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, 30 October 2009
The rulebook says that when a personality leaves play, all attachments leave play in the same manner. Since that means a follower was destroyed, do I put the follower sideways in my discard pile? Also, to use an ability such as "Battle: Attach your target discarded Follower from your discard pile to your target personality", would that mean that the follower would have had to be discarded from my hand earlier and I should keep track of which followers were actually discarded?
I'm asking about Akodo Hiroshi, in a roundabout way.
Dan Jacobson (rules official), 30 October 2009
The rulebook says that when a personality leaves play, all attachments leave play in the same manner. Since that means a follower was destroyed, do I put the follower sideways in my discard pile? Also, to use an ability such as "Battle: Attach your target discarded Follower from your discard pile to your target personality", would that mean that the follower would have had to be discarded from my hand earlier and I should keep track of which followers were actually discarded?
I'm asking about Akodo Hiroshi, in a roundabout way.
There is no distinction between "destroyed" and "discarded" cards in the Fate Discard Pile, however some cards may make that distinction when reacting to an attachment's destruction.
Akodo Hiroshi will be able to equip discarded followers with his abillity.
A player, 10 November 2009
In reference to: http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=79866#p1045640
Let's say I ranged attack a Light Infantry, destroying it.
My opponent has Yoritomo Naizen (xp 3), who has this ability: Battle: Target a Follower in your hand or discard pile. Attach it to your target Personality, paying 3 less Gold. You may take an additional Battle action.
Can they Naizen the Light Infantry back?
Would it be different if they were using Akodo Hiroshi? Battle: Attach your target discarded Follower to a target Personality in Hiroshi's army.
Brook Cunningham (rules official), 11 November 2009
In reference to: http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=79866#p1045640
Let's say I ranged attack a Light Infantry, destroying it.
My opponent has Yoritomo Naizen (xp 3), who has this ability: Battle: Target a Follower in your hand or discard pile. Attach it to your target Personality, paying 3 less Gold. You may take an additional Battle action.
Can they Naizen the Light Infantry back?
Would it be different if they were using Akodo Hiroshi? Battle: Attach your target discarded Follower to a target Personality in Hiroshi's army.
Yes, both Naizen and Hiroshi's abilities could retrieve the Light Infantry in your example.
As was said in your link, only Personalities in the discard pile are distinguished between "destroyed" or "discarded". For any other card type, whether it ended up in the discard by being destroyed or not isn't tracked.
I understand your wanting clarification, as Naizen and Hiroshi are worded slightly differently ("in the discard pile" verus "discarded"), but since they are referencing a non-Personality card type, they are essentially saying the same thing.