Intercept and Killing Blow

B

beboped

Rogue
Marshal
A question came up at our last game:

Can you Intercept a Killing Blow?

Here's the Beta Rules text for reference (emphasis mine):
The Intercept skill allows a character to take the damage or effect of any effect that successfully resolves on a target within weapon range (or arm’s length if no weapon is held). Touchcast effects may not be Intercepted. It may be used on packet or weapon delivered attacks (including weapon traps). It does not work against other traps or other types of deliveries.
When using this skill, you must call “Intercept” and clearly indicate which strike the skill was used against. It may be used once per Logistics period for each purchase.
You may only Intercept a blow that you could logically reach with your weapon or shield. You may not use a bow to intercept across the battlefield.
You may call an additional defense if appropriate after using an Intercept to take a blow meant for another
Click to expand...

My call on the field was "Yes", and since you cannot perform a Killing Blow on an unwilling, undisabled target, it effectively interrupted the Killing Blow.

I was performing the Killing Blow using a weapon, so it felt reasonable that Killing Blow fell under the "weapon delivered attack" grouping. However, on further reflection, the spirit of a Killing Blow seems close to a touchcast spell, as KB can be refused under some circumstances.

What do my fellow marshals think?

A followup question is: Can you Intercept other counted actions if they could reasonably fall under the "packet or weapon delivered attacks" label?
 
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I would say “No.”

A Killing Blow cannot be negated by any method of defense. It cannot be cloaked or otherwise stopped outside of Immunity.

Ergo, I would argue that it also cannot be Intercepted. Furthermore, since a KB can only be delivered onto an incapacitated target, Intercepting it would result in a “No effect,” which I think would be rather unintended.
 
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I've been noodling on this since @beboped brought it up to me at the event, and I can see both sides of the argument. I can think of two cases.

Case1: No - @Draven pretty well explained it above.

Case2: The "Yes" argument I can make actually follows from a flaw in that argument. Killing blow can be delivered onto a non-incapacitated but willing target. Intercepting an effect implies you're willing to take that effect (unless you have a useable defense). In addition, all touch cast effects may be refused, but Killing Blow cannot be, therefore it's not a touch cast effect. The more I noodle on it, the more I like this interpretation.

The implications of these interactions boil down to: "Yes, you can take it, but that implies you're willing to take the Killing Blow and as such using Intercept on a completed Killing Blow means you go immediately to Dead instead of the first target." It allows someone to do the "Get Down Mr. President!" move for a Killing Blow just like they could do so for an Arcane Obliterate giving player agency in story. In addition, my interpretation as to why you can't Intercept a touch cast effect is precisely because touch cast effects have built in refusal, so are typically beneficial, so intercepting someone's Weapon Shield casting would really suck.

If some other counted effect is weapon or packet delivered (seriously I can't think of any at the moment, but a plot team might come up with an LCO effect that is), then I'd allow that to be Intercepted as well, but they'd have to be willing to take the effect.
 
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I'd say no. Killing Blow is not an actual game Effect - it's a 3-counted action that represents an otherwise unrepresentable motion, which follows completely different rules than weapon/packet delivered attacks. It's related, but not the same. You can't throw a packet for "10 Elemental Killing Blow", for example, because Killing Blow is not a game effect.

The Intercept description says "It may be used on packet or weapon delivered attacks (including weapon traps). It does not work against other traps or other types of deliveries" (emphasis mine). A Killing Blow is exactly the perfect example of "other types of deliveries" that Intercept can't defend against.
 
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@Feldor was kind enough to point out I was in error about Cloaks.

I am now reconsidering my position on this.
 
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Good point @Gandian Ravenscroft , I also forgot that Killing Blow can be non-weapon delivered (by hand). Damn my ability to see both sides of an argument, now I am inclined to say no!
 
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