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, 3 January 2012
It seems to me that the timing of clan discount vs. honor gain changed. Clan discount is now a named effect rather than part of dynasty phase specifically.
Clan discount: If a Personality has your Clan alignment, at any time you bring him into play, you may pay 2 less Gold for him to enter play
Reaction: After you bring a Personality in your province with your Clan alignment into play without Clan discount, if it is your turn: Gain Honor equal to his base Personal Honor
Must I announce before the personality finishes entering play that I am not using my clan discount, or is it checked for proclaim only after based on the amount of gold I payed.
quoted below are cards not really relevant to the question, but is a Kolat Edition legal example.
Bad Kharma
Reaction: After another player with Family Honor of -1 or lower announces an action on a Strategy: He ignores the action's costs. Negate its effects.
One Koku
Reaction: When paying a Gold cost: Produce one Gold
I announce I am bringing a personality into play (say from your clan needs you), and I use one koku to pay without the clan discount. But if then my gold payment is interfered with by another player negating the action's effects. Am I forced to find another source of money to pay without clan discount, or is it past the point where I can choose his cost for entering play?
Brook Cunningham (rules official), 4 January 2012
It seems to me that the timing of clan discount vs. honor gain changed. Clan discount is now a named effect rather than part of dynasty phase specifically.
Despite its now having its own name, the timing for the Clan discount remains unchanged, except that the restriction upon it only being allowed during the Dynasty phase has been lifted. You choose to take it while paying for the Personality, in Step C of bringing a Personality into play (see here).
Must I announce before the personality finishes entering play that I am not using my clan discount, or is it checked for proclaim only after based on the amount of gold I payed.
As seen above, it's chosen in Step C.
quoted below are cards not really relevant to the question, but is a Kolat Edition legal example.
Bad Kharma
Reaction: After another player with Family Honor of -1 or lower announces an action on a Strategy: He ignores the action's costs. Negate its effects.
One Koku
Reaction: When paying a Gold cost: Produce one Gold
I announce I am bringing a personality into play (say from your clan needs you), and I use one koku to pay without the clan discount. But if then my gold payment is interfered with by another player negating the action's effects. Am I forced to find another source of money to pay without clan discount, or is it past the point where I can choose his cost for entering play?
Contrary to what you said, this seems to be a very relevant, separate question to me.
And the answer is that you can choose the Clan discount at any time during the "pay costs" Step (its nicely un-rigid in that regard), so should your One Koku be negated, you can find another source OR opt for the discount at that point (note that nothing already paid in excess of the discount, like a Small Farm before that One Koku, will be refunded for choosing it).