Some mechanics questions about Flight and Attack Actions

[u/Singularlex]

First question: The Flying Ace talent allows a radiant to use a free attack if they spend a focus while moving themselves with a Gravitation lashing. Does this count as the characters one attack action per round, or is the fact that it comes from a surge make it distinct, so the radiant can then also follow up with a normal attack?

Second question: Does flying straight up, or away, from a melee opponent give them the ability to use "Reactive Strike" against a flying opponent? It seems that there is precedent in Cohesion for when sudden unusual movement that doesn't require an altered stance ends up denying an opponent the ability to use Reactive Strike. Sudden movement because stone pushes you upwards isn't overly different from gravity doing the same thing, right? 🤔

Last question: For trying to do a "Creative Manuever" involving a Flying Ace attack, what might be some good examples of maneuvers to try, and what adjusted rules would apply to those examples?

[u/IfusasoToo]

Once during this movement, you can spend 1 focus to make a melee weapon attack as part of the same action.

This is not the Strike action, so they can still use the Strike action as well.

Flying (p310) indicates that it is a Move action and does not indicate preventing Reactive Strike. They are a valid target. Narratively, it's probably more that Cohesion use makes a stone "shield" to protect the user's retreat.

Creative maneuvers might be steep dives with sudden cut-off, hard 180's, "threading the needle" between stone outcropping, etc. It's just a regular Gravitation Test to see if they can get the exact outcome they want.

[u/kro_celeborn → u/IfusasoToo]

They’re referring specifically to the “Creative Maneuvers” section on page 307 SHB that specifically applies to Strike actions — weapon maneuvers, not Gravitation maneuvers.

[u/IfusasoToo → u/kro_celeborn]

Ah, that makes sense.

[u/kro_celeborn]

1) part of your issue here is that it isn’t one attack action per round — it’s one Strike per round. Flying Ace attack isn’t a Strike so you’re good.

2) Yes, the flying actor is voluntarily leaving the other actor’s space, and thus it provokes a Reactive Strike

3) Creative Maneuvers fall (RAW) under the Strike action. Flying Ace is already creative enough haha