Patience
Legend of the Five Rings card from Dark Allies
Open in Oracle of the Void
- Card Type
- Strategy
- Gold Cost
- 0
- Keywords
- Tactical
- Card Text
- Battle: Choose your performing unbowed Tactician: Until the battle ends, after each time you pass during its Combat Segment, give him +2F.
- Focus Value
- 2
- Legality
- Four Winds (Gold)
- Deck
- Fate
Printings
Dark Allies
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Flavor Text
- "Why does your clan refuse to surrender Ryoko Owari, Higatsuku?" Kaneka demanded. "You compelled my loyalty," the courtier replied, "not my clan's."
- Artist
- Llyn Hunter
- Card Number
- 19
- Publisher
- Alderac Entertainment Group
Rules Q&A
- Q: Patience Battle: Target one of your Tacticians in the current battle. Until the battle ends, that Personality gains +2F each time you Pass instead of taking a Battle or Open action. This is a use of the Tactician trait.
I'm defending with Moto Chen. My first action is to play this card. He plays Deadly Ground. I pass. Does Deadly Ground prevent me from gaining +2F?
A: No. Gaining +2F is not an action. Also, passing is not an action, so you are not prohibited from doing it. Jeff Alexander, "post for 28 April 2003", 29 Apr 2003 - Q: If they are fully-fledged extra actions, would they be treated in every way like actions then? If you dont take one, isnt it the same as passing, which you would do instead of passing. I'm confused as to the difference here, since Patience was ruled that you aren't considered passing when you don't take the given action. Can you explain the difference?
A: Here is the logic I used to arrive at this ruling. If a card says "Take a Battle action", you do just that: you take a Battle action. It's not optional -- it doesn't say "You MAY take a Battle action." And you can't choose to pass instead, because in L5R's rulebook (unlike, say, 7th Sea's or Warlord's), passing is something that's not an action. So, if it's possible to take a Battle action, you take one. If it's not, this is treated as any other unresolvable effect, like "Draw a card" when your deck is empty. That's not passing either.
Does the alternate ruling, "Any time you have an action available, you can choose to pass" also resolve the situation? Sure. But it's a new rule that answers a question that existing rules can already answer, so the burdens and possible repercussions of adding another rule to the game need to be weighed against its benefits. Jeff Alexander, "post for 20 June 2002", 14 Jun 2002 - Q: 5.) If I use Honor's Lesson Dojo after all players have passed, may I use the action to immediately pass again (for example, to pump Patience)?
A: No. The Dojo's effect is to let you take an Open or Battle action. You must do one if able. If you don't, it does not count as passing. Jeff Alexander, "post for 8 April 2002", 9 Apr 2002