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, 15 April 2011
Two questions:
1, Can Akodo Seiichi (exp) use his ability to bow a personality if there are no bowed cards to straighten? In other words, is the straightening a requirement or an effect?
2, Can Learn by Doing target a personality with greater force than the performing monk's chi plus PH? This would be done to gain the secondary draw and force pump effects. In my view it cannot, because it violates the good faith rule. However, I have met some disagreement on this.
I'd be very grateful for some clarification of these points.
Thanks in advance.
Zen Faulkes (rules official), 15 April 2011
Can Akodo Seiichi (exp) use his ability to bow a personality if there are no bowed cards to straighten? In other words, is the straightening a requirement or an effect?
The straightening is a effect in this case (not between colons). (Corrected; text removed).
Can Learn by Doing target a personality with greater force than the performing monk's chi plus PH?
No. A "target enemy Personality with Force less than your Monk's Personal Honor plus Chi" is all part of the targeting requirement. It's not, "target enemy Personality. Bow him if he has with Force less than your Monk's Personal Honor plus Chi."
A player, 15 April 2011
Saw this and wanted Clarification. Zen seems to be saying the action is not legal if there is noone to straighten, but I don't think that is correct.
Situation #1 Seiichi xp unbowed at a battlefield opposing a personality with lower force. Situation #2 Seiichi xp unbowed at a battlefield opposing a personality with higher force.
In both of these situations I believe announcement of Seiichi's Battle ability is legal. #1 is mechanically equivalent to the original question.
Battle: Straighten a target card in a unit. You may target and bow an enemy card with Force lower than or equal to Seiichi's Force.
The only required target by the rules as near as I can tell is the card in a unit that will straighten when the effect resolves, an effect that can target Seiichi himself, since it doesn't require the targeting of a bowed card, just a card in a unit. Which Seiichi XP is. Since the latter targeting is made optional by use of the word "may", no other targets are required.
Zen Faulkes (rules official), 15 April 2011
Saw this and wanted Clarification. Zen seems to be saying the action is not legal if there is noone to straighten, but I don't think that is correct.
Situation #1 Seiichi xp unbowed at a battlefield opposing a personality with lower force. Situation #2 Seiichi xp unbowed at a battlefield opposing a personality with higher force.
In both of these situations I believe announcement of Seiichi's Battle ability is legal. #1 is mechanically equivalent to the original question.
The only required target by the rules as near as I can tell is the card in a unit that will straighten when the effect resolves, an effect that can target Seiichi himself, since it doesn't require the targeting of a bowed card, just a card in a unit. Which Seiichi XP is. Since the latter targeting is made optional by use of the word "may", no other targets are required.
Misread the question and will clarify.