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 February 2012
i already asked if you can bow a card thats already bowed, but what about other things that im not sure if they are effects or costs. like these following cards. Steadfast defense, can i target an already streightened monk? falling leaf strike, what if the monk i target is already at the current battlefield?
Kiho Battle: Choose your performing Monk: Straighten him. If you control a Temple you may target a Personality or Follower and bow or straighten it. all the cards im questioning about is do i have to do the bold text to actualy be able to do the action.
Jon Palmer (rules official), 14 February 2012
i already asked if you can bow a card thats already bowed, but what about other things that im not sure if they are effects or costs. like these following cards. Steadfast defense, can i target an already streightened monk? falling leaf strike, what if the monk i target is already at the current battlefield?
Kiho Battle: Choose your performing Monk: Straighten him. If you control a Temple you may target a Personality or Follower and bow or straighten it. all the cards im questioning about is do i have to do the bold text to actualy be able to do the action.
For general answers, I'll refer you to the CR, sections for Costs and restrictions and Effects.
For your specific questions,
1. For Steadfast Defense, the constraints block only requires that you choose your performing Monk. Straightening him is an effect, and if he's already straightened that effect will merely fail.
2. Similarly, on Falling Leaf Strike, Move your Monk to the current battlefield is merely an effect, so you may play it on a Monk at the current battlefield, and the movement will fail.