Shifting Defense Question [Archive] - Wizards Community

Shifting Defense Question [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Shigure
08-11-07, 03:14 AM This is a question about the Setting Sun "Shifting Defense" stance from the Book of Nine Swords. It says you may take an immediate 5 foot step every time an opponet attacks you up to the number of attacks of Opp per round. Does this mean before or after the attack is resolved? If before does it completely negate that attack with the move?
DM-Scott
08-11-07, 04:43 AM Not having the book with me at the moment, but hearing the way you put the effect, I'd imagine it would be after the attack. Otherwise, being a stance (a constant thing), that character could very well never be hit in melee combat again (because a 5ft step doesn't provoke an AoO, and you could simply move out of range in most cases).

Now that said, I believe you could use it to avoid multiple hits (IE: after being attacked once, take a step back, preventing further hits from full attacks, for instance). But I'd need to actually see the text of the stance to be sure.

This is the best I've got at the moment.

Peace out, Game on.
hiryuu
08-11-07, 01:18 PM That's the general consensus, but it eats up an attack of opportunity, which, well, attacks of opportunity always occur just before the act that created them. This leads me to believe that yes, you do avoid the attack (also, it's what the entire discipline is all about, and it's a high level stance to begin with).
Shigure
08-18-07, 03:45 PM So we've got one for and one against. Anyone else out there that can help answer this question for me?
aeulous
08-19-07, 03:01 PM close but the reading for shifting defense states that for each falied attack you get to move five feet
CoryWhiteland
08-19-07, 11:30 PM aeulos said,
"close but the reading for shifting defense states that for each falied attack you get to move five feet"

Yeah, but that's in the "fluffy" first paragraph. Almost every single maneuver in that book has a paragraph of pure flavor text in italics followed by a silly, unnecessary recap paragraph of flavor in the mechanical description. The actual rules description says nothing about the attack needing to fail.

I agree with hiryuu, the step occurs just before the provoking attack, just as though you had made an AoO rather than a 5-foot step. This does indeed make this a useful stance. Powerful, even, if you have Combat Reflexes and a decent dex.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Shigure 08-11-07, 03:14 AM	This is a question about the Setting Sun "Shifting Defense" stance from the Book of Nine Swords. It says you may take an immediate 5 foot step every time an opponet attacks you up to the number of attacks of Opp per round. Does this mean before or after the attack is resolved? If before does it completely negate that attack with the move?
DM-Scott 08-11-07, 04:43 AM	Not having the book with me at the moment, but hearing the way you put the effect, I'd imagine it would be after the attack. Otherwise, being a stance (a constant thing), that character could very well never be hit in melee combat again (because a 5ft step doesn't provoke an AoO, and you could simply move out of range in most cases). Now that said, I believe you could use it to avoid multiple hits (IE: after being attacked once, take a step back, preventing further hits from full attacks, for instance). But I'd need to actually see the text of the stance to be sure. This is the best I've got at the moment. Peace out, Game on.
hiryuu 08-11-07, 01:18 PM	That's the general consensus, but it eats up an attack of opportunity, which, well, attacks of opportunity always occur just before the act that created them. This leads me to believe that yes, you do avoid the attack (also, it's what the entire discipline is all about, and it's a high level stance to begin with).
Shigure 08-18-07, 03:45 PM	So we've got one for and one against. Anyone else out there that can help answer this question for me?
aeulous 08-19-07, 03:01 PM	close but the reading for shifting defense states that for each falied attack you get to move five feet
CoryWhiteland 08-19-07, 11:30 PM	aeulos said, "close but the reading for shifting defense states that for each falied attack you get to move five feet" Yeah, but that's in the "fluffy" first paragraph. Almost every single maneuver in that book has a paragraph of pure flavor text in italics followed by a silly, unnecessary recap paragraph of flavor in the mechanical description. The actual rules description says nothing about the attack needing to fail. I agree with hiryuu, the step occurs just before the provoking attack, just as though you had made an AoO rather than a 5-foot step. This does indeed make this a useful stance. Powerful, even, if you have Combat Reflexes and a decent dex.