can I redirect those actions back at them? Sorry but one more thing.. I played some one who used Yoritomo Tokaro and targeted my Daikoku and said because he had his he couldn't steal it so I had no option but to destroy my own peep. Does this work..it almost seems too effective because everyone plays daikoku. Thanks alot your help is appreciated.

Please review Diamond rules, pg. 74 in addition to these answers.

Another Misdirection question...

does that mean you can have said challenge redirected to one of that players own personalities?

No, because a player cannot have two of his or her own Personalities duel (Diamond rules, pg. 88).

Another Misdirection question...

Rain of Death?... now the rules state they can only target the enemy army but once the action is declared I misdirect and target enemy units?

No, because a player cannot shoot into his own army (Diamond rules, pg. 90).

Another Misdirection question...

Also what about Utaku Tarako and Yoritomo Etsui? Can I redirect those actions back at them?

Can their abilities be used on a player's own armies in the first place? Tarako: No, because, by erratum, her ability says "opposing." Etsui: Yes.

Another Misdirection question...

(S)ome one who used Yoritomo Tokaro and targeted my Daikoku and said because he had his he couldn't steal it so I had no option but to destroy my own (Personality.)

Here.

Rulebook Limited Card Movement

By rulebook page 77, players, as a Limited action, may:

"Move attached cards between two or more of his unbowed Personalities bowing the personalities first as a cost. This targets every card bowed and moved"

Can I bow 2 personalities that DO Not have any cards attached to take this action or would "smart cards" prevent this?

Not so much the smart cards ruling; you're missing a required legal target (attached cards).

Rulebook Limited Card Movement

(If) I only have 1 attachment in play, would the reference to "2 or more" imply that I could bow ALL (more than 2) of my guys in a single action to attempt to move that one item?

No.

Overwhelmed

(D)oes (Overwhlemed) actually target?

Diamond rules, pg. 72: Yes. When you play it, it forces an opponent to traget his or her own cards, however.

Hordes of the Nezumi

Is "before your turn ends" an actual, specific time (i.e. just before you bow and let the the other guy go) or is it anytime before the turn ends?

Just like "after" means "immediately after," "before" means "immediately before."

Come one at a time + bowed

Hello.

"When you play a card that creates a challenge, choose one of your unbowed personality."-DE rulebook.

"Come One at a Time

Immediate Terrain. Battle: While there is only one defending Personality, that Personality may, as a Battle action, issue an unrefusable challenge to an opposing Personality....."

Since taking the action isnt playing a card (Playing" a card is considered "taking an action" in all ways if the card is an Action card. [JA, email, 25 June 2004])

And the terrain in already in play (so you are not playing it now)

You can challenge with a bowed personality, since you are not "playing a card that creates a challenge",cant you?

Greetings.

The challenges from Come One At a Time can only be isued by an unbowed Personality (Diamond rules, pg. 54).

Overwhelmed Follow-up

does that mean I can use Flee the Darkness when my opponent Overwhelms?

No. In the earlier thread, I was only answering the general question of "Does Overwhelmed target?", which it does. I've tidied up my earlier post.

Ancient Battlefield + Presence/Relevence

Let's say that my opponent reduces Tokaro's chi with Written in Blood and he dies. I now have no one on the boards. I declare a Raid battle, pay 2 gold, and play Ancient Battlefield. Does this work?

In my support:

In the case of Strategic Crossroad it was ruled that you couldn't because it would create an action that would create presence, but didn't in and of itself. In the case of Ancient Battlefield the terrain itself will create presence when it resolves.

See Archive, Ancient Battlefield.

Many-Temple Master

I have akodo tadenori exp in play already, he is unique. Then I put a many temples master on a normal tadenori is this legal?

Yes. "(I)s not considered Unique" (Many-Temple Master card text).

Sezaru Vs. Relevance.

Since there are no shugenja in the players army, is it a legal action (aka relevant) to use Sezaru's ability to straighten all shugenja?

No.

Redirection - Tangen Sensei

(Tangen Sensei) can't redirect ranged attacks to the player that is creating the ranged, I belive this is correct.

Diamond rules, pg 74: Could they have been picked in the first place? They cannot.

Redirection - Tangen Sensei

Can Tangen Sensei redirect False Trail to one personalitie controled by the player that played False Trail? The same goes to Block Suply Lines.

Diamond rules, pg 74: Could they have been picked in the first place? Block Supply Lines: No. False Trail: No.

Redirection - Tangen Sensei

(Tangen Sensei) can't redirect an action that becomes ilegal, like redirect a Refugees to a personalitie with followers, I belive that this is correct.

Diamond rules, pg 74: Could they have been picked in the first place? You could not have targeted someone with followers with Refugees in the first place.

I apologise with regards to the 3rd question of the last post I made at this forum. Someone has kindly pointed out to me that there has already been a ruling archived that Terrains only affect cards in their battle.

One important question that I had forgotten to ask however was the interaction between other Formations?

Example:

Endless Horde

Center Formation Formed by a Personality with a Follower and a Samurai or Bushi Personality with a Follower. Battle: Bow one of your non-token Followers to destroy an opposing Follower, Item or Personality with no Followers or Items.

I have attacking units in Province A and B. There are defending units in Province A and B. I resolve Province A first and successfully 'form' the formation Endless Horde. May I bow one of my non-token Followers in Province B to destroy an opposing Follower, Item or Personality with no Followers or Items in Province B.

Likewise, does the rule apply to other Formations?

Also, how does this rule interact with non-Formation action cards such as Brutal Confrontation? Can I bow one of my personalities in another Province to issue a duel to a personality opposing him in that Province?

Thank you for your time and attention.

Endless Horde has the same sort of interaction as the second Ability on Rain of Death. You can form it in the Current Battle and employ the Battle Action with Non-Token Followers in another Battle against targets at that battle.

Brutal Confrontation, on the other hand, is not a card at the Battlefield. It is an Action Card that is played, then goes to the Discard Pile. It gives players a series of Actions to use for the rest of the battle. However, those Actions are not printed on a card at the battle, thusly they can not use that criteria to meet the Rule of Relevance.

So their targets, typically, must be at the Current Battle to have the Action be Relevant, much like Tsuruchi Technique or Arrows from the Woods.

Make your stand in other battles,etc.

Hello.

After this http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15349

i-Can Make Your Stand and/or Come one at a time be used at another

battlefield like rain of death/endless horde?

-Relevance & opposing(the terrain is in the current battle) and presence(you have a unit, since if you dont have you could not play the terrain) are meet.

Make your Stance Immediate Terrain. Battle: You may perform the action: “Political Battle: Bow a Courtier you control: Target a Samurai you control in the current battle and a Personality opposing him. The Samurai issues the other target an unrefusable challenge.”

Immediate Terrain. Battle: While there is only one defending Personality, that Personality may, as a Battle action, issue an unrefusable challenge to an opposing Personality, and each player may, as a Battle action, send one of his or her bowed or unbowed attacking units home bowed. The defending Personality, if there is one, may take one such challenge action immediately after this Terrain is played.

Thanks.

Greetings.

Can Make Your Stand and/or Come one at a time be used at another battlefield like rain of death/endless horde?

No. Archive, Terrains: "Terrains only affect cards in their battle."

Rain of Death and "Opposing" - Updated, take a loo

I am very confused over the recent rulings that Rain of Death can be used for the second Battle action in battles other than that which is being resolved (please see Marty's many explanations). I understand how it meets relevance, action coming from the card in the current battle etc. I can't see how it can be used based on these previous rulings from Jeff:

Moto Kumari

Cannot use his Reaction upon moving to a battle other than the current one, because it targets an opposing Personality, and actions targeting "opposing" cards require the card making the action be in the current battle. [Extension from Moto Latomu, 12 May 2004]

Moto Latomu

Cannot use his Reaction upon moving to a battle other than the current one, because Ranged Attacks target opposing cards, and actions targeting "opposing" cards require the card making the action be in the current battle. [JA, email, 12 May 2004]

Seems to me that the use of the "opposing" in Rain of Death would have the same limitation. My reasoning:-

1) Although RoD can meet relevance by being at a battle, it can never be opposed as it is not in an army. Therefore the word "opposing" needs to be applied to the tactician personality you use.

2) RoD clearly states that it is the personality that is performing the action, in the cost portion of the second action.

3) Previous rulings would show that you can only take actions targeting "opposing" cards, if the card performing the action is in the current battle.

Marty, Jeff, Zen please explain this to me.

[Edit] Is this just a difference between "performing" (as described on RoD) and "making" (as described in the rulings)?

Cheers

UK Ronin

Thanks for the speedy response, I just wish there was a better way to continue this discussion.

OK Zen wrote:

Quote:

UK Ronin wrote:

Previous rulings would show that you can only take actions targeting "opposing" cards, if the card performing the action is in the current battle.

Diamond rules, pg. 81: "A player can take an action that refers to an 'opposing' card or 'this battle,' or that includes an implicating phrase such as 'another attacking card' or 'the Province this card is defending,' only if the card on which the action is printed is in the current battle."

The action is printed on Rain of Death. Rain of Death is in the current battle.

In the case of the Moto Personalities, the actions are printed on them, so they must be in the current battle.

Great, so you have shown that Rain of Death is in a battle (not disputed), that the action can meet relevance (coming from a card in the battle) and that, assuming you still have presence in the battle with RoD, you can take the action with a Tactician. So now answer how this interacts with Jeff's ruling, I have bolded the portion of Jeff's ruling causing my misunderstanding.

Moto Latomu

Cannot use his Reaction upon moving to a battle other than the current one, because Ranged Attacks target opposing cards, and actions targeting "opposing" cards require the card making the action be in the current battle. [JA, email, 12 May 2004]

I state again a couple of points:

1) Although RoD can meet relevance by being at a battle, it can never be opposed as it is not in an army. Therefore the word "opposing" needs to be applied to the tactician personality you use.

2) RoD clearly states that it is the personality that is performing the action, in the cost portion of the second action.

Is it your contention that the card Rain of Death is "the card making the action" even though the wording of Rain of Death clearly says that the performing card is the Tactician destroyed to pay the costs? DE rulebook pg 71 describes the process to determine what is performing the action. It seems to me that point 3. is the one that applies and that this confirms the Tactician you destroy as the cost is performing the action as described on RoD.

I think basically it comes down to this question.

Are "making the action" and "performing an action" the same or different?

I cannot find a definition in the rulebook of what "making an action" means. Is Jeff's previous ruling just badly worded? Did he mean "performing" instead of "making"?

Cheers

UK Ronin

Diamond rules, pg. 81: "A player can take an action that refers to an 'opposing' card or 'this battle,' or that includes an implicating phrase such as 'another attacking card' or 'the Province this card is defending,' only if the card on which the action is printed is in the current battle."

The action is printed on Rain of Death. Rain of Death is in the current battle.

In the case of the Moto Personalities, the actions are printed on them, so they must be in the current battle.

Rain of Death and "Opposing" - Updated, take a loo

Is it your contention that the card Rain of Death is "the card making the action"(?)

Yes. Performance is totally and completely irrelevant. Archive, General Rules, Effects: the source of the effect is where the ink is.

Question on: I Give You My Name

Can I destroy my casting shugenja to get the Non-Unique Oni from my deck or discard pile? Or do the costs have to be payed at the same time?

Previously, I said "looks legal," but based on a more recent case with Well-Laid Plains (that you can't target a dual Samurai / Coutier Personality to pay the cost of the third ability), I'm not so sure.

Marty? Jeff?

Saw this passing through for the Archive.

I'd say no, based on Jeff's last ruling. They are in the same sentence in the cost-payment section. That would indicate two separate targets to pay those costs.

- Marty Lund

Deputy Rules Monkey

3 quick, fast questions:

My opponent Overwhelms his defending personality, I choose to destroy my unbowed Osamito. Can I use the House of the Spring Chrysantemun to save the poor ninja?. Also with bowing the same Osamito to pay the House cost?

Yes. Yes.

3 quick, fast questions:

Another battle, I have in that battle only one Scorpion with a Troll War Band attached. Opponent has used the Death of Ryoshun, naming the Troll War Band. I can't pass, since the Troll War Band trait. I have no more actions to do, period, and I can't bow the Troll to perform one of his actions because of the Death. How can I solve this?

Play every action you legally can, then get on with the game.

3 quick, fast questions:

My opponent play an action that bow some card as an effect. Can I redirect it to a already bowed card?

In general, yes.

Bringing into play

Just wondering since it came up last night, does bringing cards into battle from the provinces count as movement?

No.

Shiryo no Taisa and Naval

Does Shiryo no Taisa stop Naval Actions?

Yes.

Plains of Otosan Uchi

For the record:

Accumulated rulings state:

If it gets attached to a Province while that Province is being revealed during the Events Phase, the second card can be revealed before moving to the next Province. [JA, 17 February 2004; 26 August 2004]

If second card's an event, I conclude it resolves. Correct ?

Yes.

Setting Force and Reducing Force interactions

I'm attacking a Province of a player who has the Dark Ring of Earth in play with two Fushiki no Oni (5F 4C). Neither Fushiki has followers, but one has a Suchiro no Oni attached (+2/+2 Weapon/Armor item). During the battle action phase, my opponent plays Three-Stone River. What is the Force of my army at resolution?

The Dark Ring's effect is continuous, so it applies before Three Stone River. This one:

Setting Force and Reducing Force interactions

A) 2F (7F + 5F = 12F; - 1F each from Dark Ring = 10F; then set to 1F each by Three-Stone River = 2F)

A new kind of Misdirection query

In a Steel on Steel, I target Two personalities, My challenger and the challenged personality.

Can a Misdirection change who the challenger will be and at the same time who the challenged personality will be Provided of course that the challenger is still my personality and challenged personality is still his personality?

Diamond rules, pg. 74. Were they legal targets in the first place? If so, then the redirection is legal.

Wikki'thich-hie Z-ee + Suitengu's Surge

Wikki'thich-hie Z-ee text says "while in play", not "until Zee leaves play". Note the difference. "While in play" is a condition, not a duration.

It's a duration. If Wikki'thich-hie Z-ee leaves play, the bonuses end.

Drawing Cards vs. Searching

Does using the Underhand to search for a Political Action card and put it in your hand count as 'drawing a card' for such things as Kanashimi? What about Walking the Way? Does that count as 'drawing a card'? Togashi's Shrine?

Archive, Drawing

Into the Darkness / Unique Region

I'm the defender. I have a Unique region attached to the current battle's Province. Can I target the region to play Into the Darkness and send home two attacking units ?

No. Diamond glossary: "Opposing" = cards in armies, "armies" = units. Regions can't be in armies, therefore can never be opposing.

Suitengu's Surge/ The Favor

Does lobbying for the Imperial Favor count as 'targeting one of my units with an action' and allow me to surge the personality I lobbied with?

Diamond rules, pg. 91.

Hi,

I know my opponent can use Death of Ryoshun and name the terrain I played in the current battle. For terrains with explicit actions printed such as "Come One at a Time", or "Where Gods Have Fallen", I guess they're pretty much as good as blank terrain cards know.

But what if he names :

• Explored Territory : terrain is immediate, says next card destruction is negated and I draw a card. So ?

• Three-Stone River/White Shore Plain : I guess terrain's in play, and I'm not using it, so force reduction/bonus will happen. Correct ?

• Circle of Steel : almost the same, but immediate (+1F/+1C) and with a kind of delayed effect later (the non-targeting clause). Trickier ?

• The same for passive terrains like Suspended (or the old Entrapping in Open format).

• Ancient Battlefield : I'll have a decision to make, can I ?

• Volcanic Field/Encircled Terrain : we both have decisions to make ?

Then, as a general rule, is resolving a delayed terrain "using an action" on a card.

And does Death react differently with immediate terrains than with delayed ones ?

Unless a terrain creates new actions, naming the terrain using Death of Ryoshun will not prevent effects from a terrain already in play from resolving. Archive, Actions: "An action is considered 'taken' or 'used' after it is legally declared, targeted, and paid for."

surge

When is it legal to use (Suitengu's surge)

a.) when a personality is targetted

b.) when an item, follower or spell is targetted (attached to a personality)

c.) both

Archive, Targeting: A.

Dual Loyalties

If i was to egg of pan ku someone who was loyal to another clan, (for instance Paneki) and i used Miya Nisho to make him alligned to my faction (Phoenix) can i bring him back now with MGC?

Yes.

Dual Loyalties

ALso is he now loyal to both clans, or just phoenix, or just Scorp?

Both.

Battle Actions

I have a person in battle A and battle B can personality B bow for a kiho in battle A?

Diamond rules, pg. 80-81. Depends on card text.

Battle Actions

Does battle or open card texthave anybearing on this?

None.

Battle Actions

This also works with Yogo Rezio (i think thats her name, straighten someone for 2gold?) can she just stay at home?

Yes.

Open Warfare vs Sensei

Does Open Warfare still nuetralize Sensei for a turn?

No. Sensei abilities are no longer considered to be on the stronghold (Web of Lies rulesheet).

Imperial Favor

I'm still confused on how the imperial favor works. As I understand it

1. Only one player may control the imperial favor at a time.

2. If one player controls the imperial favor and the other lobbies, the lobbying player takes the favor from the first player.

3. If I use the event Eloquence to take the imperial favor, I don't have to have more family honor than the other guy, and if my opponent already controls the imperial favor I take it from them.

Is this correct?

Yes.

Delayed Terrains/Naval Two clairifactions

I saw on one forum or mailing list many moons ago stating that when a Delayed Terrain resolves that it was considered a reaction to the battle action segment ending. I was wondering the vailidity of that.

Completely invalid.

Delayed Terrains/Naval Two clairifactions

Is declaring Naval is considered rulebook effect and not an action and/or reaction?

It is not an action.

Doji Hayaku / Ambush Duel / Variable ranged attacks.

(W)hat constitutes a variable and a non-variable ranged attack?

Diamond rules, pg. 105: "Not known until the time it is used or needed." That is, can it be calculated at that point? Variable does not mean "capable of changing at some time over the course of the game."

Anything that says, "Ranged Attack equal to (number of something in play)" or ""Ranged Attack equal to (visible stat)" is not variable.

Tik'tek: paying costs

Tik'tek's battle action states:

Battle: Discard the top 3 cards of your Fate deck: Once per turn, the enemy leader discards the top 3 cards of his Fate deck.

Does the "Once per turn" clause refer only to the effect of forcing the enemy leader to discard cards, or does this also refer to paying the cost of discarding cards. In other words, how many times can I choose to pay the cost of this action?

In its location on this card, "Once per turn" is a restriction on the whole action. If you have already used it the maximum number of times, it is illegal to announce (and, naturally, illegal to pay for).

Another Question about Overwhelmed

I have Hiruma Tatsuzo with a follower as my only Unit. My opponent plays Overwhelmed, meaning that I would have to destroy Tatsuzo. Would I be able to use Tatsuzo's reaction to cancel the Overwhelmed?

Yes. He's being targeted with an action, which is all his reaction looks for. If it said, "when another player targets," his Reaction could not be used.

Couple of Questions again

For Raid battles, does the attacker have to beat my province strength for it to be considered a victory(?)

No. (Edit: Correction.)

Couple of Questions again

The cards Ogre Mage and Ogre Bushi, are they considered Ogres for the Spawning Pits stronghold ability?

Yes (Keyword rule).

targeting with A'tck and Ratling Nameseeker

Are ratling personalities in provinces and the discard pile considered to be "in the game"? Are ratling personalities still in the deck, provinces, and discard pile considered "my Ratling Personalities?"

Yes (Diamond rules, pg. 101). No (Diamond rules, pg. 15).

Tsuruchi Iyaken

If I have no Presence in a current battle and want to use Iyaken's Bow Ability on an Enemy unit I can? even from home?

No, you need someone there, but he himself need not be.

Mak'irtch targeting question

Mak'irtch

Quote:

Limited: Once per turn, target a number of Ratlings up to the number of different Tribe traits on cards in play. Give each one a 1F Ratling Creature Follower Token.

Can I target a Ratling more than once (i.e. give one personality 2+ followers)?

Not in one turn.

My question is can (Tangen Sensei) be used again on the same action.

If the Reaction from Tangen Sensei was canceled, yes (Diamond rules, pg. 72). If not, no.

Overwhelmed and targeting

both of Overwhelmed's effects target, don't they?

Yes.

Overwhelmed and targeting

that's why a personality with Ninja Mentor (assuming he hasn't performed any actions yet) is protected from it?

Yes.

Overwhelmed and targeting

battle in province A. opponent has one unbowed unit. I have two Shosuro Saemons. he plays Overwhelmed. I choose to send my two Saemons home. can I react with their abilities?

Yes.

Plains of Otosan Uchi and Shinsei's Shrine

So Plains of otosan uchi shows up (in khol wall) Then Shinsei's shrine shows up. Which takes precedence?

The most recent.

Shosuro Infiltrator's Question

Can I use the Battle action of the Shosuro Infiltrator from another location?

No. It says "in this army," which means it has to be in current battle (Diamond rules, pg. 81).

Surplus regions and Desertion

I am playing Khol Wall, and Desertion has resolved. After my events phase, I turn over the cards that refilled my regioned provinces. One province has a third region. Do I have to immediately discard the region, or can I leave it and have the event recycle it?

It can wait. Discarding is only mandatory in the Events phase.

Ancient Sword, dishonored personality

I have a personality that has been dishonored and has a unbowed ancient sword attatched. My opponent issues me a duel. As a reaction I bow my ancient sword to gain 2 honor. Am I able to rehonor my personality instead of gaining the 2 honor?

Not only can you, but if you choose to use the Reaction, you must rehonor the Personality.

Plains of Otosan Uchi and Shinsei's Shrine follow up

Quote:

Hida Kenshiro wrote:

Hida Kenshiro wrote:

So Plains of otosan uchi shows up (in khol wall) Then Shinsei's shrine shows up. Which takes precedence?

Zen Faulkes wrote:

The most recent.

What if Plains comes up then later on Shinsei's Shrine so the province currently no longer holds cards. so what happens if i use Savagry of Moto to switch out the Plains and then at the end of the Battle it comes back does the province hold cards or no?

Yes, it will hold cards.

Dark Path of Shadow and dishonorable death

If I'm a Ninja player using the Dark Path of Shadow, and one of my personalities dies a dishonorable death:

Archive, Dishonor.

Discarding cards from your provinces at the end of your turn

At exactly what point of the end of the turn do you choose which cards to discard from your provinces. Can you choose to discard face down cards from your provinces?

Diamond rules, pg. 85: After buying any cards. No.

Khol Wall and Regions

I was looking through the WOL rules sheet, and came upon the errata for the rulebook stating that regions are replaced immediately.

The errata doesn't say that.

The rulebook already says Regions enter play as soon as they are encountered during the normal process of revealing cards and checking from left to right for Events or Regions in your Provinces [DE p. 76]. The errata only corrects that when a Region somehow enters play from a Province other than the one it originally appeared in, it attaches to the Province it's in now, not the original.

Each of your Provinces still has exactly one chance to resolve a Province or Region during your Events Phase. Khol Wall will not let you attach two Regions to the same Province in one turn, both because of this rule and because the Khol Wall doesn't reveal the face-down cards until after the Events Phase ends.

Hida Daizu and Gozoku

If a Gozoku-locked Hida Daizu is destroyed, in what condition does he return to play? Is he still bowed or not, and is the 'may not straighten' clause of Gozoku sensei still in effect?

Similar question applies to a Gozoku-locked personality who Feigns Death.

Leaving play does not automatically end on-going effects on cards. You need some sort of text that negates the effect or ends its duration.

Daizu dying and entering play anew doesn't negate the effect of Gozoku Sensei nor cause it to expire.

He still can't unbow - but note that being unable to unbow is not the same thing is being unable to enter play unbowed.

Doji Konishiko and The Egg of P'an Ku

Let's say I have Doji Konishiko in play, and she's "learned" the action on Storm Heart. If I Egg her...

A: The Egg copy has the action on Storm Heart.

B: The Egg copy doesn't have the action on Storm Heart, but I can use the reaction to give the Egg copy an ability.

C: The Egg copy has the action on Storm Heart, AND I can use the reaction to give the Egg copy a second ability.

C.

Gaining the ability is a permanent change to the card, so Egg copies that change.

However, the Egg itself has not used that ability this game, and thusly has not reached the max # of uses (once per game) yet.

Feign Death followup

Zen Faulkes wrote:

Void wrote:

If I try to Feign Death a personality with 0 chi, when will it be dishonored?

Effects occur in the order written on the card, so Immediately after being returned to play, before the honor loss.

Void wrote:

Are rulebook effects checked continuously?

I'm not sure there's any general answer to that question.

When does the personality die (because of it having 0 chi)? Is this checked after the complete effects of Feign Death? Meaning, after the personality returns to play, get dishonored, and the player loses 2 honor? Or does it die immediately after returning into play (and the personality gets dishonored while in the discard pile)?

Returned from Rules Junta.

Death for 0 Chi will happen in between the individual effects resolving. Your Personality will be returned to play, then die, then become dishonored while in the Discard Pile.

Feign Death/Uso Sensei Question

Let's say I have a personality with 2 PH. My opponent, playing Uso Sensei, has just killed him with Steel on Steel. I play two Feign Deaths to save my peep. How much honor do I lose if the personality was honorable before he died the first time? 4 or 6?

We'll just walk through the effects one at a time.

Duel Resolution starts.

The first "Destroy the Loser" effect resolves.

--> Respond with Feign Death

--> Return the Personality

--> Dishonor the Personality

--> Lose 2 Honor

The second "Destroy the Loser" effect resolves.

--> Lose 2 Honor for Dishonorable Death

--> Respond with Feign Death

--> Return the Personality

--> Dishonor the Personality (Fails)

--> Lose 2 Honor

Total loss = 6 Honor

the kami trait

is disciple of the kami the same as kami for the use of hanti's abilty to take control of a person premantly?

Yes (Keyword rule).

Show of good faith and permantly keeping the personality

Can you use Feign Death(if the personality dies while under your control), and Suitengu's Surge to permantly keep the personality that you had showed?

Archive, Show of Good Faith.

Shiro Shinjo?

shiro shinjo. does it mean that when you focus in a duel with an item it has +1 to its focus value?

Yes.

Item control.

If I use Ninja Theif or another action (that doesn't specify anything about control) to change the location of an item from one player's personality to another, does it change control as well?

Yes. Diamond rules, pg. 55. (Edit: Fix.)

temples of gisei toshi

when i use the ability to search can i put all the cards of the type i named into my hand or just 1 of them

Archive, Temples of Gisei Toshi.

Battle Resolution

This is probably in the rulebook, and I was too tired to notice,

I'm a busy man. I appreciate not being asked questions that people know are in the rulebook.

Battle Resolution

but during battle resolution, are Personalities destroyed at the same time as the Province, or does one occur before another?

Diamond rules, pg 84.

Gozoku Influence/ An Empty Hand

If I play Gozoku Influence on someone who doesn't have any cards in his hand, can he 'show me his hand' to prevent me from swapping his personalities?

Yes. [JA, email, 29 March 2005]

Ninja Mentor + Political Outcast

Would Political Outcast prevent opponents from using Ninja Mentor's built-in destruction clause?

No. Ninja Mentor creates a Battle action; Political Outcast doesn't affect those.

Egg of P'an Ku and Doji Konishiko Follow-op

Marty, question on your ruling,

mlund wrote:

However, the Egg itself has not used that ability this game, and thusly has not reached the max # of uses (once per game) yet.

(the ability spoken of is Konishiko's coming into play reaction)

However, the egg reads as follows

Egg of P'an Ku wrote:

None of the Personality's costs need to be paid and no entering-play effects are produced.

So why does Konishiko get around Egg of P'an Ku's card text?

This is the same exact timing as the question on Shosuro and The Egg of P'an Ku. For further reference, see the thread here. The thread was made before the forum went to direct Q & A, so just skip down to my response.

Roadside Shrine Question

Can you use (Fall on Your Knees) to Cancel Roadside Shrine's Reaction?

No. The Reaction isn't in Action Segment.

Seek the Path and Superior Strategist

How exactly does Seek the Path interact with Superior Strategist?

Relevant text:

Seek The Path:

Kiho Reaction: Target one of your unbowed Shugenja or Monks before a player searches his or her Fate deck for a card to force that player to draw the top card of his or her Fate deck instead. Draw a card

Superior Strategist:

Tactical Battle:

Search your Fate deck for an Action card with a Battle or Open action. If you find a card, gain an additional action after this one and play that card for a Battle or Open action.

My interpretation would be Seek the Path's text would force the player to draw their top card, instead of searching.

If the card they draw happens to have a Battle or Open action on it, they may immediately play it, if they desire, per Superior Strategist's text. If it doesn't have a Battle or Open, or has one they don't want to use it goes into their hand and their action ends.

Am I close?

Thanks.

Since you prevented them from Searching, they can't find anything. Since they can't find anything, they don't gain an additional action to play the card for a Battle or Open action. (card text)

rhetoric to Shadowlands

Hi guys,

I haven't seen this anywhere in the archive or in the rules forum, so here's my question. If a Crane player loses 4 honor somehow, can he use rhetoric to redirect the loss to a Shadowlands Horde player? The mini faq says that:

"2. You can only redirect effects to something that could have picked in the first place."

Shadowlands can't lose honor, but what happens when they play a card that says lose 5 honor? It dissapears? Never happens?

Thanks for your time.

Wow, a mini-FAQ. That's cool.

Shadowlands Players can legally have honor-loss effects directed at them. You can Shame their guys all day long. The losses are simply Negated whenever they are directed to a Shadowlands player.

Moshi Hinome XP question

Moshi Hinome (Experienced): Does it mean that the personality is under my control now and when killed goes into my discard pile?

Yes.

A Few Questions

1: With Rain of Death. Since the action comes from the formation is a Tactician "Performing" the action on the card? So does it count tward the use of tactician?

Yes and yes. The "Tactical" descriptor in the Action dictates that it must be performed by a Tactician, as per the Rulebook.

A Few Questions

2: Can I use Political Adjuncts in battle to pay for the following actions.

Well, Political Adjunct says, "Political Reaction: During an Attack Phase, bow and destroy Political Adjunct to pay a cost of discarding the Imperial Favor."

That's a Reaction, it has to be played during an Attack Phase, and it does not specify and particular place the card has to be at.

A Few Questions

1: Left hand send home ability with no one in the battle and the Political Adjuncts are at Home.

Using the Adjunct to pay the cost of Left Hand isn't a problem, but legally declaring a use of the Left Hand when there isn't anyone at the battle could be problematic. You need to target an Attacking Unit, after all.

A Few Questions

2: To use Gozoku Sensei's lockdown ability.

Using the Adjunct to pay the cost is, again, just fine. The legality of Gozoku Sensei's ability, however, rests on whether you target a Personality int he Current Battle with it or not (Rule of Relevance, DE Rulebook, page 81).

A Few Questions

3: Are personalities that were in a destroyed Province considered "Discarded" (I remember reading somewhere they are not considered "Discarded")

"Discarded" and "Destroyed" are descriptors of cards keying off of how they last landed themselves in the Discard Pile. Note that Honorable and Dishonorable Dead are stored in a different position in the Discard Pile than Discarded Cards. (DE Rulebook, page 8

A Few Questions

4: Can I play Plans Within Plans during Battle (I would think not since it doesnt satisfy relevence. and if you can play it during battle please explain why.)

It does not meet Relevance.

A Few Questions

5: Does Matsu Fujiwe Have the "Printed" Tactician trait during battle?

Matsu Fujiwe says, "Other players may not target Fujiwe with Political Actions while she has the Tactician trait."

That kind of a trait can't be subdivided into component parts, nor is it part of the "boldface traits area." Reference the Keyword Rule on pages 63 and 64 of the Diamond Edition Rulebook.

Enough Talk! in a battle

If an opponent uses a political action in battle, and I want to play Enough Talk!, does my Samurai have to be in the battle? The Rules of Presence and Relevance don't apply to Reactions as far as I can tell, and the card doesn't specify.

Sample scenario where it came up:

-Opponent has one attacking unit in an undefended province, resolves it first

-I attempt to Refugees the attacking unit, and my opponent bows his courtier using the Right Hand Wind to negate the movement

At this point I want to play Enough Talk! as a reaction to the political reaction taken, though I have no Samurai in the battle - but I do have one at home, unbowed. Is this legal?

No.

Your understanding of the situation is pretty solid. The card doesn't specify that the Personalities involved need to be anywhere in particular, so they can be anywhere in play and still duel.

Your unbowed Samurai at home and beat up his Courtier at his home, even during a Battle.

- Marty Lund

Deputy Rules Monkey

Victory or Death/No Victory and Ties [Clarified Question]

Basically what I'm asking is, if I have 2 people with the same gold cost, and they are both my highest cost personality, and one of them loses a Victory of Death duel.....can the winner go find a No Victory. I'm not asking anything about the duel resulting in a tie. I'm strictly speaking of the cost of the people.

Quote:

Quote:

If you win and the loser was the most expensive Personality his controller controlled (including ties)

How is this (including ties) clause to be read. For purposes of example just say I have 2 Bairezu in play and one just lost the duel.

Is it:

A. Saying include the ties when checking to see if he's the highest cost personality, in which case there are 2 tied at 10G so he's not the definitive highest. Or..

B. Saying include the ties as in they are all counted as one person for purpose of being the highest, in which case he would be the highest as far as the duel was concerned.

Searched the forums and lists for weeks and have seen the question posted but no official answer ever given. Requesting one.

OK. I think I see what you're driving at now.

The card is describing its play timing as when you defeat the highest-cost Personality - including when you defeat a Personality tied for the highest cost.

Control follow-up follow-up.

Can control of a card in play be shared?

No.

Performing an action

Is the person bowing from Unrequited Love 'performing' an action that gains honor?

Only if it was their controller who played "Unrequited Love."

The Last Prophecy and Seek the Path

If The Last Prophecy resolves for my opponent and he wants to search out a card and I play Seek the Path on him to make him draw his top card, does he then discard a number of cards equal to that cards focus value, as per the remaining effect of The Last Prophecy?

No. All the subsequent effects (show it, add it to your hand, etc.) key off of the card you searched for. If you don't search for a card, then they can't happen.

Doji Hayaku + Overwhelmed

This is a timing question...

Let's say my opponent is attacking my province with a 10F unit and a 4F personality with no attachments. I only assign Hayaku (with 4PH) to defense, and play Overwhelmed as my first action as the defender.

Does Hayaku's destruction and subsequent ranged attack occur before the attacker decides what to do about the Overwhelmed, or can he send both of his units home, not leaving a legal target for Hayaku's reaction?

Quote:

Doji Hayaku

Reaction: Before Hayaku is destroyed: Produce a ranged attack with a strength equal to Hayaku's Personal Honor.

Quote:

Overwhelmed

Battle: As a cost, destroy your Personality in this battle with the highest Force, who must be unbowed. (In the case of a tie, choose one). The opposing player chooses either to destroy one Personality with the highest Force in his army or send two units in his army home without bowing. He must choose to destroy a Personality if he cannot send two units home.

Thanks!

The sequence goes a little something like this:

Announced overwhelmed.

Target Hayaku.

Go to pay costs by destroying Hayaku.

Respond before you destroy Hayaku by shooting something.

Destroy Hayaku. Pay 0 Gold.

Resolve Effects of Overwhlemed.

Opponent makes decision on which effect to deal with.

Dawn of the Empire Rules Question: Shinjo Bairezu

Is the ranged 3 attack contingent on (Shinjo Bairezu) straightening?

No.

Mirumoto and Egg of P'an Ku

I am playing against a Dragon Clan player who has Mirumoto in play. I Egg of P'an Ku his Mirumoto. On his turn he issues an unrefusable challenge to me (if the challenge in question matters, let's say it's a Steel on Steel). I understand we both keep our 6 Chi, but who focuses first?

Diamond rules, pg. 34: Third cardinal rule. Active player picks.

Egg of P'an Ku and Reactions

The (Egg of P'an Ku)states it comes into play and then becomes an exact copy of the targeted personality. At this point isn't it too late to react with entering play reactions as the card entered play and then became a copy of that peronality?

Here. Note this whether it's legal will depend on the exact wording of the Reaction. ("When" something enters play vs. "after").

formations and "opposing"

I really would like an answer to this topic. Seeing as how it has some pretty serious ramifications on formations, this will greatly affect my deck build for the koteis and should be answered now rather than in the middle of kotei season.

Formations, including Rain of Death, will continue to work unchanged. Any rules change for formations will not occur until after summer.

To sum up, Formations give you relevance in their own right; references to "opposing" cards on formations need not be cards in the current battle, allowing effects to occur in battles other than the current one.

[Marty's Edit - Removed a reference to "Presence" herein. Formations aren't units, and thus don't fulfill Presence requirements.]

Destroyed by?

When in battle resolution the losing army is destroyed.. Are the cards destoyed by another player's card and will effects of card like oni no hatsu suru ? or the cards destroyed by battle resolution?

And how about Ambush or Iajitsu Challenge? Was the personality destoyed by Ambush or the opposing unit?

See Archive, Death and Destruction.

Explored Territory and To Do What We Must

If I play a To Do What We Must what we must and have an Explored Territory in play which negates the next destruction of my personality, will the opposing personality still be destroyed?

Explored Territory won't save a unit through To do what we must because destruction is a cost, not an effect.

Ring of Earth

If a personality is protected by the ring of earth and refuses a Stand or Run, is it bowed and sent home since it was the players choice to refuse or does it just bow but stay in the army?

The Personality stays where it is, unbowed. The player issuing the challenge is the one doing the sending (Stand or Run card text). Sent home bowed" is one effect (Web of Lies rulesheet).

Dishonored Personality

If I attach the Celestial Sword to an approriate dishonored personality, instead of recieving the honor gained, can I rehonor the personality?

Not only can you, you must.

Isawa Sachi

Can sachi target a province holding no cards for his second ability to work?

This one.

Isawa Sachi

yes since you are only required to target a personality about to die and a province.

scroll cache

Can I play scroll cache out of Kyuden Agasha and use the SH ability to reduce a spell by 2 gold and draw from scroll cache?

Kyuden Agasha has a trait, which is not voluntary. Anything with a cost of 2 or more won't have cost reduced by Scroll Cache (

here). You will still have the draw from Scroll Cache.

[noob] Keyword vs Trait

Is "My Father's Weapon" a weapon? Is "Weapon Rack" a weapon? Is the token created by a "Weapon Rack" a weapon? Why does "My Father's Weapon" have the weapon bold faced trait, and Weapon Rack does not when they both have the word "Weapon" in their title? Is it legal for a Dragon Clan Samurai using Shiro Mirumoto to have My Father's Weapon, Sword of Gales, and a Weapon Rack?

Yes. Yes. Yes. Accept the mystery of life. No (that's 3 weapons).

targeting and moving

I know there is a difference when something targets a personality, or a unit (like "bow" ), also, i know that some effects that aplies to the personality, applies to the complete unit (like "destroy the personality")... but what about movement?

I ask this because there are actions that move units, and others that move personalities... is there any difference?

There is no difference between moving the Personality leading the unit and the unit lead by the Personality. The Personality brings all his attached cards with him when he goes between Battefields and / or Home.

Another Moshi Hinome XP question

Example: It;s a mirror macht. I took control over my opponent's unique personality.

1. Can i do this while the same personality is already in my home?

2. Can i buy mine from the province when i have control over the same, at home, alive (and kicking)?

3. When both are in the same discard pile (dead or discarded) is the first one out of play?

You can't use Moshi Himone XP to bring a copy of a Unique Personality into play when another copy of that Unique Personality is currently in play. While the rule prohibiting a second copy of a Unique Personality from entering play fits the Rulebook's definition of "restriction," and Moshi Hinome's card text says nothing about "ignoring restrictions."

For more information, please reference the Diamond Edition Rulebook, pag 56.

Hoshi Yoson question

Does Yoson grant 3 honor gain from duels that do not have any honor gains, or only plus 3 honor to duels with a printed honor gain?

"3 more honor than its normal results."

If its normal results included no honor, then its modified results will include 3 honor.

It isn't quite the same thing as saying, "Increase the honor gain from a duel by 3," which would require there to actually be an honor gain first to subsequently increase.

Outmanuevered By Force and Four Winds March

If a player attempts to cancel use of the Four Winds March with Outmanuevered By Force, where is the unit that was selected by Four Winds March for movement considered to be for Force calculation?

Is he in the battle, at home, or in limbo?

It is at home during the Resolution of Outmaneuvered by Force.

If it had already moved before the Action was to be Canceled, then there wouldn't be much point in Canceling it. Canceling does not go back in time and undo effects that have already resolved.

Aramasu's Pride

Does the raised gold production from the won raid battles stay around permanently, or is it gone after one use? From reading it it seemed permanent, but I've seen strategies and such that suggest otherwise. If it's NOT permanent, what's the proper use?

Unspecified durations of continuous effects last until the end of the turn. (Diamond Edition Rulebook, page 70, "Costs and Effects") Aramasu's Pride creates such an effect on the holdings in question. Their production is increased until the end of the turn.

strange timing

I looked in the achive and I couldn't find the rule. If Strange Assembly is in play and both players are at 48 + honour, who wins the game? I remember reading that the active player gets to decide the order(.)

That's it (Third Cardinal Rule).

More on Keywords vs Traits

Card: Cavalry Reserves. No Traits.

- Does this count as a Cavalry card for the purposes of the Maneuvers Segment?

- Is it a Cavalry card for Utaku Etsumi (will only attach Cavalry Followers)?

Yes. It is a cavalry card, as per the Keyword Rule.

More on Keywords vs Traits

Card: Void Dragon. Unaligned Creature - Shugenja - Cavalry - Unique

- Counts as a Dragon for Tengoku Acolytes (will only attach to Dragons)?

- Counts as a Dragon for Agasha Miyoshi (Costs 2 less gold if you control a Dragon, may discard her out of a province to refill it with a Dragon personality)?

Yes. It is a Dragon card, as per the Keyword Rule.

More on Keywords vs Traits

Are there card effects which only work off Traits and not Keywords?

As a rule of thumb, text tends to look for "Cavalry" or "Tactician" cards / Personalities, whatever - rather than "the Tactician Trait."

There are a few interactions that specifically mention Traits though. Pan Ku, for instance, can't copy "Cavalry" from Cavalry Reserves. It doesn't have the Cavalry Trait, though it is recognized as a Cavalry Card.

Rain of Death has a Formed By requirement that specifies: "Formed by 2 Personalities with the printed Tactician trait."

So if a Personality were named: "Akodo Tactician" but did not have the Tactician Trait would be a "Tactician" card but nothing in the game could find the "Tactician Trait" on him if it went looking exclusively for the trait.

More on Keywords vs Traits

Why are Traits defined in the rulebook as the bold-faced text in the text box of a card if they are not used and Keywords are always used instead?

Because having a Boldface Trait "XYZ" is only one of multiple ways to be recognized as an, "XYZ card." That's the whole point of the Keyword Rule rather than simply having a line that says, "Only cards with a given [trait] are considered to be [trait] cards."

Strange Assembly

Is a victory through Strange Assembly considered as an Honor-victory?

No.

tejina's blessings

technically, the following are factions: gozoku, kolat, harrier, disciple of the kami, pirate

No, they're not. Factions is fully specced out in the Diamond rulebook. Those ain't factions.

Do Events produce "card effects"

Are events cards? and do they produce card effects?

Yes. Yes.

Loyality and Multi Faction personalities.

(I)f someone is loyal, does that apply to all faction traits on the card.

Yes.