Post for July 15th, 2003

Hey kids! Just a few bookkeeping rulings before we start...

From Origins, Open Warfare *will* prevent the Dark Path of Shadow from using its Battle action. The part of Open Warfare that prevents traits from having effect prevents the part of Dark Path of Shadow that allows the action to be used from allowing the action to be used.

Also from a Rules Team sidebar at Origins, Norikazu Sensei prevents the resolution of Events that modify existing Victory Conditions (such as Kisada's Funeral, Death of the Ki-Rin, and Right to Rule). A "condition" on an existing "victory" does not count as a Victory Condition - a Victory Condition is a method by which a player may win a game, and only Events that create new methods of victory are allowed by Norikazu Sensei.

Now that we've got old business out of the way, on to new business!

"Reaction: After another player's Personality receives a Force bonus, bow Itoeko to give one of you Personalities an equal Chi bonus until the end of the turn."

Can she react to the bonus a Personality receives when attaching an item (e.g. the +1/+0 from Heavy Armor)?

Yes.

Would she have to react immediately after it is attached?

Yes.

With a bonus that changes (like the bonus from a Clan sword), would she be able to react as it changes?

No. A fluctuating bonus is not considered a "new" bonus or penalty of the adjusted amount. It's the same bonus.

Naseru states that you must discard the favour at the start of your turn, Acquiring Favour requires you to bow your Stronghold as a cost. No problems there.

I would like to know (if possible) which, if any, of these 2 scenarios are legal.

Neither. Using Acquiring Favor with Hantei Naseru will always result in an automatic game win, because Naseru's *just* *that* *cool*.

Umm...this ruling does not take effect until after January 1, 2050.

1) My Stronghold is bowed at the start of my turn, as I straighten all my cards at the beginning of my turn I can then use Aqcuire Favour to pay the cost for Naseru?

Doesn't work. The beginning of your turn is before your Straighten Phase.

2) My Stronghold is straight at the start of my turn, I use it to pay the cost of Acquire Favour can I then straighten my Stronghold normally?

This one works just fine.

1. Yoritomo Kalilea vs The Mountain Does Not Move Relevant text on Kalilea: Actions on that card may not be used for the rest of the turn. Relevant text on The Mountain Does Not Move: Destroy the personality at the end of the turn. Situation: My opponent's turn, he bows Kalilea and target's my Kisada's Shrine. He then attacks and destroys one of my personalities who has Yu with an action. I play The Mountain Does Not Move. My personality survives for the rest of the turn. Question: Does Kalilea's negation of Kisada's Shrine wear off in time for me to ressurrect my personality?

The active player gets to decide. End of turn *is* when "for the rest of the turn" effects wear off, so the active player decides in what order the two effects will trigger.

2. Flattery vs Cove of Cursed Blades Relevant Text on Flattery: end the battle without resolution and send all units home without bowing. Text on Cove of Cursed Blades: Any unit that assigns or moves to attack this Province is bowed after the battle ends and cards in that unit may not straighten until after their controller's next Straighten Phase. Question: If I use Flattery during a battle at the Cove of Cursed Blades are the attacking units sent home bowed?

Yes. When the Battle ends, the Cove bows all of the attacking units, and then they return home due to the end of the battle. Flattery's statement about sending the units home without bowing is irrelevant, because the units are already bowed from the Cove.

3. Cove of Cursed Blades vs Tireless Assault Text on Tireless Assault: Battle: Target a bowed or unbowed unit in your home that has not been in any battle during its resolution this Attack Phase. Straighten that unit and move it into the current battle. Situation: My opponent attacks the Cove with one unit and I send that unit home bowed with the Tsudao Wind. The unit has not been at any other battles this attack phase. Question: Can my opponent Tireless Assault the unit into another battle this Attack Phase?

Sure, but the unit doesn't straighten. It just moves in, and sits there, bowed. Much more effective to use Tireless to move your Unit back into the Cove's Battle before the Battle ends, and the Cove's effect kicks in.

4. Tattoo of the Void vs Stand Against the Waves Relevant text on Tattoo of the Void: For the rest of the game, the Personality has a Tattoo of the Void, may not be targeted with actions while he or she is in an army unless the action's player discards a card as an additional cost of the action, and does not cout towards whether his or her controller has units in a battle. Situation: A battle is underway. My opponent and I each have 3 units in the battle. All of my opponent's units have followers and none of mine do. 2 of my units (A & B) are led by personalities who have a Tattoo of the Void. My opponent plays Stand, after playing Stand he has only 1 card left in hand. Question: Is the targetting of Stand sequential or simultaneous?

Sequential.

*However*, this does not save your units from the Stand. When your opponent plays the Stand, he has the option of discarding cards to meet the additional cost. If they choose not to discard the cards, you cannot target your Void Tattooed personalities with Stand - the action is *not* canceled. So, you are unable to target your personalities with the Stand, and they then become bowed by the second, untargeted effect.

So the crazy Russian in our group asked me this...

I'm playing with Ki-Rin. My opponent Kolat Master's the Ki-Rin. My opponent then attacks me with an Ogre Bushi and the Ki-Rin. I play Loyalty Renewed on the Ki-Rin. What happens to the Ogre Bushi?

Nothing. By extension of this ruling:

Ki-Rin * Only prevents assigning and moving into Provinces. Personalities dishonored during the battle do not leave. [JA, 11 September 2001]

The Ogre stays in the battle, regardless of whether or not control of the Ki-Rin changes.

Hi,

Could someone please clarify the following for me:

1) Attach Kaimetsu-Uo's Ono to Yuki no Onna. Does Yuki no Onna get an additional +1 Force for every forest put into play after it is attached or for every forest in play.

No. Kaimetsu-Uo's Ono only increases force bonuses from cards outside the unit, and Yuki no Onna is *clearly* not outside her own unit.

2) Attach Kaimetsu-Uo's Ono to Ralish. Does Kaimetsu-Uo's Ono get an additional +1 Force for every forest I put into play after it is attached or for every forest I control.

No. A fluctuating bonus is not considered a new bonus (see above). Even if it were, Ralish is not receiving a bonus from a card outside his unit.

The only stat a Geisha Assassin has is Chi, correct?

Incorrect. The Geisha Assassin has all stats a personality normally has, including Force, Personal Honor, gold cost, and honor requirement. All stats for which a value is not given, however, are assigned a value of zero.

Will a personality targeted by Geisha Assassin get the 2 Chi bonus from the Dotanuki he is wearing?

Absolutely. That is, as long as their Force is greater than zero (not a guaranteed thing).

Can you change a Chi duel with a Geisha Assassin to one of Personal Honor since the stat is unknown?

The value of the stat is *not* unknown - it's simply unspecified. The Gold rulebook, pg. 32, tells us how to deal with this situation - you assign the stat a value of 0. So, the answer is yes.

Greetings,

Would it be possible for Asahina Keitaro to restore himself to Honorable status if he is not in battle?

Sure. It's even possible for him to do it while he's *in* battle. ;)

Targets are declared before costs are paid, so Keitaro can decide to restore himself to honor before he makes himself an illegal target for his own action.

Thank you.

You're welcome!

Towers of the Yogo, from the errata:

If a non-Yogo Towers player copies (e.g., Egg of P'an Ku) or takes control of (e.g., Kolat Master) your Scorpion personality, the personality lacks, or loses, the ability. [ZF, March 2000]

My question is, why is this true?

Because the Yogo Towers only gives the ability to "your" Personalities. "Your" personalities are defined as all the personalities you control. If you lose control of one of your personalities, it's no longer your personality, and loses the action given to it by the Stronghold.

I would think that since all of your Scorpion Clan personalities now have the battle action printed on them [thats why Yogo doesn't have to be bowed] that the trait would retained when Mastered [much like the Spawning Grounds +1 +1]. Your opponenet still OWNs the cards, you just control it.

Ownership and control are two completely different things, as you note. The Spawning Grounds references ownership, and the Yogo Towers references control. That makes all the difference in the world.

If a player plays corruptions price on a player who is attaching a follower to their only personality in play and that follower causes an honor lost, does that player suffer the honor lose when the personailty it was being attached to is destroyed as it is being brought into play?

No, because the Follower never actually enters play, and unless the honor loss is printed as a cost, it doesn't actually happen until the Follower enters play.

Can a peep with the drum of water attached that is in the current battle destroy the drum to move into the current battle ala Matsu Hataki/Daidoji Rekai?

No. The Drum of Water specifically moves the bearer to "another" of the Defender's provinces. That cannot, by definition, be the one that they are currently at.

Hello,

I need a little clarification on the following: With City of Lighting I give a personality without Naval that trait and attach to him a Deathless. When it attaches it gives that personality +2 force because it already has Naval. What happens next turn when personality loses Naval from CoL but still has Deathless?

You mean at the end of the turn, when the effect of the City of Lightning wears off? The Personality loses Naval, the Deathless loses 2 Force, then the Deathless gives the Personality Naval.

Hi I've got some doubts bout the ending of a battle. If I use a Flattery in province 1. The huge personality with all his force goes home without bowing and the battle ends, but without resolution. Can my opponet play a Tireless assault to come into the battle again? The battle ends or what?

Once the Battle ends, it's over. No player can take further Battle actions at that Battle. Just because there's no resolution doesn't mean that you can start the whole thing over again.

Can I play a Keen Eye if my opponet uses a "Mountain does not move" or "Kisada's Shrine"?

Sure.

The cards at the crux of the issue are Facing Your Devils and Superior Stance. The short version of the question is this: is the discarding of cards to refuse Facing Your Devils a cost or an effect of the refusal?

Cost.

Greetings!

Before I undertake my long journey to represent Norway at GenCon, I'd like to ask for some opinions on two small event-related rules dippies that have come up recently in my play group:

Wow, you're coming from Norway? You win. That's awesome!

btw - What's a dippie?

1. Can I use Shrine of the Sun (or Unexpected Strike or some other event-ender) to end the effects of a New Emerald Champion?

Yes.

2. An event is revealed in one of my provinces. Before it starts resolving, I play The Time is Now, which allows me to take an Open action before the event resolves. I play Bane of the Bastard, to flip the event to the bottom of my deck and replace it with another card. Does the event resolve?

No. You play The Time is Now as the Event is revealed. If you remove it from the province as part of your Open action, there is no longer an Event to be resolved in your province.

2b. The card I replace with is also an event. Which events resolve? The first, the second, or perhaps both?

The second.

2c. I do the abovementioned in my fourth province. I flush all four cards and replace them with Bane of the Bastard. An event pops up in my first province. Does that resolve?

No. As you flip your provinces from left to right, you are also resolving Events that happen to be sitting in those provinces. If an Event card is put into a province after it has been revealed during your Events phase, it just sits there until the next time you reveal that province.