Legend of the Five Rings Rules Archive Last updated 20 December 2003

General Rules

Actions and abilities | Allying | Ancestors | Attaching | Battle | Bonuses and penalties | Bowing | Canceling and negation | Costs | Death and destruction | Decisions | Discarding | Dishonor | Draw | Duels | Effects | Entering play | Events | Experienced | Faction affiliations | Family names | Fealty | Fear | Followers | Holdings | Honor | Honor requirements | Imperial Favor | Joining and changing controllers | Kiho | Losing the game | Naval | Political | Ranged Attacks | Redirection | Regions | Reveal | Search | Sensei | Seppuku | "Soul of..." | Spells | Tactician | Targeting | Terrains | Timing | Tokens | Traits | Versions | Winds | Yu

Specific Cards and Strongholds

Fate Cards: Actions | Ancestors | Followers | Items | Kiho | Rings | Sensei | Spells
Dynasty Cards: Events | Holdings | Personalities | Regions
Winds | Strongholds

Rulings are for the non-Experienced version of a card unless otherwise specified. Rulings for cards that are the "Soul of.." an earlier card are often found under the earlier card name (i.e., the one listed behind "Soul of...").

Sources | Legend of the Five Rings Home Page

General Rules

Actions and abilities

• The sequence to play an action is to announce the action, pick targets, pay costs, then generate effects. [Summary of other rulings]
• You may play Reactions that do nothing if they are otherwise legal (e.g., Rallying Cry after a battle where you have no units). [DW, 12/3/96]
• Performing an action on an attached card, a card from hand, or discarding for a Tactician bonus, are not abilities. [DW, 8/3/98, email, 17 December 1998]
• A card worded, "Do X. If Y is true, Z happens" can be played when Y is false. [JA, 5 October 2000]
• "Performing" and "taking" an action are synonymous. [VRD, 14 November 2000]
• The phrase "actions on cards" does not include actions allowed by card traits (e.g., Den of Spies). [JA, email, 7 December 2000]
• Whether an action is legal to try takes into account the known state of the game (i.e., ongoing effects, bowed status, placement of units in battle), not just the action's own effects (the so-called "Smart Cards" ruling). [JA, 18 April 2001]
  • Whether an action has a given keyword or targets is not affected by game state. [JA, 13 May 2001]
  • Game state does not include information that is not visible to all players (e.g., knowing information about cards face down or in decks). [JA, 23 May 2001]
  • The information must be publically visible, not calculated and inferred from other effects. E.g., a card focused face down in a duel has an unknown value, even if effects in play would raise it to some minimum or maximum value. [JA, 29 October 2003]
• Actions legally initiated by a Personality resolve normally, regardless of any Reactions that immediately affect the Personality (e.g., death, dishonor, etc.). [Summary of other rulings]
• An action is successfully performed after all costs are paid and giving other players the opportunity to perform Reactions to it. [JA, 26 April 2002]

Allying

• Cards responding to winning or losing a battle, or destroying a Province, cannot be played by, or to affect, allies. Only the Attacker and Defender can normally receive bonuses or penalties as a result of the outcome of a battle.
• If both the Attacker and Defender invite you as an ally and you have no units in the battle, an action that does not require a unit in the battle may be played with either army considered to be "opposing." After the first such action, the same army is always considered "opposing." [Summary of other rulings, JA, 18 March 2001]
  • Similarly, an action that brings another player's Personality into the current battle can only be played if that player is the Attacker, Defender, or invited ally. An invited ally can only pick which army the Personality joins if the player has not commited units to either side. [JA, 18 December 2001]

Ancestors

• Ancestors able to attach to a Personality due to the Ancestor's text (e.g., Yokai no Junzo) are not destroyed if that Personality loses a trait that allowed the Ancestor to attach (e.g., loss of Shadowlands trait). [Summary of other rulings]
• For Shadowlands Ancestors, the Shadowlands trait acts like a Faction trait for the purpose of meeting the Ancestor's Faction restriction. [ZF, 24 August 2003]

Attaching

• Attaching a card that "can only be attached to a (Keyword) Personality" is an action that targets (Keyword) cards only. [Extension from Kitsuki Kaagi's Journal]
• "Attached" is a two-way relationship. Personalities are attached to Followers, etc., and vice versa. [JA, ZF, 21 May 2000]
• Multiple cards are moved simultaneously, not sequentially, when transfered from one Personality to another. If some cards require that others be attached to the new Personality for their own attachment to be legal (e.g., Traveling Poet), they cannot be moved. [DW, email]
• The controller of a Personality controls all attached cards regardless of who owns or attached them.
• A card that can be attached to another player's Personalities is not "targeting with a card effect." Attaching a follower to a Personality is a rulebook effect; such cards just extend the number of legal targets. [JA, 5 October 2000]
• Attaching is not an action when allowed by a card trait. [JA, 14 December 2001]
• Treat, "will only attach [Keyword] [Card type]" as meaning, "[Card type] this Personality attaches must be [Keyword]." [ZF, 13 July 2002]

Battle

• Units involved in Attack Segments created by card effects (e.g., Ambush) are in armies. [JA, 8 January 2003]

Maneuvers Segment

• "Assign" and "commit" are synonyms and refer to unit placements made during a Maneuver Segment, or by Reactions that take place during or immediately after one. Cards that enter a battle via Battle or Open actions are never "assigning" or "committing," regardless of whether one of those terms is used on the card. [DW, email, 4/8/99]
• You may not assign or move troops into a battle unless you are the Attacker, the Defender, or an invited ally, or you use a card that specifically allows you to do so. [DW, email, 1/8/97]

Action Segment

• Cards with "Battle action phase" should read "battle action segment." [ZF, 6 June 2000]
• Reactions played before the Defender's first Battle or Open action are part of the Battle Action Segment, regardless of the exact wording of the card. [FAQ, VRD, 7 November 2000]
  • Reactions that happen "before the Battle Action Segment" do not occur during battle, and are not equivalent to "before the Defender's first action" or "at the start of the Battle Action Segment." [JA, 11 September 2001]
  • Reactions triggered by actions taken "before the Defender's first action" (e.g., Shiryo no Taisa) cannot be used after the Defender's normal first opportunity for that action. [ZF, 20 September 2003]
• If a player can take a Limited action during battle (e.g., Plans Within Plans), it must meet requirements for Presence and Relevance. [JA, 29 March 2002]
• A card leaving play (e.g., because it is destroyed) does not count as "leaving the battle." [JA, 3 July 2000]
• Switching units counts as moving the units, and is one effect. Preventing one unit from moving prevents switching. [VRD, 10 December 2000]
• If an attacked Province is destroyed during battle (e.g., Blackmail), the battle continues normally, except that the Province cannot be destroyed. [DW, 7/10/97] Effects that move cards into, out of, or between "Provinces" are legal until the battle ends. [Netnews, 7/1/99]
• Actions that move a Personality into the current battle as one of the effects can be used if he or she is in the current battle, (e.g., Experienced Matsu Hataki, Experienced 2 Daidoji Rekai). [JA, 11 January 2002] The movement effect does nothing (e.g., you may not play Slaughter the Scout). [JA, 22 January 2002]
• An action that ends a battle without resolution does not directly send units home (e.g., they do not trigger A Test of Courage); units go home after such an action because units always go home when a battle ends.
• Units sent home are not bowed unless the effect says so.
• Moving a card into a battle from elsewhere is not "affecting a card in that battle." [JA, email, 20 August 2003]
• Changing the destination of the movement is not the same as negating the movement. Thus, if a unit that was to be sent home bowed is instead moved someplace other than home (e.g., Suitengu's Uncertainty), the unit still bows. [JA, email, 25 November 2003]

Resolution Segment

• Reactions that require destroying the opposing army may be played if the battle is a tie, provided the card is not in the battle. [DW, 17 April 1996; ZF, 29 June 2003]
• Reactions that require destroying an army or Province can be played if the destruction was caused by a card effect during the resolution segment. (Note: Terrains resolve in the Battle Action segment, not the Resolution Segment.) [JA, 14 February 2001]
• During battle resolution, you do not get honor for cards whose destructions are prevented (e.g., Into the Heavens), or for cards that pre-emptively destroy themselves to prevent the destruction of other cards. [RD, 27 December 1996]
• If one of the Defender's Personalities (e.g., Hida Sozen) survives battle resolution at a battle where his Province is destroyed, he or she goes to the Defender's home after that battle ends. [JA, 22 October 2003]

Aftermath

• A resolved battle is still a battle until the Attack Phase ends. (Note that only defending units remain in battle after resolution.) [ZF, 8 June 2000]
• Units in a resolved battle are still part of an army. (Note that only defending units remain in battle after resolution.) [ZF, 8 June 2000]

Bonuses and penalties

• Cards with "*" as a stat are read individually to determine whether it has a bonus. Some refer to a "bonus" or "gain," in which case they have no (i.e., zero) printed stat. Others state a variable the stat is equal to, which is not a bonus. [Reversal, JA, email, 30 August 2000]
  • Similarly, the printed focus value for Fate cards is found in the circle at the bottom of the card. Special text that resets a card's Focus values (e.g., Burning Your Essence, Let Your Spirit Guide You) only affect the current Focus value. [Summary of other rulings]
• Effects that multiply, divide, or swap stats are still "increases," "bonuses," "penalties," etc. [Summary of other rulings]
• Bonuses from traits that switch on and off (e.g., "while attacking") are reapplied every time the relevent condition is met, if there is any intervening point when the bonus switches off and is not longer given. E.g., during an Ambush, a defending Hida Tampako's defensive bonus is reduced to 0; if he later defends during a normal Attack Phase on the same turn, he gains a new +2F defensive bonus. [VRD, email, 12 January 2001; JA, email, 17 January 2001]
• Attaching an Item or Follower that gives "+X" to a stat is not an action giving a force bonus. The force bonus comes directly from the attached card, not the action. [Reversal, JA, 5 July 2001]
• An action creating a "+X " token is not an action providing a bonus to a given stat. [VRD, 26 July 2001
• Increasing an existing bonus (e.g., the fluctuating bonus from a Celestial Sword) is not a new force bonus, and cannot be used for effects triggered by a Personality receiving a force bonus. [JA, 5 July 2001]

Bowing

• An effect that prevents cards from straightening "until" some future time prevents them from being straightened in any way during the meantime, even if they are only prevented from straightening "as normal." On the other hand, an effect that prevents cards from straightening "during" a particular period does not prevent those cards from being straightened during other periods. [DW, 10/18/96]
• Actions on Items that do not require the attached Personality to bow can be used when he or she is bowed if the Item is not. [DW, email, 2/7/97]
• Regions and Fortifications may be bowed. [DW, 27 June 1997]
• A card that is entering play bowed (e.g., holdings) or returning to play bowed (e.g., Glick) are not considered to "become bowed," because cards out of play or in the discard pile are not considered bowed. Thus, effects that respond to bowing (e.g., Corruption's Price) or prevent bowing (e.g., Inspiration) will not prevent a card from being bowed when entering or returning to play. [JA, 2 December 2002]
• All text saying, "until this card straightens" should read "while this card stays bowed." [JA, 21 May 2003]

Canceling and negation

• Page 72, paragraph 2 of the Diamond Edition rulebook should read in part, "If a card is 'sent home bowed' and the movement is prevented or negated, do not bow the card," not, "do not move the card." [Erratum, Diamond Edition rulebook]
• Traits that say "cannot" or "may not" and list an effect (e.g., "cannot be moved out of battle," "cannot be challenged," "cannot challenge," etc.) negate those effects. [Summary of other rulings]
• Although targeting occurs before costs are paid, if an action is canceled at the targeting step (e.g., Balance in Nothingness), all costs must still be paid. Variable costs may be chosen based on the knowledge that the action has been canceled. [JA, 15 May 2003, 18 December 2003]

Costs

• Anything that allows you to put a card into play for a gold amount other than the cost printed within the gold coin changes the cost, including hiring in-clan personalities at reduced cost. [Reversal; JA, 25 July 2000]
• For variable cost cards, as soon as you decide on a cost, any alteration after that point is a "change." [DW, 8 June 2000]
• Non-variable costs cannot be paid multiple times to generate multiple effects in a single action. [Extension from Gaijin Mercenaries, DW, netnews, 3/11/96]
• Putting a card into play directly, "without gold cost," or by "waiving" its cost do not reduce the cost to zero. You cannot gain honor for playing an aligned Personality this way. [DW, email, 2/4/99] This does not apply to Holdings that pay "the entire cost."
• Effects that occur instead of some effect (e.g., using Decoy instead of destroying a Personality) will not meet cost requirements, unless card text specifically states that it can (e.g., Acquiring Favor). [JA, 11 January 2001; 18 March 2002]
• "Full cost" means "current cost," not "cost before changes" or "printed cost." [ZF, 12 August 2000]
• For spells that destroy themselves or remove themselves from play, destruction or removal from play is always a cost. [JA, 8 October 2000]
• Altering the cost of a particular type of card only matters when you are bringing that card type into play from your hand or Provinces, not when you are using an action that creates a card of that type. [JA, 18 October 2000] E.g., costs of actions that generate followers (e.g., Farmlands) are not affected by things that pay for or reduce the cost (Hida Tsuru, non-Experienced) of followers. These costs can be reduced by effects that look for when particular effects occur; e.g., "when bringing a follower into play" or "when attaching." [Extension from Hida Tsuru, Experienced. Reversal, JA, email, 20 September 2000]
• You may always choose to pay the reduced cost of an aligned Personality to avoid gaining honor, even if you have produced enough to pay the full price [DW, 19 May 1997] or the Personality costs 0G [Partial Reversal, JA, 13 February 2002], unless you're using a Holding that "pays the entire gold cost." [DW, email, March 1999]
• "Once per turn" and similar phrases are restrictions, not costs. [JA, 7 October 2002]
• Cost changes or minimum cost stipulations are applied in the order they take effect. E.g., a continuous cost change that applies to all cards you own from a stronghold (e.g., Warrens of the Nezumi; Kyuden Agasha) applies before a cost change from an action (e.g., The Seppun Temples; Scroll Cache). [JA, 22 November 2002]
• Effects that reduce a card's cost do not affect the cost of abilities on cards already in play. [ZF, 31 December 2002]
• The 2 Gold discount for hiring a Personality of your Faction applies only to the current purchase, not until the end of the turn. [JA, 1 April 2003]
• For Reactions that occur "before" costs of a trigger action are paid, you must have a legitimate way to pay for the trigger action in order to perform the Reaction. [JA, 11 June 2003]
• If a Personality is destroyed while costs are being paid to attach a card (e.g., Corruption's Price), the full costs must be paid (if possible), and the card that was to be attached is discarded, because its announced target is not available. [JA, 1 July 2003]
• You cannot pay costs using another player's cards. [JA, 15 December 2003]
• Although targeting occurs before costs are paid, if an action is canceled at the targeting step (e.g., Balance in Nothingness), all costs must still be paid. Variable costs may be chosen based on the knowledge that the action has been canceled. [JA, 15 May 2003, 18 December 2003]
• If part of a cost of an action or of playing a card is prevented, all other costs must still be paid. Variable costs may be chosen based on this knowledge, as far as the card allows. [JA, 18 December 2003]

Death and destruction

• A destroyed card goes in the discard pile of whoever controlled it at the time. If someone else owns it, the card does not change piles when the change-of-control effect would normally wear off. [DW, 12/2/97]
• An attached card that grants you some bonus effect when destroyed (e.g., Lesser Oni) must be destroyed directly to collect the reward. Destroying it by destroying the Personality doesn't count. [DW, RD, email, 16 April 1998]
• Being removed from the game or discarded does not count as destruction. [24 May 1999; JA, 15 October 2002]
• The following causes of destruction are not card effects:
  • 0 Chi (rulebook effect). [JA, 29/30 November 2000]
  • Yu (rulebook effect). [JA, 18 April 2002]
  • Battle (rulebook effect, even if the battle was created by a card; e.g., Ambush). [ZF, 30 December 2002]
• The following causes of destruction are card effects (or Stronghold effects; etc.):
  • Losing a duel. [JA, 20 July 2002]
  • Ranged Attacks. [ZF, 30 December 2002]
• Whether a card in the discard pile is discarded, Honorable Dead, or Dishonorable Dead depends on the most recent time it was placed in the discard pile. [JA, 31 March 2003]
• When a Personality is destroyed, the Followers are considered to be attached to the Personality when the Followers are destroyed. [ZF, 13 November 2003]

Decisions

• Decisions are not actions. [Summary of other rulings]
• If a card effects forces you to make a decision, you may not choose an option that is known in advance will fail. You may, however, immediately respond with a voluntary effect that negates or cancels the action or effect you chose. [Summary of other rulings]

Discarding

• For cards printed prior to Diamond Edition: "Discard from play" means "remove from the game."
• Discards come from your Fate hand unless otherwise specified. [JA, 18 December 2001]
• A Dynasty card placed in the discard pile after a Province has been destroyed is not discarded "from" the Province (e.g., it is not a legal trigger for Bayushi Sharaku's Reaction). [JA, 25 February 2003]
• Although cards go to the discard pile after being played, this does not count as "discarding a card." [JA, 8 April 2003]

Dishonor

• If a dishonored Personality is shuffled into your Dynasty Deck, he or she will still be dishonored when he or she reappears. If aligned with your Faction, paying full price will gain you 0 honor and not restore him or her to honor. [Extension from Akodo Toturi, netnews, 15 July 1999]
• Honor loss caused by the destruction of a dishonored Personality is a rulebook effect. [Summary of other rulings]

Draw

• If you "draw and discard" a Fate card:
  • You must discard the card drawn. [28 May 1999]
  • The card goes to your hand before being discarded. (If text says to "reveal and discard", the Fate card is never in your hand.) [JA, netnews, 6 December 2001]
• "Draws" happen when you take the top card(s) off a deck, regardless of whether the term "draw" is used. Searching a deck to get a specific card is not "drawing." [DW, email] Revealing and returning cards to a deck is not "drawing." [JA, 20 August 2002]
• Each card draw is separate. You may take actions between them or give up individual cards that are part of multiple-card draws to pay for abilities such as Kyuden Hitomi. [Reversal, DW, email, 18 August 1998]

Duels

• When one Personality steps in for another in a duel, the duel's results apply to the new Personality as if he were the original. [DW, 3/11/97]
• Because focuses provide a stat bonus, effects that prevent bonuses affect focusing. [Reversal, JA, email, 30 August 2000]
• Everything that occurs after a challenge is accepted is "during a duel." [JA, 7 November 2001], including destroying the loser. Thus, if Reactions are not allowed during a duel, a Reaction played after the death of a Personality is illegal (e.g., Feign Death), unless the Personality dies before duel resolution. [JA, 28 August 2003; email, October 2003]
• An action creating a challenge must resolve before anything can happen "during" the challenge. E.g., the action can be canceled, even if reactions are not allowed during challenges. [JA, 16 December 2001]
• Anything that restricts your focusing choices in a duel based on Focus values (e.g., Blade of Truths) does so based on the cards' values before they're focused. [JA, 3 April 2002]
• If a stat (e.g., Chi) is changed during a duel by replacing a value from another stat (e.g., Personal Honor in Face Me!), the original stat (i.e., Chi) is still being used. Reactions affect the original stat, not the one the new stat value was based on. [JA, 3 April 2002].
• In a duel of Personal Honor, a dishonored Personality cannot raise his Personal Honor above 0 by focusing, because "dishonored = 0 Personal Honor" is always applied last. [JA, 26 November 2002, 5 December 2002]
• Honor gains occur after the destruction of the losing Personality. [PJ, l5r-fr, 14 March 2003]
• Chi bonuses last until all effects of the duel resolve, including honor gains. [PJ, l5r-fr, 14 March 2003]
• Replacing one Personality in a duel with another does not cause them to change locations. [JA, 25 March 2003]

Effects

• The source of an effect is generally where the effect is physically written in ink. Exceptions include cards or strongholds that grant actions to other cards (e.g., the ability of a Personalitiy controlled by a Yogo Towers player belongs to the Personality).
• Effects applying to all cards "in the game" or cards you "own" affect cards in decks. [JA, 18 December 2001]
• If a card's legality or effect depends on a particular stat value, it cannot be played or has no effect if that stat is unknown. E.g., during a duel of Force, because current Force is typically not known once cards are focused, you cannot straighten a Personality with Moto Technique or have a Personality gain a bonus from Dotanuki. [Extension from Moto Technique, 2 June 2003]
• Any effect with a duration of "until this card straightens" plays as though it read, "while this card remains bowed." I.e., if you are able to produce the effect without bowing the card, it ends immediately. [Extension from Kakita Atoshi, JA, 10 June 2003]
• The following are not "ongoing effects." [JA, 18 June 2003]
  • Creating something (e.g., a token or a Province).
  • Destroying something.
  • Bowing or straightening something.
  • Dishonoring or re-honoring a Personality.
  • Creating Honor.
  • Producing Gold.

Entering play

• Creating a card or token counts as bringing it into play. [JA, 5 October 2000]
• Any face-up Dynasty card can be purchased during your Dynasty Phase, including cards that weren't exposed until after your Events Phase. [DW, 25 October 1996]
• A Personality enters play before any side-effects of being played occur. [2/5/2000]
• Any single card or action that brings a card into play and gives it the Shadowlands trait is considered to be "bringing a Shadowlands card into play" regardless of the exact relative timing of the two effects.
• Playing a card from your hand counts as "bringing a card into play" and not as "discarding" it, even if that card just has an immediate effect and goes straight into your discard pile. [JA, January 2000; 3 December 2001]
• Honor can only gained for hiring Personalities during the Dynasty Phase. [The Spirit Wars rulebook]
• A player cannot gain honor from hiring a Personality of his or her faction who enters play dishonored (notwithstanding the rule that honor gains occur before a Personality enters play). [Summary of other rulings; JA, 13 August 2002]
• A card that enters play before or at the beginning of a game is entering play. [Extension of House of Tao ruling, JA, 7 November 2002]
• Strongholds and Winds are revealed rather than entering play. [JA, 26 November 2002]
• You must satisfy all restrictions and targeting requirements, then pay all costs before a card comes into play. [JA, 24 March 2003]

Events

• An Event that resolves but does nothing counts as having happened. [DW, 8/12/96]
• You are an event's controller when it is in your province. [JA, 14 September 2000]
• Events that affect all of a particular type of card in play do so simultaneously to all such cards (e.g., Iris Festival). [ZF, 27 June 2001]
• While resolving (but not after, unless they specifically say they enter play), Events are in play and can be targeted. [Extension from Martyr, ZF, 22 April 2003]

Experienced cards

• If you overlay, the less Experienced card's title is lost. [DW, 25 February 1997]
• A less experienced Personality need not be already in play when the Experienced version is first revealed in order to overlay. [FAQ]
• A non-Personality card that counts as some Personality for purposes of Uniqueness will preclude all Unique versions of that Personality from the deck, regardless of their Experience level. [RD, 24 June 1998]
• Experienced Fortifications (e.g., ____ Wall of Otosan Uchi) may be overlayed on an earlier version if the earlier version is in a different Province. [JA, 27 October 2000]
• An "Inexperienced" Personality is not "Experienced." [JA, 6 March 2002]
• When paying the cost to overlay a card by more than one Experience level, you can use "specialty" Gold production and cost reductions (e.g., The Hiruma Dojo) that are appropriate to the new card. [JA, 30 July 2002]
• Experienced and Experienced^KYD cards are separate cards. Both may be in a deck, and neither impinges upon the other's uniqueness. (Only one Experience "path" may be in play at a time, however, just as only one copy of multiple Experience levels can be in play at at time.) For overlaying, ignore the ^KYD completely. [JA, 27 September 2002, 30 October 2002]
• An Experienced card can be overlaid on a less-experienced card even if the title of the less experienced card does not match the trait on the Experienced card, as long as there is an unbroken chain along the experience levels. E.g., the Experienced 2 Ninja Mystic can be overlaid on either the Ninja Mystic (whose trait reads, "Experienced Hoskei") or Hoseki. [ZF, 10 April 2003]

Family names

• The list of family names does not change with tournament format. I.e., a family can be named regardless of whether there are any Personalities who can be legally played in that tournament format. [JA, 13 October 2000]
• "Tsuno" is a family name. [JA, 7 November 2001]
• Family names are determined by card title. [JA, 9 December 2002]
• A single name can be a family name (e.g., Yoritomo) if other Personalities have it as the first part of a two-part name. [JA, 9 December 2002]

Fealty

• "Cannot swear fealty" prohibits the use of any card with "Fealty" in the title or that mentions "fealty" as one of its effects. [ZF, 7 June 2001]

Faction affiliations

• The list of Factions does not change depending on the tournament format. I.e., a Faction defined in the rulebook is legal for all effects that look for a particular Faction, regardless of whether than Faction has a legal stronghold in a particular tournament format. [JA, 13 October 2000]
• "[Keyword] Personality" is synonymous with "[Keyword] Clan Personality." [ZF, 24 May 2001]
• A minor clan alignment (e.g., "Fox Clan") is seperable into individual words, because they are not Faction traits. [JA, netnews, 31 August 2001]

Fear

• "Fear number" refers to the current strength of a Fear effect, not just the numeral printed on the card. [JA, 20 July 2000]
• Always targets a Personality (though it normally only affects Followers), because Fear targets a unit. [JA, 13 October 2000]
• Personalities are not immune to Fear. Immunity is a card effect. [Rulebook]

Followers

• A Follower providing "+X Force" has "X" Force of its own.
• A Follower providing "+X Chi" cannot have its chi drop below zero. [Rulebook] It will not give a chi penalty. [ZF, April 2000]
• If a Follower gains a chi bonus, but does not have "+X Chi" written in the upper right corner, its chi adds to the chi of the unit, not to its Personality. [JA, ZF, April 2000]
• Followers that are allowed to attach to another player's Personality (e.g., Kolat Bodyguard) may do so even if an action is used that specifies a Follower must be attached to one of your Personalities (e.g., Animate the Dead, Yokatsu Sensei). [Summary of other rulings]

Holdings

• Holdings that provide extra gold based on the number of other holdings in play count every players' holdings. [Card text]
• A gold-producing holding is one that lets you do something to "produce X gold" (some old cards say "provide"). An honor-producing holding is one that lets you "gain X Honor." This is true even if X is sometimes zero or depends on outside factors.
• An effect that changes a holding's printed gold (or honor) production will change the number in the upper corner. [JA, 1 October 2000]
• Holdings that cause an honor loss when bowed to produce an effect (e.g., produce Gold) do not cause honor losses whan bowed for other reasons (e.g., as part of a cost for Asahina Handen or Yasuki Taka). [DW; JA, 25 September 2001]
• If a fortification is put directly into play from a deck or discard pile, you may attach it to any of your Provinces. [ZF, 18 April 2003]

Honor

• If you suffer multiple honor losses or gains simultaneously, do not merge them into one gain or loss. [Summary of other rulings]
• Negating an honor loss or gain does not count as reducing it to 0. The loss or gain no longer exists and cannot be modified. [Reversal, l5rinfo/netnews, January 1999]
• Reducing a loss or gain to 0 does not eliminate it. It is a 0 point loss or gain, which can be changed by other Reactions. Nevertheless:
  • A loss that "cannot be negated" may not be reduced to 0.
  • A 0 point gain will not rehonor a dishonored Personality.
• Honor gains or losses for players that cannot gain or lose honor (or gain or lose further honor) never occur and cannot be redirected.

Honor requirements

• A Personality's honor requirement must be met before, during, and after paying costs. [Partial Reversal]
• Honor requirements are not checked if a Personality changes controllers. [VRD, 18 November 2000]
• Personalities' Honor Requirements need only be met during the Dynasty Phase. [JA, 27 September 2001]

Imperial Favor

• If a card is used to pay the cost of an Imperial Favor effect (e.g., Acquiring Favor), it is considered a use of the Favor in all ways. [VRD, 28 December 2001]
• Giving up the Favor to play a card is a non-gold cost and must still be done if you're playing the card "without gold cost." [DW, 5/7/97]
• For cards printed before Gold Edition: If the Imperial Favor must be discarded to pay for an action's cost, the action will always be Political, but the action's effects are not automatically Imperial Favor effects. [ZF, 1 August 2001]
• For cards printed before Gold Edition: Discarding the Favor to pay for an action's optional effect does not make the entire action Political. [JA, email, 7 September 2001]
• "This counts as a lobbying attempt" means an action counts against the number of lobbying attempts you can make in one turn, and may be responded to with Reactions to lobbying, but does not require you to have the single highest Family Honor and does not require that you bow an additional Personality with more than 0 Personal Honor to perform it. [JA, 1 December 2003]

Joining and changing controllers

• Only Personalities and Followers may "join" your Clan. [JA, 7 July 2000]
• "Creating" is not considered "joining." [JA, 10 October 2000]
• If you temporarily take control of another player's Personality, the Personality is not returned to the previous controller when the effect expires if the Personality is out of play. E.g., the Personality is destroyed and in your discard pile (see Death and Destruction), shuffled into your deck [JA, 18 April 2003], or placed under Pit of Blood [JA, 2 December 2003].
• If a card is supposed to be returned to a player (e.g., Otomo Ambassadors, Show of Good Faith) who cannot have a copy of that card (e.g., the Singular trait), the card stays where it is until it can be legally returned. [Summary of other rulings]

Kiho

• Kiho can be cast by bowed Personalities if the kiho or Personality does not require bowing (e.g., Togashi Satsu, Experienced). [JA, 15 September 2003]

Losing the game

• If an attacker is eliminated in the middle of a series of battles, the remaining player to his left determines the order remaining battles will resolve in. [VRD, 28 December 2001]
• Tokens and effects generated by eliminated players persist for their normal duration, including those that will wear off during some future turn of that player. Pretend it's that player's turn for a brief moment. [DW, 3/3/97]

Political

• For cards printed before Gold Edition: An action that can alter an honor gain or loss is always Political, even if it doesn't always do so (e.g., Legendary Victory). [DW, email, 27 June 1997; JA, 13 May 2001].
• For cards printed before Gold Edition: An action that discards the Imperial Favor as a cost is always Political, even if discarding the Favor is an optional cost. [VRD]

Ranged Attacks

• A Ranged Attack that cannot be modified may be combined with another Ranged Attack. [JA, 22 October 2000]
• A Ranged Attack that cannot be combined may have its strength increased or be otherwise modified. [Summary of other rulings]
• Combining Ranged Attacks must be announced when the action is announced, before targeting. [Reversal, JA, 8 December 2003]
• Combined Ranged Attacks gain any special features of the individual Ranged Attacks. E.g., if a Ranged Attack that is compared to Chi (e.g., Moshi Kekiesu) is combined with a regular Ranged Attack, the combined Ranged Attack targets Chi. (Note that text allowing you to target cards that normally could not be targeted will typically not be able to be combined with other Ranged Attacks, because targets are chosen before targeting.) [ZF, 10 November 2003]

Redirection

• An effect that has multiple targets can have one target changed by a single retargeting effect. [RD, 16 January 1997]
• Non-action effects that are redirected the redirected effect to have targeted the card / token / etc., in the first place. [DW, 29 January 1998]
• Substituting a Personality in a duel after the challenge has been accepted is not "redirecting" the duel. The target has been picked and the action is partway through resolving. The substituted Personality is not now the target of the duel. [JA, 16 June 2003]

Regions

• For regions printed prior to Diamond Edition: Unique regions remain Unique and are not Singular. [JA, 28 October 2003]

Reveal

• Looking at a face down card (e.g., Ninja Spy) is not the same as revealing it (e.g., for Sacred Tunnels). [JA, 28 February 2002]

Rings

• Dark Rings are Elemental Rings and each is considered the Ring of [Element] for effects the look for a particular Ring (e.g., Will of Air). [JA, 15 October 2002]

Search

• If a card lets get a particular type of card from your deck but does not require that you reveal it, you do not need to. Your opponent may call upon a neutral party to confirm its legality. [2/5/2000]
• When a card is retrieved from a deck with instructions to play it, it is discarded if it cannot be legally played. [JA, 27 November 2001]

Sensei

• You may not discard a Sensei without a card or Stronghold effect. [FAQ 3.10]
• Stronghold effects occurring after strongholds are revealed are done before Sensei are chosen. [JA, 26 June 2000]

Seppuku

• A Samurai can commit seppuku in response to honor losses generated by non-action effects. [JA, 29 November 2000]
• If a player opts to have a Samurai commit seppuku, the Samurai must commit seppuku as soon as it's known that an honor loss will occur. That may be immediately after being targeted by a card (e.g., Ambush), or after a decision is made (e.g., Iaijutsu Challenge). [VRD, 30 November 2000]
• Reactions responding to rehonoring a Personality cannot be played when a Personality commits seppuku, because a Personality committing seppuku "dies honorably," rather than being restored to honor, then dying. [Gold Edition rulebook]. Thus, the Personality is already dead and cannot use abilities (e.g., Toturi), and cannot be targeted because he or she is out of play. [ZF, 15 July 2001]
• Seppuku is a response to the cause of an honor loss, and thus can be performed before most Reactions to an honor loss itself (which is the effect generated by whatever the samurai has done). [JA, 25 August 2003]
• A Personality who commits seppuku becomes Honorable dead, but is not separately restored to honor while in play. If seppuku does not happen (e.g., Loyal Yojimbo), the Personality is not rehonored. [JA, email, 18 December 2003]

Soul of...

• "Soul of (Name)" is one inseperable trait. [JA, 19 June 2001]
• When used as proxies in tournaments, previously printed Personalities listed in the "Soul of..." traits on more recent legal cards are played as the later "Soul of..." Personality in all ways. [Tournament rules]

Spells

• Black Scrolls are Spells in every way (except The 12^th Black Scroll). [ZF, 1 August 2000]
• For spells that destroy themselves (or remove themselves from play), the spell's destruction is always a cost. [JA, 8 October 2000]
• A "Spell action" is an action on a Spell card. [JA, 14 March 2003]
• An effect occurring "before a spell is cast" happens after costs have been paid (i.e., Shugenja are bowed) but before effects resolve. [JA, 2 June 2003]

Tactician

• A Tactician can only use the rulebook action to raise his or her own Force, not another Personality's. [ZF, 26 October 2003; JA, 27 October 2003]
• For cards printed before Winds of Change:
  • An action that "counts as a use of Tactician" is a Tactical action. [JA, 31 July 2003]
  • An action with the "Tactical" keyword is not a Tactical action. [Erratum, JA, 4 August 2003]
• If a Tactician performs a Tactical action, loses the Tactician trait, then regains it, the Personality may not perform another Tactical action. [JA, 13 December 2001]

Targeting

• Effects that let you to search a deck for a particular card (e.g., Walking the Way) do not target the card. [JA, email, 19 January 2001; 23 July 2001]
• Actions with multiple effects cannot be performed if one of those effects targets and does not have a legal target, regardless of whether the other effects target or have legal targets. [JA, 16 January 2001]
• A Personality with an ability that requires bowing and targeting a Personality may use that ability on him- or herself.
• Effects referring to "face down" cards are not limited to the top card when targeting cards in decks.
• Effects targeting a card in a unit besides the Personality do not target the unit. [AH, 7 June 2000, DW, 8 June 2000]
• If an effect makes the announced target of an action illegal, the action has no effect. You do not pick a new target. [JA, 9 February 2001]
• Effects that target a token on a card may or may not target the card too. [Reversal, JA, 14 June 2002]
• If a Reaction that alters the targeting requirements of another action gets canceled, the original action is still announced and pending. A legal target must be chosen if possible. If not possible, the action is canceled. (Note that it is legal to try to play another Reaction that alters targeting requirements.) [JA, 2 May 2002]
• A card is targeted when some aspect of it is targeted (e.g., when copying a stat on another card). [Extension of Ninja Shapeshifter ruling, JA, 7 October 2002]
• Traits that say "cannot" or "may not" and list some effect (e.g., "cannot be moved out of battle, "cannot be challenged," "cannot challenge," etc.) may be targeted by cards with that effect, but relevent effects are negated. [Summary of other rulings]
• What is targeted is determined by what is affected or chosen. [JA, 1 July 2003]
• If a card forces an opponent to target cards, you must only meet your own targeting requirements to play a card legally. [JA, email, 18 November 2003]

Terrains

• An ability that lets you replace a terrain may not be used in a battle in which you have no units, because it cannot be shown beforehand that the Terrain can be played in a battle in which you have no units. [Reversal, JA, 12 September 2002]
• Terrains only affect cards in their battle.
• Force bonuses from Immediate Terrains (e.g., Kamoko's Charge) are continually recalculated. [ZF, 10 November 2003]

Timing

• If an effect happens "during" one of your Phases, you can have it happen any time in the Phase that you want. [DW, 12/9/96]
• A Reaction that can be used at any time "during" a phase, turn, etc., cannot be activated while another card or effect is resolving. [JA, 8 July 2003]
• Triggered responses, like Reactions, must be taken as soon as its trigger occurs. [ZF, 7 July 2003]
• Traits and continuous effects precede Reactions (e.g., Tetsubo vs. Kakita Technique). [ZF, 23 November 1999]
• Effects that occur between phases or segments resolve in the order of the phase or segment they refer to. E.g., an effect occuring "after the Events Phase" resolves before one occuring "before the Action Phase." [ZF, 10 August 2001]
• If a Reaction creates a situation that only one player can have (e.g., doing something first), the last one takes precedence (e.g., Take the Initiative, Toturi's Treatise, Kakita Technique). [Summary of other rulings]
• A Personality who gains a bonus when a Province is destroyed gains it when destroyed at the end of a battle in which both the losing army and Province are destroyed (e.g., Togashi Nyima). [JA, netnews, 17 January 2002]
• An honor gain that occurs at the start of your turn (e.g., A Soul of Thunder, Boastful Proclamation) may be added to your honor total before you check for an Honor victory or other effects that occur at the start of your turn (e.g., In Time of War). [Extension from A Soul of Thunder]
• Actions must be announced before playing Reactions that occur "before" the initial action occurs (e.g., Imperial Messenger), so that there is a known legal trigger for the Reaction. Once an action is announced, you may not voluntarily abandon it because a Reaction to it has been canceled or negated (unless costs or targeting requirements are no longer met). [ZF, 15 April 2003]
• Reactions played in response to an action (e.g., Faith In My Clan, Kyuden Ikoma) must be played before the action produces any effects (e.g., Fear, a Ranged Attack) or has one of its effects modified (e.g., The Face of Fear, Arrows From the Woods). [JA, 8 December 2003, ZF, 10 December 2003]

Tokens

• Follower and Item tokens are "on" the Personality they're attached to.
• Anything that refers to a particular type of token refers to all such tokens regardless of their source. [DW, 1/3/97]
• Treat references to "printed" force as "base" force for tokens. [ZF, 7 June 2000]
• Tokens do not have titles; only traits. [ZF, 2 August 2000]
• "Destroying" and "removing" tokens are equivalent. [JA, 31 January 2003]
• Tokens cannot be sent to your Fate hand, deck, or discard pile. [ZF, 4 October 2003; JA, October 2003]
• Only token Followers can bow. [Summary of other rulings]

Traits

• "Corrupt" and "Corrupted" are equivalent. [DW, email, 17 December 1998]
• "Tattoo" and "Tattooed" are not equivalent. [ZF, netnews, 26 July 2000]
• A personality targeted by a "(Keyword) Tattoo" card does not gain the "(Keyword) Tattoo" trait. [Reversal, JA, 30 August 2000]
• You may have multiple Unique cards in play or in your deck with the same trait (e.g., Oracle of Earth). [26 May 1999]
• Personal Honor is not limited to a maximum of 5. [DW, email, 1/9/99]
• The Champion trait does not automatically make a Personality a Clan Champion. [VRD, 7 November 2000]
• "[Keyword] Clan Champion" consists of two traits, "Clan Champion" and "[Keyword] Clan" or "[Keyword]", depending on which is a valid Faction or Minor Clan alignment. It is possible (e.g., Oath of Fealty) to acquire "a Clan Champion from your Faction" who does not have those printed traits. [JA, 2 May 2002]
• Samurai Followers:
  • Are legal targets for actions that target samurai. [JA, 8 April 2002]
  • Can be dishonored. [JA, 8 April 2002]
• Numerals can include letters. E.g., effects that change numerals can change "12^th" to "14^th." [Summary of other rulings, 5 December 2002]
• Effects from traits gain bold-faced keywords from the card they are printed on (e.g., Chi loss from Temples of the Snake is a Maho effect). [JA, 2 December 2003]

Versions

• Cards with multiple versions in their most recent printing are played as written.
• Cards and strongholds from "Siege of Sleeping Mountain," "Storms Over Matsu Palace," the TopDeck magazine "Learn to Play" promo booster, and the "L5R Experience" are legal for tournament play, but do not count as the most recent printing (unless they are the only printing). [Rulebook, AH; JA, 2 July 2002]
• Personalities with the "Soul of..." trait are not the most recent printing of the Personality listed in the trait. [JA, 9 June 2001]
• Changes made to the rulebook and card text via the "most recent printing" change take effect as soon as a set is officially released, and is in effect during a pre-release. [DW, RL, 3 July 2001; ZF, April 2003]

Winds

• You may only have one Wind with your play deck. You may not switch Winds between rounds in a tournament. [AH, 10 July 2001; JA, 18 July 2001]
• You may play without a Wind. [JA, 18 July 2001]

Yu

• Destroying the card is not a cost of using its Yu. [JA, 18 September 2001]
• Because Yu is used sequentially, if a card effect (e.g., Ashura) destroys a card with Yu during resolution before the Yu effect is applied, the card does not get to use Yu. [JA, 11 February 2003]
• Using Yu to destroy a dishonored attacking Personality during resolution can make an attacker lose before the defender's last Province is destroyed. [Reversal, JA, 2 July 2003]

Specific Cards

Actions

Accept With Honor

• May be played in response to an unrefusable challenge. [JA, 2 June 2003]

Accessible Terrain

• Reads, "Accessible Terrain 0G 1FV Immediate Terrain. You may play this card during a battle in which you have no units. Battle: The attacker and Defender each gain the ability "Battle: Move one of your units into this battle."" [MRP, An Oni's Fury, 10 December 2001]

Ambush

• Reads, "Ambush 0G 2FV Limited: Declare an additional Attack Phase. Target one of your units that can legally assign to attack and another player's unit to assign to defend (even if illegal). Units in this battle are neither at a Province nor at home. No other units may assign or move to this battle. Units cannot move into or destroy Provinces this battle. After this Attack Phase ends, lose 5 Honor and resume the previous phase." [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003]
• Reactions to the declaration of the attack happen before targeting which units attack and defend, and can affect which units are available for attack. A legal attacking unit must be picked if one exists. [JA, 29 October 2003]
• There are no battles at Provinces. [VRD, 21 December 2000]
• Because other units may not move into the battle, any action that would try to move in another unit (e.g., Tireless Assault) are not legal because they will not satisfy the Rule of Relevance. [JA, 11 August 2003]

Ancestors Possess the Living

• The phrase, "an Ancestor... that the Personality could legally attach if you controlled the Personality," includes Uniqueness restrictions. [ZF, 6 August 2000]

Ancestral Dictate

• The ability is gained permanently. [Erratum, JA, 7 November 2000]
• Your Personality need not be in the battle containing the target Personality to send him or her home (though you must have units in the battle). [VRD, 8 November 2000]

Another Time

• Reads, "Another Time 0G 0FV When you reveal this card as a Focus card for a duel, cancel the duel and discard all Focus cards without effect." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]
• Negates the effects of the duel. (Only actions can be canceled, not duels.) [ZF, 11 July 2002]
• Because it causes the duel to be negated as soon as it is revealed, it will nullify Kharmic Strike and prevent Poisoned Weapon or Judgement of Toshiken from being used. [Card text, DW, 11/8/96]
• Will not stop Shosuro Hametsu's poison token from giving -2C. [DW, 8/2/96] This penalty is applied when a strike is declared, which happens.
• If named by Hantei Sensei, it is considered to have a blank text box. [JA, 7 July 2000]

The Anvil's Blessing

• If used to reveal an Item you cannot afford, your opponent may choose to let you attach it. If so, you must try to pay the full cost. If you cannot pay, the Item returns to your hand. [JA, 5 December 2002]

Arrival of the Emerald Champion

• May be used in a battle in which you have no units. [DW, 12/11/96]
• Once created, the Champion acts like any other Personality. [DW, 12/11/96]
• Can be duplicated by Doji Yosai (Experienced). [Reversal, RD, 12/1/97]
• Champion is discarded from play at the end of the battle, not destroyed during battle resolution. [Erratum]

Arrival of the Unicorns

• Does not affect units already assigned. [DW, 3/2/98] It cannot be played during battle because it does not target or affect anything in it.

The Arrow Knows the Way

• Reads, "The Arrow Knows the Way 0G 3FV Reaction: Play this card when one of your Personalities with over 2 Chi bows for, or as part of, a ranged attack. The Ranged Attack can target a Personality who has Followers." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]
• May affect kiho that create Ranged Attacks. [ZF, netnews, July 2000]

Arrows From the Ranks

• You may not combine ranged attacks, because it must be "one Ranged Attack by one of your cards in play" [Card text].

Arrows From the Woods

• Reads, "Arrows from the Woods 0G 3FV Battle: Ranged 2 Attack. Reaction: When one of your units makes a ranged attack, raise the Ranged Attack strength by 2." [MRP, An Oni's Fury, 10 December 2001]
• Targets the Ranged Attack, not the card generating it. [JA, 11 June 2002]

Ashigaru Levies

• The force restriction is not a trait of the follower. It limits how big the follower can be made while being brought into play. Its force cannot be raised above the samurai's force as it is entering play (e.g., Kitsune Tsuke), but can be afterwards (e.g., Armory). [ZF, 18 June 2000]

Awakening Shakoki Dogu

• Should read, "All units at this battle may return to their fiefs..." [Erratum]
• Targets the units that stay and leave. A Test of Courage can cancel the terrain's effects when it resolves. [15 July 1999]
• The active player decides first which of his or her units leave the battle. The choice then goes clockwise around the table, once. [JA, 15 July 1999]

Avoid Fate

• Reads, "Avoid Fate 0G 3FV Reaction: Play before an Event resolves. The Event does not resolve. When the Events Phase ends, the Event's player shuffles it into his deck and refills the Province." [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003]
• Cannot be played in reaction to the second or later appearance of an Event that has already resolved [DW, 9/3/96], unless the Event can resolve more than once due to a card effect (e.g., Moon and Sun). [VRD, 26 January 2001]

Bane of the Bastard

• Should read, "Target any number of face-up Dynasty cards...". [JA, 7 April 2003]

Barren Fields

• The defender's bowing is based on his gold-producing Holdings, not all Holdings. [ZF, 29 August 2003; JA, email, 30 August 2003]

Battlefield of Shallow Graves

• Reads, "Battlefield of Shallow Graves 0G 1FV Immediate Terrain. Political Battle: Until the end of this battle, double all your opponent's Honor gains (cumulative with other modifiers), even if this card is destroyed. When Delayed Terrains resolve, lower the Force of each Personality in the opposing army to half his current Force, rounded up, until the end of the turn. Only the Attacker and Defender may play this card." [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003]

Be Prepared to Dig Two Graves

• Reads, "Be Prepared to Dig Two Graves 0G 3FV Reaction: When a Personality from your Faction is destroyed while in an battle, target a Personality opposing him. For the rest of the game, Personalities from your Faction gain +2F/+2C while facing the target in a battle or duel. This does not target the destroyed Personality." [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003]

Bend Like a Reed

• Is not a focus (although its focus value is added normally). It may be played by a Personality who cannot focus. [DW, 11/4/96]
• When played for effect, the bonus of 2 is changed by effects that alter the focus values of cards played "in a duel" (e.g., the Double Chi trait, Toshimoko Sensei). The bonus of 2 is not altered by effects that have already changed the card's actual focus value (e.g., Touch of Amaterasu). [Partial Reversal, 2/6/2000]

Betrayal

• Cannot be used if you have no units in the battle because it is not guaranteed to give you one there.

Blackened Sky

• Reads, "Blackened Sky 0G 1FV Battle: Take as many consecutive actions that make ranged attacks as you like, before the next player takes an Open or Battle action. You cannot take Reactions during this time unless they make ranged attacks." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]
• An action that produces a Ranged Attack and some other effect(s) is legal. [ZF, 2 August 2000]

Blackmail

• Reads, "Blackmail 8G 4FV Limited: Choose a Province and a holding of another player. Take control of that holding while Blackmail is in play. As an Open Action, the affected player may reveal the Blackmail, destroying it and the target Province. Also, the holding is returned, and you lose 10 Honor. If the Province is destroyed, Blackmail cannot be revealed." [MRP, Obsidian Edition]
• Revealing this card is an action taken by its original target, but the loss is caused by the Blackmail itself. [Card text] Thus, the blackmailer can avoid the loss with Defend Your Honor, and the revealer can double it with Court Jester. [DW, 31 October 1996]
• If you steal a Fortification, it stays attached to its original owner's Province, but you control its abilities. [Reversal, RD, email, 5/8/97]

Blazing Arrows

• Reads, "Blazing Arrows *G 3FV Battle: Blazing Arrows adds two to the strength of each of your cards producing a Ranged Attack for this battle. The gold cost of a Blazing Arrows is 1G per card in your army that is capable of producing a Ranged Attack." [MRP, Obsidian Edition, August 1997]

Bleeding the Elements

• You may bow any Bloodspeaker in play. [Card text, DW, email]

The Blood Feud

• The honor loss for refusing the challenge is written on Blood Feud, so Defend Your Honor can be played against it. [DW, email, 14 April 1997]
• A dishonored personality may refuse the challenge. [ZF, 6 June 2000]

Blood Oath

• Is considered swearing fealty. [DW, 12/9/96]
• Is played "after" the Personality comes into play, so you don't get the options of paying less gold or gaining honor.

Bloodied Ground

• If a unit leaves the battle after the terrain resolves, the force bonus to the army remains at the battle the province was in. [ZF, 20 August 2003]

Breach of Etiquette

• Reads, "Breach of Etiquette 0G 2FV Limited: The player (or players) with the most Family Honor commits a public breach of etiquette and loses 5 Honor." [MRP, Honor Bound]

Brilliant Victory

• Reads, "Brilliant Victory 0G 2FV Reaction: Play this card immediately after destroying an opposing army or Province as the Attacker or Defender. Gain an extra +3 Honor. Only one copy of this card can be played per battle." [MRP, Soul of the Empire]
• Is Political. [Reversal; JA, email, 31 October 2000]

Burn It Down

• Can be played when there are no opposing units. [ZF, August 2000; JA, 16 January 2001]

Burning Your Essence

• Reads, "Burning Your Essence 0G 0FV This card has a Focus value of 6 when focused in a duel, discarded for a Tactician force bonus, or used for its Focus value with an ability on a Personality. The Personality permanently has -2C after the duel or ability resolves." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]
• Chi loss also occurs after the use of Tactician. [DW, August 1999; JA, email, 1 July 2001]
• Treat the card's current focus value as a 6, when appropriate. This happens before any other changes. [JA, 19 November 2001]

By Will of the Wind

• Is not a Wind action. [Keyword rule exception, erratum, JA, 11 September 2001]

Carrier Pigeon

• Allows moving a unit into battle if the only reason it could not assign was that its Personality was bowed. [JA, 13 October 2003]

Change of Loyalty

• Feign Death will not save the original Personality, who will be unable to return to play because of Uniqueness conflicts. [DW, 24 April 1996]
• Cannot be used to destroy an existing Egg of Pan Ku-Personality in order to play a new Egg of P'an Ku. Can only be used to bring a Unique Personality into play [Card text], but until it's in play, the Egg is an Action card. It can be used to destroy an existing Egg if you're playing the False Hoturi, regardless of whom the Egg is copying. [DW, 6/5/96]
• If there are multiple conflicting Personalities with the same name and experience level (e.g., due to One Life, One Destiny), they are all destroyed. [DW, email, 13 February 1999]

Charge

• Renamed from Charge! [MRP, The Fall of Otosan Uchi, 9 December 2002]

Charge!: See Charge

Come One at a Time

• Reads, "Come One at a Time 0G 1FV Immediate Terrain. Battle: While there is only one defending Personality, that Personality may, as a Battle action, issue an unrefusable challenge to an opposing Personality, and each player may, as a Battle action, send one of his or her bowed or unbowed attacking units home bowed. The defending Personality, if there is one, may take one such challenge action immediately after this Terrain is played." [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 July 2003]
• Hida Technique will not allow the attacker to benefit from this card. [JA, April 2000]
• The terrain does not target. It gives Personalities and players actions that they can perform. [JA, 22 October 2001]

Concealed Archers

• May be played in a battle in which you have no units. [DW, email, 23 June 1998]
• Cannot be used to play kiho that create a ranged attack. It looks for "one or more cards in a unit capable of a Ranged Attack" (a caster is not capable of a ranged attack until the kiho has been cast), then says, "Resolve this Ranged Attack..." (i.e., the one the card is capable of). [ZF, 31 May 2000]
• Can only be played if you are the attacker, defender, or invited ally, because Ranged Attacks target opposing cards. [Rulebook, ZF]

Concede Defeat

• In a result such as "If duelist A wins, X happens to the loser," effect X is an "effect of duelist A winning" and not an "effect of the other duelist losing." It will still happen.
• Has no effect on reactions to winning or losing a duel unless those reactions specifically modify the effects of losing (e.g., Fatal Mistake).

Contentious Terrain

• Reads, "Contentious Terrain 0G 1FV Delayed Terrain. Battle: Each Personality in your army gains +1F until the battle ends." [MRP, Winds of Change, July 2003]

Contested Holding

• Reads, "Contested Holding 5G 2FV Limited: Bow one of your Personalities and target another player's Holding to issue a challenge to that player. The player may accept the challenge with any of his Personalities. If he refuses, or loses the duel, bow the Holding and gain permanent control of it, but do not destroy the opposing Personality. If your Personality loses the duel, destroy your Personality." [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003]
• If the challenged player controls no Personalities, he or she must refuse the challenge and lose the Holding.
• If the duel is fought and tied, the challenger is still the only Personality who dies. [Card text; DW, email, 5/4/99]
• If played for a fortification, it remains attached to its province, but you now control any abilities it may have. [Extension from Blackmail.]

Cornered

• May be used even if the battle which the target unit it leaving is not the current battle, because it's a Reaction. [DW, email, 23 April 1997]

Cornering Maneuver

• Can be used if there is no opposing army. [JA, 14 July 2000]

Corrupted Ground

• Reads, "Corrupted Ground 0G 1FV Immediate Terrain. Battle: Each Shadowlands Personality and Shadowlands Follower in this battle gains +1F." [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003]

Corruption's Price

• Cannot be used if only one target is in play (i.e., cannot destroy a Shadowlands holding alone). [Rulebook, JA, 19 August 2002]

Counterattack

• Reads, "Counterattack 0G 4FV Reaction: Play this card after an Attack Phase in which another player was the Attacker and you were the Defender. Create an Attack Phase in which you are the Attacker and that player is the Defender." [MRP, The Fall of Otosan Uchi, 9 December 2002]
• Cannot be played in response to Fu Leng's Horde, because there is no attacker. [JA, 14 September 2000]
• Does not change who is the active player. [Card text, ZF, 11 July 2001]

Counterfeit

• When used to destroy an item, the "cost of the item" is the cost to its player. E.g., the cost of the Ancestral Weapon of the Mantis includes the extra costs for any upgrades. [DW, email, 30 July 1997] Exception: an item brought into play "without gold cost" still has its full cost. [Partial Reversal]

Court Jester

• Is Political. [Rulebook]
• May not double honor loss from a refused Iaijutsu Challenge, because the loss is written on Iaijutsu Challenge. [FAQ]

The Coward's Way

• Opponent may focus or strike first, not just focus. [DW, 16 September 1996]
• The second Personality only contributes a Chi bonus and shares the consequences of losing. He or she is not a participant in the duel nor entering a duel, so effects that apply to duel participants or are triggered when "entering a duel" cannot be used on him or her. [DW, 21 March 1997]

Cowardly Conscripts

• Although it self-destructs before any costs or effects occur, the Personality created is a valid target for actions, and locks in the targeting selection. [JA, 25 March 2003]

Crane Tattoo

• Reads, "Crane Tattoo 0G 3FV Limited: Target one of your Personalities with the Tattooed trait and without a Crane Tattoo. For the rest of the game, the Personality has a Crane Tattoo, your actions cannot target the Personality, and the Personality gains the ability "Reaction: When this Personality is destroyed during a battle or duel, return the Personality to you play in your home, bowed, after discarding him or her." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2002]
• May be used any time a battle is occurring, whether the Personality is in it or not. [JA, 30 July 2002]
• Ability cannot be used when bowed. [JA, 30 July 2002]

Crushing Attack

• May not be played if there are no opposing units. [Reversal]

The Daimyo's Command

• A minor clan Champion may bow. [Card text]

Dark Lord's Favor

• The honor negating Reaction is Political; Shadowlands players cannot use that action. [DW, email, 28 August 1997]
• Can be played if you are tied for lowest honor. [FAQ 3.8]

A Dark Moment

• A Personality in a Province affected by A Dark Moment is not a Shadowlands card until after it enters play. [ZF, 17 May 2000]
• Gives the Shadowlands trait to cards that were brought into play from that Province earlier that turn. [Card text]

Dead Eyes

• Reads, "Dead Eyes 5*G 1FV This card costs 5 less Gold if it targets a Crab Clan Personality. Limited: Permanently lower to 0 the Personal Honor of one of your Personalities without the Berserker trait and permanently give the Personality the Berserker trait and the ability, 'Battle: Once per turn, gain +3F. When the Resolution Segment ends, destroy this Personality unless his or her army had more than twice the opposing army's force if there was an opposing army when the Resolution Segment began.'" [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]

Death-Seeker Technique: See Deathseeker Technique

Deathseeker Technique

• Renamed from Death-Seeker Technique. [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]

Debt of Honor

• Reads, "Debt of Honor 0G 3FV Reaction: Put this card into play immediately after a battle in which you have sent allying units to aid the target player. Later, destroy this card before the Assignments Phase of a battle to request that this player must assign the unit you request to the specified battle, or lose 8 Honor. You may not request an illegal assignment of a unit." [MRP, Obsidian Edition]

Deadly Ground

• Prevents the playing of all non-terrain-destroying actions within the Battle Action Segment and Resolution Segments [Card text], including Reactions played "when" or "after" a card is destroyed. Does not prevent Reactions played "after resolution" or "after the Attack Phase." [Partial Reversal, DW, email, 6/2/97]
• For an action to be legal, it must directly destroy Deadly Ground. Actions that destroy the terrain in a roundabout way (e.g., ending the battle without resolution) are not legal. [DW, 10 October 1996]

Deeds, Not Words

• Reads, "Deeds, Not Words 0G 2FV Political Open: Target another player and "call his or her virtue into question." Until the turn ends, the player gains 1 extra Honor for each duel his or her Personalities win and 1 extra Honor for each opposing card he or she destroys during the Resolution Segment of battle, and whenever the player would gain Honor in another way, the player loses the Honor instead." [MRP, Broken Blades, 8 August 2002]
• The honor loss retains its source and any restrictions against being canceled or redirected. [15 July 1999]
• The affected player gains 1 honor from winning duels with no stated honor gain. [ZF, May 2000]
• May be played against an opponent if you cannot cause your opponent honor losses. [JA, 9 July 2000]
• A redirected honor gain from one of your won duels will cause an opponent targeted by Deeds, Not Words to lose honor. [JA, 31 May 2002]

Defend Your Honor

• Reads, "Defend Your Honor 0G 2FV Political Reaction: Play this card when another player's action makes you lose honor. Negate the Honor loss. One of your unbowed Samurai Personalities may then "challenge the player's honor." The player may either target one of his or her unbowed Personalities to accept the challenge, or refuse the challenge. If the player refuses the challenge or his or her Personality loses the duel, the player loses an amount of Honor equal to the amount you negated." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]
• If an opponent has no personalities in play, they cannot accept the challenge and must lose the honor you were about to lose. [FAQ]

Defensive Duty

• The Personality is discarded at the end of the battle regardless of where he or she is (e.g., in play). [Card text; JA, email, 4 December 2002]

Delicate Calculations

• Reads, "Delicate Calculations 0G 3FV Limited: You may attack two players at once this turn. Each player may ally with only one other Player. Each Maneuvers Segment occurs only once. During each battle, only the Province's controller is the Defender. Effects that move cards into or out of battles may move them into or out of any battles in the attack." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]
• Will not allow you to attack on someone else's turn when combined with Plans Within Plans. [DW, 25 September 1997]
• The two Defending players do not have adjacent Provinces. [JA, 8 January 2003]

Dispersive Terrain

• Reads, "Dispersive Terrain 0G 1FV Delayed Terrain. Battle: Each defending Personality in this battle gains +2F until the battle ends." [MRP, Winds of Change, July 2003]

Double Agent

• The action is retargeted as though you had played it. [DW, 28 July 1998]

The Dragon's Heart

• May freely duplicate challenges arising from actions that may only be used a limited number of times per turn/battle (e.g., Experienced 3 Hitomi). [Reversal, DW, email, 21 August 1998]
• Costs are also duplicated (e.g., Experienced Hitomi Kokujin). [DW, 26 August 1998]

Dragon Tattoo

• Reads, "Dragon Tattoo 0G 3FV Limited: Target one of your Personalities with the Tattooed trait and without a Dragon Tattoo. For the rest of the game, the Personality has a Dragon Tattoo and gains the ability "Open: Place one to three 1F/1C Fire tokens on this Personality. This Personality cannot have more than three Fire token and cannot straighten by any means if he or she has any Fire tokens. Remove a Fire token from this Personality instead of straightening him or her during the Straighten Phase." [MRP, An Oni's Fury, 10 December 2001]
• The effects, "cannot have more than three Fire tokens," "cannot straighten by any means if he or she has any Fire tokens," and "remove a Fire token... instead of straightening him or her during the Straighten Phase" are permanent side effects of making Fire tokens. They last for the rest of the game upon using the ability once, even if the ability to add Fire tokens is lost. (Treat Dragon Tattoo's ability as if it said, "For the rest of the game, this Personality cannot have more...") [Reversal, JA, 29 March 2002]

Dragonfly Tattoo

• Does not prevent targeting by actions that might send the personality home (e.g., Stand or Run). [24 July 1999]

Draw Them Out

• Should read, "Draw Them Out 0G 3FV Political Reaction: Play before a player who has already drawn Fate cards this turn draws one or more Fate cards due to that player's own card or Stronghold effects. The next five Fate cards that player draws this turn (including the ones about to be drawn) are discarded immediately after being drawn. Lose 1 Honor." [Erratum, JA, 20 August 2002]

Duty to the Clan

• Reads, "Duty to the Clan 0G 3FV Reaction: Play this card after a battle Resolution Segment in which one of your Personalities of your Faction was destroyed. Permanently lower the Gold cost of one of your Faction's Personalities that is face up in one of your Provinces to 0." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]

The Egg of P'an Ku

• Reads, "The Egg of P'an Ku 9G 4FV Unique. Limited: Target a Personality, including a Unique Personality or one who will not join you. After entering play, this card becomes a copy of that Personality's printed card plus all permanent changes in effect on it. None of the Personality's costs need to be paid and no entering-play effects are produced." [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003]
• Once played, it:
  • Is a Personality permanently [DW, netnews, 4/5/96], even if destroyed. [RD, 4/8/96]
  • Loses its status as a Unique action. [JA, email, 18 November 2003]
• If sent back to your Dynasty Deck, it actually goes in, despite being a Fate card. [DW, 14 November 1997] When it appears in a Province, it follows normal requirements and restrictions.

Emperor's Protection

• The loss of 7 honor is in addition to any other duel results. [DW, 19 December 1996]

Encircled Terrain

• Reads, "Encircled Terrain 0G 1FV Delayed Terrain. Battle: The Attacker and Defender each target one of their own units in this battle. You decide which player targets first. Send all other units in this battle home without bowing." [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003]
• Units that may not be sent home with your actions (e.g., Armor of the Mountain) will stay in the battle. [JA, 19 August 2002]

Engage the Enemy

• Last sentence should read, "This may not target an opposing Personality with attached unbowed cards." [JA, 8 July 2003]

Enough Talk!

• Renamed from "Enough Talk!" [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003]

"Enough Talk!": See Enough Talk!

Entrapping Terrain

• Reads, "Entrapping Terrain 0G 1FV Delayed Terrain. Battle: This battle ends without resolution. All units go home without bowing." [MRP, Dark Allies, 8 April 2002]

Entrench

• Increasing the fortification's gold cost is an effect, not a cost. [ZF, 1 August 2000]
• Its Battle action can be used if you are the attacker or an ally. If a fortification is placed on another player's province, you control its abilities. [Reversal, JA, email, 30 August 2000]

Evil Portents

• Reads, "Evil Portents 0G 3FV Open: All Shadowlands Personalities and Followers currently in play gain a 1F/1C bonus until the end of the turn. All other Personalities suffer a -1F/-1C penalty." [MRP, Obsidian Edition]
• May be played during battle if you have a unit in the battle and this action affects the stats of a card in the battle. [JA, 30 January 2000]

Explosives

• Reads, "Explosives 8G 2FV Limited: Destroy a Holding." [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003]

Face Me!

• Kills a Personality with zero Personal Honor entering the duel. [JA, 3 April 2002]
• Does not create a duel of Personal Honor; it resets Chi values to equal Personal Honor. [JA, 3 April 2002]

The Face of Fear

• Because it causes a Personality to be affected by Fear "as if he were a Follower," it will have no effect on a Personality belonging to a unit or Clan whose Followers are immune to Fear.
• Does not target the card causing the Fear effect. [JA, 9 January 2003]
• Is played when the Fear effects is created, and cannot be canceled by Reactions to targeting or the beginning of the action's resolution. [JA, 8 December 2003]

Faith in My Clan

• Reads, "Faith in My Clan 0G 3FV Reaction: Cancel an action. Play this card only if a Clan Champion from your Faction is in your army in the current battle." [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003]

Fall On Your Knees

• Cancels Reactions played before the Defender's first normal Open or Battle action (e.g., Sneak Attack) [VRD, 6 November 2000], but not those occurring during or after the Resolution segment. [Card text]
• Cannot cancel Shiryo no Shoju's reaction, because it happens before the battle action segment. [VRD, 10 January 2001]
• Can cancel a Reaction on any card, not just an Action card. [JA, 24 July 2002]

False Alliance

• Reads, "False Alliance 0G 2FV You must be an ally invited by both the Attacker and the Defender to play this card. Battle: Move all of your units in this battle from the attacking army to the defending army, or vice versa. Lose 4 Honor." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]
• Changes your role from attacking ally to defending ally (or vice versa) for the duration of the current battle only. You retain your original role in all other battles. Any of your units moved from the current battle to another will move into the army on your original side. [JA, 3 April 2002]

Familiar Surroundings

• Reads, "Familiar Surroundings 0G 1FV Reaction: Play this card after the last Maneuvers Segment of the Attack Phase. Until the Phase ends, the Defender selects the order in which battles resolve instead of the Attacker." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]

Fatal Mistake

• Kills Personalities who normally cannot be killed by a duel (e.g., Isawa Tsuke). [DW, email, 17 October 1997]

Feign Death

• Reads, "Feign Death 0G 2FV Reaction: Play after a Personality is destroyed to return the Personality to play, bowed, in his previous controller's home, ignoring all costs and restrictions. (Entering-play effects occur. Cards attached to the Personality are not returned to play.) Dishonor the Personality. Lose 2 Honor." [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003]

Feint

• Reads, "Feint 0G 0FV Play Feint as a Focus card in a duel. After Focus cards are revealed, you may choose any other card in you hand to add as a Focus." [MRP, Obsidian Edition]

Field of Glorious Slaughter

• Creates additional Honor gains for destroying Regions and Fortifications. [JA, 19 August 2003]
• Only increases Honor gains for the player who put it into play.

Fight to the Setting Sun

• Reads, "Fight to the Setting Sun 0G 2FV Reaction: Play this card when a Resolution Segment in which you had units ends. All units in the battle will bow as if they were attacking units." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]
• Does not bow units, but changes the rules governing if they bow. E.g., Rallying Cry can prevent bowing. [DW, 18 February 1997]

The Final Breath

• Should read, "Play after the Resolution segment of a battle in which one of your Personalities was destroyed. Destroy an opposing Personality..." [Pearl Edition rulebook erratum to MRP, Honor Bound foil]

Final Charge

• Cannot save Followers from an effect that destroys the entire unit, because it gets played "when" the leader is destroyed, not immediately before. [DW, email, 2/7/97]
• The unit has no Personality. Effects that target or affect Personalities may not be played on it. [Reversal, DW, email, 1/10/98]

Fires of Retribution

• When reacting to an innate ability, the -2C does not occur until after the ability is fully resolved. [DW, 20 February 1998]
• Cannot be used to destroy a kiho, because it destroys a "spell card." [Card text, FAQ 3.8]

The First Shout

• Will still force the opponent to focus again when played as a striking focus with a Garrote. [DW]
• Takes priority over Iaijutsu Art. [DW, 1/29/98]
• The random focus is picked only from those cards that can be legally focused. [FAQ 3.2]
• Does not fulfill the requirements for subsequent Shouts if used in some way besides its printed effects (e.g., discarded for Tactician). [ZF, 12 June 2001]

Flattery

• Reads, "Flattery 0G 3FV You must have cards in your hand with total Focus values greater than the opposing army's force to play this card. Battle: Discard cards from your hand one at a time until the total discarded Focus values exceed the opposing army's force, to end the battle without resolution and send all units home without bowing. You may take this action during a battle in which you have no units." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]
• To play this card without a unit in the battle, you must be either the Attacker, the Defender, or an invited ally. Allies may play it against either side if, and only if, they've been invited by both the Attacker and Defender and have not assigned any troops anywhere.
• You may not play this card if there are no opposing units. [Reversal]
• The total Focus values in hand excluding Flattery must be greater than the opposing army's. [ZF, 11 July 2001]

Flight of Dragons

• Reads, "Flight of Dragons 0G 3FV Battle: All Dragons in this battle fly away (are destroyed). No Honor is lost or gained. This does not refer to Dragon Clan Personalities unless they are considered to be a Dragon." [MRP, Obsidian Edition]

For the Empire

• Reads, "For the Empire 0G 3FV Limited: One of your Samurai issues an unrefusable challenge to a Shadowlands Personality, or one of your Shadowlands Personalities issues an unrefusable challenge to a Samurai. If the Samurai wins he permanently gains +1 Personal Honor and his controller gains 3 Honor, and if the Shadowlands Personality wins he permanently gains +1F/+1C." [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003]
• A Shadowlands samurai may challenge either a samurai or a Shadowlands Personality, with the appropriate results. If the challenged Personality also has both traits, you decide who gets which bonus upon winning when you play the card.

Forced March

• Bowing cannot be prevented by Rallying Cry, because it is an effect of Forced March, not battle. [Card text]

Forest Fire

• The forest may belong to any player. [Card text]
• Destroying the forest is a cost. [Erratum]

Forgotten Lesson

• While in effect, you may use A New Teacher to put a second Sensei on one stronghold. [ZF, May 2000]

Fresh Horses

• The Stables you bow do not generate gold. You must produce the 3G by other means. [DW, 30 April 1997]

Frenzy

• Reads, "Frenzy 0G 1FV Battle: Give a Crab Clan Personality +3F, or give a non-Crab Personality +2F. Either way, dishonor the Personality. When the turn ends, destroy the Personality's Followers. Lose 2 Honor." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]

Frontal Assault

• Because it is played before the battle action segment, it is always played before cards played "at the start of a battle" or "before the Defender's first action." [JA, 12 December 2001]

Geisha Assassin

• If 0-1G is spent, the 0 Chi Personality dies and the duel is aborted without resolution. [DW, 18 April 1998]

A Gift of Honor

• Both players lose 1 honor in a tie. [RD, 15 January 1997]

Gift of the Emperor

• Can be played during battle if the personality who survived the duels is in the battle. [JA, April 2000]

A Good Day to Die

• May be put into play using Armor of Sun-Tao or Oracle of Earth, though you must still bow an appropriate shugenja. [DW, 17 October 1997]
• There must still be an army on both sides for the battle to be a tie. An unopposed army will not be destroyed. [DW, 4/8/98]

Hazardous Ground

• Applies to extra actions granted by such cards (e.g., Sneak Attack, Kitsu Motso). [Card text, DW, email, 25 September 1997]

He's Mine!

• Does not redirect the action causing the duel. [JA, 10 October 2001]

His Most Favored

• The original player of this card loses the honor when the targeted Personality is destroyed. This may not be the controller of the Personality at that time. [RD, 22 September 1996]
• Causes no honor loss if the targeted Personality is removed from play without being destroyed (e.g., shuffled back into the deck). [JA, 16 October 2000]

Honorable Seppuku

• Reads, "Honorable Seppuku 0G 3FV Political Reaction: Play this card after one of your samurai creates, or is targeted by, or is affected by an effect that dishonors him or her or causes you to lose Honor. Lower the loss (if any) to 0, the Samurai commits seppuku, and then you gain Honor equal to the Samurai's Personal Honor." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]
• Can be used in response to bringing a samurai into play who causes an honor loss. [DW, 25 October 1996]
• Cannot be triggered by an honor loss caused by the death of a dishonored samurai, because the samurai is already dead.

I Believed in You

• Renamed from I Believed in You... [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003]
• Will work on Personalities whose honor requirements were ignored for purposes of coming into play (e.g., Toturi's Army stronghold) but not those ignored continually (e.g., Naga strongholds). [Reversal, DW, email, 4/7/99]

I Believed in You...: see I Believed in You

Iaijutsu Art

• Reads, "Iaijutsu Art 0G 1FV Limited: One of your Personalities issues an unrefusable challenge to a Personality with equal or higher Chi. Each Personality focuses exactly once, if possible, and Reactions taken "instead of focusing" cannot be taken. The winner's controller gains 4 Honor. Dishonor the loser." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]
• If your opponent must strike, the duel resolves immediately and you do not get to focus. If you never got a chance to focus, you weren't "able." [Card text, FAQ]
• You may not use a Reaction that gives you another focus if you have already focused. [Card text] Reactions that only add as though they were focused are legal (e.g., Bend Like a Reed).

Iaijutsu Challenge

• Reads, "Iaijutsu Challenge 0G 2FV Limited: One of your Personalities challenges another player's Personality. If the challenge is refused, Iaijutsu Challenge dishonors the other player's Personality and causes the other player to lose 7 Honor. The winner's controller gains 5 Honor." [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003]

Iaijutsu Duel

• Reads, "Iaijutsu Duel 0G 2FV Battle: A Personality in your army issues an unrefusable challenge to an opposing Personality. You need not control either Personality. If the Personality in your army is not yours and the challenge gains a cost, the controller of the Personality may choose to not pay the cost and send this card back to your hand. The winner's controller gains 5 Honor." [MRP, Broken Blades, 8 August 2002]

Iaijutsu Lesson

• Although they create no effects, Items are still present and may be used to trigger effects that look for those items (e.g., Mirumoto Zenko, Unprepared). [JA, 22 October 2002]
• Effects of actions on items that give bonuses or penalties before a duel begins (e.g., Corrupted Jade Sliver) are not negated. [JA, email, 1 August 2003]

Impassable Terrain

• You are not forced to discard cards to make up the difference if you have fewer than three unbowed Personalities or Followers in the battle and allow them all to become bowed. [DW, 29 May 1996]
• If you want to keep any of them unbowed, however, the number of cards you do bow, plus the number of cards you discard, must equal three. [DW, 26 July 1996]
• Starting with the active player, each player makes bowing/discarding decisions in turn, before the next player makes any.

Imperial Scrutiny

• May be used on an honor loss redirected to its original player. [JA, 14 December 2001]

Imperial Taxation

• Payment is not mandatory. The Holding's controller may destroy it even if he or she can afford the cost. [DW, 5/1/97]

In Search of the Future

• Reads, "In Search of the Future 0G 3FV You may play this card during a battle in which you have no units. Battle: Lower all Force bonuses for cards currently in this battle to 0 for the rest of the turn, except bonuses from cards in the same unit. This does not affect bonuses gained after this card is played." [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003]
• See Bonuses and penalties.

Infantry Charge

• Does not automatically cause Fear to bow Personalities. It overrides immunity, not the rule that Fear only affects Followers. [VRD, 16 November 2000]

Intersecting Highways

• Reads, "Intersecting Highways 0G 1FV Battle Terrain: All allied Personalities in this Battle gain a 2F bonus until the end of the turn." [MRP, Scorpion Clan Coup]

Investigation

• Reads, "Investigation 2G 3FV Reaction: When an Assassin action, Ninja action, or Kolat action targets you, your Stronghold, or any of your cards or tokens, negate all of the action's effects except Honor losses to the player taking the action and make the player lose 5 Honor." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]

Judgement of Toshiken

• Reads, "Judgement of Toshiken 0G 2FV Reaction: Play this card after players reveal Focus cards in a duel. Resolve the duel only by the Chi (or other stat noted on the card creating the duel) of the dueling Personalities before the challenge, plus the Focus cards' printed Focus values. The Double Chi trait works as usual. If either Personality has not focused, each can focus an extra time, starting with the challenged Personality." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]
• Applies for the entire duration of the duel. Cards played after it are subject to its effects.
• Reactions and other card effects may still be legally played during a duel, and will have their full effect for their normal duration after the duel resolves (e.g., Poisoned Weapon). [VRD, 3 July 2001]
• Cannot prevent Another Time from taking effect, because it resolves as soon as it is revealed.
• Prevents automatic win from Unprepared, because revealing Focus cards is part of duel resolution. [JA, 30 July 2002]
• Applies to effects that change who wins/loses/ties a duel, not those that alter what happens when a Personality wins/loses/ties. [JA, 26 September 2000] Thus, it will not beat the "win instead of losing if tied" trait of Doji Reju and Hitomi Reju. [Reversal, JA, 23 September 2000]
• Neither Personality may strike in place of focusing again. [JA, 10 December 2001]
• Whether one Personality focuses does not affect whether the other may focus. [JA, 14 December 2001]
• There is a "reveal focus cards" step after any extra cards are focused. Cards that have an effect when revealed operate normally (e.g., Another Time). [JA, 2 May 2002]
• Restores the working of Double Chi if a card suppressed it (e.g., Shreiking Mujina). [JA, email, 16 September 2002]
• Restores the ability to focus if it was prevented. [JA, 15 July 2003]

Kakita Technique

• The last one played takes precedence.

Karmic Strike: See Kharmic Strike

Kharmic Strike

• Renamed from Karmic Strike. [MRP, Reign of Blood, 8 December 2003]
• Doesn't necessarily kill both duelists; it makes both suffer whatever would normally happen to the loser. [Card text]
• Changing one d