Grease (the Daily) is it Useful?

[satori01]

Any one have any experiences with the Wizard Daily Spell Grease.

It seems intriguing to me...as from my reading of it anyone entering the area...will trigger the Free Action Burst effect that will either knock them prone on a Hit and allow you slide them 3 squares if you miss.

Oddly enough it looks like missing someone can have better control features than actually hitting with this power....and would be useful for Allies as well...(eg party mate is being mobbed, cast this spell close to the ally, have them enter "Grease" and hopefully miss and slide them to safety)

What are peoples play experiences with this?

My biggest quibble with this spell as written is the non intuitive fact that the spell only works on people "entering" the area of effect....which seems odd. So I conjure Grease under your feat, and you are fine to move through it, but someone from the outside better be ready for a prat fall.
Also strikes me that when you knock someone down, it is all to easy for them to get up as a move action, and then move again as a standard to avoid the zone.

I am considering this as my Spell Book daily but am not quite sold on it yet.
So what is the word on Grease....(Please no responses stating that Grease is the word on Grease)

 

[Mort_Q]

Would not a creature within the zone, moving to another square within the zone, be entering a square of the zone?

I'd certainly rule it that way.

That is, if you cast Grease on someone, and they stay put... they're safe... but if they try to move... roll to hit!

 

[satori01]

That would be my common sense reading of it, but the technical definition of "entering" can be more complex than that....ala the statement by Cust Serv stating the Entering can only be a vouluntary action, and that forced movement does not count as entering.

 

[Mort_Q]

Not that I give much credence to Cust Serv, but that doesn't contradict my interpretation.

i.e. the square they are in, if you cast Grease on an occupied square, does not count as being in the zone, but the other squares do. If they leave the square, then the original square is part of the zone for them.

 

[pauljathome]

I love this spell, especially when combined with a nearby killer zone (wall of fire in one
encounter, wall of blades in another).

I set up a grease spell behind the combat and then kept thunderwaving people. We play that enter means what the English says it does so the push triggered it. Either the grease hit (boo) in which case I "only" knocked them prone and pushed them out the other side, thereby putting them out of the fight for a round or two or I (yay) missed them and slid them into the Zone Of Death.

Nearly used it in a bar brawl for comic relief but the brawl turned serious before I
had a chance.

 

[Jaysue]

My first use of grease

My first use of grease was around the time the party was starting to run away from a fight, in fact just before my turn our warlock had double-moved to escape.

However, my character has a battle-standard of might which he has grown quite fond of and refused to leave.

Pushed out a grease over the gathered monsters, rolled 9 consecutive hits and spent an action point on a shocksphere (with his skull bracers active).

I believe since I had mostly been using Magic Missile every round until then (as i'd had little chance for mischief) - the party was like "Holy S***!".

Good times.

 

[Dan'L]

Do note that Grease says you can make the attack, not that you must -- i.e., you don't have to attack allies with it if you don't want to.

Also strikes me that when you knock someone down, it is all to easy for them to get up as a move action, and then move again as a standard to avoid the zone.

But since they likely already used a move action which triggered the attack, then they're not getting any farther that turn. Also, it's difficult terrain, so it will slow down anyone passing through it. It will take a melee enemy at least two turns of no attacks to close distance to your party if the zone is between you and them, during which time your PCs can be applying appropriate ranged attacks. Placed early in combat, before the distance between the groups is closed, this can be rather brutal -- all without having it to house-rule every square of the zone to be a separate trigger.

If you've ever stepped onto an ice rink without skates, think of it like that first step you take onto the ice -- there's that moment when you're particularly extra off-balance (the attack) followed by slower cautious movement over the ice (difficult terrain).

-Dan'L

 

[Starfox]

Opportunity Actions: You can take one opportunity action on each other combatant’s turn. An opportunity action must be triggered by an enemy’s action.

This means you only get one chance on each opponent's turn. I read Grease Attack as an opportunity action because it has a trigger. Even if the Grease Attack is an at-will free action, you can still only do one on each opponent's turn. And sliding them does not end their turn; it merely forces them to continue moving from another spot. Thus, it is generally possible for them to get trough the grease if you miss, tough it might take them a full turn. A knockdown, on the other hand, does end their move, forcing them to crawl or stand up in the grease, which potentially gives you a Grease Attack next round. Clearly a better result.

Note that this is not 100% clear, note the "I read Grease Attack as an opportunity action because it has a trigger." expression I use above. But this way, it makes sense.

 

[Khime]

I read Grease Attack as an opportunity action because it has a trigger. Even if the Grease Attack is an at-will free action, you can still only do one on each opponent's turn....

Note that this is not 100% clear, note the "I read Grease Attack as an opportunity action because it has a trigger." expression I use above. But this way, it makes sense.

Even with your caveats, I'll have to disagree here. "Free Action" and "Opportunity Action" are two different things. If something is a free action, it can't be an opportunity action. And just because opportunity/interrupt actions require triggers does not mean everything that has a trigger is an opportunity or interrupt action.

The type of action that occurs in response to the trigger is specified by the power, and this one is explicitly a Free action, so can be done as many times as there are triggers going off.

 

[Starfox]

Even with your caveats, I'll have to disagree here. "Free Action" and "Opportunity Action" are two different things. If something is a free action, it can't be an opportunity action. And just because opportunity/interrupt actions require triggers does not mean everything that has a trigger is an opportunity or interrupt action.

The type of action that occurs in response to the trigger is specified by the power, and this one is explicitly a Free action, so can be done as many times as there are triggers going off.

Opportunity attacks are free actions, and yet they fall under this rule.