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, 14 August 2009
This link: http://rules.l5r.com/CE_Glossary_N#Next from the PDF would indicate that if Changing Paths is the fourth battle action that you perform in the current combat segment, and you name Water, you would still have to perform another action afterwards. Zen Faulkes ruled here ( viewtopic.php?f=59&t=74016&p=969331&hilit=water+paths#p969331 ) differently, but that was back in February.
Changing Paths: Kiho Battle/Open: Target your unbowed Shugenja or Monk: Name a Ring. The next time this turn you trigger its base trait that would put it into play from your hand, search your discard pile, then Fate deck, for that Ring. Show it. Put it into your hand. (You then have a chance to play it by its own text.)
Is this not what that rule means, or is Zen Faulkes ruling out-of-date? Or am I just missing a point entirely?
Zen Faulkes (rules official), 14 August 2009
This link: http://rules.l5r.com/CE_Glossary_N#Next from the PDF would indicate that if Changing Paths is the fourth battle action that you perform in the current combat segment, and you name Water, you would still have to perform another action afterwards. Zen Faulkes ruled here ( viewtopic.php?f=59&t=74016&p=969331&hilit=water+paths#p969331 ) differently, but that was back in February.
Changing Paths: Kiho Battle/Open: Target your unbowed Shugenja or Monk: Name a Ring. The next time this turn you trigger its base trait that would put it into play from your hand, search your discard pile, then Fate deck, for that Ring. Show it. Put it into your hand. (You then have a chance to play it by its own text.)
Is this not what that rule means, or is Zen Faulkes ruling out-of-date? Or am I just missing a point entirely?
The definition of "next" given in the glossary says, "If the "next" period of time is referred to while that period is ongoing, the ongoing period of time is not meant."
What "ongoing period of time" would conflict here?
Not the period of time when an action is resolving, since Changing Paths sets a condition for the triggering of a trait, not an action. there is not overlap or conflict between these two things.
Changing Paths has you name a Ring. Player says Water.
Changing Paths then activates a delayed effect, the "next time" bit that looks for the trigger happening from the Ring's trait. The Ring of Water is now primed for looking for the next action resolution. Changing Paths resolves after that delayed effect is activated, triggering the Ring of Water's trait condition.
Perhaps part of the confusion is thinking that the initial activation of the delayed effect and the resolution of the action are simultaneous, but they are not. Activation is before resolution, so the Ring is ready when the resolution occurs. The "next time" delayed effect is not very delayed in this case, but the timing all works.