Dark Energy into Parting Blow into On the Lam

By brettpkelly, in Imperial Assault Rules Questions

via Michael collarin:

Dark Energy into Parting Blow into On the Lam... what happens to Dark Energy?

My guess is that the movement from dark energy never happens, but this is kind of a tricky situation. Some other possibilities: the dark energy pushes the figure after the on the lam ends or the on the lam starts from the pushed space, but neither of those feels right. I was also wondering, the wording on Parting blow says "before the figure exits the space", I assume on the lam overrides that wording but just to make sure: can you on the lam a parting blow attack?

Edited by brettpkelly

For Reference;

Dark Energy.jpg Parting Blow.jpg On the Lam.jpg

In my opinion;

1) You use Dark Energy to attempt to push the small figure 1 space.

2) When the figure is about to be pushed the 1 space, you play Parting Blow to attack the target.

3) While defending, the small figure now uses On the Lam to move, say 4 spaces away.

You then try to resolve Parting Blow which fails, and finish resolving Dark Energy which also fails.

Edited by Majushi

what if you started the combo with Cripple ? Would Dark Energy be non voluntary but On the Lam would be ?

1 hour ago, Darth evil said:

what if you started the combo with Cripple ? Would Dark Energy be non voluntary but On the Lam would be ?

I believe so, yes.

5 hours ago, Darth evil said:

what if you started the combo with Cripple ? Would Dark Energy be non voluntary but On the Lam would be ?

Yes.

My guess is that the movement from dark energy never happens, but this is kind of a tricky situation. Some other possibilities: the dark energy pushes the figure after the on the lam ends or the on the lam starts from the pushed space, but neither of those feels right. I was also wondering, the wording on Parting blow says "before the figure exits the space", I assume on the lam overrides that wording but just to make sure: can you on the lam a parting blow attack?

You can on the lam parting blow attack but only if it was resolved outside of your activation ( SoR, EoR attack, dark energy, slippery target etc.) otherwise MPs just go into the pool. I would also say, that dark energy movement never happens, because You cannot Move Figure from space X to Y, because it no longer occupies X. However if we are to teoretise se about possible outcomes there is one more - dark energy returns the figure to the original "target" space, bevacuse movement means puting a figure on target space, not actually "move" it in any direction (because, there are no directions) but it surely isn't right :)

Edited by Szycha

Wait, you can’t use On the Lam against a out-of-activation Parting Blow Attack? That would significantly increase the strength of that card.

The moment in question was from my game with Michael, and it was Vader’s activation, so we correctly allowed Han to move away. But then I ruled that Vader could still use Dark Energy because I ended up within 3 spaces, but I can see how that wouldn’t be allowed.

It was the strangest combo of rules questions I’ve had in a game ?

-ryanjamal

25 minutes ago, ryanjamal said:

Wait, you can’t use On the Lam against a out-of-activation Parting Blow Attack? That would significantly increase the strength of that card.

I think what he was saying is that you can't use On the Lam against parting blow if it is your (the smuggler's) activation (e.g. if Parting Blow was played on you when you voluntarily tried to move away, or if Jynn interrupts to attack). Or rather, you could still use it and "interrupt to perform a move", but "performing a move" during your activation just means you add the movement points to your pool and you wouldn't get to spend them right away and the attack would be completed first.

That doesn't specifically apply to this situation, though, since Dark Energy was played during Vader's activation and not during the smuggler's.

50 minutes ago, ManateeX said:

I think what he was saying is that you can't use On the Lam against parting blow if it is your (the smuggler's) activation (e.g. if Parting Blow was played on you when you voluntarily tried to move away, or if Jynn interrupts to attack). Or rather, you could still use it and "interrupt to perform a move", but "performing a move" during your activation just means you add the movement points to your pool and you wouldn't get to spend them right away and the attack would be completed first.

That doesn't specifically apply to this situation, though, since Dark Energy was played during Vader's activation and not during the smuggler's.

Exacly :) Yeah, it doesnt apply to this situation, but there was also a general question from Brett about using on the lam as a response to parting blow.

Edited by Szycha

My attempt at laying it out step by step:

  • Play Dark Energy
    • Choose another small figure <Han> within 3 spaces.
      • Is it safe to say the target requirement has been satisfied at this point? Nothing interrupts this part.
      • The one argument for not moving Han and not doing one damage is that after the interrupted interrupt (which has yet to occur), is that he is not within 3 spaces... but he was up until this point.
      • The recent errata covering On the Lam (pg 11, 4th blue bullet under Attacks), says during an Attack re-declare... but Dark Energy is not an attack.
    • Push that figure 1 space, <interrupt>
      • Play Parting Blow
        • Before that figure moves,
        • perform an attack targeting that figure
          • Attack
            • Step 1
            • Step 2
            • Step 3
            • Step 4
              • Before attacker plays modifiers <interrupt>
                • Play On the Lam
                  • perform a Move
                  • Han moves away (out of melee range)
                • (Insert recent errata) Re-declare a target space
                  • None eligible <Attack misses>
          • Han suffers zero damage
        • Vader becomes Stunned
    • (Note we have now reached the push that figure 1 space <interrupt>... NOT the Choose another small figure within 3 spaces...)
      • Shouldn't this now be completed?
      • What states to re-target or re-check the requirement of the command card?
      • If the ruling is to re-check, can another figure that is within 3 be selected? That doesn't seem likely, but then why is any of the (prior to interrupt) completed sentence re-done?
    • then suffers 1 damage.

I think the key questions are:

  • Does the targeting requirement of Dark Energy need to be re-checked if it occurred prior to the interrupt?
    • If so, can the target be changed... if you're going back a step, then why not?
  • Does the small figure (Han) still get pushed after On the Lam?
  • Does the small figure (Han) still suffer the 1 damage?
  • Does Vader still get Stunned from Parting Blow? (This one appears to be the easiest, yes - the Attack still occurred, it's just considered a miss, and other effects still trigger)
Edited by MCOLL81
added first line

1. No, because when the card was player, the requirement was met, and on the lam just countered the first part of the ability.

2. I think no, for the reasons stated in previous post.

3. Yes, because of 1. and because push 1 space is not a cost, but first part of the ability (it's the same situation as with 0-0-0 invasive procedure, where you don't have to actually deal dmg, strain, bleed to focus or with vaders finest, where you don't need to remove negative condition to focus)

4. definetly

I think the contrary case would be that -- while the On the Lam ruling only explicitly addressed attacks (e.g., Collateral Damage), the fact that they return you to the original step of the attack process (is the target eligible?) suggests that here you may need to check eligibility from the original step of the command card (is the figure within 3 spaces?).

It seems to me -- to quote an oft-remembered pronouncement from the Collateral Damage discussion -- that "the rules as written don't currently cover this case!"

Yeah... and I've got a bad feeling about this ...

image.png.1f18f36b9b5cd7cb478d4d576bee7fea.png

But we are certain that you can’t On the Lam an attack via Parting Blow if it is outside of the attacking figure’s activation, right?

-ryanjamal

It's not whether it is during attackers activation. It is whether it is during DEFENDERS activation (which i think is the most "classic" way of playing parting blow). If you play On the Lam during your (defenders) activation (whether it is because of parting blow, GIA's Parting Shot , Jyn interrupt etc.) it just lets you perform a move, which adds points to your pool). In any other situation (attackers activation or out of activation effects, you can run (BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE - oohh, wait.. actually you can hide, and that's what you will do in most cases ;D :D)

Rules Question:
Hello, I have some questions about IMPERIAL ASSAULT rules 1. Can you play PROVOKE on the exhausted enemy group with your last activation during turn, to force this group to activate first in the following TURN? (the problem is at the moment of playing a CC that group is not able to activate, but when it is resolved after status phase it is ready, so it is able to activate.) 2. Can Jedi Luke spend movement points DURING his Heroic attack (the rules forbid spendind movement points only during actions, while heroic is not an action.) Alternatively, is the heroic attack actually an action, but not counted toward 2 actions limit? In case, this attack is some sort of action, does Luke bleed while performing it) 3. Does playing on the lam in your activation (in response to parting shot/overcharged weapons etc.) count as gaining Movement points DURING your activation (and add them to the movement pool) or OUT OF YOUR ACTIVATION (as a part of interrupt) which enables you to spend them instantly. Yours, Greg
Hi Greg,
1) This interpretation of Provoke is interesting. Let me think about that one for a while. If it’s relevant for the GenCon tournament let me know today or come see me before the event (I’ll be Marshal).
2) Jedi Luke cannot spend movement points during a Heroic attack. This interaction cannot be satisfactorily solved with the strict definition of “action” provided in the written rules. Movement points (and other timing issues, specifically interrupting abilities) are also a known point of confusion that I would like to clarify further and more comprehensively in the future. For now:
  • Luke cannot spend movement points during a Heroic attack.
  • Luke does not Bleed after performing a Heroic attack.
3)Strangely, when played during your own activation, On the Lam would simply pool your movement points. They are not gained outside your activation or as part of a special action, so there is no opportunity to spend them as an interrupt.
Hope that helps!

Todd Michlitsch
Game Developer
Fantasy Flight Games
[email protected]

Edited by Szycha

Am I correct in assuming that it is valid for Vader to play a second Parting Blow in response to the On the Lam, as he is not yet stunned and the trigger is different from the first Parting Blow? So Dark Energy -> Parting Blow -> On the Lam -> Parting Blow.

Yes, a second Parting Blow would work against On the Lam.

@a1bert Thoughts on what happens to Dark Energy?

-ryanjamal

The chosen figure moving during the resolution of the Push of the ability does not prevent it suffering damage from the last part of the ability.

(I don't think the figure moving during the resolution would make the figure an invalid target for Dark Energy. You chose a valid figure, and are performing the ability as specified. The distance is not checked after choosing the figure. My opinion could be wrong though.)

That’s how we played it.

-ryanjamal

I think Pasi makes sense here.

The targeting for Dark Energy has already been met when played.

Unlike attacks, there is nothing here that goes back and checks that the original targeting is still valid.

If you resolve a Parting Blow while you are performing another attack (e.g. On the Lam), and if you happen to stun the target, do you get to resolve the original attack even though you are stunned by the Parting Blow?

So say Royal Guard attacks Han Solo. Han plays On the Lam to move away. Royal Guard plays Parting Blow, stuns Han, and then becomes stunned itself. Now that Han can no longer move away, does the original attack continue and get resolved, even though the attacker is now stunned?

1 hour ago, turkishvancat said:

If you resolve a Parting Blow while you are performing another attack (e.g. On the Lam), and if you happen to stun the target, do you get to resolve the original attack even though you are stunned by the Parting Blow?

So say Royal Guard attacks Han Solo. Han plays On the Lam to move away. Royal Guard plays Parting Blow, stuns Han, and then becomes stunned itself. Now that Han can no longer move away, does the original attack continue and get resolved, even though the attacker is now stunned?

Based on the Greedo vs someone with stun ruling, I think yes, you would complete both attacks.

Stun has effectively been ruled as "You cannot declare attacks." If you're already in an attack and then get stunned, you still get to finish it.

8 hours ago, DTDanix said:

Based on the Greedo vs someone with stun ruling, I think yes, you would complete both attacks.

Stun has effectively been ruled as "You cannot declare attacks." If you're already in an attack and then get stunned, you still get to finish it.

This matter has been cleared in recent FAQ.

p. 11 "STUN • A Stunned figure cannot declare an attack, but can resolve an attack that has already been declared if it becomes Stunned during it."