The Coward's Way

Legend of the Five Rings card from Forbidden Knowledge

Card Type: Strategy
Gold Cost: 0
Card Text: Reaction: After one of your Personalities enters a duel, target one of your other unbowed Personalities: Dishonor him. Lose 7 Honor. Add the Chi of the second Personality to that of the first until the duel ends. If your Personality loses or ties in duel resolution, the second Personality suffers the same effects. The controller of the Personality facing yours has the first opportunity to Focus or Strike in this duel.
Focus Value: 2
Legality: Clan Wars (Imperial)
Deck: Fate

Printings

Opponent may focus or strike first, not just focus. [DW, 16 September 1996] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 11
The second Personality only contributes a Chi bonus and shares the consequences of losing. He or she is not a participant in the duel nor entering a duel, so effects that apply to duel participants or are triggered when "entering a duel" cannot be used on him or her. [DW, 21 March 1997] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 11
Q: How does The Coward's Way work with Poisoned Weapon or poison tokens? Do these affect both Personalities? A: These effects aren't duel results, so they only affect your original participant. The extra Personality bring in with The Coward's Way doesn't get involved in the duel except for adding a Chi bonus and sharing the consequences of losing. Legend of the Five Rings FAQ, Version 3.6.2, May 1998, p. 11

Q: 8. I have Doji Reju (who wins a duel in the event of a tie) and he's using the Coward's Way (lets me bring in another personality to add the chi) Coward's Way says that if I lose or tie, the second personality suffers the safe effects as the original personality. So if the result of the duel is a tie, does that mean Reju will 'win', my other personality lose and my opponent lose, giving me possibly two different effects as a result of the duel at the same time?
A: If you tie, things that normally happen to the winning Personality affect Reju, so they'd apply to the other Personality as well. Note that things that happen to YOU, the winning player (like gaining 5 Honor) don't happen twice. Jeff Alexander, "post for 5 April 2002 pt. 2", 8 Apr 2002
Q: 9. Also with the Coward's Way, it says that my opponent focuses first in the duel. I'll read this as to say choose wether to focus or strike,
A: That is correct. Jeff Alexander, "post for 5 April 2002 pt. 2", 8 Apr 2002