The Arrow Knows the Way

Legend of the Five Rings card from Samurai Edition, Forbidden Knowledge, Gold Edition, Promotional–CWF

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Reaction: Before you target a Ranged Attack from an action performed by one of your Personalities with a Chi of 3 or higher: The Ranged Attack may target a Personality with attached Followers.

Focus Value

3

Legality

Clan Wars (Imperial), Four Winds (Gold), Hidden Emperor (Jade), Race for the Throne (Samurai)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "The Arrow Knows the Way 0G 3FV Reaction: Play this card when one of your Personalities with over 2 Chi bows for, or as part of, a ranged attack. The Ranged Attack can target a Personality who has Followers." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 6
• May affect kiho that create Ranged Attacks. [ZF, netnews, July 2000] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 6
• May be used if the Personality is contributing to a combined Ranged Attack. [DW, 9/25/96] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 15
• Erratum: Reads, "The Arrow Knows the Way 0G 3FV Reaction: Before you target a Ranged Attack from an action performed by one of your Personalities with a Chi of 3 or higher: The Ranged Attack may target a Personality with attached Followers." [MRP, Samurai Edition, 25 July 2007] Comprehensive Rules, Samurai Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, May 2009, p. 161

Rules Q&A

• Q: If I am using Castle of the Wasp or a personality who does not have to bow to use ranged attacks (Tsuruchi Sho), do I have to bow the personality to use The Arrow Knows the Way?
  A: The Arrow Knows the Way can't be used at all, because the appropriate trigger (bowing) doesn't occur, and you can't bow a card for no reason. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 18 September 2003, Part 2", 19 Sep 2003
• Q: My interpretation, though, is that, for Personalities like Tsuruchi Tasuku (who has a clause that he "does not need to bow if..."), you may always elect to not make use of the option to stay unbowed (note he doesn't say "does not bow if...").
  A: Correct. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 18 September 2003, Part 2", 19 Sep 2003
• Q: About Tamori Tsukiro's grenade-bomb:
  I understand the ruling about this being a normal ranged attack; however, I did have 3 questions concerning it.
  1.) The Arrow Knows the Way - can this still be used to target the personality with this ability?
  A: If he bows to make it, yes. It can't if he destroys a Potion token instead. Jeff Alexander, "post for 16 December 2002", 17 Dec 2002
• Q: Can Rekai xp2, or any other personality with 3+ chi performing an RA *that does not bow them* (ie with Annekusai's Feather, The Great Climb, etc.) use the Arrow Knows the Way to modify their RA to hit the opposing personality behind their follower?
  A: No.
  But pay careful attention to the card that lets you shoot without bowing. Some say you don't bow, others say you don't NEED TO bow. For the latter, you still can if you want to. Jeff Alexander, "post for 8 April 2002", 9 Apr 2002
• Q: Could I play The Arrow Knows the Way on his RA again?
  A: No, because he is not bowing to produce the attack. (Normally, The Great Climb lets you bow cards making ranged attacks if you want to, but Inner Fire prohibits it.) Jeff Alexander, "post for 29 March 2002", 30 Mar 2002
• Q: If Tsuruichi uses the Arrow Knows the Way against a Personality with an attached follower, then his Ashigaru Archers cannot help it.
  A: Incorrect, by the Gold Edition wording of The Arrow Knows the Way. But that's a special case. Jeff Alexander, "post for 18 March 2002", 19 Mar 2002
• Q: Can I play The Arrow Knows the Way with Rekai's ranged attack or must the personality bow while making the ranged attack to play The Arrow Knows the Way?
  A: Arrow Knows the Way looks for a Personality bowing, according to its text. Nothing else is a legal trigger. Heh. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 21 December 2001; Commons challenge", 22 Dec 2001
• Q: Can a personality use The Arrow Knows The Way when doing a rangeattack from a item attached to them (eg Shuriken or Nage-Yari)?
  A: Well, to start with, Arrow Knows the Way won't work on Shuriken anyways. It only works when one of your personalities is bowing to produce a Ranged Attack.
  But other than that, sure. Even though the Ranged Attack doesn't come from the personality (it comes from the item), the Personality is still bowing to produce the RA. To dip into hypothetical cards for a second, you could even use Arrow Knows if you had a hypothetical item card that let you bow any personality you control to produce a RA. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for November 27th", 27 Nov 2000
• Q: I play a Hand of Osano Wo, against a personality with 2 followers. I destroy one of them. If I use The Arrow knows the Way, will I be able to make a Ranged Attack against the personality? Or wouldn't the ranged attack happen at all, because my target still has a follower attached?
  Hand of Osano Wo:
  Kiho Battle: Target your unbowed Monk and bow him if he is not Tattooed: Destroy a target enemy attachment. If its Personality now has no Followers, you may make a Ranged 3 Attack targeting him.
  The Arrow Knows the Way:
  Reaction: Before you target a Ranged Attack from an action performed by one of your Personalities with a Chi of 3 or higher: The Ranged Attack may target a Personality with attached Followers.
  A: As per the card text on Hand of Osano-Wo, the condition on being able to make the Ranged Attack in the first place is the condition that he has no followers. You cannot make a Ranged attack, therefore you cannot react with The Arrow Knows the Way. Dan Jacobson, "Hand of Osano Wo plus The Arrow Knows the Way", 10 Nov 2008