Question about Combat Challange

[MindWanderer]

Which they've come out and said is a possibility in many cases. KotS is a preview of the rules. Things may have changed at the last minute. In addition, they've said that a few of the rules in KotS were deliberately simplified for "quick-play" use.

...which effectively makes it your choice, if you're playing KotS. You can follow the as-yet unofficial final rules, or you can use the rules you paid for. If stuff in KotS was deliberately simplified, and thus deliberately different from the final rules, I think it's fair to say that you can just pick whichever interpretation you prefer.

 

[Logan_Bonner]

I think that ticks me off more than anything I've seen about 4e so far. I hope the PHB phrases it the way they intended it to be played, but if it says exactly what KotS says, then I'm sorry, Logan is flat-out wrong. Being a designer doesn't give you the right to re-interpret the rules to say what you think they should mean rather than what actually got printed. Errata can do that, but your word alone can't.

I checked the PH for the correct mechanics, since the post was asking about the fighter's ability, not asking for a strict interpretation of the rules in Keep on the Shadowfell. I used the most correct source for this information. The rules in Keep on the Shadowfell say differently, but I'd rather tell the OP the final version of the rules.

 

[Simplicity]

Okay, a further question on this ability.
Does a person who is shifting know that they are going to get attacked when they shift?
The whole purpose of a shift is to avoid attack. If they get attacked mid-shift, can they then move their full movement? Or are they stuck with a failed shift movement rate?

This would annoy the heck out of my players if I did it to them.

 

[Boarstorm]

Okay, a further question on this ability.
Does a person who is shifting know that they are going to get attacked when they shift?
The whole purpose of a shift is to avoid attack. If they get attacked mid-shift, can they then move their full movement? Or are they stuck with a failed shift movement rate?

This would annoy the heck out of my players if I did it to them.

Fool them once, shame on you.

Fool them twice, shame on them.

 

[Kordeth]

Okay, a further question on this ability.
Does a person who is shifting know that they are going to get attacked when they shift?
The whole purpose of a shift is to avoid attack. If they get attacked mid-shift, can they then move their full movement? Or are they stuck with a failed shift movement rate?

This would annoy the heck out of my players if I did it to them.

Two things: 1) A creature affected by an ability always knows what that ability does, so yes, the creature knows that, if it is marked, it will get smacked if it shifts away.

2) You're conflating two different abilities. When a fighter makes an opportunity attack provoked by movement, he stops the target in its tracks if he hits. If a marked opponent shifts away from the fighter, the fighter gets a melee basic attack as an immediate reaction. An immediate attack is not an opportunity attack, so people who shift away from a fighter are not stopped. The shifting character gets hit by an attack, but still completes his shift after the attack resolves (assuming the attack didn't kill him or some such thing).

 

[Boarstorm]

Two things: 1) A creature affected by an ability always knows what that ability does, so yes, the creature knows that, if it is marked, it will get smacked if it shifts away.

No, the creature knows its marked. It doesn't know that the defender has an ability to interrupt marked creatures until it shifts away. Still, I don't see this as a problem. If the PCs don't catch on quick, they deserve to get smacked around.

#2 is dead on according to my interpretations as well.

 

[MindWanderer]

I checked the PH for the correct mechanics, since the post was asking about the fighter's ability, not asking for a strict interpretation of the rules in Keep on the Shadowfell. I used the most correct source for this information. The rules in Keep on the Shadowfell say differently, but I'd rather tell the OP the final version of the rules.

Fair enough, but it would have been nice to clarify this the first time around. This whole "pre-release adventure" thing has some significant conceptual flaws....

 

[Simplicity]

No, the creature knows its marked. It doesn't know that the defender has an ability to interrupt marked creatures until it shifts away. Still, I don't see this as a problem. If the PCs don't catch on quick, they deserve to get smacked around.

#2 is dead on according to my interpretations as well.

Um. I liked it better when the answers didn't conflict.

See, here's the problem. #2 didn't really interpret what I said correctly. I know that the immediate attack isn't going to stop the player.

DM: You're marked and you take some damage.
PC: I need some healing. Back up! (Moves the mini one square)
DM: WHACK! You get attacked because you're marked.
PC: Shoot! Now I really need healing! In that case, I keep on moving!
DM: Uh... Can you do that? Was that a shift or a move?
PC: Well, it was a shift until it didn't matter if it was a shift any more. Then it became a move.

See, before this point, the player didn't have to DECLARE whether his movement was a shift or a move. It was always a shift if the movement was low because there's no reason not to shift. Now, a player must declare whether they are shifting before they move. Otherwise, they might change their mind in response to this reaction. Right? Or do they? Or is a shift just a move with a lower movement rate?

 

[Mouseferatu]

See, before this point, the player didn't have to DECLARE whether his movement was a shift or a move.

Yes he did. While both take your move action, a "shift" and a normal "move" aren't the same thing. The player should be telling the DM which he's doing under any circumstances.

 

[FireLance]

not to thread jack but every time I see you post, +5 Holy Flaming Lance, I'm curious (don't be offended), but you don't happen to be a gay clergymen named Lance do you? If so your handle is very clever (seriously).

Unfortunately, no. FireLance is the name of an NPC phoenix from an old campaign and his artifact-level weapon (I couldn't squeeze its other properties in, so I just listed the key ones).