Shifty vs move

[zlorf]

Hi, just got my copy of KotS and just want confirmation that
a Kobolds shifty minor action is like a 5ft step so no OA and that
if you now move 5ft and then attack you cop a OA if your adjacent to a monster..right?
Otherwise i cannot see any benefit of being shifty.

Cheers
Z

 

[neoweasel]

Hi, just got my copy of KotS and just want confirmation that
a Kobolds shifty minor action is like a 5ft step so no OA and that
if you now move 5ft and then attack you cop a OA if your adjacent to a monster..right?
Otherwise i cannot see any benefit of being shifty.

Cheers
Z

Normally shifting is a move action. Shifting as a minor action > shifting as a move action

 

[the Jester]

Hi, just got my copy of KotS and just want confirmation that
a Kobolds shifty minor action is like a 5ft step so no OA

Sort of. Normally, a shift is a move action that lets you move 1 square without provoking opportunity attacks. Some creatures, like kobolds, have abilities that modify this- allowing kobolds to shift as a minor action, for example. Keep in mind that this means that a kobold could, in theory, shift three times in a round (by trading in his standard and move actions for minors as well).

and that if you now move 5ft and then attack you cop a OA if your adjacent to a monster..right? Otherwise i cannot see any benefit of being shifty.

Cheers
Z

The benefit is maneuvering without getting whacked. Being able to shift as a minor is huge- because you can shift out of danger and then use your standard action to move further away. This is a huge difference from the 3.5 'five foot step', and imho it really opens up the possibilities when it comes to tactical movement. A kobold's ability to shift as a minor makes it even better- attack, shift, move away!

While running Keep on the Shadowfell, I have found Shifty to be one of the most awesome abilities- and one that both entertains and aggravates the pcs at the same time!

 

[Harr]

In 4e 'shift' has replaced the 5-foot step.

In general it's a type of of move that costs your whole move action, and moves you a single square without provoking any OA's.

Kobolds have the ability to do a shift as a minor action which means, they can spend their move action to shift 1 square, then spend their minor action to shift another square, shifting 2 squares in total on a single turn without provoking any OA's (that's a nice benefit).

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Hi, just got my copy of KotS and just want confirmation that
a Kobolds shifty minor action is like a 5ft step so no OA and that
if you now move 5ft and then attack you cop a OA if your adjacent to a monster..right?
Otherwise i cannot see any benefit of being shifty.

Cheers
Z

It is not a 5 ft step.

A shift is a special type of movement that does not provoke opportunity attacks. You can shift 1 square as move action.

Kobolds can shift 1 square as minor action. This means they can shift 1 square, and then take their ordinary move action to move up to their speed (provoking opportunity attacks from anyone they are adjacent to now), or shift another 5 ft (not provoking opportunity attacks).

This means Kobolds have a very easy time retreating from their foes, or regrouping to get to a better position. (Shift away, move around the foe to a flanking position, attack).

 

[Xzylvador]

Hrm, I seem to type incredibly slow. See the previous answers.

 

[zlorf]

Thanks everyone.
So if i understand this correctly: *
1)Anyone can shift as a move action and then safely move away without coping a OA
2) Kobolds can shift as a minor action , then move (mainly to flank) and THEN attack, all in the same round?
3) Kobolds can shift as a minor action, and then use a standard action to move to retreat.
4) Kobolds can shift and then attack
5) Moving 1 square as a move action and then attacking normally provoke a OA (ie no 5ft stepping)

*lets assume theres only one enemy
Im sure #2 is wrong

Cheers
Z

It is not a 5 ft step.

A shift is a special type of movement that does not provoke opportunity attacks. You can shift 1 square as move action.

Kobolds can shift 1 square as minor action. This means they can shift 1 square, and then take their ordinary move action to move up to their speed (provoking opportunity attacks from anyone they are adjacent to now), or shift another 5 ft (not provoking opportunity attacks).

This means Kobolds have a very easy time retreating from their foes, or regrouping to get to a better position. (Shift away, move around the foe to a flanking position, attack).

 

[Surgoshan]

You only provoke OA when you leave a threatened square, not entering it. So you can step up to someone and attack. You just can't step past and attack without offering an opportunity. However, people are limited to one opportunity action per turn, so if you're willing to suffer the one attack, you can just take it and keep going to get to the target of interest.

Unless you're trying to move past a fighter.

 

[Pbartender]

Thanks everyone.
So if i understand this correctly: *
1)Anyone can shift as a move action and then safely move away without coping a OA
2) Kobolds can shift as a minor action , then move (mainly to flank) and THEN attack, all in the same round?
3) Kobolds can shift as a minor action, and then use a standard action to move to retreat.
4) Kobolds can shift and then attack
5) Moving 1 square as a move action and then attacking normally provoke a OA (ie no 5ft stepping)

I used it as a poor-man's "spring attack" with my kobolds. The three main variations I used were...

Move adjacent to enemy (move), attack (standard), shift one square away (minor).
Or shift into flanking position (move), attack (standard), shift (minor).
Or attack (standard), shift out of threatened area (minor), move away (move).

For kobolds with ranged attacks, I mainly used...

Shift out from behind cover (minor), ranged attack (standard), shift or move back into cover (move).
Or shift out of threatened area (minor), move away (move), ranged attack (standard).

It bugged the players a bit, as many of them were forced to use move actions to keep the kobolds within melee range, but it did make the combat a lot more mobile, interesting and fun.

 

[Pbartender]

However, people are limited to one opportunity action per turn...

Almost... It's one opportunity attack per target per turn. For your example, it doesn't make a difference, but for overall battlefield tactics it's a major difference from 3E.

That is, you can no longer send in a defender to provoke an attack of opportunity that will easily miss or be easily absorbed, so that strikers, skirmishers and spellcasters can sneak by without provoking.