Personally, in 3.5, I was all about describing my attacks different every time.
I really dont see why it would be any different now and that is the point of this ...
I loved having the freedom to have my character do whatever the heck I could imagine, as long as it didn't change the mechanics.
They gave explicit in the players hand bood directions to do that in 4e
In 4e, however, I somehow find it hard to do so. I think it has to do with the fact that so many attacks involve moving your opponents- which I, outside of magic, find hard to envision.
been fighting flat footed?
In some cases you imbalance them and they stumble to the new location though a shield smash pushing attack which moves an opponent by 5 feet is not a big deal thats a lunge and really only a couple strides... Blunt attacks are going to convert more momentum into motion and imbalance than the edged ones.
Most of Martial "moving your opponent" is a deception where you get them to move where you want them. And most people under estimate the amount of deceptions used in a fight.
Why do the deceptions work... Fighting is never as flat footed as people seem to think.. and its easy to loose track of your absolute position when focusing on your relative one... and your timing... and trying to figure out the adversaries plans and formulate ones of your own .... you are dancing with them and sometimes one or the other takes the lead.
Foot work lure is rather like certain running back moves in football where you give them an apparent opening to get you... ie give em bait then take it away... and they can't resist the temptation, at first they think they have you but its really you that have them.
In fencing/duelling there is a lot of circling around (shifting) especially by the one who thinks they might have better mobility... this is usually to gain a better opening to attack and hopefully break their adversaries timing... but if there is potentially hazardous environmental features snookering them on to those will come in too.
We sit and look at pieces on a playboard and its obvious where things are... and where they are moving to... but with a battle its a swarm of motion... not clean at all from the inside. And people aren't neatly taking turns
Warlords tactical ability relates to being masters of the fog of war they not only see there own little dance but the whole ball room... and That confusion about where you are exactly ? well they don't get it nearly as much - They also seem to have an easy knack at communicating with their allies with both gestures and words they become conductor.
In any event I am also more used to free form positioning than 4e encourages.
If you are playing martial types especially the Fighter this thread is really for you.. its about imaginative variations that fall within the at-wills.. I have been updating the first post as we go along.
