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, 2 February 2010
If my opponent pays 8 gold to assassinate Udo (8 gold cost) and I use deflection to redirect it to a zero gold cost personailty, what happens, considering this ruling on the faq: http://rules.l5r.com/CE_FAQ#What_happen ... ld_cost.3F
Dramatic Assassination: Limited: Bow your target Ninja Personality and pay Gold equal to the targeted unit's total Gold Cost: Destroy a target unit. Lose 4 Honor
Deflection: Reaction: When another player's action would target one of your Personalities: Choose another one of your Personalities at the same location. The action targets him instead, if legal.
Does he bow his ninja, pay the 8 gold, but nothing happens? Or does he choose not to pay the 0 gold, and HAS to destroy the zero gold cost personality?
Dan Jacobson (rules official), 2 February 2010
If my opponent pays 8 gold to assassinate Udo (8 gold cost) and I use deflection to redirect it to a zero gold cost personailty, what happens, considering this ruling on the faq: http://rules.l5r.com/CE_FAQ#What_happen ... ld_cost.3F
Dramatic Assassination: Limited: Bow your target Ninja Personality and pay Gold equal to the targeted unit's total Gold Cost: Destroy a target unit. Lose 4 Honor
Deflection: Reaction: When another player's action would target one of your Personalities: Choose another one of your Personalities at the same location. The action targets him instead, if legal.
Does he bow his ninja, pay the 8 gold, but nothing happens? Or does he choose not to pay the 0 gold, and HAS to destroy the zero gold cost personality?
He may choose one of two things:
A) Bow his Ninja, pay the new GC (0), and destroy it. He will lose 4 honor.
OR
B) Pay no costs, and discard the card without effects.
Read the FAQ as it deals with situations that are quite similar.
Zen Faulkes (rules official), 2 February 2010
The FAQ section quoted was intended to answer this exact question. Love to hear what was unclear about it so we may improve.