The Brewmaster Tanking Guide [5.4]

[Promdates]

All it does, if you're alone is takes any damage you would take (physical or magical) and lets you stagger it at your current stagger amount. It doesn't increase stagger at all, nor does it "reduce" the damage you take by 20%.

Things Avert Harm does:

Reduces the damage taken by anyone OTHER than yourself within 10 yards by 20%.
All damage prevented (that 20%) to sources that are NOT YOU are dealt to you instead.
You stagger ALL damage you take during this time. Including damage you would take yourself.

Lets use math:
Boss does an AoE pulse for 400k damage. 4 other people are within range of you when the blast hits after you use Avert Harm. Those 4 people will take 320k damage outright. You have a stagger of 50%. You take 720k (80k * 4=320k from other 4 sources, and 400k from yourself) damage, staggering half of it. So you take 360k and dot another 360k.

Should you be alone when that 400k pulse goes out, with 50% stagger you would take 200k damage and dot the other 200k.

[Lovestar]

Thanks. Can you clarify then, what the EJ guide means by this quote?

Avert Harm grants +20% Stagger to damage taken from all sources while active. All damage, including spells damage not redirected via Avert Harm. While this runs contrary to the tooltip, it is tested and verified. As such, AH can serve as a personal cooldown in scenarios in which it has no raid value due to lack of raid damage (e.g., solo tanking Malkorok Blood Rage) or range (e.g., solo tanking Thok).

If Avert's personal benefit is strictly to allow non-Physical damage to use your Stagger, what's this note trying to say with the explicit statement that

Avert Harm grants +20% Stagger to damage taken from all sources while active. All damage, including spells damage not redirected via Avert Harm

?

[Promdates]

As mentioned in the survival thread, AH doesn't give any bonus stagger. That is wrong and very misleading information. I'd like to see pisshand's testing and info about it giving 20% bonus stagger when it doesn't in any form. You can even double check the spell information at wowhead and see that it gives no bonus to stagger. If you check the Shuffle spell page, you see the Effect flag "Apply Aura: Dummy Value: 20" something that Avert Harm doesn't show.

[Lovestar]

Your correction is very appreciated since I do not like spreading misinformation. Is this a more accurate assessment now?

This ability is extremely confusing and you need to understand what it actually does in order to benefit from it.

First, let's clarify exactly what happens when you Avert Harm:

• For 6 seconds, you Stagger all incoming damage.
• Everyone who remains with 10 yards of you takes 20% less damage from all sources. (100,000 incoming damage would become 80,000 for them)
• The damage they did not take is transferred to you. (+20,000 damage to you)
• Your Stagger percentage is applied to this transferred damage. (with 50% Stagger, you'd take 10,000 immediately and add 10,000 to your Stagger dot)

The first point is extremely important. Remember that you usually cannot Stagger non-Physical damage. While Avert Harm is active, that rule no longer applies. This makes Avert Harm a legitimate personal cooldown to mitigate Magic damage.

However, you must remember the second point. If anyone gets within 10 yards of you during Avert Harm, you will take part of their damage, and this has no target cap. This means if you use Avert Harm while a large number of people are within range and taking significant damage, you will probably instantly die.

Despite these flaws, if you know you're isolated from others (for example, solo tanking adds, or on the far side of a boss with a huge hit box) you can use Avert as a clutch CD, especially combined with immediately Purifying, to nullify large incoming Magic damage.

[Promdates]

Generally yes.

[Lovestar]

TY. I have one other question.

On Pally I remember HoSac used to transfer damage in the same 'school' as the person that was being damaged. Does damage transferred through Avert Harm remain 100% Physical (both initial, and as Physical damage from the Stagger dot)?

I'm curious if Diffuse Magic can be used like Zen Med when deliberately Averting others.

[Promdates]

Yes, both have the same "Apply Aura: Split Damage % (Arcane, Fire, Frost, Holy, Nature, Physical, Shadow)" spell tag. One is just ticked at 20% and "area", the other at 30%.

[allaiva]

TY. I have one other question.

On Pally I remember HoSac used to transfer damage in the same 'school' as the person that was being damaged. Does damage transferred through Avert Harm remain 100% Physical (both initial, and as Physical damage from the Stagger dot)?

I'm curious if Diffuse Magic can be used like Zen Med when deliberately Averting others.

Here's my log from last night where I purposely used AH in the middle of the group:

[21:45:15.330] Allayva gains Avert Harm from Allayva
[21:45:15.864] Allayva takes 0 damage from Slipperyfish's Avert Harm (A: 6006)
[21:45:16.266] Allayva takes 7625 damage from Aarlynn's Avert Harm (A: 10600)
[21:45:16.266] Allayva takes 8472 damage from Slipperyfish's Avert Harm (A: 11778)
[21:45:16.275] Allayva takes 10167 damage from Aarlynn's Avert Harm (A: 14133)
[21:45:16.677] Allayva takes 9150 damage from Aarlynn's Avert Harm (A: 12720)
[21:45:16.677] Allayva takes 11296 damage from Slipperyfish's Avert Harm (A: 15704)
[21:45:17.056] Allayva takes 12551 damage from Slipperyfish's Avert Harm (A: 17449)
[21:45:17.071] Allayva takes 4880 damage from Furtim's Avert Harm (A: 6784)
[21:45:17.882] Allayva takes 0 damage from Aarlynn's Avert Harm (A: 21870)
[21:45:17.905] Allayva takes 0 damage from Aarlynn's Avert Harm (A: 20250)
[21:45:17.905] Allayva takes 0 damage from Slipperyfish's Avert Harm (A: 19216)
[21:45:18.666] Allayva takes 0 damage from Aarlynn's Avert Harm (A: 24300)
[21:45:19.485] Allayva takes 11296 damage from Aarlynn's Avert Harm (A: 15704)
[21:45:19.889] Allayva takes 10167 damage from Aarlynn's Avert Harm (A: 14133)
[21:45:19.912] Allayva takes 8472 damage from Aarlynn's Avert Harm (A: 11778)
[21:45:19.912] Allayva takes 5999 damage from Carir's Avert Harm (A: 8340)
[21:45:20.709] Allayva takes 10167 damage from Aarlynn's Avert Harm (A: 14133)
[21:45:21.126] Allayva takes 4880 damage from Furtim's Avert Harm (A: 6784)
[21:45:21.126] Allayva takes 6354 damage from Hoochy's Avert Harm (A: 8833)
[21:45:21.126] Allayva takes 2398 damage from Fauxx's Avert Harm (A: 3333)
[21:45:21.331] Allayva's Avert Harm fades from Allayva

It seems any damage transferred to you is detailed as damage from "Avert Harm" though I can't figure out what class of damage it's dealt as. I can get back to this later when I have done more investigating though.

EDIT: It's listed identical to melee, stagger, and other abilities which are expressed as physical damage. As such it will convert any redirected damage, magic or physical, to you as a physical damage source. Long story short, DM will not reduce the transferred damage.

[Promdates]

As such it will convert any redirected damage, magic or physical, to you as a physical damage source. Long story short, DM will not reduce the transferred damage.

Interesting. Good to know. Is that hosted at Warcraftlogs by chance?

[Lovestar]

♥ My heroes. I can understand nice, simple things like PRESS BLACKOUT KICK but it starts to go way over my head when it gets too analytical. TY again for helping to make my guide better.

- - - Updated - - -

Wait, does that mean you can use Hand of Protection to let a Monk eat infinite damage for 6 seconds during Avert? o.O

[Promdates]

That is a good question, and something that can be tested. I don't think anyone has tested it, as it's generally just been me and Allayva testing AH mechanics.

[allaiva]

Interesting. Good to know. Is that hosted at Warcraftlogs by chance?

It was not, I will pester those who do the logging in my guild to do so next time. I can probably test the HoProtection thing this next week if I get a chance in raid (2 retadins in a 10m raid ftw). I generally just work on the stream/videos for the raid and leave the actual logging of events for others. I do however go back in and dig through them from time to time as needed >.>

To give a note on that parse list above, that was during Protectors during Corruption Kick on the raid but didn't catch everyone I wanted to (stupid but awesome 10yd range).

- - - Updated - - -

To go along with this, this is the log from when I cast Avert Harm when nobody else was nearby (I have about 58% stagger in raid):

[22:59:53.725] Allayva gains Avert Harm from Allayva
[22:59:56.430] Iron Juggernaut Flame Vents Allayva 122014 (A: 169633)
[22:59:59.724] Allayva's Avert Harm fades from Allayva

As far as I can tell, any damage directed to you does not changed to physical damage and instead is done as a typical spell cast against you, but just staggered if it typically would not.

I figured out a parse from Protectors where I used AH in the middle of the raid. This is from Rook's Corruption Kick and an instance of He's Garrote:

[21:41:12.578] He Softfoot Garrote Slipperyfish 77760 (A: 19440)
[21:41:12.630] Rook Stonetoe Corruption Kick Allayva 25416 (A: 35334)
[21:41:12.630] Rook Stonetoe Corruption Kick Slipperyfish 81000 (A: 20250)
[21:41:12.648] Allayva takes 0 damage from Slipperyfish's Avert Harm (A: 19440)
[21:41:12.648] Allayva takes 0 damage from Slipperyfish's Avert Harm (A: 20250)

[Rainbowdash]

WOW. Thank you both for doing that testing!! If you need more data points, I've been using Avert on almost every Blackfuse pull, so I can dig those up if you want. But it looks like you have it figured out.

[Lovestar]

Sorry I'm slow, but is this what you're saying in summary?

• Other people's Avert Harm split damage comes into you as a Physical spell.
• Damage you take directly during Avert still counts as its original damage type (but the portion Staggered is still Physical since it's part of the Stagger dot).

So in this situation (you have 50% Stagger):

• Jenny takes 100,000 Shadow damage.
• Avert makes this 80,000 Shadow damage (on Jenny).
• Avert inflicts 20,000 total Physical damage (on you), which is split as 10,000 (instant) and 10,000 (staggered).

And in this situation:

• Jenny is AFK on the other side of the room when you pull.
• You activate Avert and no one else is near you.
• You take 100,000 Shadow damage.
• Avert makes this 50,000 Shadow damage (immediately) and 50,000 Physical damage (Staggered).

Yes?

[allaiva]

Sorry I'm slow, but is this what you're saying in summary?

• Other people's Avert Harm split damage comes into you as a Physical spell.
• Damage you take directly during Avert still counts as its original damage type (but the portion Staggered is still Physical since it's part of the Stagger dot).

So in this situation (you have 50% Stagger):

• Jenny takes 100,000 Shadow damage.
• Avert makes this 80,000 Shadow damage (on Jenny).
• Avert inflicts 20,000 total Physical damage (on you), which is split as 10,000 (instant) and 10,000 (staggered).

And in this situation:

• Jenny is AFK on the other side of the room when you pull.
• You activate Avert and no one else is near you.
• You take 100,000 Shadow damage.
• Avert makes this 50,000 Shadow damage (immediately) and 50,000 Physical damage (Staggered).

Yes?

As far as I can tell through logs at this point in time, yes.

[Promdates]

Wooooo. Just did about 30 minutes of testing with a shadow priest who was naked (lol mind flay hitting for 251!) and could do a consistent damage source that was a flat damage amount.

16.87% mastery, meaing 36.87% stagger.

251 baseline Mind Flay tick damage every second for 3 seconds
Ticks with Avert Harm (36.87% stagger): 159 SHADOW damage (92 absorbed) PHYSICAL stagger ticks (92/251=36.65%)
Ticks with BoK+Avert (56.87% stagger): 109 SHADOW damage (142 absorbed) PHYSICAL stagger ticks (142/251=56.57%)
Ticks with 5%+Avert (25.00% stagger): 189 SHADOW damage (62 absorbed) PHYSICAL stagger ticks (62/251=24.70%)

Definitive "testing" showing that Avert Harm doesn't infact give you any stagger amount and can actually stagger magical damage incoming. Unable to actually test if the damage redirected to you from others keeps the same. I need someone to log a magical damage ability being "soaked" by Avert Harm on multiple people, preferably on Warcraftlogs where I can break it down easier (hate worldoflogs, terrible log browser)

[Lovestar]

I suspect this is a moot point based on what's known, but just for posterity, if we have for example a log entry of Avert Harm being active during a Physical attack (and clearly no change in amount Staggered) it would be good to close the issue firmly.

I'm imagining the loopy possibility that for whatever reason, it adds +20% to Physical stagger, but not Magical stagger. That's the only way I can see the "tested and verified" () EJ reference still holding water instead of being outright (inexplicably) inaccurate.

[Deleted]

I have a log where it does not add anything to physical stagger.

23:00:01.462 Channou gains Avert Harm from Channou

23:00:01.593 Iron Juggernaut Melee Channou 108950 (A: 182920)

This corresponds to 62.67% staggered. Which is 13964 mastery rating on gear. The (almost) exact amount that I have.

[Promdates]

All stagger damage is physical. But yes, that still shows that Avert Harm does NOT increase stagger in anyway.

[Lovestar]

Wonderful! TY ♥

- - - Updated - - -

All stagger damage is physical. But yes, that still shows that Avert Harm does NOT increase stagger in anyway.

I meant that Avert Harm would make Physical damage staggered +20% but Magical damage use only baseline Stagger %. It wouldn't show up when you grab your Stagger % via LUA request because the game doesn't see your baseline changing, there's just some mysterious extra Physical reduction occurring somewhere. I mean, we've all seen much weirder things happen in WoW's code.

I was just trying to imagine some scenario where the EJ statement could still be valid. Instead though, it's what I suspected from you & Allayva's work — the EJ statement is just, well... wrong (so I don't know how it was "tested and verified", or where ), and Avert doesn't add to your Stagger % under any circumstances (as you've been asserting).