Black Powder Tactics

Legend of the Five Rings card from Road to Ruin

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Battle: Dishonor your target Personality to make 4. Lose 2 Honor.
Open, : Destroy another player's target Holding. Its controller may search their Dynasty deck for a Holding with a different title and equal or lower Gold Cost and put it into play, ignoring costs. Lose 2 Honor. Banish this Strategy.

Focus Value

1

Legality

War of the Seals (Onyx Edition), Shattered Empire

Erratum

Functional errata to banish itself after use: 10 Apr 2026

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Functional errata to banish itself after use. The Onyx Lives Project, 10 Apr 2026

Rules Q&A

• Q: ShE Die is cast: When do I count as discarded a card for the purposes of using it? Example: Black powder tactics, I use it, its a ranged 4, and then the die is cast would cause the person to go to force 5, does my black bowder tactics "fizzle" or does the personality not get the bonus force from the die is cast until black powder tactics "completes"
  A: Your example is missing a lot of important details, but assuming the Die Event is your opponent's and you have equal cards in your hands before you play BPT, yes, your RA 4 targeting a 4F Personality would fail, as Die would make him go to 5F before the RA resolves. Strategies leave your hand as soon as you announce their action, into a temporary "resolution area". Brook Cunningham, "Onyx Lives #rules-questions", 12 Apr 2026
• Q: ShE Black Powder Tactics- Im using it to blow up a holding, does the new holding enter play bowed? Or does it come into play unbowed?
  A: All Holdings enter play bowed by default.
  (Replying to a player: "Just to clarify, Black Powder Tactics is NOT bringing it in using the recruit action, which is what is referenced in the rulebook.") The Rulebook states, "Holdings use the Recruit action or procedure to enter play, and enter play in the bowed state (that is, already bowed, without bowing)." Black Powder Tactics is an exception to the first half of that sentence, as it does not invoke the Recruit action or invoke "Recuit" as an effect, but it does not contain any exceptions to the latter half. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 30 Dec 2025
• Q: for context, if I Black Powder Tactics with a Mantis token from the sensei or Gusai Mikka and then they get RFGd at the end of the turn
  A: Ah, yes, I see, and I am now in a place to check the CR. So, if your created Personality from Gusai Mikka becomes dishonorable while still existing, then banishes at the end of the turn, no you would not lose Honor equal to their PH. Only dishonorable Personalities who are destroyed trigger the Honor loss. Brook Cunningham, "Onyx Lives #rules-questions", 12 Jun 2024
• Q: Either way, it's a prime target for Black Powder Tactics
  A: "The Harrier Solution" Jeremy Sumerlin, "Onyx Lives #rules-questions", 8 May 2024