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, 30 October 2011
This may be particular to Enlightenment, but I was playing Enlightenment out of Pillars of Virtue with a friend who was running Effortless Counterattack.
If I play a duel as an additional action, and my opponent plays Effortless Counterattack as the action resolves, do the focus effects still resolve? If I focused fire and would be able to put it into play, would I do so? Or does the focus effect count as an effect of the duel?
Effortless Counterattack Reaction: Before the resolution of a Battle action that was taken as an additional action: Negate its effects. Battle: Choose your performing unbowed Personality and target a Personality without attachments: Move him home.
Thanks for taking a look and helping a newbie out!
Zen Faulkes (rules official), 31 October 2011
If I play a duel as an additional action, and my opponent plays Effortless Counterattack as the action resolves, do the focus effects still resolve?
I think action resolution may be getting confused with duel resolution. The two are not the same thing.
Effortless Counterattack is not played "as" the action resolves - it's played before the action resolves. That is, after targets are picked and costs are paid, but before effects happen. There's not going to be an opportunity to play focus effects.
A player, 7 November 2011
Concerning ruling: http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=94665
Effortless Counterattack counters the effect of the Battle action and not the action itself. Does than not mean that that the Duel is gonna take place and both players get the chance to focus or strike?
If that the case then the question is valid: will Focus effects take effect when the duel is resolved and before the effect of the duel is negated?
Or is the Duel an effect of the action and not the action itself?
Brook Cunningham (rules official), 7 November 2011
Concerning ruling: http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=94665
Effortless Counterattack counters the effect of the Battle action and not the action itself. Does than not mean that that the Duel is gonna take place and both players get the chance to focus or strike?
If that the case then the question is valid: will Focus effects take effect when the duel is resolved and before the effect of the duel is negated?
Or is the Duel an effect of the action and not the action itself?
The creation and process of a duel is an effect of the action that creates the challenge or duel.
Therefore, if the action's effects are negated or do not happen, the entire duel never happens.