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, 8 March 2012
I announce Sacrifice of Pawns, target my opponent's personality, and then my own courtier who will be destroyed. If my opponent chooses to destroy his personality, then plays Ancestral Protection to negate its destruction, do I have still have to pay the cost of destroying my courtier? I get that announce>target>costs, but I'm unclear as to how to apply that to this situation.
Sacrifice of Pawns: Limited: Destroy your performing unbowed Courtier and target another player's Personality: His controller may destroy the target. If he did not choose this, search your Dynasty deck for a Personality and bring him into play, paying all costs but paying two more Gold. (Discard him if you are unable to play him).
Ancestral Protection: Reaction: After an action targets your Personality, destroy your performing Ancestor: Negate the action's effects.
Many thanks in advance.
Alex Jones (rules official), 8 March 2012
I announce Sacrifice of Pawns, target my opponent's personality, and then my own courtier who will be destroyed. If my opponent chooses to destroy his personality, then plays Ancestral Protection to negate its destruction, do I have still have to pay the cost of destroying my courtier? I get that announce>target>costs, but I'm unclear as to how to apply that to this situation.
Sacrifice of Pawns: Limited: Destroy your performing unbowed Courtier and target another player's Personality: His controller may destroy the target. If he did not choose this, search your Dynasty deck for a Personality and bring him into play, paying all costs but paying two more Gold. (Discard him if you are unable to play him).
Ancestral Protection: Reaction: After an action targets your Personality, destroy your performing Ancestor: Negate the action's effects.
Many thanks in advance.
The correct sequence for Sacrifice of Pawns is: A. Announce that you wish to use the ability on Sacrifice of Pawns B. Choose your performer C. Target the other Personality - Ancestral Protection is played here D. Destroy the performer as a cost E. The other player makes his choice, and either his Personality is destroyed or the Dynasty deck is searched - these are the effects that are negated by Ancestral Protection F. End
Costs can only be chosen not to be paid if the cost is dependent on a target, and the target is changed from what was originally chosen. This does not happen in this case, so you may not choose not to destroy the performer.