Taut Bowstrings

Legend of the Five Rings card from Winds of Change

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Reaction: Before your target Follower or Item bows to pay the cost of a Ranged Attack action: Ignore the cost of bowing that card.
Reaction: After a unit moves to a battlefield or before a unit moves from a battlefield: You may take an additional action to make a Ranged Attack from your cards at that battlefield targeting that unit. Ignore costs of the Ranged Attack action that involve bowing your cards.

Focus Value

3

Legality

Four Winds (Gold), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• If the second ability is used, a combined Ranged Attack cannot mix Battle actions and Reactions. [ML, 8 January 2005] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 36

Rules Q&A

• Q: I need a ruling concerning Action Card "Taut Bowstrings" and some personalities.
  Taut Bowstrings (WoC) "Reaction: Play before one of your target Followers or Items bows to produce a ranged attack or as part of a combined ranged attack. That card need not bow. Reaction: Play after a unit moves into a Province or before a unit leaves a Province to make a ranged attack targeting it from your opposing cards in that Province. Your cards need not bow to produce this attack."
  Now, usually RAs are Battle actions, but sometimes they are Reactions. Moto Latomu has such ability, Moto Latomu exp gives it to others, and Shosuro Tsuyoshi has one compared against Chi. My question is, can I use second ability of TB with such RAs? I would say yes, basing on RAs description on page 90 in rulebook, but I'm not sure.
  A: The only snag I see in that under page 90 of the Rulebook, it says that for Combined Ranged Attacks: "must all be the same type, and the cards must all be able to make a ranged attack at that time and at the intended target."
  Taut bowstrings gets around the "at the same time" part by letting everyone shoot out of turn, but not the "same type" part. You'd need all "Reaction" RAs or all "Battle" RAs, but you could not make a combined RA of "Reaction" ability Ranged Attacks and "Battle" ability Ranged Attacks. Also, keep an eye out on your targets, since many Reaction Ranged Attacks target something that has to do with their Trigger, and their Trigger may not be met when Taut Bowstrings lets them shoot out-of-turn.
  Comparing against Chi isn't a problem. The Combined Ranged Attack picks up all such special properties from its individual parts. If you combine a Chi comparison RA with a regular RA, the Combined Ranged Attack is compared against Chi. Martin Lund, "Rules for 4 January 2005", 8 Jan 2005
• Q: Can the 2nd ability of Taut Bowstrings be used with a ranged attack from a bowed personality?
  A: I still haven't gotten a particularly solid answer on how Taut Bowstrings works yet. I'm still trying to get the Rules Team to lay down the law on that one. I'd assume not, however. You can't use the abilities of bowed cards, even if the bowing cost is waved, and the Ranged Attack is part of the ability.
  But, in all honesty, that's only a stop-gap. Taut Bowstring's second ability is remarkably sketchy when it comes to actually specifying the mechanics involved.
  I'll get to the bottom of this. Martin Lund, "Rules for 27 May 2004", 31 May 2004
• Q: 2) If I have a personality with Kuro's Fire in a battle, and my opponent moves someone out, can I use Taut Bowstrings to shoot with the Kuro's Fire? If so, is the ranged attack coming from the Kuro's or the personality?
  A: Taut Bowstrings says, "Reaction: Play after a unit moves into a Province or before a unit leaves a Province to make a ranged attack targeting it from your opposing cards in that Province. Your cards need not bow to produce this attack."
  You can produce one RA from Kuro's Fire combined with any other cards in that same unit and none of them need bow. The RA comes from the Kuro's Fire, but the caster need not bow. Martin Lund, "Rules for 30 April 2004", 3 May 2004
• Q: 3) If I have a bowed personality in a battle that has a ranged attack, can they use that ranged attack as part of Taut Bowstrings?
  A: You still can't use Actions on your bowed cards, even if you need not bow to produce the Action. Martin Lund, "Rules for 30 April 2004", 3 May 2004
• Q: If Shiba Yoma is in a battle and an opposing unit moves out or in, can I Taut Bowstrings and use a ranged attack from a personality with a spell outside the battle?
  Ditto with Agasha Chieh exp.
  A: Taut Bowstrings is actually a pretty messy card in terms of clear rulings. I'm going to say, "Yes," on both these questions, but I could see it going the other way if Jeff wanted to. Those units are considered opposing when they cast their spell to make their Ranged Attack, so they should be as eligible as anyone else when you check to see if the move is legal. Martin Lund, "Rules for 30 April 2004", 3 May 2004
• Q: 1) Does the Taut Bowstrings reaction allow you to combine ranged attacks from cards in different units or must all the ranged attacks come from the same unit?
  A: Neither Reaction on Taut Bowstrings contradicts the standard restriction in the rulebook that only cards in the same unit may combine Ranged Attacks. Martin Lund, "Rules for 16 April 2004", 16 Apr 2004
• Q: 2) Does the ranged attack created from the reaction of Taut Bowstrings count as battle action or is it all part of the reaction?
  A: It is all part of the Reaction. You'll pick the target card for the Ranged Attack as part of playing Taut Bowstrings. Martin Lund, "Rules for 16 April 2004", 16 Apr 2004
• Q: If this is true, sould the ruling also include Taut Bowstrings?
  A: It does. Jeff Alexander, "rules for 19 March 2004", 20 Mar 2004
• Q: Taut Bowstrings, the second reaction[.] Does this mean that I can combine rage attacks in the same unit and or army that aren't in same unit?
  A: Same unit, yes. Different unit, no. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 25 November 2003", 25 Nov 2003
• Q: The first reaction on the card is pretty self explanitory. My question concerns the second reaction, and I didn't see anything in the accumulated rulings.
  A: The Archive is not for all questions. Questions that can be answered by reading the cards or rulebook aren't in there, no matter how often asked (that's what a FAQ is for). The Archive is mainly for cases where the text is ambiguous or tricky. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 10 November 2003", 10 Nov 2003
• Q: If I use Taut Bowstrings Reaction to somebody leaving or entering the battle can I make extra ranged attacks using Kuro's Fire or The FIre From Within targetting other cards[?]
  A: No ("*A* Ranged Attack...").
  Zen Faulkes! * Crab Clan Scholar * Unaligned Deputy Rules Guy Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 8 October 2003", 9 Oct 2003
• Q: If I shoot with the personality, can I raise it by 3 with Tsuruchi Technique and still target the province? If I choose to shoot at the province with a follower, can I keep him straight with "Taut Bowstrings"?
  A: Yes to both. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 15 August 2003", 16 Aug 2003