Shift after Disengage

[Magedoc]

If you are engaged with an opponent with higher dexterity at the start of combat and they choose the option disengage, are you then allowed to use the option shift and then attack? The rules appear to be vague and ambiguous about this.

If you cannot attack, then how do you attack an opponent in combat who has a higher dexterity and repeatedly disengages from you?

Thank you,

[Shostak]

Unless the lower DX figure has a pole weapon with reach or a thrown weapon, no, it won't be able to attack. Attempting HTH during the next movement phase could be a good option for the lower DX figure. Or not. HTH can be deadly.

[hcobb]

Originally Posted by Magedoc

If you cannot attack, then how do you attack an opponent in combat who has a higher dexterity and repeatedly disengages from you?

Use your Thrown Weapons talent or a pole arm charge attack.

[larsdangly]

Their disengage comes during the action phase, after the movement phase, so you can't move at all (including charging) on the turn your foe disengages from you. The short version is, if you are slower than someone and they want to back away from you and you can't 'trump' their DX with a pole arm charge, and you have nothing to throw and nothing with reach, and they have infinite latitude to keep moving away, then they will succeed. Next time bring a friend (or a grenade or something).

[Helborn]

All movement - including the shift -is done during the movement phase except for the disengage move. That is the only movement allowed during the action phase. Thus, your character could attack if he had a thrown weapon or a pole weapon and was facing the disengaging character, but not if the disengaging movement was into a side or rear hex of your character. Thrown spells can hit even into rear hexes if the disengaging character is still adjacent. Also, arcane strikes by a Staff 3+ (Staff of Striking and up) can be made even two hexes away regardless of facing.

[Magedoc]

I want to thank everyone for their responses
.

[hcobb]

What happened to the dagger on your belt? Keep picking that up and throwing it.

[Chris Rice]

I think there was a previous version of the rules that allowed an attack by the lower DX figure. From memory the attack suffered a minus equal to the difference in DX between the combatants. It appears this rule didn’t make it to the new edition. It’s an easy enough one to adopt and one I used to use.

[Skarg]

Originally Posted by Chris Rice

I think there was a previous version of the rules that allowed an attack by the lower DX figure. From memory the attack suffered a minus equal to the difference in DX between the combatants. It appears this rule didn’t make it to the new edition. It’s an easy enough one to adopt and one I used to use.

That was a late tweak Metagaming added to the later printings of basic Melee after Steve left.

Note too that if you're a short-hand-weapon user in a place with obstacles, you may be able to get a higher-DX disengager stuck where you can hit him, if you can keep engaging him long enough that he ends up with no place to disengage to.

[Chris Rice]

Originally Posted by Skarg

That was a late tweak Metagaming added to the later printings of basic Melee after Steve left.

Ah ok, I knew it was something we'd adopted from somewhere. It makes perfect sense to me and helps prevent the "gamey" tactic of using a high DX low ST figure to tie up a dangerous enemy without risk. It's also fairer as its odd that if a figure has a 1 point DX advantage over you he can hit you before you disengage but if he's 1 point lower he can't do anything. That's a bit extreme for me.