Is it a melee attack?

[Ashodin]

Warden's encoutner attack 1 - Roots of Stone

Says close burst 1, effect: the burst creates a zone of rippling earth thatl asts until the end of your next turn. Make the following attack.; target: each enemy in brust; attack: str vs ac; hit 1[w]+str mod damage. the target is knocked prone when it leaves this zone; earthstrenght: the target also takes damage equal to your con mod when it leaves the zone.

I understand the effects and zone stuff are all part of the burst. But are the attacks it tells you to make to each target, considere melee attacks IF the target you perform the attack on has an immediate reaction to being hit with a melee attack?

 

[abyssaldeath]

It's a close burst attack. The attack type never changes in this power.

 

[Mr. Teapot]

Warden's encoutner attack 1 - Roots of Stone

Says close burst 1, effect: the burst creates a zone of rippling earth thatl asts until the end of your next turn. Make the following attack.; target: each enemy in brust; attack: str vs ac; hit 1[w]+str mod damage. the target is knocked prone when it leaves this zone; earthstrenght: the target also takes damage equal to your con mod when it leaves the zone.

I understand the effects and zone stuff are all part of the burst. But are the attacks it tells you to make to each target, considere melee attacks IF the target you perform the attack on has an immediate reaction to being hit with a melee attack?

Nothing in the burst attack suggests anything about it being a melee attack. If the designers wanted it that way, they could have written "make a melee attack against each adjacent creature" or some such. But they didn't, because it is a close burst attack. So anything triggered off a melee attack specifically won't work.

 

[DracoSuave]

It's a close burst attack. The attack type never changes in this power.

Indeed.

In fact, you only roll damage once, and apply that to all targets hit.

Why -would- it be a melee attack?

 

[chitzk0i]

Why -would- it be a melee attack?

Outside of 4e, 'melee attack' is used interchangeably with 'smack him with my weapon' and vice versa. But with 4e's attack types, you can smack someone with your weapon using a power that is not a melee attack.

"This power says I'm smacking him with my sword."
"Right. But it's not a melee attack."
"So... I'm smacking him with my sword, but I'm also not smacking him with my sword?"

 

[Aulirophile]

Just check the keywords. Melee keyword? Nope. Not a melee attack.

 

[RigaMortus2]

So, is this power useable when wielding a Longbow?

 

[Ketjak]

Is it a weapon?

So, is this power useable when wielding a Longbow?

Encounter Primal, Weapon, Zone

Only if a longbow is a weapon.

 

[DracoSuave]

Outside of 4e, 'melee attack' is used interchangeably with 'smack him with my weapon' and vice versa. But with 4e's attack types, you can smack someone with your weapon using a power that is not a melee attack.

"This power says I'm smacking him with my sword."
"Right. But it's not a melee attack."
"So... I'm smacking him with my sword, but I'm also not smacking him with my sword?"

Sure, if 'sword' were the same word as 'melee', I'd agree!

 

[MrMyth]

Sure, if 'sword' were the same word as 'melee', I'd agree!

Well, more specifically, you have a category of weapons called "Melee Weapons", and a category of powers called "Melee Powers", and you can also be using those melee weapons for non-melee weapon powers (Close bursts). That's the part people get confused by - they are using their melee weapon, so why shouldn't they get their bonus from Iron Armbands of Might? Well, because the Armbands key off of melee attacks, which are specifically "powers with a range of melee" rather than "powers made with a melee weapon."

It's easy to keep track of once you know the details, but it is pretty counter-intuitive to start with, and only made worse by the same word ("melee") being used in two different ways.