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, 7 June 2008
Diplomatic Apprentice Before this Personality bows to pay the cost of a Political action: You may pay the cost by bowing this card instead.
District Governor Limited: Bow one of your target Courtier or Magistrate Personalities: Target a Personality. The target's controller may dishonor the Personality. If he chooses not to, he loses 1 Honor, you gain 1 Honor and your Personality straightens.
Two questions:
1. Can Diplomatic Apprentice pay a cost even if the personality it is attached to is already bowed?
2. If it can, would the Personality straighten if the Apprentice paid the cost for District Governor?
A player, 8 June 2008
Can Diplomatic Apprentice pay a cost even if the personality it is attached to is already bowed?
No, Diplomatic Apprentice's trait only triggers if its Personality is about to bow to pay the cost of a Political action, which implies she must be unbowed.
A player, 8 June 2008
Bayushi Akai wrote: Can Diplomatic Apprentice pay a cost even if the personality it is attached to is already bowed?
No, Diplomatic Apprentice's trait only triggers if its Personality is about to bow to pay the cost of a Political action, which implies she must be unbowed.
Just a quick observation. Is District Governors action consider political? If so, then I have been playing it wrong, if not, then Diplomatic Apprentice cannot help one way or another.
Zen Faulkes (rules official), 8 June 2008
Is District Governors action consider political?
No. But the general rule about bowed Personalities applies.