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 June 2008
regarding these: viewtopic.php?f=59&t=68641 viewtopic.php?f=59&t=68569 viewtopic.php?f=59&t=69020
the rulebook says: Naval Reaction: "Reaction: If you are the Attacker and your current army has more Naval cards than the opposing army, once per battle after engaging: You have the first opportunity to take a Battle action, which must be performed by a target Naval Personality or one of his Naval Followers."
How is declaring naval and passing a legal sequence of actions? You have the first opportunity to take a battle action, but a target naval personality MUST perform the action. How is passing performed by a personality? Doesn't that mean the rulebook says that declaring naval and passing isn't legal...what's the deal here? Does the action simply default to "pass" because you're stuck in not being able to perform an action and also not being able to pass, or would it be something weird like reverting to a normal non-naval sequence of battle?
A player, 26 June 2008
How is declaring naval and passing a legal sequence of actions?
Because the Naval Reaction grants to the Attacker the first opportunity to take a Battle action and an opportunity to take an action may be used to pass (see also: "Rulebook Naval Reaction Question").
If the Attacker uses this opportunity to take a Battle action, it must be performed by the targeted Personality or one of his Naval Followers but this restriction doesn't apply to the opportunity, it applies to the Battle action which may be taken thanks to that opportunity therefore it doesn't prevent the Attacker from passing.