post for 19 March 2002

Matsu Domotai's Force Cap

I remember a combo some people listed which gave Matsu Domotai 'hidden' Force bonuses because his Chi increased in a duel, something like this:

Matsu Domotai : "Domotai's Force cannot exceed his Chi. Domotai cannot be assigned to or move into a defending army. During battle, Domotai gains a Force bonus equal to the number of other Lion Clan Personalities in his army. "

Attack with Matsu Domotai 1F3C + 2 other Lion peeps. He now has 3F Charge Matsu Domotai, now he's still 3F, but wants to be 6F Matsu Domotai gets in a Duel. He focuses for 3. Now he is +3Chi, (+3Force also)

But this bonus won't stay, because immediately after the duel, he loses all bonuses from the duel! Assuming he survives the duel, now he goes back down to 3F/3C

Correct?

Correct.

post for 18 March 2002

I believe his question was that he uses no wind, and his opponent had a wind, and was using the event. He doesnt have a wind, so he isnt really using a different one. Does he have to discard six cards off the top?

Ah. I see now. No, he wouldn't. He has to have a Wind to have a different Wind.

Jeff's ruling

If a cost or effect destroys an entire unit, the Obi's Reaction will only prevent the destruction of the Personality card. Everything else attached will still die.

Jeff,

but under the old rulings, didn't the the attached items, followers or spells get destroyed only if the personality was actually destroyed? Feign Death and Crane Tattoo returns a personality in play after the personality is destroyed, so it is clear that they will lose anything that was attached to them. They may retain changes to them that were permanent though, like tattoos or oath of fealty effects.

The Golden Obi is not the same though, as it actually prevents the personality from being destroyed in the first place, letting the personality in question to actually keep his stuff.

Am I wrong?

You're thinking about what happens when something destroys only the Personality.

Something destroying the entire unit will destroy every single card in the unit. Saving just the Personality -- which is what the Obi does -- will not save the rest.

Dirty Scum [rules guys]

Jeff, Zen, Vaughn, et al.,

I was wondering if, since the card does not specify, the attacker goes home bowed should the defender win this duel and choose not to kill his opponent. I didn't find much in the accumulated rulings and the rulebook to suggest an answer one way or the other except this excerpt from the rulebook:

*[The battle has now resolved. All surviving attacking and allied units (including defending allies) return to their controllers' homes, bowed. The Defender's units do not bow; they remain in their Provinces until the Attack Phase ends.

If this is the very last battle of the Attack Phase, any attacking and allied units that moved into other Provinces and are still there go home bowed now as well.]*

I assume (and we all know what that means) the default way to go home is bowed, judging from this entry, regardless of whether the battle has resolved or not. Sorry if it has already been ruled on or if I missed something obvious.

If a battle ends early, without resolution, the default result is for all units to units return home in the same way as they do after a resolved battle: attacking and allied units bow, the Defender's own do not.

Hida Kosho questions

Hida Kosho reads. Once per battle, challange an attacking personality to a duel of force. The challange personality may refuse by going home bowed. Bow the loser.

Ok here are the questions. I would assume from the style of the card that a "duel of force" would be a test of might type action where focuses go to the persons force and not chi. Is this correct?

Yes.

If it is, will it be listed as such in the new rulebook?

It's been there since Gold. Page 62.

Miya Gensaiken

Miya Gensaiken says that you can use his Political ability even if your stronghold says no and that you can use the Wind ability even if your stronghold says no. That will let you use Tsudao, Kaneka and Sezaru as a Shadowlands Hordeling even though their abilities are Political. Will Gensaiken-sama also allow you to use Naseru's ability to halve honor gains as well?

Yes. That action is Political and is not causing an unconditional loss, so it doesn't break any rule that Gensaiken doesn't let you break.

Also, you cannot target any of your own personalities that are bowed. Since Gensaiken-sama will bow and destroy one of your personalities as one action, can our little Miya destroy himself as a noble sacrifice to allow the use of a Wind's favor or is that not kosher because he's bowed?

By his preview text, yes.

Finally, when can you use our most gracious and noble courtier?

Whenever you'd use the Wind action in question.

Questions (Jeff)

a) I believe this question has been asked before, but I need confirmation. A Personality, within the same battle, gets the Tactician trait, uses the Tactician trait, loses the Tactician trait, and gains the Tactician trait, in that order. It is correct to say that the Personality _may not_ use the Tactician trait again. Correct?

A Personality can use one Tactician action per battle. Correct.

b) If an opponent's Test of the Emerald Champion, or any other such "issue a challenge to a player" challenge is accepted by Shinjo Shono, must the opponent discard cards to continue the duel?

No. The challenge was already issued. It's too late to add a cost to it...and besides, Shono himself was not challenged.

c) This bleeds into story. Beiden Pass was destroyed during the Spirit Wars. In a typical (yet, at least literal this time) act of deus ex machina, Lord Sun opens up a new pass. Where is this pass -- is it near where Beiden Pass was? Do the Scorpion control it? Does it empty into the same non-Scorpion Province? Finally, what is the name of this pass?

Forwarded to the Story Team, but it's probably Seikitsu Pass, joining L1 and Sc1 on the Strategic map. This would make Sc1 the only castle Province adjacent to two enemy castle Provinces.

L5R-CCG-Digest V2002 #172

Ahem. Being that I'm new to this list, where is the archive located?

http://l5r.alderac.com/rulings/

Question on the Sideboard rule ...

Yes, and where does it actually say that you may not replace an event or unique from your deck. It cleary states that you may not have them as sideboard, not necessarily the other way around.

[DM] Minor point:

Does a sideboard become not-a-sideboard after you have swapped cards?

Or is it still a sideboard?

The Sideboard is always the Sideboard, and may never contain Unique cards or Events. You cannot swap such cards from your main deck into your Sideboard.