Rules for 1 December 2003

Greetings,

Temple of the 9th Kami

Dishonored personalities can't Soul's Sacrifice, so go ahead and pick on the 3PH people with the Temple's ability. Remember, nothing says you have to accept the challenge once they've decided to make it.

Is this true?

Yes (Diamond rules, pg. 88).

Enough Talk + Keen Eye

Can you use Keen Eye to cancel Enough Talk?

Only if the Enough Talk was triggered in the middle of another duel.

Rules Question [Jeff, Zen, Vaughn]

is it still considered that the Shugenja is casting the Spell even if you use an Item to do it instead of the Shugenja?

Yes. "Bow an item... to cast one of his spells" (Stronghold text).

So, if say, a Shinden Horiuchi player bows a Shugenja to cast a Spell-Item, can that player bow the Spell-Item to cast itself again on the same turn?

No. "That Shungena may not cast spells" (Stronghold text).

Is it correct to say that you can't use the [Unicorn] Marketeer to draw a card when putting a Spell into play with this Stronghold?

Yes (card text).

Someone mentioned to me recently that A Test of Courage will cancel Encircled Terrain, thus "retroactively" negating the whole thing. Is this true?

Yes (card text).

If so, what happens to the terrain? Is it discarded?

Same as what happens to any other canceled action. Discarded.

With Chagatai exp2, if my opponent plays Encircled, and I decide to keep, say, Shono in the battle, could I use Chagatai's trait to prevent him from going home, thus keeping him and Shono both in the battle when Encircled resolves?

Yes (card text).

If Three-Stone River is in play at a battle in which a 3F Personality has only a *bowed* 4F follower attached, what is the force of that Personality when Three-Stone River resolves?

3 (Diamond rules, pg. 83).

When a card is removed from play, is it face up or face down while out of play?

Up.

Rules Question [Jeff, Zen, Vaughn]

The opposing players starts shooting down my cards in a battle via Kuro's Fire. Xushen is in my army and assigned during infantry. The opposing player shoots a 3F Follower attached to Xushen with a ranged 5 attack, Xushen reduces it to 3. For the purpose of keeping track of Kuro's Fire's ranged attacks' total strength, is that player considered to have used a ranged 5 or a ranged 3 attack?

5.

Rules for 30 November 2003

[Re: Yajinden + Pit of Blood]

So Zen has there been a reversal of the following rules in the accumulated rules at Alderac?

No. A Personality under Pit of Blood is neither "destroyed and in your discard pile" nor "shuffled into your deck."

Eloquence (again)

So a dishonored courtier can take the favor using the action gained by Eloquence (but not do a 'normal' lobby attempt), correct?

Apparently.

Rules Question [Jeff, Zen, Vaughn]

I have a shugenja with 2 force and 7 chi, and Kuro's Fire. He's in an army opposing a large number of 2 force targets. Higher Ground is in play. If it's my Higher Ground, each of my Ranged Attacks is at +1 strength because of the Higher Ground, so I only need to make Ranged 1 attacks to destroy those targets, but they count as Ranged 2 attacks when I'm counting up the total for Kuro's Fire. I make 4 attacks, using 8 points of my allowance of 9. I have one point left over, so I make another Ranged attack at strength 1, which, boosted to 2 by the Higher Ground, destroys a 5th target. Correct?

Yes.

On the other hand, what happens if my opponent put that Higher Ground into play? Each of my Ranged attacks is at -1 strength, so, to be consistent with the ruling for increased RA strengths, it seems I need to make Ranged 3 attacks to destroy those 2 force targets, but each attack counts as just 2 against Kuro's Fire's limit.

No. Kuro's Fire keeps track of the unmodified Ranged Attacks you voluntarily make. It does not count modifiers.

Couple of Clarifications

When using Morning Glory Castle to return an Honorably Dead Samurai to a Province, it is indeed legal to bow a Shugenja Follower, correct?

Yes (stronghold text).

Iuchiban has the "Champion" trait, but he is not valid for effects that trigger of off whether or not your Clan Champion is in play, right? (Dragon's Strength, For the Clan, etc)

Correct.

Actions and Kihos performed by a Personality do not gain the Keyword designators of that card, correct?

The Personality's traits? No (Diamond rules, pg. 64).

Moto Latomu & Daikyu

I have a Moto Latomu in play with a Daikyu attached. I declare an attack against my opponent and assign no one. My opponent assigns Hida Kosho to defend one of his provinces. I then Tireless Assault Latomu into the battle triggering off his reaction to make a Ranged 2 Attack without bowing. Can I also bow the Daikyu and combine both ranged attacks for a Ranged 5 attack?

No.

Can I trigger his other reaction and bow Latomu for a Ranged 4 attack and bow the Daikyu to perform a combined Ranged 7 attack?

No.

I understand Latomu's RA is a reaction & the Daikyu's RA is a battle action, but both actions are from the same unit.

See Diamond rules, pg. 90: all must be legal *at the time*.

On another note, since you can react more than once to any given trigger,

Incorrect (Diamond rules, pg. 75).

after I Tireless Assault into the battle, can I use Latomu's Ranged 2 Attack w/o bowing & then bow him to use his Ranged 4 Attack? Can I combine these two?

No. It's one action with an "or" in the middle.

Rules

If a new Mercy resolves and both players are under 14 honor and have lost honor due to their own cards, who wins?

Assuming you mean "No Mercy" here, as there is no such card as "New Mercy."

Cardinal rule 3: active player picks.

Considering the past ruling on Desperate Mesures, the one that resolves the Event loose[.]

That's worded different.

Ambush and targeting

Really could I play an Ambush with no opposing Personalities? I am asking it because the targeting of the Personalities fall into the 'action's effects', and no into the 'choosing targets'.

No. Ambush targets Personalities. It's just not right away.

Can I seppuku one of my Samurais being targeted with an Ambush, Ambush force me to target a new one, which I can Seppuku again?

Yes.