Anticipate Blow vs Maneuver

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sigfriedmcwild
Posts:335
Joined:Wed Nov 13, 2019 6:59 am
Anticipate Blow vs Maneuver

Post by sigfriedmcwild » Thu Nov 14, 2019 2:19 am

I've never really played ED and I'm trying to understand the relative merits of Anticipate Blow and Maneuver
They both:
  • Give +2 PD per success vs target
  • Give +2 per success to the next attack vs target*
* Maneuver says "to the first close combat Attack test made against that target that round" (p158), while Anticipate Blow says "as a bonus to the first Attack test they make against that target". Now I'm wondering if Anticipate Blow gives the bonus only once per fight

Anticipate Blow:
  • Uses PER step
  • Targets MD
  • Can be used rank times per round
  • Requires higher initiative
  • PD bonus lasts until end of round
Maneuver:
  • Uses DEX step
  • Targets PD
  • Once per round
  • No initiative requirements
  • PD bonus lasts for whole combat?
PER vs MD against DEX vs PD seems pretty much a wash, DEX step is likely higher but the same goes for PD (at least that's my expectation for things that have strong physical attacks)
Maneuver lasting longer seems a huge advantage though (can I use Maneuver over multiple rounds to get PD bonuses against multiple targets?)
If the Maeuver PD bonus only lasts one round on the other hand what is the selling point over the multi use potential of Anticipate Blow? (especially for a high initiative discipline like Warrior)

Or am I misunderstanding something? I'm interested in your thoughts

Sharkforce
Posts:527
Joined:Thu Feb 28, 2019 8:39 am

Re: Anticipate Blow vs Maneuver

Post by Sharkforce » Thu Nov 14, 2019 4:52 am

regarding duration, i'd say maneuver is intended to be just for that round on both effects, not only the attack test bonus.

anyways, maneuver has the more interesting talent knacks in my opinion (with the exception of fighting against magic-heavy opponents, in which case their comparative effectiveness against physical attacks becomes relatively unimportant). although that doesn't become relevant until you buy the companion book, which has all of those knacks in it.

it is also worth noting that there is an important consideration of who gets access to those talents. anticipate blow is available to archers, scouts, swordmasters, and warriors. maneuver is available to air sailors, swordmasters, and warriors. so in only two of those cases is it really a question of which is better; otherwise, you get what you're offered, and you'll just have to accept that (there is an exception for humans, of course, but then you can't spend karma and don't get knacks, so there's definitely some things to consider).

anyways, there are a few additional things to note:

firstly, you can stack them.

secondly, if you check the acrobatic defense talent, you'll notice it doesn't work with anticipate blow... acrobatic defense is a talent that air sailors get. as do swordmasters. and warriors. and generally acrobatic defense is better, provided you can use it (note that it gives physical defense, and not just for one target or against attacks, but against all targets for everything). so everyone that gets maneuver has options to stack it with. on a related note, acrobatic defense also offers some pretty nice talent knacks.

thirdly, of those disciplines that get maneuver, perception is usually not much of a priority, while dexterity tends to be a major area of focus. that isn't necessarily a huge deal, but having an extra few step levels isn't exactly bad. i will also note that in my opinion, there is no readily observable trend that creatures with powerful attacks have better physical defense than mystic defense by a significant margin. lower mystic *armour* is fairly common for most creatures (from a game design perspective, probably because mystic damage tends to be lower to begin with), but even that isn't guaranteed. not to mention that anyone trying to help you out by lowering a target's physical defense so you can more easily hit it will be helping with maneuver *and* acrobatic defense, but not for anticipate blow...

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