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, 22 February 2009
My question is about the interaction of these two cards:
Battle: You may discard the Imperial Favor: Move a target enemy Personality home. If you paid this action's optional cost, gain 2 Honor. and Reaction: Any number of times per turn, after an action with a base cost of discarding the Favor targets one of your cards: Lose 5 Honor. Negate the action’s effects.”
Two questions really: 1. If they do pay the cost and I use the ability the entire ability would be negated including the send-home. (y/n) 2.They don't pay the optional cost but I can still use the ability because its an optional cost on the action. (y/n)
Dan Jacobson (rules official), 22 February 2009
My question is about the interaction of these two cards:
Battle: You may discard the Imperial Favor: Move a target enemy Personality home. If you paid this action's optional cost, gain 2 Honor. and Reaction: Any number of times per turn, after an action with a base cost of discarding the Favor targets one of your cards: Lose 5 Honor. Negate the action’s effects.”
Two questions really: 1. If they do pay the cost and I use the ability the entire ability would be negated including the send-home. (y/n) 2.They don't pay the optional cost but I can still use the ability because its an optional cost on the action. (y/n)
The cost, although optional, is still printed in ink on the card, and is thus a base cost of the action.
You may use the action from Severed from the Emperor if Imperial Decree targets you, regardless of whether or not the player playing the card discards the Favor as part of the optional cost or not.