A topic from AEG's L5R CCG Rules forum, copied for Oracle of the Void from a copy of the forum saved in October 2015, so pages it didn't save are missing. Players' names are left out; the rules officials are named. Rulings are as they stood on these dates; later rulings, the rulebooks and the Rules Archive may differ.
A player, 21 January 2008
Situation: I have attacked with cavalry one of the provinces the defending player didn't assign any units. After I declare that I want to resolve such battle, he plays Falling Leaf Strike, giving a -3F penalty to my personality, but not moving the monk to the battle, because Winter Warfare doesn't let him move. Is this a legal action, since he has no presence before he plays the action, nor after it finishes resolving?
Thank you
Relevant text:
Falling Leaf Strike (Action) Kiho Battle: Target one of your unbowed Monks: Give a target enemy Personality or Follower at the current battlefield -3F. Bow the enemy target if its Force is now 0. Move your Monk to the current battlefield.
Winter Warfare (Event) Winter Until the beginning of your second Events Phase from now, Terrains can not be played, and actions can not move units to or from battlefields.
Zen Faulkes (rules official), 22 January 2008
I have attacked with cavalry one of the provinces the defending player didn't assign any units. After I declare that I want to resolve such battle, he plays Falling Leaf Strike, giving a -3F penalty to my personality, but not moving the monk to the battle, because Winter Warfare doesn't let him move. Is this a legal action, since he has no presence before he plays the action, nor after it finishes resolving?
http://rules.l5r.com/Battles#Combat_Segment:
"Even if the movement is known beforehand to fail -- for example, due to ongoing negation effects, or due to the unit having been in an attacking army during the Resolution Segment of another battle -- the action can still be taken. [CHANGED Jan 20 2008]
"Example: Winter Warfare ("actions can not move units to or from battlefields") is in effect. It is legal to play Rout ("Battle: Move home a target unit. Destroy one of its attachments (if any).") even though the movement effect will be negated. The destruction of an attachment still occurs because effects are independent."