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, 15 January 2009
I apologize if this has been answered before, but I promise that I searched the forum and couldn't find anything to clearly answer this one way or another. Additionally, on the CCG forum and in my local playgroup, no one is actually sure how this works.
I announce Hired Killer. I say that I am targeting my opponent's Bayushi Aroru. My opponent reacts with Aroru's reaction and changes the target to one of my personalities.
Now, do I have to pay the new cost of the action if I am able? Or can I choose not to and just lose my Hired Killer?
Thanks
Brook Cunningham (rules official), 15 January 2009
Now, do I have to pay the new cost of the action if I am able? Or can I choose not to and just lose my Hired Killer?
You can choose not to pay the new cost.
http://rules.l5r.com/Abilities_and_actions#C._Pay_costs (emphases mine):
"From the point when the action is announced legally to the point where the costs are required, if payment of an action’s mandatory costs is interfered with, and the player taking the action cannot pay the costs another way, or chooses not to:
No effects of the action resolve; The ability is considered to have been used; The action is considered to have been taken, but not resolved; No remaining costs need be paid, but costs already paid are not refunded. If the cost was for a card to enter play, it is discarded.
Note that if a cost requiring a target is interfered with, a player cannot choose a new target to try to pay the cost, because the targeting step is already completed.
Sometimes an action, trait or card has a mandatory variable cost, which depends on an element of the game that another players' effect interferes with at some point between announcement and the point when the cost is paid. Example: A Gold cost depends on the total Gold cost of a target unit. After announcement but before costs are paid, a card is added to the unit or the targeting of the unit is changed.
When such a basis for a variable cost changes due to interference, this is treated the same way as interference with the payment of the cost."
A player, 15 January 2009
In reference to THIS :
Does this mean that they still have to pay the initial cost (eg. for Aroru, paying 10), and then if this is directed to a more expensive personality, and the person who played Hired Killer chooses not to pay the increased cost, that 10 gold is still paid, or does the change of target happen before the gold is spent?
Zen Faulkes (rules official), 15 January 2009
In reference to THIS :
Does this mean that they still have to pay the initial cost (eg. for Aroru, paying 10), and then if this is directed to a more expensive personality, and the person who played Hired Killer chooses not to pay the increased cost, that 10 gold is still paid, or does the change of target happen before the gold is spent?
It means:
No effects of the action resolve; The ability is considered to have been used; The action is considered to have been taken, but not resolved; No remaining costs need be paid, but costs already paid are not refunded. If the cost was for a card to enter play, it is discarded.
And that's because of the last line: When such a basis for a variable cost changes due to interference, this is treated the same way as interference with the payment of the cost.
A player, 15 January 2009
In reference to viewtopic.php?f=59&t=73294#p959588 and Hired Killer hitting a new target.
If I redirect a Hired Killer to a personality with the same cost, does the cost have to be paid as the costs weren't modified?
Thanks,
Brook Cunningham (rules official), 15 January 2009
In reference to viewtopic.php?f=59&t=73294#p959588 and Hired Killer hitting a new target.
If I redirect a Hired Killer to a personality with the same cost, does the cost have to be paid as the costs weren't modified?
Thanks,
Even if the new target has the same cost, Hired Killer's player may choose not to pay it.
The rule is:
"Sometimes an action, trait or card has a mandatory variable cost, which depends on an element of the game that another players' effect interferes with at some point between announcement and the point when the cost is paid. Example: A Gold cost depends on the total Gold cost of a target unit. After announcement but before costs are paid, a card is added to the unit or the targeting of the unit is changed.
When such a basis for a variable cost changes due to interference, this is treated the same way as interference with the payment of the cost."
Note that the Rule only cares if the basis changes (i.e via Shosuro Aroru Exp) or is interfered with (i.e. via Misdirection). It doesn't care if the end result from the new basis is the same or different.