Mara's Touch

Legend of the Five Rings card from Embers of War

Card Type

Spell

Gold Cost

2

Keywords

Pearl

Card Text

While this Shugenja is Nonhuman, he has +2F.
Open: Give this Shugenja -2F: He changes shape. Give him Cavalry.
Battle: Give this Shugenja -2F: Ranged 6 Attack.

Focus Value

3

Legality

Age of Conquest (Emperor)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: Just as a slight follow-up, a personality hit with Creating Order couldn't even announce either action on Mara's Touch because of the Good Faith Rule, right?
  A: That is correct.
  Since you know the cost (the -2F) will be negated and therefore unable to be paid, the Good Faith Rule will prevent you form announcing the action. Ben Higgins, "Re: Creating Order and Mara's Touch", 22 Apr 2013
• Q: Hi,
  I'm aware that the matter I'm asking about has been addressed here, still I have some doubt:
  Mara's Touch Pearl While this Shugenja is Nonhuman, he has +2F. Open: Give this Shugenja -2F: He changes shape. Give him Cavalry. Battle: Give this Shugenja -2F: Ranged 6 Attack.
  Let's say that the shugenja with this spell attached has his Force reduced to 1 or 0. Can he pay the costs of Mara's Touch Battle and Open actions? The answer in the linked thread was about the Force stat having its minimum (presumably at 0), so the conclusion was the cost cannot be paid. Yet, it is possible to take down Force below 0, it counts as a change of the game state, and the game "remebers" it (any future bonuses will be applied to the Force below zero, had penalties taken it that low).
  .
  In other words, my question is: does the phrase "treat is as 0" mean that a virtual minimum is set for the stat (in case of which it cannot go any lower and the cost cannot be paid), or (according to the bonuses and penalties mechanics) does it make possible for the stat to, in fact, sink below 0 (since it is only treated as 0) and therefore for the cost to be paid?
  Thanks
  A: No, in this case it is not possible for the cost to be paid.
  While the full penalty would be applied if a later boost raised the Force, due to the process for calculation of stats, the game doesn't know that at the time you attempt to pay the cost. You have to have 2F to pay the costs of Mara's Touch. Jon Palmer, "Cost of Mara's Touch, clarification still needed", 8 Jan 2013
• Q: Mara's Touch Gold Cost: 2
  Pearl While this Shugenja is Nonhuman, he has +2F. Open: Give this Shugenja -2F: He changes shape. Give him Cavalry. Battle: Give this Shugenja -2F: Ranged 6 Attack.
  Can I give a 0F personality -2F or it's an ilegal way to pay the cost of the action?
  Thanks in advance!
  A: Costs and changes: If a cost involves a change to a stat, the explicit value of the stat must change by the full stated amount, or the cost can not be paid. Minimum or maximum values can interfere with the payment of such costs. Alex Jones, "Mara's Touch cost", 14 Aug 2012