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, 26 July 2007
Okay did a search for the following cards I am asking questions and no search was returned. here we go.
A few questions in regards to the card. touch of Ice.
Card quote:
Water Open: If it is not your turn, bow this Shugenja: Another target player may choose to bow 2 of his Personalities. If he does not bow 2 Personalities, gain 3 Honor.
I bow my Shugenja. my target player doesn't have any personalities out in play. Even though he has no personalities in play, does the card effect still take place where, if he does not bow 2 personalities, I still gain 3 honor???
2nd Question: Can he target already bowed personalities.
Next card question I have is. Arrow of Purity.
Card quote:
Battle: Even if this unit is not at the current battlefield, bow this Shugenja and target one of your Personalities: Ranged Attack with strength equal to his Personal Honor.
The way the card reads, my unit with the card attached doesn't need to be in the battle. I bow my shugenja. I target one of my personalities. that personality does a range attack equal to it's honor. Does the targetted personality have to be in the current army or could I target, for example the shugenja that casts the spell, and target a personality in the current battle? The way I read the card, I could produce the range attack from outside the current battle to affect a personality in the current army.
3rd question: With regards to Ring of the Void. I need a clarification. the card read
Card quote:
After you successfully resolve your fourth or later non-Kiho action from Action cards in one phase: You may put his card into play from your hand. Open: Bow this card or discard it from your hand: If any player has more cards in his hand than you do, or if you bowed this card, draw a card.
Does the Action cards have to be from my hand or can they be from cards in play. Example. I use 4 different battle action with different card names. 2 from a personality, and 2 from my hand. Can I play the Ring?
Martin Lund (rules official), 26 July 2007
I bow my Shugenja. my target player doesn't have any personalities out in play. Even though he has no personalities in play, does the card effect still take place where, if he does not bow 2 personalities, I still gain 3 honor?
Him not having any Personalities to bow doesn't affect anything. When you go to resolve the next effect of the card all it cares about is whether or not 2 Personalities bowed. If 2 Personalities did not bow, for any reason, you gain 3 Honor.
2nd Question: Can he target already bowed personalities.
Quick note: He "chooses to bow" the Personalities. He does not target them.
Anyway, regardless of what he chooses, if 2 personalities are not bowed by him you gain 3 Honor due to the second sentence.
Battle: Even if this unit is not at the current battlefield, bow this Shugenja and target one of your Personalities: Ranged Attack with strength equal to his Personal Honor.
The way the card reads, my unit with the card attached doesn't need to be in the battle. I bow my shugenja. I target one of my personalities. that personality does a range attack equal to it's honor. Does the targetted personality have to be in the current army or could I target, for example the shugenja that casts the spell, and target a personality in the current battle? The way I read the card, I could produce the range attack from outside the current battle to affect a personality in the current army.
The Rules of Location specifically says, "Any cards in units must be at the current battlefield to be legally targeted by a Battle action."
You have to pick targets for both the Spell's cost and the Ranged Attack that are at the Current Battle.
The only thing that "Even if this unit is not at the current Battlefield," gets around is the requirement that the Spell has to be at the Current Battle to legally play an Battle ability printed on it: "If a Battle action is on a card in a unit (a Personality or attachment in play), the unit must be at the current battlefield."
3rd question: With regards to Ring of the Void. I need a clarification. the card read
Card quote:
After you successfully resolve your fourth or later non-Kiho action from Action cards in one phase: You may put his card into play from your hand. Open: Bow this card or discard it from your hand: If any player has more cards in his hand than you do, or if you bowed this card, draw a card.
Does the Action cards have to be from my hand or can they be from cards in play. Example. I use 4 different battle action with different card names. 2 from a personality, and 2 from my hand. Can I play the Ring?
The text you just quoted says "from Action cards." Those are the cards with Red Borders. Only those cards count. You need 4 or more non-Kiho actions from such cards, not just one non-Kiho action from such a card played as your 4th or later action in a phase.