Rules for July 22nd, 2003

Hi kids!

First off, I just switched computers, and I'm trying to figure out a way to get all my older emails onto my new hard drive. If anyone has advice, feel free to email me. But, the practical upshot to all you fine folks is that I may have missed one of your questions if it fell before the 16th.

I'm also working on getting the format of these emails back to normal. Forgive me for any...weirdness.

First off, I'm sticking with my rulings on both Tireless Assault/Cove of Cursed Blades *and* Void Tattoo/Stand Against the Waves.

The text on Cove of Cursed Blades is as follows:

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.

The "until after their controller's next Straighten Phase" is a duration on the effect. If you reword it like this:

Any unit that assigns or moves to attack this Province is bowed after the battle ends and may not straighten.

It looks more like one effect - because it is. The "cannot straighten" part is *part* of the bowing effect, not a seperate effect.

As for Void Tattoo/Stand, that ruling holds for any situation where there is a delay, however small, between the play of the action and targeting for that action. For most actions, the sequence goes like this:

1. Announce action. 2. Announce targets for the action. 3. Pay costs for the action. 4. Resolve effects.

However, in cases where choosing targets is *part* of an effect of the action, such as Stand Against the Waves or any Delayed Terrain that targets, it's impossible to say when you play the action whether or not the action will target a Void Tattooed personality. The only thing you can do is choose whether or not to pay the extra cost during step 3 so that, at a later point in time, the action is able to target a Void Tattooed personality.

Switch out Stand Against the Waves for Encircled Terrain, and the example becomes even more clear. When you play the Encircled, you have the option of discarding a card for the additional cost of Void Tattoo. If you do, the Encircled is able to target the Void Tattoo guy during Terrain resolution. If you don't discard the card, it can't. It's just that in the case of Stand, the second, non-targeted effect will kick in and bow the guy anyways. That complicates the issue (as that particular clause is wont to do).

Scenario: Non-Naval personality gets Naval bonus lasting until end of turn. Deathless is then attached. How long does the +2F bonus last? Permanently or does it wear off when the Naval trait of the attaching personality wears off?

It wears off at the end of the turn.

More generally, does the ability of the Deathless continually check or is it a one-time check? For example, say I have a Naval personality with a non- Naval follower. The Deathless is attached and the personality is Naval, so the Deathless gets +2F and all the followers in the unit get Naval. After I attach the Deathless, I attach another non-Naval follower. Does it get the Naval trait too?

Both effects of the Deathless' trait check and re-check continually. If a Personality with The Deathless attached loses the Naval trait, he loses the +2F, and the Deathless will give him the Naval trait. Likewise, a non-Naval Follower attached to a unit with the Deathless already attached will gain the Naval trait.

Tsuruchi Sho has a Shinjo Horsebow and the Cavalry trait. Can I use him to make a ranged attack of 2 without bowing him and then raise this ranged attack about 4 by bowing him for the Shinjo Horsebow?

Sure.

I challenge Yokubo with For the Empire. He negates the challenge. Can I cancel this with Keen Eye?

Yes. Yokubo's Reaction happens after targeting, when effects are being resolved. At that point, the action has become a challenge, and Keen Eye is legal to play.

Does entrapping terrain target for purposes of canceling, from cards like The Towers of the Asako?

No. Entrapping Terrain is an untargeted effect.

I have been asked to get an official ruling on this:

1. You CAN play a ranged attack from a personality (say Mukami), React to it with a Tsuruchi Tech (making it ranged 6), then React to it with a different copy of Tsuruchi Tech (making it ranged 9).

Absolutely.

2. You CAN NOT play a Tsuruchi Technique for the battle action (making a ranged 3) then React to it with another Tsuruchi Technique (making a ranged 6). This is due to the card that says it can only react to a unit making a ranged attack.

Absolutely not.

Ok first off, can I bow Tch'tch Warrens to pull Make a Wish from my opponents discard pile?

Yes.

And if so, can I use it?

No.

Second, can Chithith be in a ritual, i.e. Importune Kami?

No. Chithith is targeted by the Ritual. Technically, this also means that Chithith cannot cast Spells without a non-Ratling Follower attached, because Spells target their attached caster when they are used. Oh, those funky Gold targeting rules...

third, Zin'tch reads: Reaction: When the Battle Action Segment begins, if all Personalities and Followers in this army are Ratlings, Zin'tch gains the Tactician trait until the turn ends.

If Zin'tch is in a battle at province 1, and I resolve province 2's battle first and all cards in Zin'tch's army at province 1 are Ratling, can I use Zin'tch's reaction at province 2, even if I'm not there?

No. There is no single Battle Action Segment for Zin'tch to react to, so I'm going to make an intent based ruling that his wording isn't broad enough to apply to every Battle action segment, just the one that he's in.

Hi

Hi!

I've got a nice question bout Wholeness of Self. 1. Does the effect of the spell reduce to 0 all cards focused in a duel by the personality which is target?

Yes. Focus bonuses do not come from cards in that unit, so they are negated.

2. Does it negate all Force and Chi modifiers from a Celestial Sword?

No. The bonuses that the Sword gives to itself *do* come from a card in the unit, so they are not negated by Wholeness of Self.

Greetings,

Could One Life, One Action be played in response to Deadly Ground or Night Battle, or is it considered playing an action in the current battle?

One Life, One Action is not a legal response to Deadly Ground or Night Battle, as OLOA has to wait until the action has completely resolved before it can be played. After either of those Terrains have been played, no more Actions can be played, so...no One Life, One Action.

Vaughn

* Rules Guy * The Random Ninja