Touch of Death

Legend of the Five Rings card from Celestial Edition, Imperial Edition, Emerald Edition, Obsidian Edition, Jade Edition, Gold Edition, Pearl Edition, Samurai Edition, Ivory Edition, Onyx Edition, Shattered Empire

Card Type

Spell

Gold Cost

8

Keywords

Maho

Card Text

Maho Limited: Bow this Shugenja and destroy this Spell to destroy a target bowed Personality with equal or lower Chi.

Focus Value

4

Legality

A Brother's Destiny (Ivory Edition), A Brother's Destiny (Twenty Festivals), Clan Wars (Imperial), Destroyer War (Celestial), Four Winds (Gold), Hidden Emperor (Jade), Race for the Throne (Samurai), Shattered Empire, War of the Seals (Onyx Edition)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Touch of Death 8G 4FV Maho Limited: Bow this Shugenja and destroy this card: Destroy a target bowed Personality with equal or lower Chi than this Shugenja." [MRP, Celestial Edition, 29 June 2009] Comprehensive Rules, Celestial Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, February 2012, p. 160
• Erratum: Reads, "Touch of Death 8G 4FV Maho Limited: Bow this Shugenja and destroy this Spell: Destroy a target bowed Personality with equal or lower Chi. [MRP, Samurai Edition, 25 July 2007] Comprehensive Rules, Samurai Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, May 2009, p. 165

Rules Q&A

• Q: 4. I target one of my opponents bowed Personalities with Touch of Death and they cancel it with Balance in Nothingness. Since Balance in Nothingness reads cancel an action targeting, it would be canceled as soon as I targeted but before I could pay the cost of bowing my Shugenja and destroying the spell?
  A: See #3. Jeff Alexander, "post for 14 May 2003", 15 May 2003
• Q: Excuse my ignorance, but I no don't keep old e-mails and I recall the list having hammered this topic, but I ask again so that I can put it in my memory banks for good.
  Ring of Air redirects the targeting. I believe Jeff also said that targeting is decided before the action, so that monks and shugenja can target themselves with their own spell effects which require them to bow.
  So, if all that is true, I can redirect "The Touch of Death" back to the caster...
  A: No. He could not have cast it on himself in the first place. Jeff Alexander, "post for 6 May 2003", 7 May 2003
• Q: Because you can never target your own bowed personality unless a card specifically allows it.
  The card does specifically allow it; it specifically targets bowed personalities.
  A: It needs to do more than that. It needs to clearly override GE rulebook p. 47:
  "You cannot target your own bowed Personalities with your actions, except actions that straighten cards."
  Touch of Death doesn't straighten a card, doesn't have explicit text making it an exception, and doesn't have implicit text that must be honored in order to make the card usable under any circumstance at all. You cannot use it to kill your own bowed people. Jeff Alexander, "post for 1 May 2003", 2 May 2003
• Q: You say you can't redirect a Touch of Death back to the caster's personality, as long as that personality is bowed? Where have you heard that?
  A: I don't think I need to say anything more on the matter. Rusty's been humbled enough by other posters pointing out his error. Jeff Alexander, "post for 30 April 2003", 1 May 2003
• Q: Touch of Death does not explicitly allow targeting your own bowed Personalities. The rulebook rule that the only implicit exception is actions that straighten cards still holds.
  Jeff, can hida Kuon exp2 straighten it's own unit using it's built in battle action if he is bowed?
  A: Yes. Straightening actions are exceptions to both the "can't target your own bowed Personalities" rule [GE p. 46] AND the "can't use actions on bowed cards" rule [FOU rulesheet]. Jeff Alexander, "post for 24 February 2003", 25 Feb 2003
• Q: Can you target your own personalities with Touch of Death.
  A: No. [GE p. 46] Jeff Alexander, "post for 21 February 2003", 22 Feb 2003
• Q: Hey there,
  A french player recently brought up a situation that felt... odd. When you read the targeting rules p.46 in the DA rulebook it is said that you cannot target your own bowed personnalities with your actions, *EXCEPT ACTIONS THAT STRAIGTHEN CARDS*.
  If we read this litterally, and since Touch of Death does not straighten a bowed personality, nor explicitely contradicts this rule (cardinal rule #1), can I use Touch of Death on my own bowed personnalities ?
  A: No. Jeff Alexander, "post for 8 May 2002", 9 May 2002
• Q: Well, since cards in your dead pile and in your discard pile are not considered bowed, then killing a bowed personality will straighten them (in a roundabout way, perhaps).
  A: Cards in the discard pile are neither bowed nor straight, so this can't be considered "straightening" them. Sorry. Jeff Alexander, "post for 8 May 2002", 9 May 2002
• Q: If someone is using Touch of Death on my Personality with an Ancestor and I use Ancestral Protection to cancel the Touch of Death, does the Ancestral Protection target their Touch of Death, thus allowing Agasha Hamanari to prevent it?
  A: No. Jeff Alexander, "post for 8 May 2002", 9 May 2002
• Q: Jeffsama,
  This is a question about Witch Hunt. Say an opponent targets one of your bowed personalities with Touch of Death. With your new ruling (new ruling written below) can Witch Hunt be played. Relavent Text of Witch Hunt: Reaction: Play this card when a Kiho or Spell is cast. One of your Shugenja issues an unrefusable challenge to the caster. If your Shugenja wins, cancel the Kiho or Spell. (Either way, destroy the loser.)
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 5 April 2002 pt. 1", 5 Apr 2002
• Q: Here is a few Questions..
  If I have Touch of Death (any spell) and target a shugenja. The guy has Shiba rejgean (redirect guy) he uses it. Can I the Use ring of Air to redirect it back to Original Target?
  A: Two things: one, Shiba Raigen isn't a legal redirect target for a Touch of Death. He can't possibly be both unbowed (so he can use his ability) and bowed (so he's a legal target) at the same time, so he can't save your Shugenja from Touch of Death.
  Second, you can use any number of redirection effects in order, so long as each one redirects to another target that could have been originally legal. For example, in a multiplayer game, you target one of Player B's Shugenja with The Wasting Disease. Player B uses a Shiba Raigen to redirect the action over to him, at which point you use your Ring of Air to move the effect back to Player B's Shugenja. At this point, Player C steps in with *his* Ring of Air, and moves it back to the original Shugenja (or one of your Shugenja, if Player C feels evil). This can keep going as long as there are redirection effects to be used and legal targets for the action. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for August 22 (Part One)", 22 Aug 2001
• Q: Shiba Raigens text states: Reaction: Bow Raigen when an action targets one of your Shugenja. If Raigen is a legal target for the action, redirect the action to Raigen.
  If Raigen bows when one of my Shugenja is targeted, how can I redirect the action to my own bowed personality? Other than Touch of Death there shouldn't be many actions that can be redirected to Shiba Raigen, after, as the first sentence of his text states, he bows when someone targets one of my Shugenja.
  Once Raigen bows, as the first sentence of his text states, how can he now be a legal target for me to redirect the action to? After all players are unable to target their own bowed personalities aren't they?
  A: Point the first: "When you redirect an effect, you are only bound by the effect's original controller's targeting requirements. [27 June 1997]" So it doesn't matter that YOU couldn't have targeted your own bowed Raigen if you'd been the one casting the spell. Your opponent COULD have.
  Point the second: don't forget the Rule of Obvious Legality. If strictly adhering to every rule makes a card unusable in all practical situations, it's an exception to one of them. Jeff Alexander, "Rulings for 7 February 2001", 9 Feb 2001
• Q: Touch of Death Maho Limited: Bow this Shugenja and destroy this Spell to destroy a target bowed Personality with equal or lower Chi.
  Interrupt the Void's Flow Void Interrupt: Negate a Battle action. Destroy this Spell. Remove the caster's unit from the game, keeping all attachments and tokens, and ignoring leaving-play effects. Return it to play before the turn ends, ignoring entering-play costs and effects.
  scenario: My opponent have a 3chi bowed personality also I have a 3chi shugenja with attached touch of death and an interrupt the void's flow. I cast the touch of death and interrupt it with the ItVF.
  1. Now that my shug and ToD is out of the game, do I still have to resolve the effects from ToD and kill the 3chi bowed personality? If that's a yes, what will happened to ToD, "destroy this spell" when it is out of the game?
  A: Touch of Death requires you to destroy the spell to destroy the Personality. If it's out of play, you cannot destroy it, so the Personality will not be destroyed. Jon Palmer, "Touch of Death and Interrupt the Void's Flow", 1 May 2015
• Q: Hi there,
  I am sorry if this has been asked before, but I got too many hits searching for the answer, most of which were pre-Ivory.
  I have 1 Shugenja, and said Shugenja needs to die. Can I attach Touch of Death to him and use it to kill himself? So far as I understand the comprehensive rules on page 9, I'd say yes.
  Thank you!
  A: Yes indeed. Since everything in the effects (after the colon) happens more-or-less sequentially, you would bow the shugenja before choosing the target of the destruction effect, thus he would be bowed and a legal target for his own Spell when you did so. Brook Cunningham, "Touch of Death suicide", 25 May 2014
• Q: After to attached the spell Touch of Death on Isawa Amihiko. Can cast this spell immediately? Because the text of Isawa Amihiko have the next note "Shugenja may attach and cast spells" or my interpretation is wrong and I must permit to the opponent do any open action, between attach and cast this spell.
  A: Most Shugenja in Ivory Edition have this reminder text. It means that the Shugenja is allowed to attach spells, and that abilities on a Spell may be used while the Spell is attached to him or her. Non-Shugenja Personalities may not normally attach Spells (either through Equiping or transfering), and even if they do end up with a Spell attached (eg by losing the Shugenja keyword after attaching the Spell), the Spell's abilities may not be used. Alex Jones, "Attach and Cast Spells like Open Action", 21 Jan 2014
• Q: First the cards: The Direct Approach : Open: Give a target Personality -1F for each of his keywords other than Clan alignments. If his Force is now 0, he may not perform actions.
  Chuda Atsuro: 3 Force - 4Chi Spider Clan • Shadowlands • Shugenja After Atsuro enters play: Lose 4 Honor. Maho Reaction: After Atsuro enters play from a province: Create a 2F/2C/0PH Shadowlands • Undead Personality.
  Now the facts: The other player attaches a spell on a naked Atsuro, let's say a Touch of death. I play a Direct approach and target Atsuro.
  And the question: Can Atsuro perform Touch of Death or any other Action? I keep telling my buddy he can't because Atsuro is "Shadowlands", "Shugenja" and "Maho". Am I right?
  A: You are correct.
  http://rules.l5r.com/CE_Card_features#Abilities: "A card has any keywords of its abilities. Example: A card with the ability “Ninja Battle:” has the Ninja keyword." Brook Cunningham, "The Direct Approach and keywords", 13 Feb 2010
• Q: Hi all,
  1) Another player play a Touch of Death on one of my bowed personality. To redirect with a Final Sacrifice, the Yojimbo must be bowed and have an equal or fewer Chi than the Shugenja's Chi?
  A: This is correct. Equal to or lower than the performing Shugenja's Chi. Dan Jacobson, "Final Sacrifice and legal target", 31 Aug 2009
• Q: hey there
  assuming i have a bowed samurai who has heavenly daisho of the dragon attached and chugo seido in play. my opponent has a shugenja with touch of death.
  my opponent now announces touch of death and beginns to set targets for required targeting. my bowed samurai gets targeted.
  i use chugo seido to redirect the action to himself. due to being targeted in the constrains block my samurai performed the action. after the action resloves i use the reaction on heavenly daisho of the dragon to unbow my samurai's unit.
  E. ACTION RESOLUTION If all targets are met and costs are paid, apply the action’s effects in the order they are mentioned. Touch of Death: Destroy a target bowed Personality with equal or lower Chi than this Shugenja.
  now my question is this: does it make any diffrence that my samurai isn't bowed when the effects are applied or will he still get killed?
  thanks in advance
  A: EDIT: See Ruling Below Dan Jacobson, "Heavenly Daisho of the Dragon + Chugo Seido + Touch of Death", 12 Jul 2009