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, 7 March 2010
Test of Sincerity reads:
Political Open: Target another player's Personality. His controller may have him commit seppuku; if he chose this, he gains 4 Honor. If he did not choose this, dishonor the Personality, and his controller loses 2 Honor; if he is now below his starting Family Honor, he may ignore Personalities' Honor Requirements until the game ends.
During a tournament, my monk was targeted with Test of Sincerity. Per the rulebook, under Seppuku, "An act of ritual suicide. If an effect directs a Personality to commit seppuku, apply the following effects: “Rehonor the Personality, then destroy him; these effects will not be negated.” However, under player abilities, it mentions that only Samurai and Courtiers may commit Seppuku. In this case, the tournament judge ruled that my monk could not commit seppuku and must take the second effect. Was this a correct ruling?
Dan Jacobson (rules official), 7 March 2010
Test of Sincerity reads:
Political Open: Target another player's Personality. His controller may have him commit seppuku; if he chose this, he gains 4 Honor. If he did not choose this, dishonor the Personality, and his controller loses 2 Honor; if he is now below his starting Family Honor, he may ignore Personalities' Honor Requirements until the game ends.
During a tournament, my monk was targeted with Test of Sincerity. Per the rulebook, under Seppuku, "An act of ritual suicide. If an effect directs a Personality to commit seppuku, apply the following effects: “Rehonor the Personality, then destroy him; these effects will not be negated.” However, under player abilities, it mentions that only Samurai and Courtiers may commit Seppuku. In this case, the tournament judge ruled that my monk could not commit seppuku and must take the second effect. Was this a correct ruling?
No.
If a card effect tells you can commit seppuku, the card effect overrides the rulebook.
Monks that are not also Samurai or Courtier (E.g. Togashi Kazuki) cannot do the rulebook action of Seppuku.