Fantastic and very complete answer, thank you.
I’m completely comfortable working in C++ and already have a custom MovementComponent written up, so no problem there. I’ve been sticking with prototyping in BP because of the fast turnaround and just didn’t expect this first step would have the complexity that warranted adding it, haha.
Also, I now feel stupid having not just looked up the mechanic I was trying to implement; checking out DS-like lock-on was a great idea.
The game is 3rd-person, and the camera is the traditional fighting game cam, i.e. fixed between the two fighters and (so far) nonadjustable.
In any case, thanks again