post for 14 May 2003

Yu and Trenches question

If I have Trenches, will YU activate but still save the army?

Yes. The Yu trait is triggered by having a lower total Force than the other army, not by having your cards die. Its effects happen after calculating totals but before destroying the losing side.

Rules questions

I have a few questions. I apologise if any of these have been answered before.

The best way to check is to read through the archive of common rulings, on the web at http://l5r.alderac.com/rulings/ , and the Frequently Asked Questions list at http://www.legendofthefiverings.com/ccg/faq.html .

1- I play ambush on a bowed cavalry unit of an Otaku Palaces player, can he unbow his unit?

Yes. Playing Ambush counts as declaring an attack, and can be responded to with Reactions such as the Utaku Palace's.

2- Can i use a Wind's truth to redirect an honor loss to a Shadolands Player? (even if he does not lose the honor)

You may redirect the loss to him, yes, at which point it immediately vanishes and cannot be further redirected.

3- There's a suspicions in play i have a Doji Nagori and i'm playing against a Shadowlands Player, can i bow Nagori to increase his honor loss even if he cannot lose honor?

No. There is no Honor loss for you to increase.

questions

My opponent bows his Temple of the Ninth Kami and I challenge one of my opponents bowed Personalities he then plays Balance in Nothingness to cancel the action. Since the action was canceled and does not count as taken place do I get to challenge him again or is my Personality dishonored or since my Personality did challenge him nothing happens?

Everything that the Temple's action has not yet done is prevented from happening. You are not dishonored, there is no challenge, you may not try to challenge again.

Celestial Imbalance has resolved and my Personality enters a duel that has Shinseiís Staff attached and I bow it. Since Shinseiís Staff reduces my opponentís focus value to 3 if they are above three and Celestial Imbalance reduces all cards with the same focus value to zero would any cards focused by my opponent that was three or higher have its value reduced to zero if he focused more then one card that was three or higher?

Shinsei's Staff changes Focus values when the cards are focused. Celestial Imbalance changes them to when they are revealed. This combo is very effective. It turns all cards with a Focus value above 2 to 0 if there is more than one.

more questions

Is targeting done before or after costs are paid?

Before. [GE p. 46]

Some examplesÖ 1. My Shugenja enters a duel and they cast Double Chi on himself. Can I do this because you target the recipient then bow to cast it right?

Right.

2. I target Matsu Watako with the elite follower I am going to get. I bow her to go get the follower then pay the gold then attach the follower to her. Can I do this since I targeted her before I bowed her?

Yes.

3. I target one of my opponents bowed Personalities with Kolat Assassin and they cancel it with Balance in Nothingness. Since Balance in Nothingness reads cancel an action targeting, it would be canceled as soon as I targeted but before I could pay the cost of 10 gold and the cost of losing honor?

Sorry, costs are not refunded when an action is canceled. Yes, I see what you are saying, but it doesn't work that way. There is no action TO cancel if you haven't paid for it yet. (You would not lose 4 honor -- that is an effect, not a cost.)

4. I target one of my opponents bowed Personalities with Touch of Death and they cancel it with Balance in Nothingness. Since Balance in Nothingness reads cancel an action targeting, it would be canceled as soon as I targeted but before I could pay the cost of bowing my Shugenja and destroying the spell?

See #3.

opposing player (to Jeff)

You say: On a card type which can be in battles, "an opposing player" means "a player who controls one or more cards opposing this card". Tishi must be in the current battle. (to use his reaction)

1) Ok, I re-read the Rules archive, and found this entry about Bayushi Shoju (inex.): Ability may only be used against players who have opposing units in the battle. [FAQ]

I assume Tishi can not use his reaction if there is no opposing units (ie can't react to refugees, imperial favor). Right??

Right. [GE p. 74]

2) How about duels? I'm not sure (cannot find it in rulebook / archive), but I remember something like 'personalities during a duel are considered opposing' With something like this definition, I have problems with cards like Mirumoto Tachiyama and Blade of Thruths and non-battle duels. (this cards may be in battles, but may use his actions referring to an opposing player, out of a battle?)

"Opposing" can also refer to the status of two Personalities in a duel with one another, even outside battles.

3) How about Uji no Shiryo? Crane Clan Ancestor * Unique * Battle: If there are one or more units in the opposing player's army, bow Uji to give this Personality -1F/-1C and move this unit into the current battle.

Must be in the current battle to move to the current battle ????? (this sound strange)

Uji says "THE opposing player", not "AN opposing player". Since there is no choice, "THE opposing player" always means the Attacker (if you are defending) or the Defender (if you are attacking). [GE p. 74]

Q?: By Steel Redeemed

Kakita technique don't target. (by target rule #3) Towers of the Asako don't target.

By Steel Redeemed targets.

Why? What's the difference?

By Steel Redeemed does something to the Personality involved.

Call to Arms

When I´m using To the last man, the force of my bowed personalities in battle counts in the force that my opposing have to destroy from his army??????

What does this have to do with Call to Arms?

The total you divide by 2 for To the Last Man is the total you had during battle resolution. Unless you used some other card to save them, they can't be bowed now -- they should be dead, since you can only play To the Last Man after your army is destroyed.

Q?: Ningen + Sh. to Fukurokujin

2)Ningen + Sh. to Fukurokujin -> you may use Ningen if a card revealed with the Sh. to Fukurokujin has focus >= than the personality's chi ?

Jeff Al.: Yes.

I'm surprised by this answer. I re-write the question with an example. I bow a personality with 1 chi and the Shrine, and draw and show a 4 Focus card (the card would be discarded but...)

May I use Ningen, to discard the card and draw other card (without showing it, and independently of Focus value of the new card)?

With the Shrine of Fukurokujin, you draw a card, show it, and then possibly discard it. Shiba Ningen Exp. reacts to drawing a card. So, you would:

draw a card for the Shrine React with Ningen: discard that card and draw another one show the first card to everyone (it's in your discard pile) discard it if its focus is too high (it stays there either way)

Quick rules questions(Jeff)

Can I play solitary engagement if all of my personalities in a battle are bowed?

No, because you need to target one.

Arrows and M. Tachiyama

M. Tachiyama attacks me. I have 2 cards, one of them is an arrows from the woods. I use the arrows and target Tachiyama.

Tachiyama dies? (the action go to the discard pile after target and pay, but before resolves) or survive? (the action is considered to have in my hand until fully resolved)

It is out of your hand when it resolves. Tachiyama will die.

post for 12 May 2003

Suspended Terrain only applies to "all units in this battle when the Resolution Segment ends". Those are the only units forced to bow and the only ones prevented from straightening.

I'm taking your answer as saying that the units saved by Pick are not under the effects of the Terrain, but you didn't explicitly answer the question...

Yes I did. "Suspended Terrain only applies to 'all units in this battle when the Resolution Segment ends'." Units that leave the battle before the end of resolution escape it. That includes using Pick Your Battles, which is played "before your army is destroyed" (i.e., during resolution still) and "return[s units] to their controllers' homes".

I'll try to beat Leon to this one, but it looks unlikely...

If Shoju steals a Ring and it gets played before the end of a battle, then is later Harmonied, it stays in hand, right?

Right.

Dark Oracle of the Void Question

Can you target once your oponent's dinasty deck, and once his fate deck, or once his (fate+dinasty) deck?

Dynasty once, Fate once.

post for 12 May 2003 / questions for jeff

I play Show of good faith on one of my opponent's personality. Then I play Loyalty renewed on it so I gain permanent control of this personality. Can I declare an attack? In other words, is the restriction of show of good faith (not being able to attack my opponent while the personality is under my control) still running after I play loyalty renewed?

There is no break in your control when you play Loyalty Renewed. You are still unable to attack that player, and will remain unable for as long as the stolen Personality remains in play under your control.

The Show of Good Faith Effects dont end at the end of the Turn?

No, because it says how long they last. Your control of the Personality last until the end of the turn. Your inability to attack or to move cards/tokens on or off the stolen Personality lasts as long as the control does ("while he or she is under your control"). If your control lasts longer (ex: Loyalty Renewed) or shorter (ex: he dies), so does your inability to attack or transfer.

Campsite

Does the ability of Campsite works as a single reaction or rather as a string of reactions? Thank you.

A string. It's used once per unit.

Rules Question

Ok, I was reading the new H&E rule sheet and I noticed it said that "Actions on an item, spell or follower are performed by its Personality"

So my question is, when a personality is bowed and you have an item, or follower attatched to said personality, and that item or follower has an action on it, how can you bow it to have the personality perform the action? Wouldnt that be targetting the personality?? How does a bowed personality perform an action??

It has nothing to do with targeting.

There is no rule that says a bowed card cannot perform actions. The rule is that actions ON a bowed card cannot be used. There is another rule on the same page that says unbowed cards attached to a bowed Personality can still act. So nothing has changed.

A definition of "perform" was put into the rulebook due to the large number of cards that have been produced over the years that use that word. And players would always have to ask me what it meant, because it wasn't defined anywhere. Well, now it's defined somewhere. It doesn't impact any existing rules. It only helps you figure out what certain cards do.