Parry and Counter Attacks ?

[mike.xulima]

Just trying to clarify the mechanics of these and how some skills affect them.

So it seems that you get a parry chance before a counter attack, assuming of course you're in a parry stance or web of steel stance.

Where I'm not sure I understand the rules is the cost in OP of counter attacks. A successful parry should make it cost 1 less OP. But, does Web of Steel stack with a regular parry? Does the counter attack cost -2 OP if done in Web of Steel stance?

Let's say I am using a sword/shield so my attacks cost 2 OP. Do I need any OP at all to get in counter attacks with Web of Steel so long as I successfully parry? Would it make the cost of the counter attacks 0 OP? Can you counter attack with 0 OP at all?

Because I am wondering why I would want to take Swift Counter as well, unless you're trying to parry with a halberd? Why would you need to regenerate 1 OP if the counter attacks are free?

And if you are a Merc Captain with Swift Reaction, do Counters cost -3 OP (if you're also using Web of Steel)?

[Darth Cannabis]

To answer your question, no there is no stacking of extra OP reduction due to web of steel.

Web of steel allows additional parries, but they are stil just normal parries and -1OP. There is no additional from Web of Steel.

That is what makes the merc captain special. With his -1OP in addition, they are -2, or a free counter in the case of a 1 handed weapon.

(tip:there is one other way, for units to have free counters in the case of parry, but its something for the darker arts. The doomweaver's starting spell, Boon of Ruin, lowers the cost of counter attacking by 1, but costs the attacks to cost the attacker health. In some cases, having a parry unit get the free counter, can be worth hurting them a little. This can be further minimized, if also using idol of blood, for the attacker to regain hp off of attack with)

[Bloodscape]

You would want to take swift counter in the cases that Darth did not mention, i.e. a normal warrior with the normal -1OP in the case of a parry AND web of steel.

With 1 OP left, a normal warrior can go into web of steel and potentially do 3 counter attacks (considering if web of steel and swift counter were both mastered). If you have more than 1OP left, you can potentially do many counter attacks even when your parry fails (costing 2 OP). For instance, a warrior with 3 OP left can parry counter and gain 1 OP back, fail a parry and normal counter and gain 1 OP back (now left with 2 OP), parry counter and gain 1 OP back and still have 1 normal (non-parry) counter left for a total of 4 counter attacks if 2 parries are successful.

This, of course, has many variations and depends on how many incomming attacks you think you may get but the return damage is tangible with swift counter.

[Bloodscape]

In the case of the Matriarch, the outgoing and incomming attack combination is very strong. On her turn she can cast a mastered sigmar's hammer then a mastered comet (roughly equivilant to a 2-H attack that ignores armour) and gets -1OP to attack due to casting. This leads to cast, attack, cast, attack, web of steel (with swift counter) with 3OP left dealing huge damage per turn.

Or just cast, attack, cast, attack, cast, web of steel. Using only mastered comet, depending if others gain benifit of sigmar's hammer or not and depending on how many incomming attack she has.