What is an effect?

[Smurtis]

What exactly defines what is an effect? Dazing, stunning, blinding, etc, etc are pretty straight forward, but what about knocking someone prone, push/pull/sliding someone, or gaining CA on someone? Are these considered to as "applying an effect" on your target?

 

[Riastlin]

There's two considerations here:

1. Status effects are things like dazed, stunned, prone, deafened, blinded. Basically anything that affects a character's ability to act or to be hit, etc. I would not consider push, pull, slide to be a status effect since they do not, in and of themselves, affect a creature's ability to act or be acted upon.

2. Effect line in a power description though is something that always goes off regardless of whether or not the power hits. So if you have a power that has a hit line like 2[W] + Str mod damage, and an effect line of "Slide the target 2 squares" then the slide happens even on a miss.

 

[mudlock]

Why do you ask?

It sounds to me like you clearly have some more-specific question in mind. Just ask it.

(Because "effect" can mean different things in different contexts, and without knowing what context you're thinking of, all you'll get is a list of definitions, which more than likely will not help you, and actually have a good chance of leading you to the wrong conclusion.)

 

[Ferghis]

1. Status effects are things like dazed, stunned, prone, deafened, blinded.

I think this is what the OP is asking about, and I think the quoted sentence is misleading. Dazed, stunned, prone, deafened, removed from play, marked, blinded, deafened, dominated, dying, grabbed, helpless, immobilized, petrified, restrained, slowed, surprised, unconscious and weakened are conditions that can be part of an effect. But an effect is a state imposed on a character or monster as a consequence of the use of a power (my opinion). This distinction is not clearly made in any of the books as far as I know, but the rules compendium lists those states in the subchapter called conditions, and the books consistently refer to other imposed states as effects. For example, the defense penalty and healing imposed by Astral Seal is an effect but not a condition.

 

[Dannager]

The only legal meaning of the word "effect" in the game, as far as I am aware, is in reference to the Effect: line of a power, which denotes something that occurs irrespective of the success or failure of any attack(s) that may be associated with that power.

 

[DracoSuave]

effect: The result of a game element's use. The damage and conditions caused by an attack power are the power's effects, for instance. Some powers have "Effect" entries, which contain some but not necessarily all of the powers effects. In an attack power, the effects of such an entry are not contingent on a hit or a miss.

Game elements include anything from powers to feats to features. If you take the feat 'Weapon Focus'... yes, the +1 bonus to damage is an effect.

This is the only definition of effect the game uses. The above posters are not correct.

What exactly defines what is an effect? Dazing, stunning, blinding, etc, etc are pretty straight forward, but what about knocking someone prone, push/pull/sliding someone, or gaining CA on someone? Are these considered to as "applying an effect" on your target?

Yes, those are all applying an effect. As would any damage you deal.

 

[Smurtis]

Why do you ask?

It sounds to me like you clearly have some more-specific question in mind. Just ask it.

Specifically, there's either an item or a feat that provides you with a +2 bonus to your AC if you have an effect applied on the target who's attacking you. So, if you, let's say, daze them, i accept that you get a +2 AC vs their attacks, but what if you knock them prone? do you get the bonus? what if you gain CA on them, do you gain the bonus to AC?

I'm pretty sure it was a weapon enchantment, but not 100% lol

 

[MerricB]

Please find the specific item or feat. At the moment, your question is meaningless because there's no situation in which it applies.

 

[DracoSuave]

Specifically, there's either an item or a feat that provides you with a +2 bonus to your AC if you have an effect applied on the target who's attacking you. So, if you, let's say, daze them, i accept that you get a +2 AC vs their attacks, but what if you knock them prone? do you get the bonus? what if you gain CA on them, do you gain the bonus to AC?

I'm pretty sure it was a weapon enchantment, but not 100% lol

Prone counts while they are prone (it's a condition like any other, just easily ended), effects that cause a target to grant combat advantage count. As does any 'You have +2 to attack them until end of turn' effects. Ongoing damage... etc.

Damage and forced movement won't work not because they aren't applied effects (they most certainly are) but because they are instantaneous. For that instant, technically, you have the bonus, but there's no space of time where you can use it. And effects that say you 'gain combat advantage' won't because the effect is on you, not the enemy in question.

 

[MarkB]

Please find the specific item or feat. At the moment, your question is meaningless because there's no situation in which it applies.

As a DM, I'm hoping it doesn't exist. Bad enough tracking all the conditions the monsters are under, without having to keep note of who applied them.

And what if the wielder hits a creature with, say, Dazed (save ends), then one of his team-mates hits it with the same condition? Is it still considered to be under an effect from the first attacker?