Sustaining a power provokes OAs?

[Nail]

It's pretty clear to me that sustaining effects that don't attack don't provoke.

Why do you think that? Does "attacking" provoke, or does "using" provoke? What do the rules say?

Only two things typically provoke OAs in 4e: Moving out of a threatened square, and initiating a power with the ranged or area keywords adjacent to a threatening enemy.

Rewording the description of OAs (changing "use" to "initiating") - that is to say, rewriting the description using your own words - isn't very convincing.

"Attacking" is not what is provoking OAs. "Using a ranged or area power" is provoking OAs.

Hypersmurf has the thing closest to an answer, I think, as he tries to define what "using" means. But if you can only "use" a daily power once per day, that doesn't exclude sustaining the power as part of the use. Therefore you are still using a ranged or area power when you sustain it, and "use" provokes OAs.

 

[Aristotle]

Sustaining doesn't provoke. Ranged or area attacks do. Is flaming sphere considered a ranged or area attack from you? Then it provokes. Are you considered to be directing the sphere to move or make a melee or close attack? Then it does not provoke, or if it does... so would commanding a figurine of wonderous power or animal companion.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Hypersmurf has the thing closest to an answer, I think, as he tries to define what "using" means. But if you can only "use" a daily power once per day, that doesn't exclude sustaining the power as part of the use. Therefore you are still using a ranged or area power when you sustain it, and "use" provokes OAs.

PHB p56: "The next line of the power description begins with what type of action you have to take when you use the power."

For Flaming Sphere, this is a standard action. The sustain is a minor action. When you take the minor action, you're not taking the type of action you have to take when you use the power; can the minor action, therefore, be using the power, since you have to take a standard action when you use the power?

-Hyp.

 

[Caliban]

If we define making the attack next round as "using" Flaming Sphere, then it's forbidden.

Flaming Sphere is a Daily Power. PHB p54: "A daily power can be used once per day." If I used the Daily Power, Flaming Sphere, last round, and what I want to do this round is considered to be using Flaming Sphere, then I'm not allowed to do it.

Using a ranged power provokes an OA. A daily power can be used once per day. Therefore a daily ranged power can provoke an OA once per day.

-Hyp.

Unless the specific wording of the power overrides the 1/day general rule, which it does when it says that you can make additional attacks with it.

I don't really care if it provokes or not, but that's not the arguement to make against it.

 

[DracoSuave]

Use a Power is a specific action. (p 292) It's not a terribly complicated concept, but Use a Power is a game term, that means to activate your power. What you need to know is that the Use a Power action and the Sustain a Power action are not the same thing, and therefore, references to using a power are not the same thing as references to sustaining a power.

The general default for any action is 'Does not provoke opportunity attacks' and sustain does not make an exception, therefore general applies and the Sustain action does not, in and of itself, provoke opportunity attacks.

On reading the attack section, it reiterated that -using- a power is what triggers OAs, attacking is not mentioned, and therefore, sustaining a power even if it attacks does not provoke OAs, regardless of how neat that would be for you.

It will trigger Combat Challenge and stuff like that, however.

However, under the Area attack section, -attacking- with an Area power provokes opportunity attacks. This means that:

1) Activating an Area power provokes.
2) Attacking with an Area power provokes.
3) Sustaining does not provoke.

Therefore, if sustaining an Area power includes attacking with it, then while -sustaining- the power does not provoke, the -attacking- with the power will.

In the case of Hunger of Hadar, these attacks are secondary attacks and are covered under the rules of the power itself. The power has attack-type Area, and therefore, the attacks would provoke.

HOWEVER

The zone explicitly blocks line of sight. This means that the normally provoked chap cannot under normal circumstances see the warlock, which is enough to deny the opportunity attack as per p 290.

 

[Milambus]

Conjurations
Powers that have the conjuration keyword create objects or creatures of magical energy.

Effect: You conjure a Medium flaming sphere that occupies a square within range, and the sphere attacks.

I've looked at several (admittedly not every) Conjuration power and they are all worded similarly. What does that mean? That the attack is completely separate from the USE of the power. Using the Flaming Sphere power conjures the sphere, and triggers the attack. Sustaining the power (with your minor action) and spending your standard action causes the sphere to attack again, but does not use the power again.

Sustain is simply a category of power duration, just like "last until end of your next turn" or "Save ends".

In fact Save ends is basically the opposite of Sustain. With a power with duration of Save ends, the target of the power must do something to cause the effect to end (make a saving throw). With a sustained power, the caster must do something to continue the effect (spend an action). Neither of these are actually "Using" the power any longer, cause the power has already been used, they are simply defining when the effect of the power ends.

 

[DracoSuave]

Sustain is simply a category of power duration, just like "last until end of your next turn" or "Save ends".

...some powers have Sustain and save ends at the same time, cough cough....

 

[HighTemplar]

...some powers have Sustain and save ends at the same time, cough cough....

Is that a problem ?

 

[Maximillian]

I agree that sustaining in general does not provoke. Now, I don't have my book here, but I was under the impression that making a ranged attack, as one does when one sustains flaming sphere, provokes. It's not the sustaining, it's the attacking.

Unless you can only provoke if you "use a power." Are basic ranged attacks "powers"? Because they certainly provoke.

 

[Milambus]

...some powers have Sustain and save ends at the same time, cough cough....

That very well may be the case, the two are not defined as mutually exclusive. If the caster does not extend the effect on their turn, then it ends at the end of their turn (PHB pg 278), or the target can make their saving throw ending the effect at the end of their turn. Either one can define the end of the duration of the effect.

In the case of the Flaming Sphere, the only duration given is the Sustain Minor.