OK, when do you ever "NOT" use a power and do a basic attack?

[Kordeth]

So, who knows perhaps Epic (maybe even Paragon) level characters could have Basic, At-Will Powers.

You mean like the fabled, legendary magic missile?

 

[Fallen Seraph]

You mean like the fabled, legendary magic missile?

Wait... Its basic too? Bah, shows how my attention towards Martial, screws me over

Well... There may be more at higher levels *shifty eyes* *runs*

 

[DreamChaser]

Wait... Its basic too? Bah, shows how my attention towards Martial, screws me over

Well... There may be more at higher levels *shifty eyes* *runs*

and the nearly as legendary eldritch blast...also at 1st level.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

and the nearly as legendary eldritch blast...also at 1st level.

Although, in both the case of the magic missile and the eldritch blast, they are basic ranged attacks.

There are, most likely, times when your additional action is a basic melee attack, not a basic ranged attack.

 

[Cadfan]

Mostly you don't use basic attacks.

Think of at-will powers as special classed based flavors of basic attacking.

Although you will find your basic attack data being used in situations where you make an opportunity attack, or you charge someone, or an ally uses an ability that grants you an extra basic attack outside your regular turn. There are a number of places like that where you will end up using basic attacks.

But mostly basic attacking is dead. Don't mourn it- if you look at a lot of the at will powers, they ARE basic attacks, with one tiny boost. Take Cleave. Its a basic attack, with a little bonus damage to an adjacent enemy. Or Deft Strike. Its a basic attack where you get to move two spaces before you attack. Or the cleric power that is a basic attack that grants +stat ac bonus to you and an adjacent ally.

So basic attacking is mostly dead, but its children live on.

 

[Yaezakura]

Heheh... a few at-will powers count as Basic Attacks (Such as Magic Missile and Eldritch Blast, which are Ranged Basic Attacks). This allows the characters to use these powers when prompted. Dunno exactly how extensive that system is, however. It could be that only the casters get powers for basic attacks since they're not likely to have actual weapons on hand.

 

[Blackeagle]

Yep. The point of at-will attacks is to use them in place of a basic attack 90% of the time. The only times you don't are, as mentioned, when the rules specifically say you have to use a basic attack or if, for some reason, you don't want either of the effects of your at-will powers (maybe you don't want to push the guy you're attacking or kill the monster next to him yet, for some reason).

This brings up an interesting question. Can you suppress part of a power? There may be circumstances where I want to use the primary effect but not the secondary effect. I'm guessing no, unless the power explicitly allows this. For instance Fox's Cunning (Level 1 Ranger Encounter) says, "You can shift 1 square, then make a basic attack against the enemy" (your attack roll then gains a +2 bonus). I interpret the word "can" to mean that you don't have to shift if you don't want to move but still want the to-hit bonus. Tide of Iron (Level 1 Fighter At-Will) says, Hit: 1[W] + Str damage, and you push the target 1 square if it is your size, smaller than you, or one size category larger. You can shift into the space that the target occupied." No "can" here, so does that mean you have to shift the target one square, even if you don't want to?

 

[Yaezakura]

This brings up an interesting question. Can you suppress part of a power? There may be circumstances where I want to use the primary effect but not the secondary effect. I'm guessing no, unless the power explicitly allows this. For instance Fox's Cunning (Level 1 Ranger Encounter) says, "You can shift 1 square, then make a basic attack against the enemy" (your attack roll then gains a +2 bonus). I interpret the word "can" to mean that you don't have to shift if you don't want to move but still want the to-hit bonus. Tide of Iron (Level 1 Fighter At-Will) says, Hit: 1[W] + Str damage, and you push the target 1 square if it is your size, smaller than you, or one size category larger. You can shift into the space that the target occupied." No "can" here, so does that mean you have to shift the target one square, even if you don't want to?

I would say no. The entire point of Tide of Iron is to push the foe. If you don't want to push them, you can use a different At-Will, with an effect that's probably better for a situation where you don't wanna shove 'em around.

 

[thalmin]

I would say no. The entire point of Tide of Iron is to push the foe. If you don't want to push them, you can use a different At-Will, with an effect that's probably better for a situation where you don't wanna shove 'em around.

Um, Tide of Iron without the push is just the base attack. Same to-hit bonus, same damage. Only difference is the push. Likewise Cleave is the same attack, but with follow-through damage to a second target.

 

[Ximenes088]

I would say no. The entire point of Tide of Iron is to push the foe. If you don't want to push them, you can use a different At-Will, with an effect that's probably better for a situation where you don't wanna shove 'em around.

According to the Keep on the Shadowfells writeup, whenever you inflict forced movement on a target, you can inflict fewer or no squares of movement at your discretion.