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 April 2009
Hi concerning
___________________________ Tempered Resurrection
Fire Open: Bow this Shugenja unless he has the Fire keyword: You may remove an honorably dead Personality you own from the game. Target a face-up Personality in one of your provinces. Reduce his Gold Cost by the Gold Cost of any Personality you removed. Bring the target into play (paying all costs). ___________________________
Let's say that on Turn 4, I use this spell paying the costs and removing a 9 gold cost honorably dead personality.
On Turn 5, I use the spell again, but this time I choose to not remove an honorably dead personality. Can I reduce the Gold Cost of the personality in my province by the gold cost of the personality I removed on Turn 4 ?
I ask the question because of the "any", which let me think that any personality removed by the player and by any way, will do the trick for this spell.
Thanks for your patient explanation.
Damien
A player, 22 April 2009
On Turn 5, I use the spell again, but this time I choose to not remove an honorably dead personality. Can I reduce the Gold Cost of the personality in my province by the gold cost of the personality I removed on Turn 4 ?
No. If you do not choose to remove an honorably dead Personality you own from the game as this action's first effect, then you do not reduce the Gold Cost of your target face-up Personality in one of your provinces as this action's second effect.
The text "any Personality you removed" refers to the first effect of this action, neither to any previous use of the same ability (see below), nor to any Personality you removed from the game thanks to another effect (e.g. Black Silk Castle). Especially the word "any" just underlines the fact that the removal is optional in this action's first effect; it does not imply that any other mean of removal than this action's first effect can be taken into account.
Abilities and actions, Using abilities: "Each time an action is taken from an ability, it is a different action."
Zen Faulkes (rules official), 22 April 2009
Hi concerning
___________________________ Tempered Resurrection
Fire Open: Bow this Shugenja unless he has the Fire keyword: You may remove an honorably dead Personality you own from the game. Target a face-up Personality in one of your provinces. Reduce his Gold Cost by the Gold Cost of any Personality you removed. Bring the target into play (paying all costs). ___________________________
Let's say that on Turn 4, I use this spell paying the costs and removing a 9 gold cost honorably dead personality.
On Turn 5, I use the spell again, but this time I choose to not remove an honorably dead personality. Can I reduce the Gold Cost of the personality in my province by the gold cost of the personality I removed on Turn 4 ?
I ask the question because of the "any", which let me think that any personality removed by the player and by any way, will do the trick for this spell.
Thanks for your patient explanation.
Damien
See also here. The text has to say "any" because removing a Personality is an option, not mandatory.