Rules for 21 May 2004

Your Rules for Friday, May 21, 2004

A couple rules questions and a rant about non-card personality tokens

It was ruled that Ikm'atch-tek could not use his ability while you have no ratling followers in your discard because he lacks a target. Is this also true of Shrine to Fu Leng?

No. Shrine of Fu Leng tells you to "search." As per prior rulings, searching does not target the card you eventually "find."

If Suiteiru no Oni uses his ability while not in the current battle and destroys another personality not in the current battle to pay the cost of his ability, do all of the oni tokens need to be placed on personalities in the current battle, or just one of them?

Just one token in the Current Battle will satisfy the Rule of Relevance.

Does the answer change if the destroyed personality is in the current battle? What if the oni is in the current battle but the destroyed personality isn't? What if they both are in the current battle?

All those scenarios are clearly answered in the Rulebook under the Rule of Relevance.

If the Suiteiru no Oni is in the Current Battle, using his ability will satisfy Relevance even if it doesn't target anything in the battle and all the tokens go to people who aren't in the battle. You're still using an ability on a card in the current battle, so it is Relevant.

If the Personality being sacrificed to pay for Suiteiru no Oni's ability is in the Current Battle, THAT will fulfill Relevance itself (destroying a card in the battle).

Non-card token personalities

With regards to non-card personality tokens. It has been stated that they are neither bowed nor unbowed, and therefore cannot be bowed to pay a cost. If such a token attacks, is it free to defend during the next turn since it cannot be bowed by combat, and only bowed cards are unable to defend?

Again, people are SERIOUSLY overlooking the fact that only ONE CARD in the format creates a non-Card personality token - Bayushi Tai XP.

Tai's ability says, "Remove the token from play at the end of the battle."

So how do you figure the above scenario can ever happen?

Is it possible to reduce the token's unit's force to 0 by bowing it in some manner? (Yogo Towers, Face of Fear, Etc.)

No.

Can they issue duels?

They can issue challenges. Only bowed Personalities can not perform challenge Actions, and the token is not bowed.

In need of clarification:

What is the definition of "Perfoming" an action? In particular, as it relates to Daigotsu Toru's reaction?

Page 71 of the Diamond Edition Rulebook says, "Some actions are performed by cards in play as well as by a player. To determine who performs an action, follow the first rule below that applies:

1. Actions on a Personality or Follower are performed by that card.

2. Actions on an Item, Spell, or Ancestor are performed by its Personality.

3. Actions which involve one or more Personalities or Followers in their cost, such as requiring them to bow or become dishonored, or which require targeting your own Personalities or Followers who meet certain conditions, such as being a Shugenja or Tactician or having Chi above 2 are performed by those cards

4. Actions which issue a challenge from one of their own Personalities are performed by the challenger.

5. All other actions are performed only by their player."

Is Toru's reaction triggered by: A personality who has a political action printed on the card (ie Bayushi Shintaro or Doji Kurohito xp2)

Assuming they actually play that Action? Sure. Qualifies under rule #1.

A personality who bows to pay the cost of a political action such as Show of Good Faith, the reaction printed on the Underhand of the Emperor, or Bonds of Fate?

Yes again, under rule #3.

During a duel with an effect based on the results, what happens if a personality dies during the duel?

If one of the duelists dies before Duel Resolution, the duel ends immediately. There is no winner or loser. No effects for winning or losing the duel are generated.

Old Card Rules question

Interaction in question: Prophet's Tower and the Right Hand of the Emperor

Question: Player A has no rings in play. Player A attacks player B, and assigns 1 unit at a provience with PT attached.

Can player A use tireless assult to move a personality into the battle and then bow their SH (or other movement negating effect) to keep the personality in the battle?

The wording isn't compliant with anything modern. By just the "may not" I'd say all movement effects prohibited are Negated, but then it tells you to send extra units home bowed. There are a lot of different ways to try and bring the card into line. I think it would be best to forward this one to Jeff since that sort of decision is his department.

Q: Ambush + Balance

With the new reversal now putting the targeting of Ambush into the Action Phase, if I play Razor's Edge Dojo, does my opponent have to discard two cards if he ambushes my personality and shoots him with a ranged attack?

Yes.

Simple question: does ambush now target during the Action Phase?

It kind of has to. Page 73 of the Diamond Edition Rulebook says in no uncertain terms that you must select targets before paying any costs, which is well before any effects resolve to create a new phase.

Plains of Otosan Uchi + Forgery

Well, let's suppose that I have plains of otosan uchi attached to province A. A holds 2 dynasty cards.

There is a battle at province B. I play forgery to move the Plains from A to B.

Now, the question : What happens to dinasty cards in A ? What about dynasty cards in B ? (in the few next turns if it is relevant ?).

If a Province suddenly loses its ability to hold the number of Dynasty Cards it currently holds - the player to whom that Province belongs chooses to discard cards from that Province until the total number of cards in the Province is adjusted properly.

So if you had 2 cards and suddenly could only hold 1, you'd have to discard 1 of your choice to get down to 1 card.

If you had 1 card and suddenly could not hold any (Shinsei's Shrine), you'd have to discard that card to get down to 0 cards.

If you go from being able to hold 1 card to being able to hold 2 cards, immediately add another face-down Dynasty card to that Province (if you have any left).

Black Heart Q

If I target a Personality with the Sword/Claw attached, and I use the Black Heart on him, do they have 0 Force overall? Or does the Sword/Claw still give them the bonus? I'm saying the former, since the Sword/Claw adds to their Force, which is entirely reduced to zero.

When you use the Black Heart on someone, they incure a Force Penalty big enough to reduce their total current force (including all bonsues) to 0. If you are 3F base and +10F from the Claw, you'll get hit with a -13 Force Penalty to knock you down to 0. If later on you obtained more Force Bonuses, you'd be able to climb above 0, but that -13 Force Penalty sticks to you until its duration expires.

That's everything from Friday, May 21, 2004 that wasn't addressed in a thread. If I missed your question, please repost it with the flag [RULES] in the subject line and I'll get back to you at the first opportunity.