Any more word on whether some or all ranged/area powers provoke OA?

[buzz]

When my group last asked WotC-CS about whether ranged and area Utility powers provoke OA, they replied that they would have to escalate the issue. So far, we've been playing the Utility powers are exempt from the rule, but I've been reconsidering. A quick search for threads didn't net me any info.

So... has anyone ever received a definitive word on this from CS? Is there a general EN consensus on the issue?

 

[Mistwell]

PHB Pg. 290
Ranged and Area Powers Provoke: If an enemy adjacent to you uses a ranged power or an area power, you can make an opportunity attack against that enemy.

What is the argument that if it is a utility power this rule does not apply?

 

[fissionessence]

I see no reason utility powers should be exempt. I am baffled as to why CS 'escalated' the issue.

~

 

[fba827]

I see no reason utility powers should be exempt. I am baffled as to why CS 'escalated' the issue.

~

Agreed.

As I read it - ranged/area _powers_ provoke. Both attack and utility powers fall under the broad category of powers, therefore, utility powers provoke just as attack powers would.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I agree with the other posters - the rules seem quite clear and easy to apply - ranged and area powers provoke. Why look for an exception/create a loophole (and why on earth do CS want to escalate it?)

 

[buzz]

Okay, maybe it was just me.

I remember the issue was that all powers provoking meant some warlord utility powers were kinda less effective than they seemed, such as Knight's Move, Armor of Bahamut and Crescendo of Violence. There were some threads about these very powers and this very subject.

 

[Mengu]

There is a reason for the issue to be escalated if utility powers provoking opportunity attacks was not intended by design. This is especially hazardous for characters designed to be fighting up front such as battle clerics and warlords.

I suspect they noticed this unintended behavior and started fixing some of these powers such as Healing Word, to reword them as "one target in burst", but the fix did not get applied to everything.

For my games, I don't really feel like punishing players for using utility powers while they are in melee, so I've houseruled that only ranged and area attack powers provoke opportunity attacks.

 

[Saeviomagy]

Okay, maybe it was just me.

I remember the issue was that all powers provoking meant some warlord utility powers were kinda less effective than they seemed, such as Knight's Move, Armor of Bahamut and Crescendo of Violence. There were some threads about these very powers and this very subject.

You might have missed the fact that any power with "close" does not provoke. I believe the powers you reference are in fact "X targets in a close burst Y".

 

[mpauna]

Page 290 says "ranged and area powers provoke" in one place, but then under "threatening reach" it uses "ranged attack or area attack", which is something different as it definitely does not include ranged utility powers. This discrepancy raises the question as to which is really intended, and combined with the nerfing of some warlord (who should be in melee with opponents) utility powers. How often would you really take an opportunity attack to grant an ally a couple of temporary hit points (Crescendo of Violence) or to grant yourself a save (Shake It Off)?

When our party discussed this issue a long time ago, I sent the following Q to CS:

I know that using a ranged attack power provokes opportunity attacks, but do ranged utility powers also provoke opportunity attacks?

On page 268, when talking about opportunity actions it indicates that opportunity attacks are triggered "by an adjacent enemy making a ranged attack or an area attack".

On page 271, for the "ranged attack" attack type, it indicates that "if you use a ranged power while adjacent to an enemy", you provoke.

On page 290, for "Opportunity attack" it indicates "Ranged and Area Powers Provoke" but then under "threatening reach" it says "makes a ranged attack or an area attack".

So we have a couple of rules which indicated ranged attacks (or ranged attack powers) and a couple of rules which indicate ranged powers (which seems to include both attack and utility powers).

********************
Page Number: 268, 271, 290
Book Name: PH

and received the following response:

Mark,

Unfortunately, there isn’t an official answer for the situation you describe. I’ve passed along this conversation to the game’s developers. Hopefully, we’ll see an update or FAQ entry covering it soon, but until then it’s up to the campaign’s Dungeon Master to decide. The DM is always the final arbiter on how they want their campaign to run.

Have fun!


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[Mengu]

You might have missed the fact that any power with "close" does not provoke. I believe the powers you reference are in fact "X targets in a close burst Y".

No, all the examples he gave are ranged powers, and per RAW, would provoke opportunity attacks.

There is a very long list of such powers, which make no sense to me that they should provoke opportunity attacks. I'm a Warlord who is immobilized, and surrounded by some minions. I want to use Shake It Off to save against the immobilized condition, but guess what, all the minions around me get to whack me for it, since Shake It Off is a ranged power. A ranger trying to give Crucial Advice to an ally gets a sword in the mouth for trying if he's engaged. A paladin who wants to use Divine Bodyguard to help one of his allies gets to be smacked by everything around him first.

It's either these utilities were not well thought out, or we're seeing an unintended behavior.