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, 11 September 2007
Can my courtier (who's paying the cost of the action) commit seppuku and reduce my part of the honor loss to 1?
If the initial action targeted one of my courtiers, the other player cannot commit seppuku with his personality performing the action to which share the blame reacts, right?
If the initial action targeted one of the opponent's courtiers, who is dishonored by the effect of share the blame (which does not target) can the opponent then have his courtier commit seppuku? Neither does he perform nor is he targeted by share the blame.
Thank you!
Martin Lund (rules official), 11 September 2007
Can my courtier (who's paying the cost of the action) commit seppuku and reduce my part of the honor loss to 1?
If the initial action targeted one of my courtiers, the other player cannot commit seppuku with his personality performing the action to which share the blame reacts, right?
If the initial action targeted one of the opponent's courtiers, who is dishonored by the effect of share the blame (which does not target) can the opponent then have his courtier commit seppuku? Neither does he perform nor is he targeted by share the blame.
Thank you!
Share the Blame says: "Political Reaction: After another player targets a Courtier with an action, dishonor one of your Courtiers: Dishonor the Courtier the other player targeted. You, then the other player, each lose 3 Honor."
rules.l5r.com says: "Reaction: Any number of times per turn, before you lose Honor from an action that targeted or was performed by one of your Courtier or Samurai Personalities: He commits seppuku. If the seppuku destroyed him, reduce the Honor loss to one."
and
"A Personality or Follower is performing an action if its controller is the player taking the action, and any of these things is true:
* The action comes from an ability on the Personality or Follower. * The action comes from an ability on an Item or Spell in the Personality’s unit. * The Personality or Follower was targeted by targeting in the ability’s constraints block (between the two colons)."
Neither courtier meets any of these criteria, so neither can seppuku.