Eagle Summons the Fire: What?

[jeffwik]

Primal Power introduces the paragon path "Keen Eagle," which includes the class feature "eagle summons the fire," which I don't understand even slightly.

"You and your allies can choose creatures or squares adjacent to your spirit companion as the target of your ranged attacks and area attacks." I thought we could already do this? Did I miss an assertion in PHB2 about the spirit companion creating a zone of untargetable sanctuary? Surely not. So, what gives? Can a swordmage use "sword burst" through a spirit companion, is that what this is saying? Or "lightning lure?" How would "lightning lure" work? I just don't get it.

 

[RickVigorous]

I don't have the book yet, but it seems to me that the idea is that allies can target the area around the companion even if they ordinarily couldn't (say, due to range limits).

 

[Nahat Anoj]

Primal Power introduces the paragon path "Keen Eagle," which includes the class feature "eagle summons the fire," which I don't understand even slightly.

"You and your allies can choose creatures or squares adjacent to your spirit companion as the target of your ranged attacks and area attacks." I thought we could already do this? Did I miss an assertion in PHB2 about the spirit companion creating a zone of untargetable sanctuary? Surely not. So, what gives?

I don't have my copy handy, but it sounds like it could be used in situations where you don't have line of sight/effect to the target. Like, around a corner or something.

 

[the8bitdeity]

Maybe it means point of origin, similar to how the seeker's class feature allows it to make a range basic from point of origin of where it missed?

 

[jeffwik]

I dunno, maybe. That doesn't sound especially useful, to the point where I have a hard time imagining it being useful, or what kind of party you'd need to be in for that to be useful.

Whatever it does, though, I realized it won't affect those swordmage spells, which are range "close," not ranged or area.

 

[Ceramicwombat]

Yes, I read this class feature earlier today...and reread it...and reread it again. It's still not particularly clear to me. I'm guessing if your spirit companion is 20 squares away and adjacent to an enemy, you and your allies can target the enemy even if the enemy would normally be out of range of the power or weapon you are using. I think.

This might be useful for a party with lots of clerics (range 5 with most of their ranged at-wills), 5/10 range thrown-weapon rangers or seekers, rogues with thrown daggers, etc. A party that would be optimized by Eagle Summons the Fire would indeed be strange.

 

[Engilbrand]

Maybe the enemies are standing behind a pillar or wall. The companion is there. You can do your stuff through the companion.
Picture a 10 square line. There's a Swordmage with Lightning Lure, an enemy 7 squares away, and the companion another 2 squares back. You could use Lightning Lure to actually pull the enemy back another square. Why would you? Hell if I know. But you can.

 

[Eric Finley]

Actually, Lightning Lure is the perfect example of a power this would massively change. Checking its text, it doesn't specify a pull distance - just that you pull it adjacent to you. So if the thing is way over on the other side of the battlefield, you still get to pull it all the way over to where you are. So where Lightning Lure is normally kept reasonable by the fact that it is extremely short-ranged, here it gains tremendously in power.

In fact, here's a broken combo for you. One Swordmage/Wizard/Blood Mage with Lightning Lure, one Shaman/Keen Eagle. The shaman starts out at range 35+ from the target, hiding. The swordmage starts out in North Waziristan (or, if you prefer, at range 50 or more from the target).

Shaman breaks cover and sprints (double-run, why not?) to within 21 of the target, and summons his companion adjacent to it with his minor. Far away, his pal casts Blood Pulse on the target, and blows an AP for Lightning Lure. The target is now pulled clear into North Waziristan, taking 1d6 per five feet traveled. The question of signalling actually matters at this point - hey, maybe we've finally got a justification for that terrible Level 10 Warlock utility, Ambassador Imp!

More seriously, though, I think it's awesome. Tank the Shaman proper, with stuff that'll keep him invisible 'til he attacks, and hide the rest of the party behind a wall where they're totally out of the line of fire.

If you've abbreviated the quote and the allies have to be adjacent to you or within X squares, you can still do that - all you need to do is provide the shaman with LoS to the spirit, and you can all stay out of harm's way.

 

[Obryn]

Yeah, it looks to be a range extender, more or less.

And as far as lightning lure goes with it... whoa! Better than a Javelin of Grasping!

-O

 

[bganon]

My guess is "NO" to range extension (seems way too good, as noted above), "YES" to granting LoS/LoE. Why they didn't just say it that way is beyond me. In any case, I think it's a pretty good ability just with that much; being able to hit someone who can't hit back is always nice.