Black Oil Stormwall + Covering Fire

[PG_MrChom]

Let's say you Black Oil stormwall and it "cannot make ranged or magic attacks". Stormwall's Covering Fire text says "Instead of making making attacks with this weapon..."

My question is...can Stormwall cover fire while black oiled? It's not making a ranged attack to do so, and hasn't been required to forfeit anything but does the "cannot" prevent an "instead of"?

[Baptism By Ice]

I would say that the "Instead of making attacks..." text assumes/requires the option to make that attack. If you cannot make a ranged attack, then you would not have the option to forfeit it to drop templates instead. So no, I would assume that a blinded stormwall could not drop covering fire templates.

[PG_Draxos]

You can't. It's the same thing as with the Cyclone

[MagnustheJust]

Simple trick to remember - cannot trumps can.

[PG_MrChom]

Simple trick to remember - cannot trumps can.

But that's the thing, it says it cannot make ranged attacks.....what it's doing is instead of ranged attacks, isn't an attack, and also isn't a ranged attack. I'm hearing the answers I presumed were correct (and hoped for, because Stormwall doesn't need any help) but like I said.....the prevention and what it's doing are two different things.

[Valander]

You must be able to make a ranged attack to do something that requires "instead of making a ranged attack."