A root ability refers to a type of crowd-control that causes an enemy to be trapped in place for some time, unable to move. They are still able to continue attacking if they possess ranged abilities or their target is in melee reach, however against close-combat fighters the technique allows a party to effectively remove the 'rooted' hostile from the fight for some time.
Most root abilities have a chance to stop holding the target if they are damaged, so that often it is beneficial to inform allies that they should cease attacking a unit that you have rooted to the spot.
Some examples of this type of skill include:
- Piercing Roots (Druid)
- Paralysis Field (Psionicist)
- Winter's Roar (Shaman)