Making sure I understand Riposte?

[citadel97501]

I am just making sure I understand Riposte, basically it would set your targets defense at +0, correct, pretty much like they had failed a surprise check?

I have heard some people say that it doesn't work very well for offense, except against Mooks, and I was assuming I must misunderstand the rules for it then, as a good weaponry guy lets say with a +8 and a Sword for +3 damage, would do an average of 11 stress - armor if they hit, requiring that the target takes some consequences unless they are stupidly tough. 

[Haru]

As far as I understood, it basically switches attack roll and defence roll of you and your attacker around, so that your defence roll becomes your attack roll and his attack roll becomes his defence roll. You can only do this if you win the defence roll, so a riposte attack always hits.

[Ala Alba]

My interpretation of it is the same as Haru's.

It's best used when your really good defense roll goes up against someone's really crappy attack roll. (So nothing is wasted.)

[Sanctaphrax]

I agree with Haru and Ala Alba.

[citadel97501]

I do have a concern with that interpretation, as it allows someone to use an aspect for an attack and a defense, since its all one roll that sounds potentially more broken than my idea, then again it would get a smart player to focus on aspects more. 

[Haru]

You are sacrificing your next action to do this, so it basically is just a defensive fighting style, waiting for your opponent to make a mistake, rather than forcing your way around his defenses. If that style is reflected in the characters aspects, that is even better.

[citadel97501]

Well Haru,

Why I was concerned is that I got some help from Belial666 with a character, and he had given me this horrifying trick to add multiple aspects from an enchanted item when I am attacked, and I was thinking that if you have the different shifts count as the attack differential those items became a little broken. 

[Haru]

I remember, there was a passage, that stated, that you can't just add aspects to a defense roll as you like, once you beat the attack roll, that is it. This was about creating spin or something, but I would apply it here as well. That might mean, that you only wear down your opponent 1 stress at a time, but he won't be able to get close to you, without gettimg creative. Remember, you don't even get the bonus for full defence, if you riposte an attack. There is nothing to say against a defensive fighting style, though. It might even get compelled, when you can't afford to wait for your opponent to act, if time is important. 

[Belial666]

Do remember that aspects are not a flat +2 bonus; they are a +2 bonus with strings attached. An aspect that helps with your defense roll may not be able to help with your attack roll even if Riposte would allow you to use the defense as an attack.


Also, remember that you are using up a charge of an enchanted item (or mental stress) to fuel that better defense roll and you paid -1 Refresh for riposte to be able to do it. Does the cost even out? I.e. if you had used the refresh for enchanted items, you'd get 4 more enchanted items out of it. If your GM thinks losing 4 enchanted items of significant power each (your guy is good at enchanting) plus using up more magic to fuel the trick evens out the powerful defense you get from magic-assisted Riposte, go and use it. If your GM thinks it is too powerful, then don't.

[Sanctaphrax]

I think that any use of an enchanted item to create aspects, especially multiple ones, should require an action.

That seems like the source of your balance issue to me. If you let crafters use item maneuvers without an action, they become vastly more powerful. And they're not exactly weak to start with.

Bear in mind that Belial is rather good at powergaming (that's a compliment in case it isn't obvious). His suggestions tend to be a bit scary to people who worry about balance.