How does this work? Do you anticipate specific attacks...

"Anticipate bash"
"Anticipate ice needles"

Or do you specify types of attacks (slicing, piercing, blunt, fire, poison)? The helpfile isn't very clear, are there echoes in game to help you know how to use it?

If it's the former, are there echoes to let you know you "don't know how to anticipate" something? For example, if you type in "anticipate needles" and the code doesn't recognize "needles", or "pierce", is there a useful echo to let you know what syntax you should be using?

Can you anticipate automatic skills?

1a. The automatic bearcharge from a mountaineer?

1b. Concealed attack?

1c. Flurries that are progged?

1d. Other item-progged skills or spells that aren't available to any classes, like prismatic spray?

1e. And for a sanity check, can you anticipate second attack?

2. What about zap? Do you have to anticipate zap, or the actual spell that you're getting zapped with?

3. Can you anticipate skills/spells from mobs, and would this work against those hold person mobs, pwk or assassination mobs?

I'm going to preface my answers here with a general statement - I didn't test this with every single skill (all 1612 of them at last count) or every progged item, etc. My suggestion from here on out is watch it in play and make your assessment from that.

>Can you anticipate automatic skills?
>
>1a. The automatic bearcharge from a mountaineer?

Yes.

>
>1b. Concealed attack?

No - same with backfist/riposte/etc - a generally good rule to follow is if you can't evade it, you can't anticipate it.

>
>1c. Flurries that are progged?

Generally speaking, skills that are progged to items will be able to be anticipated.

>
>1d. Other item-progged skills or spells that aren't available
>to any classes, like prismatic spray?

For items that cast, most of them you can probably anticipate. Using prismatic spray as an example, for every item that can cast it, you can anticipate prismatic spray and potentially avoid it.


>
>1e. And for a sanity check, can you anticipate second attack?

No.

>2. What about zap? Do you have to anticipate zap, or the
>actual spell that you're getting zapped with?

The spell that you're getting zapped with, recited with, brandished with.

>
>3. Can you anticipate skills/spells from mobs, and would this
>work against those hold person mobs, pwk or assassination
>mobs?

You can anticipate skills from mobs, but mob spells and specially progged mobs might be hit or miss.

n/t

As it stands right now, you cannot anticipate assassinate. I based it off of the same rules for evade, and you can't evade assassinate either. This *may* change.

This ability is awesome. It would be sweet if there was some way to implement a limited form of this that anyone could use:

You try to anticipate one skill, spell or commune. It gives you a slightly improved chance to avoid it, but maybe it also makes you more prone to be hit by other things. So maybe if it ups your chance to avoid the attack named by 10%, it ups your chance to be hit by other types of attacks by 5%. A monk on the other hand gets a 15% chance to avoid the attack, with no penalty to other types. (numbers arbitrary)

Maybe there are other restrictions as well, for example melee-types are better at anticipating melee attacks, mages at magic attacks, and communers at communes. Only makes sense that you would be better at avoiding what you're trained in. Also opens the door for legacies/edges/quest rewards that make you better at anticipating one of the other attack types (for example one that allows a Rager who earns it to anticipate spells as well as another mage)

Or maybe that would dilute monks too much, I haven't really read the class. Either way though, I'm just rambling; I think this is an awesome ability that adds a whole new level to defense, and that it would be cool to see it in wider use. Thanks!

Aarn

>This ability is awesome. It would be sweet if there was some
>way to implement a limited form of this that anyone could
>use:

Uhm...no.

You can anticipate skills, spells, communes, and powers.
"Anticipate bash" works. As does "Anticipate ice needles", "Anticipate flurry" or "Anticipate wrath".

There is no echo to tell you if you try to anticipate something that doesn't exist - if you "Anticipate beer", it's not going to do anything for you. And there's a reason for that.

.

can we anticipate dodge or parry? :)


Cheers,
Jhyrb

And as soon as someone tries to crack you in the head with dodge, you'll jump right out of the way. :)

I didn't read where it said it had to be an offensive power/skill/commune. Just figured it would be a cool dimension if they could lower a characters parry/dodge/shield block/flourintine/spin effectiveness by anticipating their moves and upping the paladins melee potential.


Cheers,
Jhyrb

and the target can't logoff for 10 minutes.

Does it work against offensive abilities that aren't normal class abilities, or that might require some guess work and/or cleverness to figure out the name of?

I'm not 100% sure I correctly understand the question you're asking, but I think the answer is yes. You could try to anticipate beast call, for example.

If, for example, a questy mob casts a spell called "uber secret acid lance" and I happen to guess the name, will I anticipate it?

I guess what I'm asking is can you anticipate anything as long as you know what the call it, or is it limited to common-knowledge skills, spells, powers, etc?

If there's a spell/skill out there that's not common knowledge, and you get lucky and guess the name and anticipate it, yes you will anticipate it.

Since 'sing' is a skill, does that mean that anticipating sign will work against all bard songs?

Can you anticipate area spells/communes/skills? (And does it matter if you're fighting the guy you are anticipating / he is anticipating you?)

i.e. i'm fighting a warrior, and in the same room an assassin and another warrior (in my range) are fighting. can i then anticipate a rising phoenix kick from the assassin?

I think some of this I already answered, but I'll clarify here just in case.

>Since 'sing' is a skill, does that mean that anticipating
>sign will work against all bard songs?
>

No - bard songs are area effect and area effects are not able to be anticipated.

>Can you anticipate area spells/communes/skills? (And does it
>matter if you're fighting the guy you are anticipating / he is
>anticipating you?)
>

Answered above - you can't anticipate area effects.

>i.e. i'm fighting a warrior, and in the same room an assassin
>and another warrior (in my range) are fighting. can i then
>anticipate a rising phoenix kick from the assassin?

You can anticipate attacks from someone who isn't currently fighting you.

Rising phoenix kick is a skill that's sort of a directed attack but also an area attack. 'Anticipate rising phoenix kick' would only work if the assassin is fighting you. If the assassin rising phoenix's your groupmate, you're going to still get hit with it since you're then part of the area effect.
Hope that makes sense.

nt

anticipate skill


If the next skill is jab, you'll dodge the jab and be lagged longer than the bash you were expecting. If the next ones a spell, you'll be waiting for the next targetted skill. How the lag works I've no idea, but that's how the helpfile describes the syntax.

If you're fighting a priest, it'd be pretty simple to just keep saying 'anticipate commune' and avoid his communes. It doesn't matter which one comes, it's the class of attack that matters for anticipate.

From what Sebeok said above, I think your thoughts about 'anticipate commune' aren't quite right. You'd have to 'anticipate blindness' or curse or poison or whatever. Plain old 'anticipate commune' wouldn't work.

Although that being said, anticipate blindness would work on both blindness commune and blindness spell.

Blindness skill from assassins also?

Nope. That's blindness dust.

Also, I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think anticipate will work on an area-affecting ability. Sebeok knows better and can correct me on that, and we'll update the helpfile accordingly.

Correct - anticipate will not work on area-effecting spells/skills. You could certainly 'anticipate fireball', for example - it just won't do you any good.

Glad to hear you can't anticipate AOE.
on the fireball thing though, how about anticipate controlled fireball
as it is more directed at one person and not the area?

You can antiipate controlled fireball, yes. If the caster absolutely has to target a player (c 'spell' <target>), you can anticipate it.

nt

The only thing I'm curious about is multi word spells (Do I need to type out 'anticipate metabolic slowing' or "anticipate 'metabolic slowing'"?) and whether or not you can abbreviate commands (will 'anticipate kans' work, or does it have to be 'anticipate kansetsuwaza')

Sounds pretty nifty though. I want to check out one, but I think I'll let the horde thin out over the next couple weeks.

The proper syntax would be 'anticipate metabolic slowing'. Adding in extra quotes may make it not work properly.

Abbreviations do work - 'Anticipate kans' would work to anticipate kansetsuwaza.

>The proper syntax would be 'anticipate metabolic slowing'.
>Adding in extra quotes may make it not work properly.
>
>Abbreviations do work - 'Anticipate kans' would work to
>anticipate kansetsuwaza.

Do abbreviations work on multi-word skills? E.g. What would 'anticipate metabolic' do? Nothing, or work vs both slowing and quickening?

It'd work against one of them -- whichever one you get if you did 'cast metabolic'