Blink spell versus multi-attack?

[dbm]

In a game tonight, our mage was attacked by a monster with multiple attacks:

Spoiler:  

A Peshkali with it’s six attacks!

He wanted to use Blink against it whilst it was focussing all it’s attacks on him.

My ruling was, like a retreat or diving dodge, the Blink defence against the first attack would not move him out of range of the subsequent attacks.

Is that how other GMs would play it?

[Mr_Sandman]

I would allow Blink to move the mage out of range for all the subsequent attacks from that opponent, unless the opponent had a step and/or reach that would allow them to follow and hit the mage.

From a game perspective, retreat, even though it doesn't move the defender out of range for subsequent attacks from the same attacker, does give a bonus to to defend against them. The spell description for Blink says it is a dodge that automatically succeeds. That should at least be better than a mundane retreat that only gives a bonus to defense.

Dodge and Drop doesn't let you reach cover from the attack being dodged, but explicitly does for subsequent ranged attacks.

From a simulationist, 'modeling the fight' perspective, a retreat takes time as the defender physically moves backwards throughout the attacker's turn. So all the attacs can happen while the dodge in still in progress. It's the motion itself that give the bonus to defenses, not just that the defender end up further away. A Blink is an instantaneous magical teleportation, and it's hard to imagine how it would let the defender avoid taking the first hit, but still be there to take the subsequent ones.

[Anthony]

I'm inclined to say that the blink spell, if it puts the mage in an unattackable position (it might not), will prevent further attacks, but as far as I know you don't actually have to declare the target of your attacks at the start of the turn, so the monster can just direct the remaining attacks at another party member, and if it hasn't already taken its step, even use its step after the first attack.

[ArchonShiva]

Attacks are distinct actions from each other and happen in sequence. After you blink, the foe should consider your new position and decide what to do next. You may or may not be able to attack that foe again. Knockback works exactly the same.

Note that Blink is in no way a retreat — it does not help again further attacks if these can reach you. There is no mention of retreating, and no reason why retreating rules allowing further attacks would apply.

All that said, Blink makes you lose your turn unless you buy up an off-attribute Hard skill that serves no other purpose. It’s pretty good defensively, but I wouldn’t use it most of the time unless I was faced with some steep Dodge penalty.

Blink (and Phase) should protect from both strikes when defending from a Dual-Weapon Attack, as these are simultaneous.

[InexplicableVic]

Originally Posted by ArchonShiva

All that said, Blink makes you lose your turn unless you buy up an off-attribute Hard skill that serves no other purpose. It’s pretty good defensively, but I wouldn’t use it most of the time unless I was faced with some steep Dodge penalty.

True that Body Sense is not an IQ-based skill, but DX-based. Still, a 250-point wizard can have it at 10 skill (50% success rate) for 1 point. Invest 3 points into that during play, and it's a 12 (74.1% success rate). That's a pretty good investment--most of the time the wizard will not be losing his or her next turn. But it's a very useful spell if the wizard absolutely must not get hit, e.g., he has DR2 and will get hit by a monster who does an average of 14 cutting...with 12 getting past DR, for a total of 18 injury, it's not enough to kill the wizard in one blow, but that most likely puts the wizard out of the fight if he or she gets hit with the first of the monster's multiple attacks (and may then get killed by subsequent attacks). In that regard, Blink is a great spell. Phase is better when it's against an opponent with only one attack, but multiple attacks? Blink is great, and maybe the Wizard's best bet.

Also, to confirm the answer to the OP's question, Blink definitely moves the wizard out of range for the subsequent attacks, as ArchonShiva notes above, because the attacks happen in sequence. Just like if a knight using rapid strike rolls a 18 and drops his weapon on his first attack...the second attack is now spoiled (this happened more than once to the late Hjalmarr Holgerson of Peter Dell'Orto's Felltower Campaign).

I would also say that the attacker doesn't get to do anything else once the Wizard blinks away. In one-second time frames, a combatant who makes a multi-attack against an opponent who blinks away after the first attack is not going to be able to redirect those attacks against another foe.

[ArchonShiva]

Originally Posted by Spartan506

I would also say that the attacker doesn't get to do anything else once the Wizard blinks away. In one-second time frames, a combatant who makes a multi-attack against an opponent who blinks away after the first attack is not going to be able to redirect those attacks against another foe.

That bit, while perfectly reasonable, is entirely a house rule, though. RAW is very generous about course corrections, such as changing targets of the first goblin does, and Blink is nominally balanced against that.