All righty, so I've heard a few differing things, and wanted to make sure I had a grasp on it.

Black Panther's trait:

YOU DON'T GET TO GIVE UP: Once during your turn, another friendly character within 4 squares that shares a keyword with Black Panther can use Willpower.

The question I have is, can you simply designate a character that shares a keyword to use Willpower that turn, even though that character may end its action beyond the 4 squares indicated in the trait, or do they have to be within 4 squares of Black Panther when the action resolves? Thanks in advance.

Way I'm understanding the wording you have a figure 4 squares away, you give them willpower, that figure does something using the willpower to avoid pushing damage. I would rule it that you don't have to stay within 4 squares to keep the willpower you just need to be within 4 before your action to use the trait.

I would disagree, based on how Gizmo power has been ruled like an "aura effect" since both have the "within 4 squares..." phrase on it

Yeah it's a little unclear here. I don't know why they didn't do the usual, "Once per turn, give Black Panther a free action and choose a friendly character within 4 squares that shares a keyword with him. The chosen character can use willpower this turn."

The fact that they didn't do it that way actually makes me think the intention may be that the character must be within 4 squares when they would be dealt pushing damage, i.e. as whatever action they've taken resolves.

This is how I understood it as well.

When you give BP the free action to choose a friendly figure it must be within range, after that they can move out of range. The difference between this and Gizmo is that Gizmo'sis an ongoing effect that any friendly can use, this is a power that a specific figure is chosen to use. BP makes the choice of who to give it to via the free action when they are in range, Gizmo takes a free action and picks a power that anyone can use as long as tbey come into the area of effect.

Panther requires no action of any kind, you simply designate a character within 4 squares that is able to use Willpower each turn.

Black panther does not take a free action to use this power.

This situation is similar to that of TT025Cyborg's Connected to Every Computer Trait...

CONNECTED TO EVERY COMPUTER: Give Cyborg a free action and choose an object within range. Cyborg can draw lines of fire and count range and squares from that object until your next turn.

It was rules by former Rules Deputy and current Game Developer Quebbster that Cyborg could choose the object within 7 squares, then after it is chosen, the object could be moved somehow and Cyborg could draw lines after it is moved out of the original 7 squares indicated in the power.

http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/showth...=cyborg&page=3

Post #31.

Based on this answer, I would say that the friendly character Black Panther chose to use Willpower could use it outside of the original 4 squares, as long as they were within the 4 squares when chosen as indicated. Nowhere does it say the target must remain within the 4 squares.

*It is important to note that rulings made by any of the former Rules Deputies are still valid unless a current Rules Deputy says otherwise.

**This is just my interpretation of Black Panther's power. What do I know really? We'll have a ruling soon.

IMHO Willpower comes into play in a very specific moment, which is at action resolution if the character would take pushing damage for recieving a second Action Token.

That said, in my venue, I would rule that whenever a friendly character ends an action 4 squares away from Black Panther, you get to chose to give him Willpower if you want (only once per turn, obviously)

This power is more similar to Defend than it is to powers activated by a free action.
Defend, you just say "This guy who is adjacent to Defend Man shares his defense number at the moment it's important."
Black Panther seems similar, in that "This guy who is within 4 squares can use willpower at the moment it's important" also makes sense. So I'd say it's at the resolution of the action when Black Panther checks the 4 squares distance.

The powers timing isn't specific. Is the character being chose within 4 squares? Yes. Then they can use willpower. It doesn't say this turn or while within 4 squares, it just says they can use willpower. So as I see it, pick a person. Whenever they need to activate it, they can use willpower.

The timing may not be specific, but the conditions are.

The conditions are as follows:
a) Once per turn
b) another friendly character
c) within 4 squares of BP
d) shares a keyword

You are correct when you state that "[it] doesn't say this turn..." as a condition. You are also correct when you say "[it] doesn't say... while within 4 squares...".

But considering it is not granted via a free action, and that the text doesn't specify a duration in any other way (like, "for the remainder of the turn"), we are left with "within 4 squares" as our only measurement of duration.

So if I had to vote right now, I would say that the chosen character may only use Willpower while they remain within 4 squares. If they break any of the conditions above, I would say they become ineligible.

Hard to argue that.

This is certainly how I'm reading it. If it was a give BP a Free Action to let someone within four squares use Willpower until the end of the turn, then it would be different, but as is, it looks like you have to be within four of BP to use WP. The fact that it *doesn't* require an action (free or otherwise) from BP seems to reinforce this.


It actually reminds me a little of this:
If the Asgardian Warrior started their action within eight of their Deity, but Charged out of those eight squares, then they did NOT get the +1 when making the attack.