post for 7 June 2002

I have a question about Artisans quarters http://www.wizards.com/l5r/artisansquarters.asp, I know it's on a WotC website but why dont they have ratling on the bottom of the page to go to that factions home?

The last time I went to the Wizards L5R website (today), they'd taken everything down. It's rather moot now.

Another question for Jeff Zen and all those people we like, do you or any of the other MAJOR guys in L5R have respect for the ratling? Do you not like them, does the story team not like them is that why we dont have any special holding like: Crab Recruiter or Phoenix Library or any special item?

What's everyones problem with Ratling?

The Ratlings are a playable faction by player demand, but they simply do not have the pull in the Four Winds story arc to influence much, so giving them strength commensurate with what the Shadowlands and the Great Clans have could potentially put us in a spot where we'd have to take the story in a direction we don't want it to go because of high-profile tournament wins.

post for 6 June 2002(ROE)

In a message dated Thu, 6 Jun 2002 11:40:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time, writes:

It is not playable. The only time the Ring of Earth can be played is immediately after a battle ends, and it regards only the attacking army Force and Province strength at that battle from the beginning of the attack to that point.

WC: I am not to sure about this. Can you clarify some things.

What is the difference between the attack phase and the battle phase?

There is no such thing as a "battle phase". There are Battle Action Segments (which are irrelevant to the Ring), and there are "battles".

When does the attack phase end?

When a battle at a Province ends and there are no more battles yet to resolve. [DA rulebook p. 59]

MRPed Ring of Earth currently says: Play this card after an attack against one of your Provinces, in which the attacking army's Force exceeded the Province Strength at any time during the Attack Phase and the Province was not destroyed. Elemental Benefit: Each of your Provinces gains +3 Strength. (Trivia question how many times has the Ring of Earth been MRPed?)

When does the attack end?

There's the crux of the ambiguity: what does "an attack against one...Province" mean? It can be read as referring to just one battle or to the whole Attack Phase. I've clarified that it means one battle. Pointing out that it can be read either way will only encourage me to say, "I know. That's why I told you which way to read it."

Here is another question for Ring of Earth Play. This has been deemed legal before by some TO's. But the Ring of Earth could be played immediately, but that was when the card was a reaction and not a trait.

Nothing has changed regarding the timing of its play. Losing the "Reaction" word only means that playing it isn't an action anymore. That's all.

Player A has a 7 Force Unit attacking Province ONE of Player B. This has a province strength of 6 and is opposed by Player B's 6 force personality. He decides to resolve a battle at Province TWO "first" and moves his 9 Force unit into the battle at province two with a card ability. There is no longer a huge unit attacking province ONE, the unit is now attacking province TWO. (The battle has not resolved for province ONE, but the conditions of playing the ring have occured)

The conditions for playing the Ring have not occured. No battles have yet ended.

When can the Ring of Earth's TRAIT be applied during the attack phase, because it can be played, but the question is when?

I'm not 100% sure I've read your question correctly. This might not be the answer you want.

The Ring of Earth is played right after a battle ends. It cares only about total attacking army Force and Province strength at that one battle from the start of that Attack Phase to the end of that one battle. Once the Ring is played, the strength bonus applies immediately.

Rules Question [JEFF]

My question is about Unavoidable Destiny.

Until the beginning of your turn two turns from now, Events may not be cancelled, nor their effects negated, by cards or Strongholds.

Does this mean that if Unavoidable resolves, then Troll Raiders/Age of Man resolves, that even under the Raiders, I can still resolve Events?

Correct.

If Norikazu Sensei was under Amnesia, and Unavoidable resolved, the Amnesia ended, would the turns left from Unavoidable still resolve, despite Nork?

Yes.

mantis-flavored quetions:

Questions that came up in multiplayer last night...

1) On Naval Invasion in Multiplayer:

I've allied with Players A and B to attack Player C, and Player D has allied with C. In my Army I have sent Yoritomo Kitao xp0 and Moshi Kalani. Immediately after all armies have been declared I am able to declare a Naval Invasion right?

Not immediately after all units are assigned to armies, no. Declaring battles Naval happens on a battle-for-battle basis, as each one is selected by the Attacker for resolution.

Or do players C and D also have to be Naval?

All Personalities and Followers in one and only one army must be Naval, and the decision to make the battle a naval invasion can only be made by that army's commander (the Attacker or the Defender, as appropriate). [DA rulebook p. 66] All the units attacking each Province are in one army, even if they belong to multiple players. [p. 70] Likewise, all the units defending each Province are in one army. The whole army needs to be naval to make it an invasion, so inviting allies could make things tricky for a Mantis player.

If the former is correct, I then get my frst action then C and D will get theirs, right?

If the attacking army is all Naval and you make it an invasion, you, being the Attacker, will get the first Battle/Open action. The next action goes to the player to your left. [DA rulebook p. 66] I don't know who's sitting on your left, so I can't tell you if that's A or B or C or whoever.

2) Reactions are considered actions that Faith in my Clan can react to and negate, correct?

Reactions are actions. Faith In My Clan cancels an action. Correct.

3) Can Faith in my Clan negate a stronghold action like the terrain-negating Lion stronghold? I think it can because FimC is targetting the action, not the stronghold.

Targeting has absolutely nothing to do with it. Faith In My Clan says "Cancel an action." The Reaction on the Ancient Halls of the Akodo is an action.

baku no oni and spawning ground...

I'm assuming this has been asked already....

Friend of mine wants to play Baku no Oni and use Forgotten Tomb with Spawning Ground.

It should come out like this correct?

Baku no Oni goes under Forgotten Tomb, he has 0 force, so he comes out immediately, gains the force/chi = 1/2 the # of fate cards in players hand and then gains the +1/+1 from the Spawning Ground.

Wrong.

The Spawning Ground, by MRP in Gold Edition, applies a +1/+1 bonus to all cards you own. It's always on during the game, wherever your cards are. Baku no Oni is a 1/1 before entering play and would have to wait a turn.

Iuchi Plains Question

Ok, this came up in a game a little bit ago between a Unicorn player & a Scorpion player. The Scorp was attacking a province (the Unicorn's last) which had an Iuchi Plains attached. The Scorp player uses Shosuro Tech. to boost up one of his personality's Force to equal that of the Unicorn defender. Does the Iuchi Plains then drop it down by 1? I figured that yes, the -1F still hit, since Iuchi Plains say "-1F while attacking this province", not "-1F when they assign or move to attack this province," but there was some dispute. An official answer, please?

Dark Allies rulebook, p. 32. "It is possible to set a card's value directly to a particular number. Do not apply any bonuses or penalties already in effect to this new number -- in essence, they're already part of it. Do apply any later changes as you normally would."

You don't apply the Iuchi Plains's -1F again after a Shosuro Technique.

Porcelain Mask of Fu Leng

"Porcelain Mask of Fu Leng" Unique Shadowlands Lose 4 Honor. Place a number of +1/+1 Porcelain tokens on the Porcelain Mask of Fu Leng equal to this Personality's Chi. This Personality gains the Shadowlands trait and the ability "Battle: Fear 3" while the Porcelain Mask of Fu Leng is attached. The Porcelain Mask of Fu Leng cannot be moved among Personalities. When the Porcelain Mask of Fu Leng is destroyed, destroy this Personality. During each of your Events Phases, remove a Porcelain token. When you remove the last Porcelain token, destroy the Porcelain Mask of Fu Leng.

"Mujina Gang" Creature * Cavalry * Lose 3 Honor. After Mujina Gang attaches to a Personality, you must discard one card attached to the Personality.

Now by reading the text of these two cards and the ruling that if a card is discarded not destroyed, I could wait until I had one token left on the Mask, then attach the Mujina Gang, target the Mask as the card to be discarded, and my Personality would not be destroyed.

That is correct.

Tattooed peeps and monks

Hey all, in getting back into this luvly game, I've gotten a friend who wants to play Dragon. One question has come up, tho, based on tattooed folks being sort-of monks. Do they get to cast kiho. I'm assuming not, as they do not have the Monk trait printed on them, but I hate to assume. :}

They need to say "Monk" or "Shugenja" to cast Kihos. Being tattooed is not enough in the card game.

Rules Question Ring of Earth (JEFF)

Hi Jeff,

One final clarification on this and I should be completely clear (at least regarding this card). Situation: Player B has 5 province strength. Player A assigns a 6 force unit to attack player B's province 1. Player A resolves province 2 and moves his unit into the battle with Superior tactics. Province 2 is destroyed. Question: If province 1 is not destroyed, could player B play the Ring of Earth after the resolution of the battle at province 1.

Yes.

By your last post I would say yes given that the ring is checking for the attacking army's strength from the moment an attack is declared until the resolution of each province. If I'm right then, effectively, the Ring's opening text should read: Play this card after the resolution of a battle at one of your Provinces, in which the attacking army's Force exceeded the Province Strength at any time during the Attack Phase and the Province was not destroyed.

Not "after the resolution", "after the end".

post for 6 June 2002

In a message dated 6/6/02 8:40:39 PM Pacific Daylight Time, writes:

Regarding Asako Yuya

Can she cast spells while bowed?

By bowing the Spell instead of herself? Yes.

I'm confused as to the reasoning behind this. The rulebook says: "Only shugenja can attach and cast spells." which implies to me that the shugenja is performing the action (and not the spell as spells can't cast themselves).

The rulebook also states that "Once a card or Stronghold bows, it cannot take another action until it straightens, not even an action that does not bow the card."

Sure the cost of bowing the shugenja means that she doesn't have to bow to cast the spell (she bows the spell instead), but I'm not sure how she performs the action in the first place.

This is one for the Rules Team, then.

Utter Defeat and Blade of Truths

Can I use the reaction of Blade of Truths, naming focus value 1, to stop the use of Utter Defeat in a duel? Or will the Utter Defeat be played after the Blade's effect has ended?

Utter Defeat is played before the Personality is killed, which happens during duel resolution. That's still during the duel. Blade of Truths will prevent it.

Rules Question (JEFF)

Hi Jeff, Here we go again.

To the Last Man. Relevent text: The player's bowed cards contribute their Force for this effect as if they were unbowed. Which player's bowed cards?

The opposing player. The one being forced to do the destroying. It's a reminder, really; since he's destroying individual cards, he wouldn't use the total unit Force rules anyway.

Sleepless Nights. Reads Reaction: Play at the beginning of a Straighten Phase to prevent a target Personality from straightening this Phase. Straighten the Personality at the end of the turn. Can you target unbowed personalities with this action?

Yes.

Superior Strategist question

So we're having a debate about Superior Strategist and Hunting Tiger. If I'm in battle against the Hunting Tiger and use Superior Strategist to get, say Test of Might. Do I have to discard one or two cards?

One.