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, 17 May 2010
I searched but i don't think this has been answered yet.
I was wonder if I could use the strategy "A cleansing death" in reaction to using "calm before death"? I have supplied the card text of both cards below for you convenience.
A Cleansing Death Reaction: After the resolution of a Battle action that destroyed one of your Deathseekers: Bring a target face-up Personality in one of your provinces into play at the current battlefield, paying 3 less Gold. Gain 2 Honor.
Calm before Death Battle: Destroy your target unbowed Berserker or Deathseeker Personality: Reduce the Force of one or two target enemy Followers or Personalities without Followers by an amount equal to your Personality's Force. You may destroy one of those enemy cards whose Force is now 0. If your Personality is a Deathseeker, gain 3 Honor.
If I can. Does that mean that I could also use A Cleansing Death off of other actions with similar cost. Such as Akodo Shigetoshi's battle ability for example.
Thank you for your time and assistance.
Zen Faulkes (rules official), 17 May 2010
(C)ould (I) use the strategy "A cleansing death" in reaction to using "calm before death"?
Yes. "An action that does something" does not mean "an action that does something as an effect."
A player, 18 May 2010
In reference to: viewtopic.php?f=59&t=83580
This means that " A Cleansing Death" cane effectively be played as if it said: Reaction: After the resolution of a Battle action that destroyed one of your Deathseekers as a cost or effect of that action:Bring a target face-up Personality in one of your provinces into play at the current battlefield, paying 3 less Gold. Gain 2 Honor.
Is this correct? My brother and I had this discussion last night and my argument was that the destruction did not have to be an effect of the battle action, the destruction just had to happen during the battle action.
Therefore "A Cleansing Death" would be a legal action to take after playing: Calm before Death (as previously ruled), Matsu Ushio or Akodo Nagataka's printed battle action. However "A Cleansing Death" could not be taken in reaction to Duty (negating a ranged attack by destroying a deathseeker personality for duty) nor to Akodo Senichi's reaction because they are "reactions" and not "battle actions" right?
Thanks
Relevant card text:
A Cleansing Death Reaction: After the resolution of a Battle action that destroyed one of your Deathseekers: Bring a target face-up Personality in one of your provinces into play at the current battlefield, paying 3 less Gold. Gain 2 Honor.
Calm before Death Battle: Destroy your target unbowed Berserker or Deathseeker Personality: Reduce the Force of one or two target enemy Followers or Personalities without Followers by an amount equal to your Personality's Force. You may destroy one of those enemy cards whose Force is now 0. If your Personality is a Deathseeker, gain 3 Honor.
Duty Bushido Virtue Reaction: Before another player’s card’s effect destroys one of your Personalities, destroy your target honorable Samurai Personality at the same location: Negate the first Personality’s destruction.
Matsu Ushio Lion Clan • Samurai • Deathseeker • Hero Battle: Destroy Ushio: Destroy a target enemy card with equal or lower Gold Cost. Gain 2 Honor.
Akodo Nagataka Lion Clan • Samurai • Deathseeker Before a battle's resolution, if Nagataka is at the current battlefield: Destroy him. Battle: Destroy Nagataka: Give each of your Followers and Personalities at the current battlefield +1F.
Akodo Senichi Senichi has +1F while attacking. Reaction: Before another player's card effect destroys on of your Lion Clan Samurai Personalities in Senichi's army, destroy Senichi: Negate the Personality's destruction. Gain 3 Honor.
Dan Jacobson (rules official), 18 May 2010
In reference to: viewtopic.php?f=59&t=83580
Therefore "A Cleansing Death" would be a legal action to take after playing: Calm before Death (as previously ruled), Matsu Ushio or Akodo Nagataka's printed battle action. However "A Cleansing Death" could not be taken in reaction to Duty (negating a ranged attack by destroying a deathseeker personality for duty) nor to Akodo Senichi's reaction because they are "reactions" and not "battle actions" right?
It can be played in the manner you suggested, for the reasons you suggest.
A Cleansing Death can be played in reaction to an action whose costs or effects destroy one of your Deathseeker personalities.