[NSFW] Defensive Powers

[EP]

Defensive Powers​

They say the best offense is a good defense and that applies to combat more than anything else. There are defensives boosts in 4E, but I personally find them few and far between. That changes today.

Build a feat available to any character (you may designate a minimum class level, if you like). This feat must grant the use of a defensive power, which means it must affect the character's AC, Fortitude, Reflex, or Will defense or nullify a condition (such as combat advantage). This feat power must have a secondary attack on the triggering target or any adjacent target inflicting the target with a similar effect. For example, if the triggering target makes a melee attack, your feat power can be an immediate interrupt to block and allow a basic melee attack against the triggering target's same defense. Or you can prevent yourself from falling prone and cause the triggering target to fall prone instead. No at-will powers (that just wouldn't be fair to the DM).

Remember, these feat powers must be available to ALL classes or a group of classes (i.e. those using implements). They may apply to all arcane, divine, psionic, primal, shadow, or martial classes but cannot require a specific power or class feature.

WHAT IS NSFW?
Work is boring. Gaming is fun. Work should be more like gaming.

Not Suitable For Work is a new addition to Combat Advantage, the free 4e series of PDFs from Emerald Press PDF Publishing. Every month will have a theme to which any number of brainstorming exercises will be made. Each week or so, we will post a new thread for 4e material utilizing that theme and everyone is open to submit their concepts on EN World. The trick to this game is that you must rely on your memory of the game and cannot use any supplements, core rulebooks, or online references - simply use your innate knowledge of the game to create new material on the fly. Accuracy is not immediately required - these are brainstorms for new ideas, concepts, and add-ons to 4e. Throw in your ideas, no matter how crazy they are because you never know what they may lead to.

NSFW is not a contest and is designed solely as a recreational design exercise for those of you stuck at work, school, or anywhere else on your lunch breaks with nothing to do. Waiting for that report to come back from management? Homework? Eww. Check out the theme and post your ideas for this week’s exercise. There’s no voting, no deadlines, or bad ideas. It’s all about having a little bit of fun while the boss isn’t looking. Enough talk!

Post your ideas below. Remember these are exercises built for enjoyment and mental exercise of the game. Accuracy is not required on every little detail and some mistakes are forgiveable. (See?) If you'd like to post a revised version of your entry, just be sure to type in which version under Reason for Edits. If you want to post more than one entry, go crazy. It's all just in the name of having fun while you're not supposed to.[/SIZE]

 

[Mythlore]

Roll, With Punches
When an enemy hits you with a melee attack, you may allow that enemy to push you 1 space (up to 1 per tier?). If your enemy does, you may make a melee basic attack against that enemy as a free action.

Cinematic Opportunity
When an enemy hits you with a melee attack, you may allow that enemy to push you 2 spaces and knock you prone. If your enemy does, you may make a melee basic attack against that enemy as a free action; you gain Combat Advantage for this attack.


Counterstance
You may spend a move action to gain "resist weapon damage" 2/3/5 (H/P/E). Until the beginning of your next turn, when you are hit with a melee weapon attack, the attacking enemy provokes an opportunity attack.

Reckless Counter
You may spend a move action to gain "vulnerable weapon damage" 2/3/5 (H/P/E). Until the beginning of your next turn, when you are hit with a melee weapon attack, the attacking enemy provokes an opportunity attack; you gain Combat Advantage for this attack.

--

This goes -so- against all the rules I've learned in combat real-time strategy. When you are faced with "Upgrade Resistance" or "Upgrade Damage", the best advice I ever received was 'upgrade damage'. Sitting around and assuming you're just going to keep taking damage isn't going to help you win the are. The best way to stop your enemy from attacking is to kill him before he kills you.

I like this idea. It's not clean, but it's a way to trigger a counter-attacks. The value of "hit" is very clear. Yes, you take damage, but you get an opportunity for it, as well. I like the concept of spending a move action to do 'other' things besides 'move'. What if I want to stand there stoically? What if I want to act a little heedless?

I can see "Roll, with Punches" and "Cinematic Opportunity" both being taken by a melee fighter who doesn't mind standing up and shifting back into combat, just to get in some free hits. I don't provide a defensive 'bonus', per se; the defensive bonus is that your battlefield position changes; and if you didn't want to be involved in that combat, you're now out of it, or at least able to recoup for a moment without being in the heat.

The "Counterstance" provides a specific bonus: you can hit me, but I'll resist it and hit you back. "Reckless Counter" provides the reverse, useful for Rogues and other strikers (or for that matter, meat shields who don't mind soaking up the vulnerability to damage), as well as providing the offensive edge that combat advantage brings -- even if it's just +2 on the attack.

 

[EP]

Reckless Counter
You may spend a move action to gain "vulnerable weapon damage" 2/3/5 (H/P/E). Until the beginning of your next turn, when you are hit with a melee weapon attack, the attacking enemy provokes an opportunity attack; you gain Combat Advantage for this attack.

Gaining combat advantage (a +2, really) in exchange for suffering additional damage doesn't quite seem worth the effort compared to Counterstance. Nothing's coming to mind myself, but something more than combat advantage would be needed to convince me to take this feat.

Also, being knocked prone with Cinematic Opportunity then making a basic attack can be tricky. How about knocking your enemy prone as well, tripping them as you fall to the ground. Then the bad guy doesn't have an advantage over you. Or it could be an interrupt and falling prone doesn't happen.

Agreed on the move action preference - doing a little something with your move (as a sacrifice of movement or while you move) mixes things up a bit.

 

[Brys]

Gaining combat advantage (a +2, really) in exchange for suffering additional damage doesn't quite seem worth the effort compared to Counterstance. Nothing's coming to mind myself, but something more than combat advantage would be needed to convince me to take this feat.

The real benefit is the "free" opportunity attack. The combat advantage is just gravy (especially for BS Rogues if they missed out on Sneak Attack this round). The question would be, is this a condition that the monster is aware of (that a) you are vulnerable and b) attacking you provokes an attack of opportunity)?

 

[Mythlore]

Been a week or two since I've been on the forum. Sorry about the Thread Necromancy. What, did my idea cause a total burn out? Nobody else replied.

I think that the vulnerability is something that would have to clearly be expressed and used by the player and the DM together -- the DM would totally know that the player was leaving themselves open -- and this doesn't fit the 'defensive' power scheme... but the counter-attack is something like "the best offense is a good offense".

I don't know, I'd think that the DM monster shouldn't be fully aware of the potential for a counter-attack, but if the player leaves themselves open, then the creature (DM) should be aware 'maybe this is a trap/bait/etc.' -- but at the same time, the game runs on opportunity, in this case, an opportunity to do extra damage. Considering the commodity of hit points, adding a vulnerability to weapon attacks is meant for the Striker to consider 'is it worth sacrificing some blood for a good opportunity?' A defender is more likely to pick Counterstance, sacrificing nothing, gaining a straight and normal advantage.

I like the idea of using opportunity actions -- you still can only get one opportunity per creature per round, as normal -- unless there's an exception you conjunct this with.

 

[EP]

I consider all of it a bait for the DM. My current group does this quite a bit and we'll occasionally flaunt our vulnerabilities out loud or just play dumb until the monster is right where we want them. And you can see it in his eyes, debating on the merits of such an attack. I find opportunity actions add a little strategy for the DM so he/she can feel like they're not just rolling with the players to give them a good time. DMs need fun too.

 

[Mythlore]

I think that might be part of my motivations. I fear for DMs who might end up 'stuck in a rut' of always having their monsters defeated, or never having a player-character vulnerability to exploit...

And, occasionally, I feel like DND 4E is something like a game of "Generals", where you stand around a battle grid with a group of people and go "well, hmm, what do I do with this?"