CE Card features
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Card features
Title
A card's title is printed at the top of the card. A token's title (if it has one) is determined by the text that generates the token.
Created cards have no title.
Stats
Force, Chi, Province Strength and Gold Cost are examples of stats, or number values. Stats may be associated with a card (such as Force), a province (such as Province Strength), or another game entity (such as an army’s or unit’s total Force). The correspondence of stats to card types is described in Card types.
Absent stats
If a card’s type does not have that stat, the card does not have that stat either – the stat is absent from the card.
If something in the game needs to know the value of an absent stat, the value is zero.
If a side at a battlefield has no units, its total army Force is treated as an absent stat.
Absent stats do not receive bonuses or penalties.
Bonuses and penalties
Any change in a stat’s value is considered a bonus (if increased) or penalty (if decreased), with the following exceptions:
- When a maximum or minimum is applied, any change in the stat due to this is not a penalty or bonus.
- When a bonus, penalty, maximum, or minimum ends or is negated, the resulting stat change is not a penalty or bonus.
- A fluctuating bonus or penalty is one that explicitly changes with the game state.
- Example: A card that has +1F for each Samurai in play.
- Changes in the size of a fluctuating bonus or penalty due to changes in the game state, are not bonuses or penalties.
- Example: A card that has +1F for each Samurai in play goes from +3F to +2F when a Samurai is destroyed. This is not a Force penalty.
- Changes in total Force of a unit or army which are not due to changes to the Force of its component cards (for example, a Follower being destroyed or bowed) do not count as Force bonuses or penalties.
- A bonus or penalty of +0 or -0 is not a bonus or penalty.
Maximums and minimums
Rules, costs, and effects may create a maximum value of a stat beyond which its value can not rise, or a minimum value of a stat below which its value can not sink.
In the event that a stat receives a minimum value that is above its existing maximum value, or a maximum that is below its minimum, its value will not change at all until the minimum and the maximum cease to contradict each other.
Example: If your Stronghold has the trait, "Your Paragons have a minimum Personal Honor equal to their base Personal Honor," and one of your Paragons with 4 base PH becomes dishonored, the maximum PH from dishonorable status is zero but the minimum from the Stronghold is 4. Because the minimum was applied first, the maximum Personal Honor of 0 is not applied to your dishonorable Paragon, and he keeps a PH of 4.
Calculating stats
To get a stat's current value at any given time, do steps A through C, below:
- A: Apply all current bonuses and penalties.
- B: If the total is below 0, treat it as 0, unless the stat is Family Honor, Honor Requirement, or a modifier with a + or – sign such as an Item’s Force and Chi stats.
- C: If the total is less than the highest minimum value in effect for that stat, or more than the lowest maximum value in effect, it becomes that minimum or maximum.
EXCEPTION: [CHANGED June 6 2011] If the stat's total is simultaneously less than the highest minimum value and more than the lowest maximum value, then the minimum and maximum contradict each other. Use this procedure to determine the final value of that stat as long as the contradiction persists:
i. If the stat's total is lower than both that minimum and that maximum, it becomes that maximum.
ii. If the stat's total is higher than both that minimum and that maximum, it becomes that minimum.
iii. If the stat's total is between that minimum and maximum, or equal to either one of them, the stat becomes its base value.
Example 1: If your Stronghold has the trait, "Your Paragons have a minimum Personal Honor equal to their base Personal Honor," and one of your Paragons with 4 base PH and -1 PH from an effect becomes dishonorable, the maximum PH from dishonorable status is zero but the minimum from the Stronghold is 4. Neither the maximum nor the minimum is applied, because the total is equal to the minimum (case iii). He now has his base PH of 4. If he is returned to honor while the -1 PH is still in effect, the contradiction ends and the -1PH gives a final PH of 3.
Example 2: If in the above example, the dishonorable Paragon instead has +1 PH from an effect, his total PH after step B is 5. This is higher than both the minimum of 4 and maximum of 0 (case ii). Therefore his final PH is 4, the highest minimum in effect, while the contradiction continues.
Setting stats to a value
Various effects set a stat to some particular value, such as effects that set, switch or copy stats.
To set a stat to a value, give it the smallest possible appropriate bonus or penalty (or the smallest possible gain or loss, for Honor) such that it reaches that value.
Example: A 0F/3C Personality has a +1C weapon attached. An effect switches the Personality's Force and Chi, meaning that simultaneously his Chi will be modified to match his existing Force, and Force will be modified to match his existing Chi. The Personality's Force gains +4F to go to the existing Chi value of 4, and Chi receives -4C to go to the existing Force value of 0. Because the weapon's bonus is already part of the stat, it is not reapplied, and the Personality is destroyed due to having 0C.
Example: A 2F Personality receives a -3F penalty. Although the Personality's force is rounded to 0F, the -3F penalty is still in effect. If instructed to set the Personality's force to 5, the Personality receives a 6F bonus. If the 6F bonus has a longer duration than the -3F penalty, the Personality's force will become 8F after the penalty expires.
Modifying changes
Some things may increase, reduce, or set limits on changes to stats and values.
Example: reducing an Honor gain or increasing a Force penalty.
Changes to stats and values are calculated in the same way that stats themselves are calculated: all current increases and reductions to the change are applied, the change can never be less than zero, and then the change is either added to the stat or value (if a bonus or gain) or subtracted from the stat or value (if a loss or penalty).
Example: reductions to an Honor gain can never convert it into a loss, and increases to a Force penalty are ultimately reflected in Force being reduced.
Asterisks
An asterisk (*) appearing instead of a stat on a card means that the stat is variable, with a base value of zero and actual value determined according to other circumstances.
Text box
A card’s text box may contain any, all or none of the following four parts.
Keywords
Some keywords have meaning in the rules, while others are only descriptive terms.
Keywords are separated from each other by solid dots (•). If keywords appear on more than one line in a text box, the ones on different lines are separate as well, unless they form a single hyphenated word.
In keywords, parts of words or phrases are not the same as the whole word or phrase.
Example: Dragon Clan and Dragon are different keywords. A Ninjato doesn’t count as a Ninja. A Monkey Clan Personality is not a Monk.
EXCEPTION: Any keyword containing the word Experienced is referred to by the term “Experienced.” See Glossary, Experienced.
A created card’s base keywords are those given to it by the effect that created it. A non-created card's base keywords are those physically printed on its Most Recent Printing (MRP).
Keywords may be granted to a card by other effects. Such effects follow the normal rules on duration of effects.
A card either has a given keyword or it does not. Effects that grant a keyword to a card that already has it do not give it an extra copy of the keyword, and do not protect that card against a future effect that would remove that keyword.
Multiple keywords created or granted by a trait or ability are separated only by bullets or commas, not by line breaks. Example: If "Phoenix Clan" wraps from one line to another within the text of an ability, it is treated as the two-word keyword "Phoenix Clan."
Some terms embedded in the text (that is, appearing in quotation marks that grant a trait or ability) may appear in boldface, but they are not considered part of the card’s keywords.
“Battle,” “Limited,” “Open” and “Reaction” (see Abilities) appear in boldface, but are action designators, not keywords. Individual abilities can have their own keywords as well (see Abilities).
“Focus Effect:” is not a keyword or action designator.
Clan alignments are keywords that only players or Personalities can have. See The Player.
The following are some common keywords that have particular rules associated with them. See their respective Glossary entries for more detailed descriptions of these terms; these are only intended as a quick reference. Note that many common keywords have no general rules associated with them, but may be important for specific card effects.
General keywords
Unique: A card limited to one per deck.
Singular: A card limited to one in play at a time.
Strategy keywords
Terrain: A Strategy that sets conditions for a battle. Only one Terrain can be in play at a time.
Item keywords
Armor, Weapon: A Personality can only attach one Weapon card and one Armor card.
Personality keywords
Samurai, Courtier: Allowed to commit seppuku.
Shugenja: Allowed to attach Spell cards.
Duelist: May focus first in duels if he or she has a lower or equal duel stat.
Kensai: May attach two Weapons.
Tactician: Can be targeted by Tactical actions, including one that all players have.
Loyal: Will only join players with the same Clan alignment.
Personality and Follower keywords
Cavalry: Can be assigned to battles at a special time.
Naval: Can be used with a Reaction all players have during battle.
Different and same keywords
Two cards have the "same" keyword if they share one or more eligible keywords.
Two cards have "different" keywords if, when all shared keywords are ignored, each card has an eligible keyword the other does not.
With multiple keywords on cards, two cards can have both the same and different keywords.
Example 1: A Personality with Dragon Clan and Scorpion Clan has both “a different” and “the same” Clan alignment compared to a Personality with the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan keywords.
Example 2: A Personality with Dragon Clan and Scorpion Clan does not have a different Clan alignment from a Personality with the Dragon Clan keyword alone. The two Personalities only have the same Clan alignment.
When comparing more than two cards with multiple keywords, in order for all of them to be different from each other, each pair must be different from each other.
A card without a certain type of keyword has neither a “different” nor “the same” keyword as another card.
Effects that count the number of "different" keywords on cards simply count the number of eligible keywords on those cards, ignoring duplicates. If there is only one eligible keyword, it is still counted; "different" does not imply there have to be two or more keywords.
Traits
Each sentence that ends in a period between the keywords and the card’s abilities or flavor text (if any) is a separate trait.
EXCEPTION: If a trait uses a pronoun or other language that can only refer back to something named in the previous sentence, the sentences are part of the same trait.
Example: “Lose 2 Honor. This Personality may not issue challenges.” are two separate traits because they make sense independently of each other. However, “After your turn begins: Target another player’s Personality. This Personality challenges him.” is a single trait because the “him” in the second sentence makes no sense without the previous sentence.
Effects from traits have all the keywords of the card they are on.
Example: A Chi loss from a trait on a Maho card is a Maho effect.
As with keywords, if a single card, player or other thing in the game is given a trait it already has, it does not get an additional copy of that trait or become any more resistant to removal of that trait. This is similar to the rule on keywords.
Triggered traits
Triggered traits include a trigger – a timing reference that ends in a colon (:) such as “Before your turn ends:” or “After this Personality enters play:” This trigger is part of a triggered trait's constraints block, as opposed to its effects block, which comes after the colon.
Triggered traits happen every time that trigger occurs in the game. They only are triggered if the card or stronghold they are on is (a) in play, (b) in the focusing area, (c) in a resolution or entering-play area, or (d) if they say they are triggered from an area not in play.
Triggered traits may include costs and conditions before the colon as well. The rules covering costs and conditions in Abilities also apply to traits. If a player cannot pay a cost or meet the restrictions of a triggered trait, the trait does not happen and none of its effects resolve.
Triggered traits are not optional – they must happen if the trigger occurs. Likewise, costs of triggered traits are not optional – they must be paid if the player can pay the cost.
EXCEPTION: Traits that are triggered when paying a Gold cost, and whose effects produce Gold, are optional; they do not have to be triggered when any given Gold cost is paid.
Targeting in a trait must be carried out if possible, but there are no special implications if the targeting fails, other than the non-availability of any target for further effects that refer back to it.
A triggered trait on a given card or stronghold happens once and only once each time that trigger occurs.
Gold-producing cards follow special rules for their traits that produce Gold. Gold-producing holdings often have traits written as “Bow this card: Produce X Gold” which is shorthand for the triggered trait, “When paying a Gold cost, bow this card: Produce X Gold.”
The trigger “Focus Effect:” refers to a particular point in a duel. See Challenges and duels.
The occurrence of a trait's trigger, and the successful meeting of any other conditions or costs, means that the trait resolves and its effects are applied in order, even if the card leaves play during the effects' application.
Usage limits on traits in the general form “once (or twice, etc.) per turn (or phase, game, etc.)” mean that the trait is triggered every time the triggering condition is met, but its effects can only be applied a certain number of times. If the effects are optional, the “once per turn” restriction is only used up if the effects are actually chosen.
If the effects of a triggered trait fail, the trait is still considered to have been activated for purpose of its maximum number of uses.
Continuous traits
Continuous traits such as “You may not gain Honor” or “Your Samurai Personalities have +1F” do not contain a trigger.
While their card is in play, continuous traits apply their effects. Continuous traits do not have a duration, and do not resolve or have a resolution. They are “always on.”
While their card is out of play, continuous traits affect the card they are on, and only that card, unless the trait states otherwise.
Abilities
An ability can only be used once per turn. Abilities are never required, unlike traits. In particular, Reactions never happen automatically; they must be specifically activated by a player.
Abilities given to a card or player “stack,” unlike keywords and traits. A card or player can have more than one identical copy of an ability, each of which is used separately.
Each ability on each separate source is a separate ability, even if they are identical abilities or exist on identical cards.
Example: The “once per turn” limit on using an ability does not prevent a player from using the ability on two identical cards in the same turn.
Ability keywords: An ability has any boldface keywords that appear immediately before its designator.
Example: “Ninja Battle:” In this case, the ability is a Ninja ability.
A card has any keywords of its abilities.
Example: A card with the ability “Ninja Battle:” has the Ninja keyword.
An ability also has any keywords that are on its card.
Example: An ability on a Ninja card is a Ninja ability.
EXCEPTION: Keywords that a card only has from one of its abilities are not given to other abilities on the card.
Example: A Ninja ability on a card does not by itself give Ninja to any other abilities on that card.
Each word in an ability’s own keywords is a separate keyword.
Example: A “Bushido Virtue” ability is a Bushido ability and a Virtue ability.
Designators: After keywords, an ability must begin with one or more of the boldface designators “Limited:” “Open:” “Battle:” or “Reaction:” The designator is not a keyword.
If an ability has more than one designator, such as “Open/Battle:”, it may be used as either kind of action, and counts as both kinds of action.
Example: When searching for a card with a Battle action a player may retrieve one with a Battle/Open action.
Constraints block: An ability may contain a second colon at some point after the designator’s colon, creating a constraints block before the effects block. If it does not have this second colon, there is only an effects block.
The constraints block has one or more of these elements:
- Reaction trigger. Like triggered traits, Reactions have a trigger that describes a point in time when they can be taken. Unlike triggered traits, Reactions do not occur automatically; players choose whether to activate the ability or not.
- Example: “After the start of a turn:” “Before a Personality is destroyed:” “When producing Gold:”
- Conditions. Some conditions are restrictions, limiting when the action can be taken (such as, “If you control no Courtiers”). Others allow a player to take the action in spite of the game rules or other effects (such as, “Even if this card is bowed” overrides the rule that abilities on bowed cards cannot be used.) Sometimes a condition does both; “If this card is face-up in one of your Provinces” restricts the use of the ability, but also implicitly allows it to be used when the card is out of play, which overrides the basic rules.
- Costs. Any text in the constraints block that tells you to do something – bow one of your Personalities, pay gold, lose Honor, and so on – is a cost of the action.
- Targeting may appear in the constraints block.
Effects block: An ability’s effects are described in an effects block. This comes after the action designator’s colon if there is no constraints block, and after the second colon if there is a constraints block.
Flavor text
At the bottom of the text box, in italic type, comes a card’s flavor text: a short quote about the world of Rokugan. Flavor text has no bearing on play.
Color text
Color text is text in the body of a card’s traits or abilities that uses terms with no rules definition or implication. This text adds descriptive value, but does not have any implications for keywords or other effects.
Example: “Matsu Benika trains an animal, creating a 1F Creature Follower card.” Because “trains an animal” is color text, the follower does not gain the “animal” keyword.
Reminder text
Italic text in parentheses (like this) is reminder text. Reminder text guides the reader to interpret the card correctly according to the rules. Reminder text is not part of card text. Its presence or absence has no implications for the card or rules.
Embedded text
Embedded text appears within a trait or ability in quotation marks (") and usually is part of an effect that grants the embedded text as a trait or ability.
Any features of embedded text are not a part of the text that contains them.
Example: "Limited: Give a Personality "Ninja Battle: This Personality challenges a target Personality opposing him." The Limited ability is not a Battle or Ninja ability and does not create a challenge.
Other card text
The small text along the lower edge of the card (expansion, numbering, rarity and artist name) and along the right edge of the card (story credits) normally has no bearing on play.
Created cards
Some effects may create cards in the course of the game. Created cards are not part of the play deck. They enter play when created.
Effects that create cards require a player to introduce a distinctive physical element into the game to represent the card. This can be a face-down card, a specially prepared card, a glass bead, a scrap of paper, or some other object. Objects representing created cards with distinct type, stats and text should be distinguishable from each other and from any other objects or cards being used by the same player.
The base stats, traits, abilities, and keywords of a created card are those granted to it by the effect that created it; this granting of card elements does not have a duration. Any unspecified stats of a created card, which a card of that type normally has, have a base value of 0. This normally will include Gold Cost.
EXCEPTION: Unspecified Honor requirements on a created Personality are “-“ rather than 0.
A created card has no title.
The effect that creates a card may grant it keywords, which will be indicated by boldface type. In the creation effect, bullets (•) -- but not line breaks -- are used to separate the keywords.
Example: “Create a Lion Clan • Samurai • Tactician Personality card.” This still creates a "Lion Clan" card if "Lion" and "Clan" are printed on different lines.
A created card ceases to exist when it leaves play. A created card that fails to enter play never exists.
If a sequence of effects from the same action or trait first puts a created card out of play, and subsequently refers to any aspect of that card, the state of the created card just before it left play is checked.
Created cards proxies
Sometimes AEG will print official proxies for created cards. These proxies will usually have the trait "May not be included in decks."
Proxies follow all rules of created cards and are treated the same as created cards represented by other means. Specifically:
- Regardless of any descriptive phrase printed in the title bar, they have no title.
- They may not enter decks by any means, even if they lose the trait "May not be included in decks."
- Reminder traits about the effect that produces that proxy (for example "Farmlands Follower") have no effect on the game.
A proxy can be used to represent cards created by any means, as long as the proxy does not misrepresent the card's type, stats, keywords and game-relevant text.
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