A few rules questions

[Blizzardb]

Here are some rules questions that popped up in our recent game. I will be grateful for your opinion on them.

1. A Ranger is using Spitting Cobra stance (Martial Power, page 47). If an enemy within 5 squares shifts closer to him, does he get an opportunity attack against him (does shifting counts as moving for the purposes of this power)?

2. A wizard has summoned a conjuration, such as Bigby's Icy Grasp. The conjuration and an ally of the wizard are on both sides of an enemy. Does the conjuration get a flanking bonus for its attack?

3. Same situation as above. Can the ally of the wizard get a flanking bonus with the conjuration (guess not, because it does not threaten)?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Ibixat]

Here are some rules questions that popped up in our recent game. I will be grateful for your opinion on them.

1. A Ranger is using Spitting Cobra stance (Martial Power, page 47). If an enemy within 5 squares shifts closer to him, does he get an opportunity attack against him (does shifting counts as moving for the purposes of this power)?

2. A wizard has summoned a conjuration, such as Bigby's Icy Grasp. The conjuration and an ally of the wizard are on both sides of an enemy. Does the conjuration get a flanking bonus for its attack?

3. Same situation as above. Can the ally of the wizard get a flanking bonus with the conjuration (guess not, because it does not threaten)?

Thanks in advance!

2 and 3 are covered in errata I beleive, conjurations do not provide flanking unless they explicitly state they do.

1, yes (based on the interpretation of moves closer to you that I subscribe to) it doesn't care that the enemy shifted or how it moved, it only cares that it came closer to you. The only way to avoid it I think would be teleporting from outside it's range to closer.

 

[Blizzardb]

Thanks for the answer.

Can you point me to the clarification about conjurations and flanking, because I couldn't find it in the errata I have?

 

[DracoSuave]

Shifting only cancels opportunity attacks if you shift away from an enemy's adjacent square.

 

[CapnZapp]

Shifting only cancels opportunity attacks if you shift away from an enemy's adjacent square.

Huh?

I thought 1) only the square(s) you leave is/are relevant for OAs, and 2) that shifting per definition is a mode of movement that doesn't trigger OAs (except where explicitly excepted, such as for the Fighter).

Am I not correct?

 

[Ibixat]

Thanks for the answer.

Can you point me to the clarification about conjurations and flanking, because I couldn't find it in the errata I have?

I'm looking, there is something about conjurations occupying zero squares and some various things that they are ruled not able to be flanking unless they say they can in their description. I think it may have been a CS answer at one point. So from everything I've heard and seen conjurations can't flank, like you can't flank an enemy with a flaming sphere etc. Besides, conjurations are unable to attack on their own, you attack through them, so if a square were to provoke an oa from a conjuration nothing happens since you are not next to the square etc.

 

[Ibixat]

The only thing shifting prevents is the OA granted by moving out of an adjacent square of an enemy. That's it, it doesn't grant any other special privledges.

There are Certain Default OA's that are given, one is

Opportunity Attack, PHB Pg 90
Moving Provokes: If an enemy leaves a squareadjacent to you, you can make an opportunity attack against that enemy. However, you can’t make one if the enemy shifts or teleports or is forced to move away by a pull, a push, or a slide.

Then under shifting

Shift, PHB Pg 292
No Opportunity Attacks: If you shift out of a square adjacent to an enemy, you don’t provoke an opportunity attack.

It says no opportunity attacks but it clarifies that by stating that it only prevents the ones from shifting away from an adjacent square.

Polearm Gamble, Spitting cobra stance etc, the warlock ability that causes damage if you get closer to the warlock etc, the Swordmage thing that causes damage if you move away I think it is? none of these care about shift or how you move, just that you move, and on top of that they don't care if you are force moved or teleported etc unless specified in the power description.

Any power or skill or anything else that grants an OA based on conditions does not care about what any other OA's conditions are, only what's stated in it's own description.

 

[Blizzardb]

This is exactly my reasoning about question 3.

(edit: this was meant as a reply for the post before the previous one)

 

[DracoSuave]

Huh?

I thought 1) only the square(s) you leave is/are relevant for OAs, and 2) that shifting per definition is a mode of movement that doesn't trigger OAs (except where explicitly excepted, such as for the Fighter).

Am I not correct?

You aren't correct.

1) Fighters can't make opportunity attacks against anyone who shifts away from a square adjacent to them. They make an immediate interrupt of which they only get one per round, as opposed to opportunity attacks which can be taken once per other player/monster's turn. They don't get their Combat Superiority bonuses to their Combat Challenge attack. And once they make that Combat Challenge attack, they can't make another, or any other immediate action, until their next turn comes up.

2) You are correct about what OAs care about. Opportunity attacks only care about three things: Moving out of an adjacent square; using a ranged power in an adjacent square; using an area power in an adjacent square. However, Spitting Cobra Stance allows you to make a ranged basic attack against anyone moving closer to you as an opportunity action, and is an exception to this. Polearm Gamble is another exception to the above, in that it cares which square you -enter-.

3) Shifting doesn't prevent opportunity attacks unless said attack came while you were shifting from an adjacent square. That's the only time it matters.

4) Spitting Cobra Stance isn't an opportunity attack. Shifting doesn't stop it anyways, nor does any power that explicitly prevents opportunity attacks. Spitting Cobra Stance is an opportunity action.

Other notes about Spitting Cobra Stance:

Teleportation stops Spitting Cobra Stance. Teleportation explicitly prevents opportunity actions.

A Fighter/Ranger with this power does not stop movement with it, nor do they get their Wisdom bonus to attack with it, because it is not an opportunity attack.

As the action is an interrupt (like all opp. actions) the five squares cares where the enemy is -before- it would move closer.

The attacks granted by it do trigger opportunity attacks.

Forced movement's restriction counts as it explicitly forbids opportunity -actions-.

Anything else?

 

[DracoSuave]

Polearm Gamble, Spitting cobra stance etc, the warlock ability that causes damage if you get closer to the warlock etc, the Swordmage thing that causes damage if you move away I think it is? none of these care about shift or how you move, just that you move, and on top of that they don't care if you are force moved or teleported etc unless specified in the power description.

Any power or skill or anything else that grants an OA based on conditions does not care about what any other OA's conditions are, only what's stated in it's own description.

Incorrect.

Forced Movement and Teleportation restrict all opportunity actions, and get around Polearm Gamble and other triggered opportunity attacks. If the power in question forbids -all- opportunity attacks, they get around things like that. If they forbid all opportunity actions, they trump even more things. They don't, however, stop triggered non-actions like Booming Blade, or Dire Radiance, because these are not actions, nor are they opportunity actions.