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, 1 March 2008
For the "Gempukku" personalities introduced in Honor's Veil (Daigotsu Takayasu, Doji Tsubakita, Kitsu Nariyumi, Kuni Bachida, Moto Masakage, Shiba Maroyo, Shosuro Chihiro, Togashi Keitori, and Yoritomo Yagami), can they gain a keyword (Samurai, Monk, Shugenja, Ninja, or Courtier) before costs are paid? The text on these personalities state they can gain a keyword "before X enters play" (where X is the personality's name). This seems to enter the realm when gold costs are being paid as my understanding is thall all costs must be paid before a card enters play. How does the timing resolve with respect to holdings that produce extra gold for personalities that have a specific keyword?
Examples: Buying Gempukku personalities to gain the following traits and their interaction with the amount of gold produced by the mentioned holdings: Monks with Harmonious Temple: Togashi Keitori and Daigotsu Takayasu Samurai or Shugenja with Temple of Unity (assuming you already respectively control a Shugenja or Samurai): All Gempukku personalities
EDIT: For the Good Faith Rule and Timing, the above case seems to occur with the same timing as changes in gold costs for clan aligned personalities. Specifically, during the Dynasty Phase, before a player brings into play a Personality aligned to his Clan, you get to: a.) increase the Personality's Gold cost to enter play by 2, and waive the Personality's Honor Requirement. b.) pay 2 less Gold for him. c.) gain Honor equal to the Personality's Personal Honor just before he enters play (If you have not already gained Honor this way this turn).
FURTHER EDIT: What I'm trying to understand is whether "before X enters play" trait is an entering-play trigger/"effect" (like gaining honor in part c in the above case for clan aligned personalities), which is assumed to really mean "just before X enters play." Or is it more like parts a and b (which occur before the personality enters play), in which the timing of the trigger for the gempukku personalities can occur during payment.
Martin Lund (rules official), 4 March 2008
For the "Gempukku" personalities introduced in Honor's Veil (Daigotsu Takayasu, Doji Tsubakita, Kitsu Nariyumi, Kuni Bachida, Moto Masakage, Shiba Maroyo, Shosuro Chihiro, Togashi Keitori, and Yoritomo Yagami), can they gain a keyword (Samurai, Monk, Shugenja, Ninja, or Courtier) before costs are paid? The text on these personalities state they can gain a keyword "before X enters play" (where X is the personality's name). This seems to enter the realm when gold costs are being paid as my understanding is thall all costs must be paid before a card enters play. How does the timing resolve with respect to holdings that produce extra gold for personalities that have a specific keyword?
Examples: Buying Gempukku personalities to gain the following traits and their interaction with the amount of gold produced by the mentioned holdings: Monks with Harmonious Temple: Togashi Keitori and Daigotsu Takayasu Samurai or Shugenja with Temple of Unity (assuming you already respectively control a Shugenja or Samurai): All Gempukku personalities
EDIT: For the Good Faith Rule and Timing, the above case seems to occur with the same timing as changes in gold costs for clan aligned personalities. Specifically, during the Dynasty Phase, before a player brings into play a Personality aligned to his Clan, you get to: a.) increase the Personality's Gold cost to enter play by 2, and waive the Personality's Honor Requirement. b.) pay 2 less Gold for him. c.) gain Honor equal to the Personality's Personal Honor just before he enters play (If you have not already gained Honor this way this turn).
FURTHER EDIT: What I'm trying to understand is whether "before X enters play" trait is an entering-play trigger/"effect" (like gaining honor in part c in the above case for clan aligned personalities), which is assumed to really mean "just before X enters play." Or is it more like parts a and b (which occur before the personality enters play), in which the timing of the trigger for the gempukku personalities can occur during payment.
You must fulfill all requirements and satisfy all costs to bring the card into play before any Reactions or triggers that happen "before [that card] enters play," can be taken.
So you can't give someone their Gempukku trait before paying their cost to use a conditional source of gold ("produces 3 when paying for a courtier" etc.) to meet their cost.