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Message: <blockquote data-quote="eamon" data-source="post: 4953149" data-attributes="member: 51942">I don't know exactly what the misunderstanding here is, but unless I'm terribly mistaken, you thought Vorpal Doom's Effect: line was problematic because it's on a Reliable power and can thus be triggered for a mere standard action.  My solution (make the effect part of the hit) to this issue is different than yours (forbid targeting empty squares), and to avoid the impression that this alteration was your idea, I specifically emphasized the authorship in the edited version.  If you feel I'm still somehow slighting you by misrepresenting your standpoint, PM me with the specific issue, and I'll avoid it.Back to attacking without attacking... As you point out with the example of Vorpal Doom, (<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-4th-edition-rules/265642-attacking-without-attacking-4.html#post4952013" target="_blank">and as my previous post does as well</a>) Reliable powers with (buffing) effects are problematic.   However these problems are not exclusive to targeting empty squares.  Furthermore, these type of powers are very, very rare - banning the targeting of empty squares in response to a very rare issue is hardly reasonable (particularly when the ban doesn't actually fix the problem!)Recap:- (<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-4th-edition-rules/265642-attacking-without-attacking-4.html#post4951979" target="_blank">post</a>) The rules on p. 272 permit targeting empty squares - regardless of purpose (in direct contradiction to your previous assertion that no such rule exists).  This isn't the core issue however - as a DM you have the task to make decent consistent rulings, which brings us to...- Banning such targeting results in an inconsistency - why does the effect go off for some empty squares but not for others?  And why may some attacks be ignored (chaos bolt) but others not?- There is no balance purpose (in general) achieved by such banning, most effects aren't gamechangers.- If the players really want to work-around this limitation they can - but then you'll turn the game into a farce; you're better off letting them do something they'll manage anyhow.In short, the rules permit it, and for good reason: banning it leads to consistency and gameplay problems.  Not to mention the fact that starting point for a DM should be to say yes - and the flavor reasons for saying no can be fixed - as easily as allowing the player to simply forgo the meaningless attack entirely (as with chaos bolt) rather than targeting an empty square.</blockquote>

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