Mordenkainen's Sword and Flanking

[catsclaw227]

Can anyone tell me if the Daily Wizard Attack 9 - Mordenkainen's Sword can participate in a flank?

It isn't clear in the spell description, but under Conjurations (PHB - pg 59), it states that it doesn't occupy squares. As a DM I want to say that it doesn't offer a flank, but one of the players feels like it should.

If I disallow the flanking, am I violating the "say yes" paradigm for ambiguous rules? For a minor power (and sustain minor) to grant an almost encounter-long flanking for the rogue sounds like a lot.

I think the player may think that it provides flanking as a result of some 3.5 conjured weapon flanking memory being wedged in with his 4e.

Any thoughts?

 

[1of3]

A power does exactly what it says. And nothing else.

Therefore Sword of M can't flank.

 

[Blizzardb]

I recently asked the same question (about another conjuration). The answer I got (both here and from customer service) was that conjurations don't flank and get no bonuses from flanking. Seems reasonable enough.

 

[Mort_Q]

If I disallow the flanking, am I violating the "say yes" paradigm for ambiguous rules? For a minor power (and sustain minor) to grant an almost encounter-long flanking for the rogue sounds like a lot.

I don't think it's ambiguous at all. Unless a conjuration power says otherwise, it can't flank.

There was a Wiz 6 power in one of the WotC previews that allowed you to summon a shadow mastiff or something that could flank, but it didn't get an attack.