DracoSuave
First Post
Here's the information missing from Warding Blade:
'Until the end of next turn, if any enemy other than the target enters a square adjacent to you or hits or misses you from a square within your reach, you can make a melee basic attack against them as an opportunity action.'
First: it's not technically an Opportunity attack (so no, it doesn't stop an opponent if you have Combat Superiority from the Fighter class)
Second: The point of the power is to dissuade enemies from coming to attack you, which is great for a Retribution Avenger. So, while it only attacks them for coming close if you have a reach weapon, what -does- work is the fact that you can make attacks against them if they -hit or miss- you.
So, in the case mentioned, it still works fine; the enemy -attacks you- and you get your opportunity action from his hit or miss.
What makes this truly interesting is that you know if he hits or misses before you decide to make the action. Let's say, for instance, you're MC'd into Druid, and you Wildshape after attacking with Warding Blades. Then, you have Savage Rend available. Bam, the guy hits you, and he's a brute so you know it'll hurt badly. This power lets you MBA, which allows you to Savage Rend. Savage Rend pushes him a square away.
Then, you re-resolve his attack... seems you're out of his reach now. His attack becomes invalidated and you act as if it never happened; with the exception that you did Savage Rend damage to him and he's not where he planned to be.
Another example is if you have something that can knock them prone with an attack. You knock them prone, which gives them a penalty to their attack, which may turn their hit into a miss.
Interrupts (of which opportunity actions follow) can invalidate actions simply by changing the combat math, or by making the action impossible. They're triggered -by- the action, but can completely undo the results. That's why they're so powerful, and why immediate interrupts are only once per round.
'Until the end of next turn, if any enemy other than the target enters a square adjacent to you or hits or misses you from a square within your reach, you can make a melee basic attack against them as an opportunity action.'
First: it's not technically an Opportunity attack (so no, it doesn't stop an opponent if you have Combat Superiority from the Fighter class)
Second: The point of the power is to dissuade enemies from coming to attack you, which is great for a Retribution Avenger. So, while it only attacks them for coming close if you have a reach weapon, what -does- work is the fact that you can make attacks against them if they -hit or miss- you.
So, in the case mentioned, it still works fine; the enemy -attacks you- and you get your opportunity action from his hit or miss.
What makes this truly interesting is that you know if he hits or misses before you decide to make the action. Let's say, for instance, you're MC'd into Druid, and you Wildshape after attacking with Warding Blades. Then, you have Savage Rend available. Bam, the guy hits you, and he's a brute so you know it'll hurt badly. This power lets you MBA, which allows you to Savage Rend. Savage Rend pushes him a square away.
Then, you re-resolve his attack... seems you're out of his reach now. His attack becomes invalidated and you act as if it never happened; with the exception that you did Savage Rend damage to him and he's not where he planned to be.
Another example is if you have something that can knock them prone with an attack. You knock them prone, which gives them a penalty to their attack, which may turn their hit into a miss.
Interrupts (of which opportunity actions follow) can invalidate actions simply by changing the combat math, or by making the action impossible. They're triggered -by- the action, but can completely undo the results. That's why they're so powerful, and why immediate interrupts are only once per round.