L5R FAQ

by Jeff Alexander


Q For Forest Fire and Bleeding the Elements, can I really satisfy these cards' costs using an opponent's Forest or Bloodspeaker?

A: Yes. And, as you noticed, these first effects are, in fact costs. You have to successfully do them to produce the rest of the cards' effects.

Q: Shoju Sensei has the Shadowlands trait. Does an Iris Festival destroy the Sensei?

A: No. The words at the top of Sensei cards are a list of which Clans can play them. They're not traits in the usual sense. The "Foo" rule does not apply. By the way, "Sensei" itself is also a new type of card, not just a trait. Cards and rules that deal with Sensei cards do not apply to existing cards with the "Sensei" keywon on them, like Akodo Kage.

Q: Once I've used Kaede Sensei's ability, will my ability to achieve an Honor Victory be restored if she gets destroyed or neutralized?

A: Destroyed or discarded, no. "Prevented from affecting play," yes, but only for the duration that the Sensei is suppressed.

Q: Do job titles count for Uniqueness? Can I have multiple cards in my deck or in play together with traits like Crane Clan Champion or Oracle of Earth?

A: It may seem a little odd from a story point of view, but there are no rules against having multiple cards filling the same roles, not even important roles like Clan Champion. You can build a deck with both Doji Hoturi and his father Doji Satsume, or play the Experienced Hiruma Osuno right next to the original Retainer, the Oracle of Earth.

Q: Can I use the Experienced 2 Isawa Norikazu's action multiple times on the same opponent by copying him or his action?

A: No. No, no, and no. No way, no how. In other words, "no."

Q: Do Weapon tokens from the Kaiu Forge count as cards? It says they count as Items "in all ways"

A: No. Items are not inherently cards.

Q: The Unquiet Grave of Hida Amoro says, "Only Undead Personalities can enter play from this Province. " This could mean "the only cards that can enter play are Undead Personalities," or it could mean "the only Personalities that can enter play are Undead ones" Which is it?

A: The latter. The Unquiet Grave does not hinder card types other than Personalities.

Q: Do The Wave Men affect Personalities who have a Clan trait but who are also "Unaligned"?

A: No. The Wave Men don't care whether a card says "Unaligned * " They only work on Personalities who lack all current Clan affiliations. That includes, among other things, "Ninja," "Monk," and "Toturi's Arrny;" anyone with one or more of these traits fails the test and does not get the discount.

Focus on ... Yokuni Sensei

You cannot voluntarily discard a delayed Event though you can force it out with another card effect such as Bayushi Aramoro's.

Yokuni Sensei delays all Events that "discard" or "destroy" themselves the turn they resolve, including Inheritance. The Sensei does not affect Events that do something more unusual, like physically "stay in play" (not just stay in effect) for multiple turns, or that get reshuffled into the Dynasty deck.

Yokuni Sensei only delays Events that resolve. Avoid Fate prevents an Event from resolving. So does the optional rule that each Event can only happen once, when the Event appears a second or later time.

Focus on ... Shoju Sensei

"No player can achieve an Honor Victory while the Personality remains in play." The important word here is "remains. " The effect only lasts as long as the targeted Personality stays continuously on the table. It ends as soon as the Personality leaves and does not resume if the Personality comes back. Feign Death, The Sight of Death, and the Crane Tattoo all return a Personality to play immediately after death; none of these cards preserve Shoju Sensei's effect.

Shoju Sensei does not actually remove any individual player's Honor Victory option. It will not force everyone to lose a Province to The Return of Fu Leng, for example. Dave Williams explains.

    "The Return of Fu Leng is about whether you are allowed to achieve an Honor Victory ever. If you give up the ability to achieve an Honor Victory to avoid losing a Province, you turn off the power to the "I win by Honor" switch. You will never be allowed to achieve an Honor Victory. Shoju Sensei, on the other hand, says that while the target Personality is in play, you can't achieve an Honor Victory. That means that whether or not you are allowed to achieve an Honor Victory, you have to get rid of the Personality if you really want to do it. To follow the "switch" analogy, there's now a cover on the switch that you have to lift in order to flip the switch and win the game (assuming that there is power to the switch)"

Shoju Sensei does not prohibit canceling an action that targets the crucial Personality.

As with Kaede Sensei, Shoju Sensei's effect continues if the card gets destroyed or discarded but becomes suppressed if it's temporarily prevented from affecting play.

Focus on ... The Master of Five

Any Oracle cards will do, including Dark Oracles and Personalities with the various Oracle of ... traits.

The traits of an action never depend on more than one card. In the case of a Personality taking an action (including a Kiho) from your hand or printed on a card attached to the Personality, you use that card's traits, not the Personality's. If the Master of Fire lobbies for the Imperial Favor or uses an innate ability, that's a Fire action. If the Personality makes a Charge or casts Walking the Way, its not a Fire action.

Focus on ... The Wind's Truth

The Wind's Truth is Political, by glossary definition.

"Another player" means someone other than the one who is going to gain/lose the Honor, not someone other than the caster.

The Honor gain from winning or tying in a battle is one single gain.

Deadly Ground, and possibly Night Battle, render it illegal, since they last for the entire battle and Honor is gained during the Resolution Segment.

The source of the gain/loss remains unchanged.

The Ring of Air can redirect it but only to another "another player," so you can't send the gain/loss right back to the player from which it was just taken. In a two- player game, the Ring of Air cannot be used on it.

Errata

Awakening Shakoki Dogu: The first sentence should read, 'All units at this battle may return to their fiefs'

Forest Fire should read, "Destroy any one Forest card in play to destroy all bowed cards in this battle"

All Ratlings are Creatures.

Seppun Hotaitaka (Siege of Sleeping Mountain set): Draw extra cards only for Followers attached from your hand. This is in addition to the errata that the cards are not drawn until the End Phase.

Seppun Nakao is not Imperial.

Void Strike: Discard the card drawn.


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