A topic from AEG's L5R CCG Rules forum, copied for Oracle of the Void from a copy of the forum saved in October 2015, so pages it didn't save are missing. Players' names are left out; the rules officials are named. Rulings are as they stood on these dates; later rulings, the rulebooks and the Rules Archive may differ.
A player, 18 July 2007
Ok, this is a funny one.
I control an unbowed Shosuro Aroru XP and my players announces a Hired Killer, targetting one of my ninja (eg Aroru himself). I react with Aroru's ability and choose another target for the action, in fact my opponent's most expensive personality. My opponent can produce enough gold in order to pay the action that now targets his personality.
Must he pay the gold cost and destroy his personality, or may he choose not to pay the gold cost, making the action fail and thus saving the target?
Zen Faulkes (rules official), 18 July 2007
Ok, this is a funny one.
I control an unbowed Shosuro Aroru XP and my players announces a Hired Killer, targetting one of my ninja (eg Aroru himself). I react with Aroru's ability and choose another target for the action, in fact my opponent's most expensive personality. My opponent can produce enough gold in order to pay the action that now targets his personality.
Must he pay the gold cost and destroy his personality, or may he choose not to pay the gold cost, making the action fail and thus saving the target?
Targeting, and Aroru's Reaction, happens before costs are paid. The cost is whatever is targeted when costs are being paid. Cost is not set at announcement, or at targeting, or at retargeting. Costs are set when costs are paid.