My Wizard uses his owl familiar to fly to an enemy, use the Help action, and utilize Flyby to get away safely. The next attack on that enemy gets to roll with advantage. But what if that enemy moves from that position before an attack is made, is the advantage lost?
Nope. The being distracted is not a relative effect. The next attack against a distracted enemy has advantage, provided the attack with advantage happens before the start of the familiar's next turn. Remember that all of the actions in a combat in a single turn are taking place "at the same time".
It's not necessarily the next attack. The familiar might help an ally further down in the initiative order. And if the target moves to a position where it cannot be attacked by the helped ally, then the help action is, in essence, wasted.
It's not necessarily the next attack. The familiar might help an ally further down in the initiative order. And if the target moves to a position where it cannot be attacked by the helped ally, then the help action is, in essence, wasted.
So I can choose to Help the last player in the initiative order and they would get advantage on their first attack roll even if three other players attacked the creature and it moved before the last player gets their turn?
Alternatively, you can aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature within 5 feet of you. You feint, distract the target, or in some other way team up to make your ally's attack more effective. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, the first attack roll is made with advantage.
That's how I read it at any rate. "The first attack roll is made with advantage" refers to the first attack roll (in case there is more than one) taken by the ally who was helped.
Alternatively, you can aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature within 5 feet of you. You feint, distract the target, or in some other way team up to make your ally's attack more effective. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, the first attack roll is made with advantage.
That's how I read it at any rate. "The first attack roll is made with advantage" refers to the first attack roll (in case there is more than one) taken by the ally who was helped.
Understood. Thank you. I am a fellow Texan also, btw. Coppell, TX, just 15 minutes north of Dallas :)
Your ally is not the target of Help, I think “your ally” is singular just to make plain that only one attack from one ally benefits, not the next attack from each of your allies seperately
What seems unclear to me (and to the person who tweeted JC apparently) was that when you take the help action out of combat, you can definitely choose who you are helping. Since that is no longer the case in combat, I would have preferred to see wording similar to guiding bolt. ""...the next attack roll made [by any ally] against this target before the end of your next turn has advantage" I edited it to make it relevant for the help action. And while the Mastermind rogue situation doesn't outright contradict it, I think it muddies the water even more.
That being said, I don't think it requires an errata, although I think it would be beneficial.
What seems unclear to me (and to the person who tweeted JC apparently) was that when you take the help action out of combat, you can definitely choose who you are helping. Since that is no longer the case in combat, I would have preferred to see wording similar to guiding bolt. ""...the next attack roll made [by any ally] against this target before the end of your next turn has advantage"
Clear wording for how they wanted it to work is written elsewhere in the rules and they went with different, less clear wording for the action that will come up tens of times more often (probably).
Especially when everything about the wording they chose to use seems to imply 1 specific ally. "Aid a friend..." "team up to make your (singular) ally's attack..." "If your (singular) ally attacks..." Every time they refer to the ally as if there is only 1 specific ally, and never generally or as if there are multiple allies.
My Wizard uses his owl familiar to fly to an enemy, use the Help action, and utilize Flyby to get away safely. The next attack on that enemy gets to roll with advantage. But what if that enemy moves from that position before an attack is made, is the advantage lost?
Thank you for your help.
If you want sugar coating, go buy a dessert....
Nope. The being distracted is not a relative effect. The next attack against a distracted enemy has advantage, provided the attack with advantage happens before the start of the familiar's next turn. Remember that all of the actions in a combat in a single turn are taking place "at the same time".
No, it still helped. Help is weird with turns...
It's not necessarily the next attack. The familiar might help an ally further down in the initiative order. And if the target moves to a position where it cannot be attacked by the helped ally, then the help action is, in essence, wasted.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
So I can choose to Help the last player in the initiative order and they would get advantage on their first attack roll even if three other players attacked the creature and it moved before the last player gets their turn?
If you want sugar coating, go buy a dessert....
IKR :)
If you want sugar coating, go buy a dessert....
That's how I read it at any rate. "The first attack roll is made with advantage" refers to the first attack roll (in case there is more than one) taken by the ally who was helped.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Understood. Thank you. I am a fellow Texan also, btw. Coppell, TX, just 15 minutes north of Dallas :)
If you want sugar coating, go buy a dessert....
Your ally is not the target of Help, I think “your ally” is singular just to make plain that only one attack from one ally benefits, not the next attack from each of your allies seperately
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
It looks like I'm not the only one thrown off by the wording. Jeremy is here to help is clarify the action's intention, and you're right Chicken_Champ. That makes it a lot less tactical. Bummer.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
I do wish they would word things properly. That advice didn't make it into the compendium so it is not official.
How would you write it more clearly, if you could write the errata? I think it’s reasonably clear as worded.
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
What seems unclear to me (and to the person who tweeted JC apparently) was that when you take the help action out of combat, you can definitely choose who you are helping. Since that is no longer the case in combat, I would have preferred to see wording similar to guiding bolt. ""...the next attack roll made [by any ally] against this target before the end of your next turn has advantage" I edited it to make it relevant for the help action. And while the Mastermind rogue situation doesn't outright contradict it, I think it muddies the water even more.
That being said, I don't think it requires an errata, although I think it would be beneficial.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
I was busy, but yeah basically this:
Clear wording for how they wanted it to work is written elsewhere in the rules and they went with different, less clear wording for the action that will come up tens of times more often (probably).
Especially when everything about the wording they chose to use seems to imply 1 specific ally. "Aid a friend..." "team up to make your (singular) ally's attack..." "If your (singular) ally attacks..." Every time they refer to the ally as if there is only 1 specific ally, and never generally or as if there are multiple allies.