Auras: Area Attack or Not?

[Pbartender]

A simple question...

Do auras (or effects that replicate auras... Flaming Sphere, for example) count as area attacks?

 

[Kaelkatar]

I do not believe so, they appear to simply be trigger or constant effects. There is no dice roll, they auto-succeed, so they are not an attack.

While they are not, if anything, they would be close attacks.

 

[brehobit]

I do not believe so, they appear to simply be trigger or constant effects. There is no dice roll, they auto-succeed, so they are not an attack.

While they are not, if anything, they would be close attacks.

Do implement and stat bonuses kick in on this damage? It's not on-going (which would mean no I think) but it's not "normal" either. We've been playing it as "yes" and flaming sphere is really nasty. Too nasty probably.

 

[Larrin]

auras are definitely not an attack of any kind. They're aura's. The monster manual glossary will tell you every thing you need to know about them, and it doesn't mention them being an attack.


Flaming sphere's auto-damage is aura like. And its NOT an attack, because it isn't called one. The sphere DOES have an attack, which it calls quite clearly an attack.

Some utilities can blur the line between attack and not attack (they often throw around the word "ranged" "close burst" etc), thats a different topic, but for the most part its only an attack if you see the word "attack" and its definitely only area/close if it says those words. Auras and flaming spheres do not, so there is not reason to think that they might be.

I see why you might wonder, and why its worth asking, but i'm pretty positive the answer is no. They are something different

 

[Mouseferatu]

Auras do not qualify as attacks. For something to qualify as an attack, it requires an attack roll. Modifiers that add to attacks do not add to the damage of auras.

 

[Tellerve]

Do swarms take half damage from auras? Or should you split the difference and let them do normal damage but the swarm isn't vulnerable to the aura?

So I get this straight, you all think implement and feat bonuses shouldn't apply to the aura damage rolls, correct?

Tellerve

 

[Pbartender]

Do swarms take half damage from auras? Or should you split the difference and let them do normal damage but the swarm isn't vulnerable to the aura?

This, incidentally, is exactly how the question came up... Our resident wizard using Flaming Sphere against a Bloodweb Spider Swarm.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Technically an aura is not a close or area attack.

In the case of swarms, though, I'd probably invoke the vulnerability, since the logic is the same. Every creature in the aura takes damage, so multiple members of the swarm could theoretically be killed by it, hurting it more than a single blow with a weapon or other single-target effect.

 

[abyssaldeath]

I agree with Tony. That is very sound reasoning.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Also, if a power with the implement keyword produced some non-attack roll effect that still rolled for damage (like the d4+INT of a flaming sphere) I'd add the implement's enhancement bonus, since it is a damage /roll/, and the power does have the implement keyword. FWIW.

I can see the other side, though, that the damage is a property of the conjuration, and not being produced or delivered by the implement (anymore).