Rosoku Sensei

Legend of the Five Rings card from Test of Enlightenment

Card Type

Sensei

Province Strength

-1

Gold Production

+0

Starting Family Honor

+0

Keywords

All Clans

Card Text

This Sensei counts as a Ring for actions on non-Stronghold cards.
After one of your actions put cards into your hand, until this phase ends, negate further such effects from your actions.

Legality

Age of Enlightenment (Lotus)

Erratum

Errata'd via internet August 30th, 2006

Deck

Pre-Game

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Rosoku Sensei -1PS +0GP +0FH All Clans Sensei. While this Sensei is in play, it counts as an Elemental Ring for actions on cards. No more than one of your Actions can put cards in your hand each phase." [Erratum, web, 30 August 2006; ML, web, 30 August 2006] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 142

Rules Q&A

• Q: Ruins of Isawa Castle reads: "Reaction, [bow]: After you announce a Kiho Strategy action, search your Fate deck for that Strategy and play it."
  Whereas Rosoku Sensei says (among other things): "you may only take one action per Phase that unconditionally puts one or more cards in your hand"
  So I'm playing that SH and that Sensei and I find myself thinking "man, I wish I had a Knowledge from Within in my hand". And, lo and behold, the SH bows to provide me with just that... or does it?
  Does the Kiho fetched by Ruins of Isawa Castle go to one's hand, or directly to the resolution area ("search ...and play it")? If the Kiho itself unconditionally puts cards in your hand (e.g. Knowledge from Within), is it legal to fetch & play it if you're using Rosoku Sensei?
  A: No, it never enters your hand. It's played directly from the deck. Brook Cunningham, "Ruins of Isawa Castle with Rosoku Sensei", 22 Jul 2014
• Q: If I use Rosoku Sensei, do events as Wisdom of the Keepers and Enlightened Ruler trigger(?)
  A: No. Wisdom of the Keepers and Enlightened Ruler aren't actions. Zen Faulkes, "Rosoku Sensei - Control Ring, Have Ring in Play", 26 Jan 2011
• Q: Now, with the Celestial Edition rulebook, the stronghold is a card. Does it mean that it is possible to bow Rosoku Sensei to pay for the action printed on the Stronghold ?
  A: Strongholds became cards in Samurai Edition. Rosoku's proper interaction with High House of Light has already been preserved in Legacy Rules:
  For cards printed before Khan's Defiance: "Use of the word "card" does not refer to Strongholds unless explicitly stated (ie "actions on cards" does not refer to actions on a Stronghold)." Brook Cunningham, "The High House of Light VS Rosoku Sensei", 1 Apr 2010
• Q: These rulings are shocking me.
  How can Demented Craftsman be a conditional honor loss? When a player from any clan other than Spider clan announces he's bringing into play a Demented Craftsman, the outcome of the trait triggering is known: he'll lose 1 honor. No choices here.
  According to Zen's ruling: And one last clarification: The Honor losses have to be unconditional (i.e., not dependent on a player choice or outcome of an action, etc.). (Emphasis mine)
  There's no definition of "conditional" in the Comprehensive rules glossary (probably because that term isn't printed in cards under Samurai Edition, after the Rosoku Sensei mess in Lotus), so tentatively the using of this term in rulings is a double-edged sword. But using the Legacy rules: An effect is conditional if, at the time the action, Event, or trait producing that effect begins resolving, it has not yet been determined whether the effect will occur. (Again, Emphases mine)
  I believe that the triggered trait of Demented Craftsman creates only a conditional honor loss if you're a Spider Clan player. If you're not, then it creates a non-conditional honor loss, because you know that no matter what you'll lose 1 Honor. It has been determined at the moment your stronghold isn't Spider Clan, and you don't have a choice here. And hence it should restrict playing Lies, Lies, Lies... in the case of non-Spider players.
  Alternatively, can I have a Samurai rules definition of "conditional effects"? So that we can discern whether Lies, Lies, Lies can be played or not...
  P.S. The request of a definition of "Conditional effects" is honest: I don't like the Legacy definition because it's a little bit ambiguous.
  A: The "blind cards" ruling (http://rules.l5r.com/Effects#Blind_cards_rule) is at work here.
  Since there's no current definition, I'm going to fall back on old general principles. When you pick up and read Demented Craftsman -- or any card, for that matter, and ask the question, "Does this card cause an honor loss?", there are three possible answers: "Yes," "No," and "Maybe." If the answer is maybe, the effect is conditional. The specific wording on Demented Craftsman is unusual (which is why I initially fluffed the ruling), but that doesn't change the answer. Does it cause an honor loss? Maybe. Depends on what your stronghold is. But, following the blind cards rule, you don't consider what stronghold is in play. You read the card text in isolation.
  We'll see what we might do about a better definition. Zen Faulkes, "Lies, Lies, Lies + Demented Craftsman", 12 Feb 2009
• Q: I know that at one point High House of Light could be used with Rosoku Sensei, then that was changed to not work. I had been told that due to strongholds being changed to cards that you can once again use Rosoku to put cards in your hand with this stronghold, is this true?
  The errata reads:
  Rosoku Sensei -1PS +0GP +0FH All Clans Sensei. While this Sensei is in play, it counts as an Elemental Ring for actions on cards. No more than one of your Actions can put cards in your hand each phase." [Erratum, web, 30 August 2006; ML, web, 30 August 2006]
  A: The older rules still apply for cards printed prior to Khan's Defiance: Use of the word "card" does not refer to Strongholds unless explicitly stated (ie "actions on cards" does not refer to actions on a Stronghold).
  You may not bow Rosoku Sensei to pay the cost of the High House of Light's ability. Alex Jones, "High House of Light", 11 Aug 2008
• Q: Thanks for every answers I got in this forum!
  A: On behalf of all of us Rules Monkeys, you are quite welcome. Brook Cunningham, ""Rosoku Sensei" and "The Darkened Path"", 29 May 2008
• Q: I one more question : I have a Rosoku Sensei in play. I use the Darkened Path to remove it from the game, will it return into play as the Kiho says or not ? The Rosoku Sensei cannot be considered as a Ring while it is out of play.
  A: It was legally targeted as a Ring when you took The Darkened Path's action and began resolving its effects. The fact it's not a Ring while out of play won't stop the delayed effect of returning it to play from happening.
  http://rules.l5r.com/Special_wording_rules#Referring_to_things: "Once a card or other game element is identified by a keyword in a trait or action’s text (such as, “Bow one of your Samurai”) further references to that keyword within that trait or action are meant to only identify the particular game element clearly (such as, “Your Samurai gains +2F”). Specifically, if the Samurai somehow loses the Samurai keyword between the first and second references, the second effect still applies." Brook Cunningham, ""Rosoku Sensei" and "The Darkened Path"", 29 May 2008
• Q: - May I discard a Rosoku Sensei from my hand for the ability of Moshi Amika XP? - Can I put a Rosoku Sensei in my discard pile into play using the K'mee XP ability ? - Can I put a Rosoku Sensei in my discard pile into my hand using the K'mee XP2 ability ?
  A: No to all of these, since Rosoku Sensei only counts as a Ring while it is in play. Alex Jones, "Sensei, fate card, fate discard pile", 28 May 2008
• Q: [OBH]
  Hello. Can I Bow Rosoku Sensei to use Bayushi Saya EXP reaction?
  A: Yes. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 15 Aug 2026
• Q: [OBH]
  RE: KEEPER OF AIR (or any of the other four keepers) can I put 0 rings into my hand to search my deck for a respective ring?
  2. If I'm using Rosoku sensei, may I put it into my hand for any of the Keepers entering play?
  A: 1. Yes, but only if you contol 0.
  2. Given the above answer... don't. 😉 (Also, Rosoku is only a Ring for actions, not traits.) Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 25 Jul 2026
• Q: Leaning towards the fate discard pile. Rationale: during the resolution of the action that destroys Rosoku Sensei - it's counted a ring (which is a fate card type).
  A: That's irrelevant. Once it leaves play, it goes to wherever Sensei cards that leave play go. If Sensei cards are not Fate Cards in the ruleset you're using, they don't go to the discard pile. Alex Jones, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 11 Nov 2025
• Q: Then, Kyoso eats Rosoku Sensei for breakfast?
  A: I cannot see a reason why not, though there may have been some targeting or destruction immunity for Sensei in Lotus? I'm not sure and don't have LE Rules handy. I don't have OBH Rules handy either, but I believe there is no such immunity added in them? I do know the lack of it was a lingering problem from 20F CR that Onyx Lives supplementary Rules specifically had to add.
  He also said they are Fate cards with a link to ...? Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 11 Nov 2025
• Q: [lotus] Referring to Rosoku Sensei. What exactly does the word unconditionally mean. What qualifies as a condition to where I could still put a card in my hand. For example. During the open phase I meeting the keepers and draw. But then during battle I wanna play some combination of the "strike the" monk combo. But these cards search for each other as long as you pay the required costs to do so. Are these "conditions"?
  A: Could you please check to see if the contemporary errata also removed "unconditionally" and not just the Oracle text? If it did, your question is moot. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 16 Oct 2025
• Q: Rosoku Sensei vs A game of dice:
  If a player has already drawn a card during their limited phase, would they get the two cards during End? that sounds like a silly question on paper, but Game of Dice is a Limited action
  A: Right, so even though the cards would come at you later, the effect would be negated and not happen later. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 30 May 2024
• Q: Ok thanks! For rosoku sensei: Would it count as a ring for enlightened ruler Since it's an event?
  A: Nope. It only counts for actions. Brook Cunningham, "Oracle of the Void #rules", 9 May 2021