Knight Archetype - Unlimited Opportunity Attacks?

[RedGeomancer]

The Knight Archetype from UA Fighter's has the following ability:


Defender's Blade

At 18th level, you respond to danger with extraordinary vigilance. You can use your reaction for an opportunity attack even if you have already expended your reaction this round, but not if you have already used your reaction this turn.

When I first read this I thought "OK, one extra opportunity attack per round", but now I realize it says you can use it if you haven't used your reaction this turn.

Questions:


Does Defender's Blade allow you to make up to one opportunity attack against every creature that gives you the opportunity (leaves your reach without using the Disengage action)?
How powerful is this feature?

[Sirithhyando]

For example, if you have 4 ennemy in front of you. Between the end of your turn and the start of your next turn, if at each of their turn they provoke an opportunity attack, you can only use your reaction to do so on one of them (probably the first since you dont know yet if the other 3 will trigger one).
This feature let's you use your opportunity attack on each of them.

I'm not entirely sure on my comprehension on this feature, but i think that's pretty much it.

So a fighter with the feat sentinel would benefit greatly (in my opinion) on that feature.

Though if you always fight single ennemy, it might not be as useful.

[Zene]

Each combatant gets a turn each round. So the Knight could conceivably get opportunity attacks equal to the number of combatants.

To maximize this, I think you'd want your party full of battlemasters (for them to use Commander's Strike on you during each of their turns) and maybe a bard or two for dissonant whispers. You could also use polearm master / sentinel, and there are probably other tricks to maximize opportunity attacks I'm blanking on right now.

Yeah, it could be pretty powerful. Luckily a single attack from a high-level fighter isn't quite as deadly as a single attack from a high-level rogue (sneak attack) or paladin (smite).

[MinotaurWarrior]

Does Defender's Blade allow you to make up to one opportunity attack against every creature that gives you the opportunity (leaves your reach without using the Disengage action)?

Yes.



How powerful is this feature?


Very.

The straightforward build is something like a V.Human Knight 20 with Polearm Master, Great Weapon Master, Savage Attacker, and Sentinel. Enemies without a teleport power cannot escape you, and you deal solid damage against them.

The way crazier build is something like Tiefling Knight 18 / Warlock 2 with PAM Sentinel and Warcaster who gets to substitute those opportunity attacks with Agonizing Eldritch Blasts dealing 4x(1d10+1d6+5) = 56 damage. It can also be hilarious with an AoE cantrip like thunderclap, or the semi-AoE Green Flame Blade.

Both of these are obviously not that great against a solo boss, but if you ever fight large groups, they'll really shine.

[djreynolds]

Defender’s Blade
At 18th level, you respond to danger with
extraordinary vigilance. You can use your
reaction for an opportunity attack even if you
have already expended your reaction this round,
but not if you have already used your reaction
this turn.

I hate this ambiguous language, but I mean if you had PAM and the enemy just came and then ran away.

Has this been SageAdviced

[Ziegander]

If you're surrounded by 8 dudes and on each of their turns they all try to move away from you (since that is the only thing that provokes opportunity attacks), then, sure you can make 8 opportunity attacks in that one round. Good luck maintaining more than one per round after that, though.

Defender's Blade doesn't allow multiple uses of Implacable Mark's special attack, doesn't allow multiple uses of Hold the Line's special attack, and doesn't allow multiple uses of Sentinel's special attack. It only allows for one opportunity attack per turn, if you haven't used your reaction for something else that turn (which, as a Fighter (Knight), unless you've taken Magic Initiate for Feather Fall or something, you have no use for your reaction other than opportunity attacks).

Overall, I think the power level is fine, I just think it's really, really poorly written (same with Implacable Mark). The general rule on reactions is "When you take a reaction, you can't take another one until the start of your next turn." Really, these abilities ought to either grant additional reactions or not even use a reaction, because "You can use your reaction for an opportunity attack even if you have already expended your reaction this round," just doesn't make any sense. You can't use something you no longer have. In the case of your reaction, if you've already taken it, you can't take another one. It would be like if some ability said, "You can use your action to attack even if you have already taken your action on your turn." That doesn't make sense, and is really poorly written.

[Lombra]

Some DMs play the "opponents' turn" as if all the enemies share the same turn, rolling initiative for all of them only once. I guess it will need a re-wording because of this, or DMs that do that should treat each monster's turn individually simply considering all of them with the same initiative.

[lonewulf]

Some DMs play the "opponents' turn" as if all the enemies share the same turn, rolling initiative for all of them only once. I guess it will need a re-wording because of this, or DMs that do that should treat each monster's turn individually simply considering all of them with the same initiative.

I understand the reasoning for the group of enemies sharing the same initiative/turn but ive always HATED IT with a fiery passion.

But yeah, its a solid feature for the Knight and pretty powerful but its highly situational and far from gamebreaking. If you have a party with lots of battlefield control (for forcing movement) it can be lots of fun and really shine.

[RedGeomancer]

Really, these abilities ought to either grant additional reactions or not even use a reaction, because "You can use your reaction for an opportunity attack even if you have already expended your reaction this round," just doesn't make any sense. You can't use something you no longer have. In the case of your reaction, if you've already taken it, you can't take another one. It would be like if some ability said, "You can use your action to attack even if you have already taken your action on your turn." That doesn't make sense, and is really poorly written.

I would guess they phrased it this way so all the other reaction rules kick in, about interrupting current turn, etc. Putting it the way you did--saying it grants an additional reaction, or something like that--would be preferable.

[Mellack]

It sounds like it would be very powerful with PAM and sentinel. Already a strong combo, this could keep enimies from ever getting to reach you (assuming you can hit.) Normally you can only stop one, now you can stop everyone. They can control a 25' diameter area, which makes for quite a choke point.

[MinotaurWarrior]

If you're surrounded by 8 dudes and on each of their turns they all try to move away from you (since that is the only thing that provokes opportunity attacks)

No it's not. There's a pre existing distinction between opportunity attacks (granted innately, by PAM, and by Sentinel) and non-OA reaction attacks (granted by mage slayer). Knights get unlimited OAs from any of those sources.

[CursedRhubarb]

It's not unlimited, at max it would be 1 per enemy and then only if you get to make an AoO. Can be useful, but is easily negated by anything that would cause you to loose your reaction. After using the feature once or twice, don't be surprised if Shocking Grasp tends to show up a lot. That single Cantrip can cause a lot of pain for the Knight subclass.
Stuns, illusions, and other methods can also cause your AoO to be either lost or wasted. Caster uses silent image to make it look like they try and sneak past, you take a swing at the illusion, then they go right on through with no trouble.
You may be able to make more than any other class, but it's still limited to 1 per turn.

[Mellack]

It's not unlimited, at max it would be 1 per enemy and then only if you get to make an AoO. Can be useful, but is easily negated by anything that would cause you to loose your reaction. After using the feature once or twice, don't be surprised if Shocking Grasp tends to show up a lot. That single Cantrip can cause a lot of pain for the Knight subclass.
Stuns, illusions, and other methods can also cause your AoO to be either lost or wasted. Caster uses silent image to make it look like they try and sneak past, you take a swing at the illusion, then they go right on through with no trouble.
You may be able to make more than any other class, but it's still limited to 1 per turn.

While you are correct, there is not usually that many enemy casters around. When there is, shocking grasp is a melee attack. Very few casters would be safe in melee. Silent image takes an action to move. So the caster has spent an action casting it, and another action to move it to use the knights reaction, just so they can move past. That is a big win for the knight in action economy.
The power can definitely be countered, as can any other power, but not that easily. There is no instant-win button. .

[MinotaurWarrior]

It's not unlimited, at max it would be 1 per enemy and then only if you get to make an AoO. Can be useful, but is easily negated by anything that would cause you to loose your reaction. After using the feature once or twice, don't be surprised if Shocking Grasp tends to show up a lot. That single Cantrip can cause a lot of pain for the Knight subclass.
Stuns, illusions, and other methods can also cause your AoO to be either lost or wasted. Caster uses silent image to make it look like they try and sneak past, you take a swing at the illusion, then they go right on through with no trouble.
You may be able to make more than any other class, but it's still limited to 1 per turn.

Shocking grasp is countered by PAM and Sentinel. Unless, I suppose, you're up against a Bugbear wizard.