Confusion around what Blow means

Feldor

Adept
As a comment from a player who was converting. I realize its is probably far to late to make a difference, but since it caused active confusion I thought I'd mention it.

Doom Blow is not a "blow" type skill - it uses different rules than the other "Blow" type effects available to a rogue. (All the other rogue "blow" skills are called as "Weapon <effect>" without damage.)
 
The only similarity between all Blow skills I can find is that none of them use the Strike keyword. Eviscerating Blow, for example, is "500 Body", just like Doom Blow is "[X] Doom".

ERA: Okay, it's not the ONLY similarity, but it's the most readily apparent and the easiest way to explain the naming conventions of Blow vs Strike skills.
 
Yeah, fighter skills are all over the place in their usage of Blow. So it may have just been the player was just looking at rogue skills, where they are all consistent except for that one, and so they saw a pattern that didn't exist. "Strike" clearly has a special meaning in our game, which led to the player assuming the "Blow" would also.
 
I think it really just came down to, “we used strike to mean <this>, we need another word for the ones that aren’t <this>.”
 
There's 4ish different keywords that affect weapons.

Blow is any skill or item effect that generates a different effect than your normal weapon attack for a single swing, sometimes it's passive and powered by a skill. But, whatever is powering it is a single swing.
Strike is a passive or per day skill that generates a different effect than your normal weapon attack for a single swing, sometimes it's passive and powered by a skill. But, whatever is powering it is a single swing. This will always have the strike keyword, and thus use packet attack rules.
Attack is a skill per day or passive that affects characters other skills in a way. (More Damage, Ignore position requirements.)
Imbuement is an effect on the weapon and lets you change the flavor for 10 minutes per activation.

Riposting Blow is the only one that sits weirdly as it doesn't do anything on its own. Riposting Attack would probably be a better name for it.
 
Honestly, Riposting Blow might be just better called Riposte since it is not an attack but more of a meta-skill. By itself it doesn't do anything, and depending on the user it may or may not result in a 'Strike' attack. It requires at least 2 other skills to be usable - both the defense (which is consumed) and the offence (which is not consumed).
 
I think it really just came down to, “we used strike to mean <this>, we need another word for the ones that aren’t <this>.”

Yup, pretty much. If a skill uses the "Strike" keyword, we put that keyword as part of the skill name. If it didn't use the "Strike" keyword, we didn't put Strike in its name (usually we put Blow instead). There's no deeper meaning there and, honestly, there doesn't need to be.
 
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