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, 4 August 2012
As per: viewtopic.php?f=59&t=98839&p=1304706&hilit=overlay#p1304706
I know that a personalities abilities are refreshed after overlaying. What about the game state of cards like Unstoppable Strike?
Waystation of the Path~ Reaction: After another player's action targets your performing Henshin, target another of your Personalities: The Henshin is reborn. Transfer his attachments and tokens to the other Personality. The action's effects that would destroy your Henshin instead overlay him onto the Personality.
Unstoppable Strike~ Battle: Choose your performing Personality: Give him the ability, "Battle: Target an enemy Personality: Destroy him."
Spirit of the Monk~ Limited: Choose your performing unbowed Personality: If he is a Monk, permanently give him the ability, "Battle: Target an enemy Personality without Armor: Bow him." Otherwise, permanently give him Monk.
If in battle I use Unstoppable Strike on a henshin followed by using the battle granted by unstoppable strike. Will using the Waystation of the Path refresh the unstoppable strike ability?
According to the CR the overlaying card forgets its gamestate so it would forget the unstoppable strike ability right? also same with force bumps or effects like Spirit of the Monk right?
What about in the case where these effects are done on the underlaying card? If I unstoppable strike on a personality and use the battle action granted, then overlay another personality onto the one with the unstoppable game state, would the resulting overlaid personality remember the unstoppable battle action? would it be refreshed? What about if the underlay had Spirit of the Monk on it?
Brook Cunningham (rules official), 4 September 2012
I know that a personalities abilities are refreshed after overlaying. What about the game state of cards like Unstoppable Strike?
Strategies like Unstoppable Strike or Spirit of the Monk (as you mention below) don't HAVE a "game state"; the convey ongoing effects to Personalities. And, basically what you should remember is that an overlaying card "forgets" everything about itself when it overlays, and all the ongoing effects (if any) on the UNDERlying card now affect it as if it were the same card as the one it overlayed.
If in battle I use Unstoppable Strike on a henshin followed by using the battle granted by unstoppable strike. Will using the Waystation of the Path refresh the unstoppable strike ability?
According to the CR the overlaying card forgets its gamestate so it would forget the unstoppable strike ability right? also same with force bumps or effects like Spirit of the Monk right?
If the Personality who had the Unstoppable Strike ability is the overlaying card, he forgets he ever had it, and forgets any Force bonuses or granted keywords. It's like it's a brand new card that came out of nowhere.
What about in the case where these effects are done on the underlaying card? If I unstoppable strike on a personality and use the battle action granted, then overlay another personality onto the one with the unstoppable game state, would the resulting overlaid personality remember the unstoppable battle action? would it be refreshed? What about if the underlay had Spirit of the Monk on it?
The underlying card from that example would be removed from the game, but everything ongoing about it would be true for the overlaying card; it's treated as being the "same card" as the one it overlayed. So, it would have the US granted ability, that ability is used and cannot be used again, and the ongoing effect giving it "Monk" would still be in effect.
I hope this all helps, and sorry for overlooking your question for a while. Thanks for asking!