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 April 2010
would this work?
I use Shiba Nobuyuki and target Asako Mokichi with Shiba Tsukimi (exp 3) in play making Nobuyuki at 14 force. Then i use Vigilant Eyes targeting Nobuyuki and Houhou. This makes Houhou at -12 force. Then i equip and use Ritual of Summoning on Houhou to set her force to 5. This would mean a +17 force bonus. At the end of the turn the force penalty from vigilant eyes goes away and Houhou is left with 19 force permanently.
is this all correct? if so i am going to make a deck built around Houhou no Oni
Dan Jacobson (rules official), 14 April 2010
would this work?
I use Shiba Nobuyuki and target Asako Mokichi with Shiba Tsukimi (exp 3) in play making Nobuyuki at 14 force. Then i use Vigilant Eyes targeting Nobuyuki and Houhou. This makes Houhou at -12 force. Then i equip and use Ritual of Summoning on Houhou to set her force to 5. This would mean a +17 force bonus. At the end of the turn the force penalty from vigilant eyes goes away and Houhou is left with 19 force permanently.
is this all correct? if so i am going to make a deck built around Houhou no Oni
Yep, all correct.
Happy oni-making!
A player, 16 April 2010
This is in relation to viewtopic.php?f=59&t=82947#p1086575
Isn't 'setting force' equal to a force bonus/penalty? Meaning that mechanics wise, would the setting of Houhou's force effectively wipe out the initial force penalty (since bonuses first have to overcome penalties)?
Dan Jacobson (rules official), 16 April 2010
This is in relation to viewtopic.php?f=59&t=82947#p1086575
Isn't 'setting force' equal to a force bonus/penalty? Meaning that mechanics wise, would the setting of Houhou's force effectively wipe out the initial force penalty (since bonuses first have to overcome penalties)?
There is no "wiping out" of force bonuses or penalties.
Setting a personality's force to a value requires that all current force bonuses and penalties into account.
The permanent nature of Ritual of Summoning means that the force bonus it applies stays after the penalties go away at the end of the turn, effectively giving a large permanent bonus to Houhou's force.