Does Bigby's Icy Grasp provoke OA on subsequent attacks?

[gtoasnt3]

Looking at it logically and turning from the RAW: The hand occupies a separate square. The attack comes from that square and would force the creature being attacked to pay some attention to it. If the wizard is also adjacent to the target and sustaining the action, I believe that he/she can still defend themselves and not receive an attack of opportunity because they left themselves open for attack.

I'd rule that since they are sustaining and not casting a ranged/area attack, they would not be a target of OA.

 

[buzz]

Looking at it logically...

I try to avoid using in-game simulation arguments. With all the abstractions in D&D, I think it usually causes more problems than it solves. I prefer to just study the text.

 

[webrunner]

One of the problems here is that there are three definitions of the word "attack" in 4e:
- Attack powers are called Attacks ("Rogue Attack 3"),
- The entirety of an attack-hit-damage line.
- The roll which you use to attack. Abilities with more than one target have more than one roll

If we had a hypothetical Area Burst attack:
Hypothetical Class Attack 3
Attack: Int vs Ref
Target: Each enemy in Burst
Hit: 2d6+3 fire damage
Effect: Make a secondary attack
Attack: Int vs Fort
Target: Each enemy in burst
Hit: The target is dazed (save ends)

It's an Attack with two Attacks which each have a variable number of Attack rolls.

SO which parts provoke?

 

[Mort_Q]

SO which parts provoke?

Does it matter? The provoked NPC (or PC) can only take one OA per provoker's turn.

 

[MacavityCat]

It seems everyone has a valid argument for and against. Can I throw a different angle on the whole topic.

Bigby's is a conjuration, a whole debate can be opened up as to wether a conjured 'ally' that is directed to attack by the conjurer provokes attacks of opportunities against the conjurer. It would be quite reasonable for a conjurer to complain about unfair treatment if their instructions to attack provokes attacks of opportunities when maybe a rangers instructions to a beast ally does not.

Alternatively get the caster to wear that armour that automatically avoids opportunity attacks for range attacks and the whole debate goes away.

 

[rowport]

...Bigby's is a conjuration, a whole debate can be opened up as to wether a conjured 'ally' that is directed to attack by the conjurer provokes attacks of opportunities against the conjurer. It would be quite reasonable for a conjurer to complain about unfair treatment if their instructions to attack provokes attacks of opportunities when maybe a rangers instructions to a beast ally does not...

I believe that the more simple the read, the better, to avoid corner case confiusion. So, I like that Sustain =/ Provoke answer.

If you do want Sustain to Provoke when it is an Attack (as some propose here) then I think it matters when a power is a conjuration. That way, zones and Giant Ice Hands will not provoke when attacking, once they are conjured up. That dodges the whole problem of whether the Sustain Attack is in fact a Ranged Attack at all.

Disclaimer: I am in Buzz's group.

 

[buzz]

Bigby's is a conjuration, a whole debate can be opened up as to wether a conjured 'ally' that is directed to attack by the conjurer provokes attacks of opportunities against the conjurer. It would be quite reasonable for a conjurer to complain about unfair treatment if their instructions to attack provokes attacks of opportunities when maybe a rangers instructions to a beast ally does not.

Again, I think using in-game rationale like this is wrong way to go. If that hypothetical ranger power isn't ranged or area, it's moot, no matter how much the wizard's player wants to whine about it.

 

[gribble]

Sustain =/ Provoke answer.

Must be the Java developer in me, but I read that as Sustain = Sustain / Provoke..... (and, yes, I realised after that I got my / and = mixed up)

For the Java/C literate, let me translate: Sustain != Provoke

 

[buzz]

The real irony is that rowport works in IT. Management, of course.