combat agility

[Godrednu]

I'm sure this is STUPID easy, but I am missing something here....

At-Will. Martial, Weapon
Opportunity Action Melee weapon
Trigger: An enemy adjacent to you takes an action that
provokes an opportunity attack
Effect: After the triggering enemy completes the action, you shift a number of squares equal to your Dexterity modifier. You must end the shift closer to the target than you were when you began the shift. Then make the following attack.
Target: The triggering enemy
Attack: Strength vs. AC
Hit: 1 [WI + Strength modifier damage, and you knock the target prone.
Level 21: 2rWl + Strength modifier damage.

How, if the enemy is adjacent to you, can you shift a number of squares equal to your Dex mod and end up CLOSER to the enemy??

[Kurald Galain]

How, if the enemy is adjacent to you, can you shift a number of squares equal to your Dex mod and end up CLOSER to the enemy??

Because this effect happens after the enemy completes his action. If his action was, say, to move four squares away from you, then now you get to follow him.

[Godrednu]

The action that provoked the opportunity action or by 'his action', do they mean his entire turn?

[Kurald Galain]

"Action" means "action". If they had meant "his entire turn", then they would have written "turn" instead.

[DeltaEmil]

The action that provoked the opportunity action or by 'his action', do they mean his entire turn?Only the triggering action which provokes the opportunity attack, which is either a ranged attack, an area attack, or a move that is not a shift, a teleportation or a forced movement.

Combat agility is mostly meant for opponents that use their movement to get away from you. You can either use a normal opportunity attack right now, and then let the opponent get away (if it survives, of course), or you let the opponent first go away, then use combat agility, following up and then hitting the opponent.

[Godrednu]

Okay, I understand how to use it now, but I thought you got to attack, move, then attack again.

[Blackfang108]

Okay, I understand how to use it now, but I thought you got to attack, move, then attack again.

This power takes your opportunity action, so you either take an opportunity attack or use this power.

[Yakk]

It is mostly a trap.

The standard fighter feature gives you an OA that halts the movement. Agility lets the movement happen, then if your dex is high enough lets you follow the enemy and trip them.

Typically a fighter positions themselves where they want to be. And typically denying movement is better than knocking prone after they have moved where they want to go.

And on top of that, you get +wis to your accuracy with the default fighter feature: agility has no accuracy boost. However, even if you had 10 wisdom (so +0 to hit), the default fighter feature is usually better than combat agility!

Against enemies who do ranged attacks, instead of attacking first with +wis to hit, you now attack *after* and knock prone. Often attacking first rocks, because if you get lucky you kill the target. Now, you don't have to use combat agility in that case: you can just make a normal OA, and again attack first (at the cost of +wis to hit).

Knocking prone in response to a standard action attack has the one advantage that the enemy is now going to want to spend their move action to stand up. With a standard fighter, an adjacent foe with a ranged attack should first (A) make a ranged attack (which the fighter will probably respond to), then (B) walk away at full speed, because the fighter has already used their OA for the turn.

Combat agility shuts that down. So there is that.

[tcrudisi]

Only the triggering action which provokes the opportunity attack, which is either a ranged attack, an area attack, or a move that is not a shift, a teleportation or a forced movement.

Combat agility is mostly meant for opponents that use their movement to get away from you. You can either use a normal opportunity attack right now, and then let the opponent get away (if it survives, of course), or you let the opponent first go away, then use combat agility, following up and then hitting the opponent.

Clarification: Teleportation does not incur opportunity actions.

[Yakk]

It should be parsed as "a move that is not (a shift, teleportation, or forced movement)", not "(a move that is not a shift), (teleportation), (or forced movement)". ;)