Investigation

Legend of the Five Rings card from Gold Edition, Imperial Edition, Emerald Edition, Obsidian Edition, Jade Edition, Pearl Edition, Ivory Edition

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Interrupt, : If the action is on an Assassin, Kolat, or Ninja card, then after it targets you, your cards or your tokens, negate its remaining effects except for Honor losses to its player, and he loses 5 Honor.

Focus Value

3

Legality

A Brother's Destiny (Ivory Edition), A Brother's Destiny (Twenty Festivals), Clan Wars (Imperial), Four Winds (Gold), Hidden Emperor (Jade)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Investigation 2G 3FV Reaction: When an Assassin action, Ninja action, or Kolat action targets you, your Stronghold, or any of your cards or tokens, negate all of the action's effects except Honor losses to the player taking the action and make the player lose 5 Honor." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 22
• Can not be used against Mamoru if he tries to cancel one of your actions. Mamoru's ability is technically not targetted -- since there is, at most, one Ninja/Kolat action being performed at any time, Mamoru's controller's only choice is whether to use him, not what to use him on. [DW, email] [REVERSAL] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 33
• Clarified: can only cancel an action which targets you, your Stronghold, or your cards or tokens. Text Change & Errata List, February 15, 2000, p. 4
• Q: Can I use Mamoru or Investigation to stop a ninja from being assigned to attack me? A: No. These cards can only stop an action which targets you, your Stronghold, or one of your cards. Being assigned to attack is not an action. Legend of the Five Rings FAQ, Version 3.6.2, May 1998, p. 24

Rules Q&A

• Q: Example: Bow a small farm and OLOA Kolat master, his reaction opportunity he passes, I elect to react to the trigger again and bow a Sanc temple, paying 2 gold and launch an Investigation.
  A: Ahhh...now that's different! Investigation does not cancel! By MRP, Investigation "negate[s] all of the action's effects except Honor losses to the player taking the action". (Remember, canceling an action means stopping the entire action from ever happening, but negating an effect means the action still happens and still produces all its other effects.)
  You would respond with the Investigation first, "When a...Kolat action targets... any of your cards", then play One Life, One Action second, "after another player resolves an Action card from his or her hand". Jeff Alexander, "post for 25 March 2003", 26 Mar 2003
• Q: Can I use Investigation to cancel an action used by Yudoka that accesses his Tactician trait and targets my cards?
  A: Gold Edition rules, "Action Traits," page 34: "When a player [or Personality or Follower card; -ZF] takes an action, the action carries with it all of the traits preceding the action type itself, as well as those of the card *on which the action is printed.*"
  (Note: Example 3 in the Gold rulebook following the above rule makes it clear that this rule also applies to actions performed by a Personality or Follower.)
  Follow the ink! If the "Ninja" keyword is *not* printed on the card (Luring Tactics, say), it is not legal to play Investigation. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 30-31 December 2002", 31 Dec 2002
• Q: Can Investigation cancel Yodoka [or another scorpion ninja] bowing my cards using the Yogo Towers stronghold?
  A: Gold Edition rulebook, "Abilities and traits," page 33: "When a card gains a trait or ability, consider it printed on the card." Yes. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 30-31 December 2002", 31 Dec 2002
• Q: Will Investigation cancel Yudoka attempting to destroy my terrain using his built-in action?
  A: Yes. Why wouldn't it? Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 30-31 December 2002", 31 Dec 2002
• Q: If you use Kaelung to issue a duel...can I use Investigation to cancel it, since he has the Kolat trait?
  A: The traits of an action are only those of the card the action is printed on. Something like an Iaijutsu Challenge coming from Kaelung is not a Kolat action because only the traits of the Iaijutsu Challenge card are used. [p. 34] Jeff Alexander, "post for 21 August 2002", 22 Aug 2002
• Q: I'm still unsure about that :
  Can SLH, Spawning Ground and SoB players use Investigation to cancel kolat, ninja and assassin actions ?
  A: Nope. Investigation is an action that will cause an unconditional loss to another player, making it completely out of bounds for Shadowlands players. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for August 14th", 14 Aug 2001