Gempukku

Legend of the Five Rings card from Winds of Change, Twenty Festivals, Promotional–Twenty Festivals

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Political Open: Target your Human Personality with neither Samurai nor Shugenja, even if he is in a Province. Permanently give him +1PH and either Samurai or Shugenja. (Shugenja may attach and cast Spells.)

Focus Value

3

Legality

A Brother's Destiny (Twenty Festivals), Four Winds (Gold), Rain of Blood (Diamond), War of the Seals (Onyx Edition)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: If I play Gempukku on a personality, is that personality considered to be performing the Gempukku? (Gempukku must target a personality who fulfills the Human, Non-Samurai, Non-Shugenja requirements, after all.)
  A: No.
  Gempukku does not "require you to target your own Personalities or Follower who meet certain conditions," as per page 71 of the Diamond Edition Rulebook, because you can use it on other player's Personalities, and even Personalities in Provinces - none of which are "your own Personalities." Martin Lund, "Rules for 11 October 2004", 13 Oct 2004
• Q: My opponent is playing "Someisa Sensei". I "Show of Good Faith" one of his Monks. I then Gempukku the Monk and give him/her the Shugenja Trait. What happens at the end of my turn? I can't keep the personality per Show of Good Faith's card text, but the personality cannot return to its owner because Shugenja will not join him due to Someisa Sensei's card text.
  A: You are stuck with the Shugenja-Monk until such time as you can legally return it to that player. Until then, you still can't declare any attacks or move that Personality's attached cards or tokens. Martin Lund, "Rules for 22 September 2004", 25 Sep 2004
• Q: I use Gempukku to bring a courtier personality into play as a shugenja. Do all the abilities the courtier have become "innate abilities"?
  A: Yes (Gold Edition rulebook glossary, pg. 73). Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 10 September 2003, Part 2", 11 Sep 2003
• Q: A similar question holds for the Gempukku addition of the Samurai trait.
  A: Same answer. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 26 August 2003", 27 Aug 2003
• Q: Ikoma Asa
  Lion Clan Samurai you own in and out of play have +1 Honor Requirement, +1PH, and a maximum Personal Honor of 5.
  Kitsu Nariyumi
  Once per game, before Nariyumi enters play: She goes through her Gempukku. Permanently give her Samurai or Shugenja.
  ---
  If I have an Ikoma Asa in play and I bring a Kitsu Nariyumi into and chose to make her a samurai and pay full for her, do I get the extra honor from Asa? Or does Asa check while she's in limbo between being a samurai or shugenja and then doesn't work?
  Thanks.
  A: EDIT: See Below. You do NOT gain the additional honor from buying Nariyumi at full that Asa would normally provide because of timing of gaining honor and when Nariyumi would become a Samurai.
  Sorry about that. Dan Jacobson, "Ikoma Asa & Kitsu Nariyumi", 21 Apr 2009
• Q: In regards to the gempukku personalities introduced in Honor's Veil, the text "Once per game, before _____ enters play..." refers only to that copy of the card, not to all copies of the card in your deck, correct?
  For example, if I bring my first Doji Tsubakita into play choosing Courtier as his keyword on turn 3, may I then bring another Tsubakita into play on turn 5 choosing Samurai as his keyword?
  For the above example...
  Doji Tsubakita: Once per game, before Tsubakita enters play: He goes through his Gempukku. Permanently give him Samurai or Courtier.
  Thank you.
  A: http://rules.l5r.com/Special_wording_ru ... _to_things: "References to the card’s title, or to a shortened form of the title in the case of Personalities, (such as, 'Mareshi' as short for 'Mirumoto Mareshi'), refer to the card itself." Zen Faulkes, "Gempukku Trait", 26 Mar 2008
• Q: Lets assume I have no personalities in play, and 3 of my provinces are face down (for simplicity). The only province that is face up holds a Daigotsu Takayasu. My opponent is about to destroy one of my Provinces.
  Can I use Takayasu's trait to give him the Shugenja trait, and target him with Imbue Chi's Reaction?
  Daigotsu Takayasu Spider Clan • Shadowlands • Lose 2 Honor. Once per game, before Takayasu enters play: He goes through his Gempukku. Permanently give him Samurai, Shugenja, or Monk.
  Imbue Chi Kiho Reaction: Before battle resolution destroys one of your provinces, if you control no Personalities, target a face-up Shugenja in any of your provinces: Turn all cards in your provinces face-up. Bring into play any number of face-up Personalities in your provinces waiving costs.
  A: No.
  You can't use a keyword not already there (Shugenja) to play a card (Imbue Chi) that's effects (bring Personalities into play) eventually trigger another effect (gempukku trait) that cause the keyword to appear.
  Similar question, same answer, same reasons Martin Lund, "Imbue Chi and Gempukku Personalities", 4 Mar 2008
• Q: Will a Roadside Shrine produce 3 gold for him? Provided he has taken his Gempukku as a Samurai... can you reduce his cost by 4 with a Hiruma Dojo?
  A: Yes. Yes. Zen Faulkes, "Shinjo Suboto's ability cost query.", 3 Mar 2005