Hiruma Sensei

Legend of the Five Rings card from Ambition's Debt

Card Type

Sensei

Province Strength

+0

Gold Production

+0

Starting Family Honor

-2

Keywords

Brotherhood of Shinsei, Crab Clan, Crane Clan, Naga, Phoenix Clan, Shadowlands Horde, Toturi's Army

Card Text

Each player with any units in a defending army may take actions, ignoring cards' effects which prohibit the taking of actions and ignoring cards effects which create additonal costs to, or conditions upon, taking actions.
Before one of the Attacker's card's effects ends a Combat Segment, negate that effect.

Focus Value

2

Legality

Hidden Emperor (Jade)

Deck

Pre-Game

Printings

Rulings

• Does not allow defending players to ignore their actions' own legality, costs, and listed playing conditions. It only overrides other card effects that prohibit or impose additional costs or requirements on otherwise legal actions. [ZF, netnews, October 1999] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 140
• Applies to all extra requirements placed on actions, not just costs (e.g., Storms of War). [ZF] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 141
• Applies to restrictions and costs imposed by a defending player's own cards. [Card text] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 141
• Does not override targeting restrictions. [January 2000] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 141
• Defenders' actions can be canceled or modified. Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 141
• Takes precedence over Moto Gaheris, March of the Alliance, etc. [ZF, 1 August 2000] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 141
• Does not take precedence over a terrain played with Master's Tactics. [DW, 6 June 2000] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 141
• Some examples of things Hiruma Sensei does not allow: Taking a Limited action. Playing a Terrain when there is already one in play. Taking an Open action which says "You may not perform this action during battle." Applies to all extra requirements placed on actions, not just true costs. In particular, it defeats Storms of War.[ZF] Applies even to additional restrictions/costs imposed by a defending player's own cards. [card text] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 65
• Does not make defenders' actions uncancellable or unmodifiable. Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 65
• Focus on... Hiruma Sensei: What it does: It applies to all extra requirements placed on actions, not just true costs. In particular, it defeats Storms of War. For the first two effects, it doesn't matter who played the card that's trying to impose the restrictions. For instance, the Defender can ignore his own Deadly Ground. What it doesn't do: It does not allow defending players to ignore their actions' own legality, costs, and listed playing conditions. It only overrides other card effects which prohibit or impose additional costs or requirements on otherwise legal actions. Here are some things Hiruma Sensei does not allow: Taking a Limited action. Playing a Terrain when there is already one in play. Taking an Open action which says "You may not perform this action during battle." It does not override targetting restrictions, whether they're native to the action being taken (ex: Charge) or due to another card (ex: Kitsuki Kaagi's Journal). It does not make defenders' actions immune to being cancelled or redirected. The Imperial Herald, Issue 14, p. 46

Rules Q&A

• Q: I know that it seems to be stupid, but I think I couldn't understand the Hiruma Sensei very well.
  A: Hiruma Sensei renders it impossible for any external effect to prohibit playing actions, or to add extra costs or playing conditions to actions, taken by defending players with units in the battle. It does not address targeting restrictions at all, and it doesn't let you ignore play restrictions of the actions themselves. Jeff Alexander, "post for 9 October 2001", 9 Oct 2001
• Q: Okay. Ran into some card problems. Here are some questions:
  1.
  "Hiruma Sensei
  Each player with one or more units in a defensive army may play actions in that battle regardless of card effects. Negate all costs for such players to take actions. While this card is in play, card effects created by the attacker cannot end a Battle Action Segment."
  So, how does Hiruma Sensei works with, say, Deadly Ground? Played from either side. Does this allows the defensive player to basically ignore Deadly Ground and carry on playing action, while the attacking player and allying players just takes it to the chin?
  A: Yes, it does. Note that defending allies are also spared, provided they have troops in the battle, and that it doesn't matter at all who played Deadly Ground. Jeff Alexander, "replies to 6-9 July 2001", 19 Jul 2001
• Q: What *can* stop the actions of a defensive army with Hiruma Sensei?
  A: Master's Tactics + appropriate Terrain. That is the only thing that will beat an active Hiruma Sensei. (You can also bypass the question by suprressing its effects; e.g., Amnesia.)
  And whoever mentioned Crushing Attack -- no, that won't work either. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 11 July 2001", 12 Jul 2001
• Q: [H]ow does Hiruma Sensei works with, say, Deadly Ground?
  A: The defender ignores it. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 9 July 2001", 10 Jul 2001
• Q: Hiruma Sensei -- which was made, specifically, to trump Storms of War (among other things) -- treats such effects as "additional costs."
  A: By specific ruling, to cover an ambiguous case of card interaction. Not because the bowing is a cost.
  Zen is right on this one. Jeff Alexander, "replies to 12-13 June", 16 Jun 2001
• Q: This question was probably answered a long time ago, but I have to ask...(I'm building a deck...)
  Does Hiruma Sensei trump Moto Gaheris ability, or the other way around?
  A: Hiruma Sensei trumps Gaheris. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for February 6th", 6 Feb 2001