post for 30 January 2002

Soshi Tishi + Bayushi House Guard

Thus, it may be that if you as an opposing player play a delayed terrain and your opponent uses Tishi's ability, he may not get his bonus till the battle resolution, since that is when the terrain would actually resolve. Not when it is played. Possibly an important, yet subtle difference in some battles.

Is this the way it is? So, if he played a delayed terrain, which I reacted to with Tishi's ability, then I destroyed that terrain, then he played another, which I was also able to destroy, I would gain no benefit? That seems somehow wrong.

"Reaction: After an opposing player resolves a battle action, Tishi gains +F/-C until the end of the battle."

Any other answers or views? Is that the way this is?

By his own wording, Tishi cannot use his Reaction until the Battle action resolves. In the case of Delayed Terrains, that's not until the end of the Battle Action Segment. He can't react when they're played.

Moat and Three-Stone River

Timing question: When Three-Stone River has been played during a battle at a province where Moat is attached, which card's effects are applied first during the Resolution Phase? The order can make a big difference when computing the attacker's force.

The Moat applies first, since it began applying as soon as the units were assigned.

post for 29 January 2002 / post for 28 January 2002

Yes. However, you cannot combine that ranged attack with any other cards, since you can only combine attacks within a unit.

Could you still use Arrows from the Woods to raise the strength of the ranged attack? Is that considered "combining"?

It's still legal. It's not combining.

However, AftW reads "When one of your *units* makes a ranged attack..." (emphasis mine). You've just said followers unattached by Street to Street are no longer part of a unit, so a ranged attack from one wouldn't be a legal trigger for AftW's reaction, correct? I believe this also goes for other non-unit ranged attacks, such as Guard House and the battle action on Arrows from the Woods. Am I right?

You're right. Arrows From the Woods' Reaction would only be legal when used on a Personality's Ranged Attack while Street to Street is in effect. It is NOT legal to raise the strength of a Ranged Attack from a "free-floating" Follower (and it's never legal to use it to raise the attack from another AFtW's Battle action).

question: Mountains of the Phoenix & Encircled Terrain

I have a question concerning these 2 terrains:

Mountains of the Phoenix Battle Terrain: The attacker and defender each target one unit in their army. The target units are destroyed.

Encircled Terrain Battle Terrain: The attacker and defender each target one of their own units in this battle. Send all other units in this battle home without bowing.

If I defend and I play this card. What happens if all my personalities are bowed.

A: the terrain goes all awry and doesnt work. B: I don't get any units destroyed/staying in battle. But my opponent does (if he still has unbowed units)

B.

Quetion about Isawa's Last Wish.

If I use Isawa's Last Wish, can I destroy a terrain card, region or fortification? I checked the archive but coun't find anything.

You can only destroy an "opposing card" if the Wish is yours, so you're limited to destroying Personalities in the opposing army or cards attached to them. Check out the Glossary, particularly the entries for "opposing", "unit", and "army".

Rules question: Iron Fortress and Test of Courage

A friend piped up and said that Jeff had ruled that Iron Fortress can be blocked by Test of Courage. Here's the relevant text from L5Rsearch and my question: Test of Courage Reaction: Play this card when an action is moving one of your target Personalities out of battle. Cancel the action. You cannot bow the Personality to take actions or target the Personality with actions until after the turn.

Iron Fortress of the Daidoji Battle: Bow the Iron Fortress of the Daidoji to have one of your Samurai challenge an opposing Personality. If the challenged Personality refuses the challenge, send that Personality home bowed and Dishonored.

Now it is MNSHO that this is an optional effect. I was under the impression that Optional Effects are not actions since they are...well...effects.

Irrelevant. A Test of Courage is now worded to trigger off an action sending one of your units home. The Iron Fortress's thingie is a Battle action, and if you refuse the challenge, it sends your Personality home. Thus AToC is playable. This comes directly from card text.

But I think I know why you're uncertain. A Test of Courage USED to be worded so that it was played as soon as one of your units was selected as the target of an action which "would" send it home. With that wording, the ruling was that AToC was only playable against actions which send a unit home unconditionally, since with a CONDITIONAL effect you don't yet know, at the time of targeting, whether or not the unit will be leaving. However, the wording of AToC has significantly changed and that ruling no longer holds.

Dark Allys Strongholds

Has AEG *confirmed* the Mantis stronghold?

No.