How do PC multiple attacks work in 4E? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

How do PC multiple attacks work in 4E?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
cphdm
Aug 08, 2011 13:37:40 Hi,

I'm very new to 4E (I have the red starter box and a ddi subscription) and am confused a bit about abilities and how often you can attack.

Once I got the idea of at-will/standard powers and daily/encounter and how that replaces how Magic Users work, I thought I was getting the hang of it. But now I'm wondering what has happened to the concept of "Fighter attacks per round". In Second Edition, it used to be at some point you got 4/3, meaning four attacks per 3 rounds (essentially you got two attacks every third round) which progressed to 3/2 and eventually 2/1 for two standard attacks every round.

Is that part of 4E? Is there a table somewhere?

Thanks for helping a new old guy!

#2
DimondDust
Aug 08, 2011 13:52:58
Hi,

I'm very new to 4E (I have the red starter box and a ddi subscription) and am confused a bit about abilities and how often you can attack.

Once I got the idea of at-will/standard powers and daily/encounter and how that replaces how Magic Users work, I thought I was getting the hang of it. But now I'm wondering what has happened to the concept of "Fighter attacks per round". In Second Edition, it used to be at some point you got 4/3, meaning four attacks per 3 rounds (essentially you got two attacks every third round) which progressed to 3/2 and eventually 2/1 for two standard attacks every round.

Is that part of 4E? Is there a table somewhere?

Thanks for helping a new old guy!


The attack system of 2nd edition is not a part of 4e. Having said that there are ways to get more than one attack per round. One is the use of an action point, every PC has 1 after an extended rest and gains one after each milestone (usually after 2 combat encounters). Action points give the PC using it another standard action, that action can be used as an attack.

Second some powers allow multiple attacks, the ranger twin strike power is one such power. Fighters, to further your example, have Cleave lv 1 at will, which could hurt multiple enemies and Sweeping Blow lv 3 encounter to name a few.
#3
salla
Aug 08, 2011 14:59:10
Hi,

I'm very new to 4E (I have the red starter box and a ddi subscription) and am confused a bit about abilities and how often you can attack.

Once I got the idea of at-will/standard powers and daily/encounter and how that replaces how Magic Users work, I thought I was getting the hang of it. But now I'm wondering what has happened to the concept of "Fighter attacks per round". In Second Edition, it used to be at some point you got 4/3, meaning four attacks per 3 rounds (essentially you got two attacks every third round) which progressed to 3/2 and eventually 2/1 for two standard attacks every round.

Is that part of 4E? Is there a table somewhere?

Thanks for helping a new old guy!


No, that's dead. You attack however many times the power you're using says you do. For example, Dual Strike lets a fighter attack twice, and Rain of Blows lets him attack three times.
#4
Mad_Jack
Aug 08, 2011 18:15:09
Hi,

I'm very new to 4E (I have the red starter box and a ddi subscription) and am confused a bit about abilities and how often you can attack.

Once I got the idea of at-will/standard powers and daily/encounter and how that replaces how Magic Users work, I thought I was getting the hang of it. But now I'm wondering what has happened to the concept of "Fighter attacks per round".


What you want are the higher level multiple [W] powers - rather than attacking multiple times for base weapon damage, the fighter hits once for bigger damage. This is basically the 4E representation of 2nd Ed.'s "the fighter gets multiple attacks per round". A fighter's at-will power might do 1[W] damage, which for a longsword is 1d8, but their encounter powers might be doing 3[W] damage, which is 3d8...
Higher level powers also tend to drop effects on the targets or provide additional benefits to the fighter that help him do his job of keeping the heat off the rest of the party while still doing respectable damage.

(Just as a side note, fighters aren't expected to be the big damage dealers in the game anymore - their combat role is as a defender, which means that they do medium damage but are designed to take the heat off the squishier characters by being able to absorb much more damage and having class features that generally punish monsters from attacking anyone but the defender.
The job of doing big damage is the role of the strikers - the ranger, rogue, warlock, barbarian, etc.... They do bigger damage and are more mobile, but it comes at the cost of not being as tough as a defender.)

In 4E, only certain powers give you the ability to make multiple attacks per round, mostly Ranger powers (the class is built around multi-attacking). There are, however, a few fighter powers such as the at-will Dual Strike that allow you to make multiple attacks as long as you're wielding two weapons - multi-attacking in 4E generally requires your character to have a weapon in each hand.

#5
cphdm
Aug 09, 2011 1:55:52 Thanks all for your super replies. Much clearer now.
#6
warrl
Aug 09, 2011 4:23:10 * Several Ranger powers, a few Fighter powers, and a scattering of other powers let the character make two or more attacks during a single Standard Action.
* Several Ranger powers, a few Rogue powers, and a scattering of other powers let the character make one attack during a single Minor Action.
* A character might be able to make one more attack during each turn - his own turn, his ally's turn, an enemy's turn, doesn't matter - as a Free Action
* A character might be able to make one more attack during each other creature's turn as an Opportunity Action
* A character might be able to make one more attack per round, but not during his own turn, as an Immediate Action

The last three of these are circumstantial. Meaning that the right situation has to occur or it simply isn't possible. For Free Action attacks and Immediate Actions, the right situation has to include a power, feat, class feature, or item property - not necessarily belonging to the character in question - that says the character can make the attack.

Also, the last three are normally restricted to Basic Attacks (and usually Melee Basic Attacks) or powers that say they can be used in place of such.

One more note:

* Once an encounter, during his own turn, a character can spend an Action Point - if he has one - to add a Standard Action to the pool of (non-free) actions he can take during that same turn. That sentence is worded very carefully. Once the extra Standard Action is in the pool, all the normal rules apply. In particular, charging empties the pool.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 cphdm Aug 08, 2011 13:37:40	Hi, I'm very new to 4E (I have the red starter box and a ddi subscription) and am confused a bit about abilities and how often you can attack. Once I got the idea of at-will/standard powers and daily/encounter and how that replaces how Magic Users work, I thought I was getting the hang of it. But now I'm wondering what has happened to the concept of "Fighter attacks per round". In Second Edition, it used to be at some point you got 4/3, meaning four attacks per 3 rounds (essentially you got two attacks every third round) which progressed to 3/2 and eventually 2/1 for two standard attacks every round. Is that part of 4E? Is there a table somewhere? Thanks for helping a new old guy!
#2 DimondDust Aug 08, 2011 13:52:58	Hi, I'm very new to 4E (I have the red starter box and a ddi subscription) and am confused a bit about abilities and how often you can attack. Once I got the idea of at-will/standard powers and daily/encounter and how that replaces how Magic Users work, I thought I was getting the hang of it. But now I'm wondering what has happened to the concept of "Fighter attacks per round". In Second Edition, it used to be at some point you got 4/3, meaning four attacks per 3 rounds (essentially you got two attacks every third round) which progressed to 3/2 and eventually 2/1 for two standard attacks every round. Is that part of 4E? Is there a table somewhere? Thanks for helping a new old guy! The attack system of 2nd edition is not a part of 4e. Having said that there are ways to get more than one attack per round. One is the use of an action point, every PC has 1 after an extended rest and gains one after each milestone (usually after 2 combat encounters). Action points give the PC using it another standard action, that action can be used as an attack. Second some powers allow multiple attacks, the ranger twin strike power is one such power. Fighters, to further your example, have Cleave lv 1 at will, which could hurt multiple enemies and Sweeping Blow lv 3 encounter to name a few.
#3 salla Aug 08, 2011 14:59:10	Hi, I'm very new to 4E (I have the red starter box and a ddi subscription) and am confused a bit about abilities and how often you can attack. Once I got the idea of at-will/standard powers and daily/encounter and how that replaces how Magic Users work, I thought I was getting the hang of it. But now I'm wondering what has happened to the concept of "Fighter attacks per round". In Second Edition, it used to be at some point you got 4/3, meaning four attacks per 3 rounds (essentially you got two attacks every third round) which progressed to 3/2 and eventually 2/1 for two standard attacks every round. Is that part of 4E? Is there a table somewhere? Thanks for helping a new old guy! No, that's dead. You attack however many times the power you're using says you do. For example, Dual Strike lets a fighter attack twice, and Rain of Blows lets him attack three times.
#4 Mad_Jack Aug 08, 2011 18:15:09	Hi, I'm very new to 4E (I have the red starter box and a ddi subscription) and am confused a bit about abilities and how often you can attack. Once I got the idea of at-will/standard powers and daily/encounter and how that replaces how Magic Users work, I thought I was getting the hang of it. But now I'm wondering what has happened to the concept of "Fighter attacks per round". What you want are the higher level multiple [W] powers - rather than attacking multiple times for base weapon damage, the fighter hits once for bigger damage. This is basically the 4E representation of 2nd Ed.'s "the fighter gets multiple attacks per round". A fighter's at-will power might do 1[W] damage, which for a longsword is 1d8, but their encounter powers might be doing 3[W] damage, which is 3d8... Higher level powers also tend to drop effects on the targets or provide additional benefits to the fighter that help him do his job of keeping the heat off the rest of the party while still doing respectable damage. (Just as a side note, fighters aren't expected to be the big damage dealers in the game anymore - their combat role is as a defender, which means that they do medium damage but are designed to take the heat off the squishier characters by being able to absorb much more damage and having class features that generally punish monsters from attacking anyone but the defender. The job of doing big damage is the role of the strikers - the ranger, rogue, warlock, barbarian, etc.... They do bigger damage and are more mobile, but it comes at the cost of not being as tough as a defender.) In 4E, only certain powers give you the ability to make multiple attacks per round, mostly Ranger powers (the class is built around multi-attacking). There are, however, a few fighter powers such as the at-will Dual Strike that allow you to make multiple attacks as long as you're wielding two weapons - multi-attacking in 4E generally requires your character to have a weapon in each hand.
#5 cphdm Aug 09, 2011 1:55:52	Thanks all for your super replies. Much clearer now.
#6 warrl Aug 09, 2011 4:23:10	* Several Ranger powers, a few Fighter powers, and a scattering of other powers let the character make two or more attacks during a single Standard Action. * Several Ranger powers, a few Rogue powers, and a scattering of other powers let the character make one attack during a single Minor Action. * A character might be able to make one more attack during each turn - his own turn, his ally's turn, an enemy's turn, doesn't matter - as a Free Action * A character might be able to make one more attack during each other creature's turn as an Opportunity Action * A character might be able to make one more attack per round, but not during his own turn, as an Immediate Action The last three of these are circumstantial. Meaning that the right situation has to occur or it simply isn't possible. For Free Action attacks and Immediate Actions, the right situation has to include a power, feat, class feature, or item property - not necessarily belonging to the character in question - that says the character can make the attack. Also, the last three are normally restricted to Basic Attacks (and usually Melee Basic Attacks) or powers that say they can be used in place of such. One more note: * Once an encounter, during his own turn, a character can spend an Action Point - if he has one - to add a Standard Action to the pool of (non-free) actions he can take during that same turn. That sentence is worded very carefully. Once the extra Standard Action is in the pool, all the normal rules apply. In particular, charging empties the pool.