Damaging Allies in Combat - Is it acceptable?

[Jhaelen]

It can often be the best available option - tactically speaking. Note, that this doesn't mean your affected allies will agree with you

 

[radja]

keep in mind that forced movement is optional. that makes thunderwaving a non-defender and a few enemies a somewhat useful tactic: push the enemies, don't push your friend. for my wizard, the general rule is to avoid allies but specific trumps general.

 

[Mesh Hong]

I sometimes wish there was no such thing as "enemies only" in blast and burst powers. It would certainly take the edge of cleric powers, as they go; BOOM....<action point>...BOOM; <next round> BOOM and everything in a sizable area takes a jod load of damage, and the indignity of ongoing effects while the rest of the party (standing in the same area) are unscathed, or worse gain beneficial effects (oh the horror! )

Of course if powers that only targetted enemies were taken from players I would also have to take them away from monsters, so its just a delirious day dream. But it would certainly make things more interesting.....

 

[eamon]

I mean, this was back in a 3.5 game I ran (6th level? 7th), but one of the more memorable moments must of been when the party was in an ambush-gone-wrong by a green dragon...

I think it was the dwarven cleric who had a bit of fire resistance going - decorated with a full necklace of fireballs, naturally - who ended up knowing intimately the blast area of some literal friendly fire ;-). They both survived, but the dragon took almost 150 damage (a huge amount, back then) and didn't outlive the round.

Friendly fire can be a fine tool if you use it wisely .

In 4e, allies tend to have pathetic defenses vs. these kinds of area effects; damage tends to be lower, enemy hit points outclass player hit points, and there are also often more options and more enemy-only options. So, it's tactically useful, sometimes, but it better be very useful to compensate for the lower PC defenses and hitpoints in comparison to a plain old single or enemy-only attack.

 

[Kzach]

I don't find it acceptable under any circumstances. I see it as a betrayal and as just plain rude and selfish. Anyone who even asks to do it, rubs me the wrong way as I would never even consider doing it to anyone else.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Well, I never! Just keep saying to yourself, it's a game. It won't rub you so wrong in the future.

 

[Ryujin]

I don't find it acceptable under any circumstances. I see it as a betrayal and as just plain rude and selfish. Anyone who even asks to do it, rubs me the wrong way as I would never even consider doing it to anyone else.

The only time that I can recall ever having done it, I asked. What I asked was, "Is it all right if I potentially damage and immobilize you so that I can teleport in front of the bad guy, then switch places back with you?"

Selfish?

 

[UngeheuerLich]

The question is: when in combat do you have the time to ask the ally???

Or did you mean ask the player?

There are times where this tactic can be useful, but it should never be standard...

 

[Ryujin]

Time? Any. It's a free action. Just keep it brief.

 

[Hypersmurf]

In a 3E game, our Cleric jumped off a staircase to get behind an enemy... and found he'd dropped into a room with half a dozen hobgoblins in it. He was surrounded and down to about 6 hit points... but the hobgoblins only had 5.

We convinced him that his best option was to cast Sound Burst, centred on himself. And he did, and rolled 6 for damage - killing all the hobgoblins and leaving himself on 0.

In our 4E game, our Paladin is used to our Dragonborn using his Acid Breath and hitting a bunch of minions and the Paladin. It's generally considered a good trade, though it doesn't stop him complaining about "Stop spitting on me!" in general.

Our wizard has taken as many "Each enemy in area" spells as she can, but for the couple she has that affect allies as well, she's taken the Eladrin feat that lets her Fey Step a single ally out of the area she's affecting.

In a M&M game I ran, Piratecat and barsoomcore were playing characters who disliked each other. Piratecat was the scion of the God of Winter, whereas barsoomcore was descended from Fire Giants and hated the cold. Piratecat had a Selective Obscure power that let him blind the targets he chose within the area. And without fail, the targets he chose were "All the enemies... and the fire giant." The joke throughout the game was that barsoomcore's character still hadn't realised that Piratecat could choose who he affected, because he'd been blinded every single time. (One line I remember - "Now, we're in a bit of trouble, so tactically it would be a good idea for me to exclude the fire giant from the blindness this time. ... but I won't.")

-Hyp.