Warlord Exploit - Commander's Strike

[Zsig]

Your ally does not get your proficiency bonus to attack simply because you are not the one doing the attack. In fact you don't roll any dice.


I think the only thing i'd change about this power is that instead of "basic melee attack" it would read just "basic attack". I don't think it would break things up since you'd still need to engage the enemy in melee AND sacrifice your attack. Also, this could give some usefulness to those 2 ranged basic attacks (Eldritch Blast and Magic Missile).

And finally it would also mean that, in order for the warlord to be really effective in for the group he wouldn't need to stand on the Fighter's shadow all the time... (ie. most warlord attacks requires that you have an ally either adjacent to you or the enemy).

 

[Tuft]

I'm pretty sure that in another thread, started by GnomeWorks above, WotC_Miko (I think that's the name) came in and confirmed that the warlord has to be adjacent to the target for the power to work.

Not adjacent: within reach for your weapon. If you have a reach weapon, you can use this power on a target that is further away.

See:
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?p=4212330#post4212330
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?p=4212413#post4212413

for details - that's where WoTC_Miko answers.

BTW, using the flavor line to figure out how a power works is meaningless, as the player is free to change that line. PH, page 55: "You can alter this description as you like, to fit your own idea of what your power looks like."

 

[Vaeron]

Nice power for the warlord to use if he wants to give up his attack to give an extra attack to a flanking rogue friend. If your warlord is a big hulking brute who outdamages the other party members, this isn't a great power for him. But in situations like the above, with party members arranged in a tactically beneficial manner, triggering allies attacks is quite nice.

That said, I don't see anything confusing about this power. An enemy he's in melee range with can be attacked by an ally who is also within melee range. A flanking fighter with a maul or a flanking rogue with a light blade would be the ideal.

 

[Zweischneid]

As I imagine it, the warlord menaces the enemy, maybe fouling up their weapon with his, distracting them and opening up a hole in their defense for another ally to take advantage. The smarter the warlord, the better opening he makes for the ally to really hurt the enemy.

As I read it, it seems to be that both the warlord and the ally have to be in melee range of the target. The ally who makes the attack uses his own attack and damage bonuses for a basic melee attack, with a lil' something extra to damage from the warlord interfering with the enemy's defenses. Which nicely meshes with my imagination.

Hmm, what you describe seems to be the purpose and intend of both the 'furious smash' and 'hammer and anvil' exploit of the warlord. Though Commander's strike might have been intended to be the INT-based twin of these, one'd have to wonder why they didn't word it more clearly in this direction than as they did with those two CHA-based exploits?

Also, the old previews had this:

Warlord: Much as described before, but they also mention an example of a Warlord power called “Feather Me Yon Oaf!” (they often use humorous titles as stand-ins until they come up with the real one). When the Warlord uses this ability, his allies get an immediate action to draw a missile weapon and shoot the Warlord’s designated target.

Though I have no proof, I feel like Commander's Strike is the nerfed decendant of "Feather Me Yon Oaf!", obfuscated by the added limit of melee only (to me reading) for the attacker (and not the warlord).

 

[ebenmckay]

Though I have no proof, I feel like Commander's Strike is the nerfed decendant of "Feather Me Yon Oaf!", obfuscated by the added limit of melee only (to me reading) for the attacker (and not the warlord).

Looking over the warlord powers, I think either Hail of Steel (enc lvl 17) or Stir the Hornet's Nest (daily lvl 25) could have once bore that great title.

 

[Kishin]

Bloody goddamn hell people, just play the power the way you interpret it. It needs errata.

Not when it has the Melee keyword attached to it? The description may be confusing, but the keyword makes its effect clear.

Also, thanks for being generally hostile. I'm sure you'll find it very appreciated around here.