Typo or deliberate?

[DracoSuave]

Oh god, not old badly templated Warlock powers again.

First: The power has an until-end-of-turn effect, so using a sustain action will sustain that effect. In this case, blinded. Doing the sustain will permit a secondary attack as well against someone else.

And yes, it's a terribly written power, and predates the standard templating of secondary attacks that we have now.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

And yes, it's a terribly written power, and predates the standard templating of secondary attacks that we have now.

Of course, they could have addressed it a couple months ago with their revision, but didn't.

 

[D'karr]

Of course, they could have addressed it a couple months ago with their revision, but didn't.

Yeah, but addressing it by calling CustServ for rules is like cutting out your eye because you had some eye-boogers; the worst of all options.

 

[DracoSuave]

Yeah, but addressing it by calling CustServ for rules is like cutting out your eye because you had some eye-boogers; the worst of all options.

Wrong!

Cutting out your eye allows you to wear an eyepatch like a pirate.

Customer Service does not have an upside.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I haven't heard whether or not he likes CustServ's interpretation, just that that is what they told him.

 

[MrMyth]

Oh god, not old badly templated Warlock powers again.

First: The power has an until-end-of-turn effect, so using a sustain action will sustain that effect. In this case, blinded. Doing the sustain will permit a secondary attack as well against someone else.

And yes, it's a terribly written power, and predates the standard templating of secondary attacks that we have now.

No, the power doesn't sustain the blindness. When you sustain a power, the sustain entry itself lists whatever the effect of sustaining the power is: In this case, making a free attack (and, in future turns, being able to continue sustaining the power).

 

[DracoSuave]

No, the power doesn't sustain the blindness. When you sustain a power, the sustain entry itself lists whatever the effect of sustaining the power is: In this case, making a free attack (and, in future turns, being able to continue sustaining the power).

What

Blindness is the only effect of the power that sustain can key off of. If sustain does not extend the blindness, then sustain has no effect active that allows you to activate it. Sustain is a definition of duration, not merely a line in powers that lets you do cool things.

Moreover, if sustain doesn't extend the blindness, then the power works like this:

Use Crown of Stars.
Do other things, turn ends.

Everyone else does their thing.

Your turn starts.
Sustain Crown of Stars PEW PEW
Do other things, turn ends. Crown of Stars' ONLY persistant effect ends.

Everyone else does more of their thing.

Your turn starts.
Fail to Sustain Crown of Stars because you cannot sustain any effect that's expired.

A daily with the sole effect of allowing you, on the next turn, to spend a minor action to do Charisma mod damage... if you hit with an attack? And then it does nothing?

That'd be a pretty bad power. Now, with sustainable blindness that also does pew pew laser beams until you're done with the blinded creature's friends and can turn to the real threat? THAT is a power worth taking.

 

[keterys]

Sustaining for a minor attack, which allows you to deal warlock damage if you do hit, isn't that bad. At least not for a warlock daily, which tend to be pretty bad.

The sustain does not sustain the blind. It's an interesting idea, though, since it only triggers on bloodied anyways.

Edit: According to this warlock guide, Crown of Stars is competitive with the best level 1 daily options, because of its extra minor action attacks.

 

[DracoSuave]

Sustaining for a minor attack, which allows you to deal warlock damage if you do hit, isn't that bad. At least not for a warlock daily, which tend to be pretty bad.

Sustaining an effect once to do cha mod damage, just to have an extra chance to deal warlock curse damage... once... is REALLY bad. Even for a warlock power.

Sustaining an effect as long as you want, keeping a hard target blind while you kill off his henchmen with your regular shot AND the pew pew from Crown of Stars? Actually pretty good.

'Warlock powers should be bad' is not reasonable justification for not following the power's rules, when the CORRECT interpretation actually makes it a good power.

The sustain does not sustain the blind.

Then the sustain action can never be taken. You cannot sustain when there's no effect to sustain.

The sustain action is used to extend the duration of a Until End of Next Turn effect. Sustain may have OTHER effects as well, but sustain ALWAYS extends the duration of a non-instant effect. The only non-instant effect of Crown of Stars is the blindness, so the sustain ability will sustain it, as per:

"If a power has a “Sustain” entry, you can keep that power active by taking a specified type of action
(minor, move, or standard) during your turn. The “Sustain” entry tells you if a power has an effect that occurs when you take the action to sustain it. See “Durations,” page 278, for more about sustaining a power."

You cannot have a power with sustain that doesn't sustain an effect.

 

[Gryph]

Deleted. The more I work through scenarios the less sure I am of the correct answer.