How many free actions

Vysirez · Jan 24, 2004

I need to make a rogue type character for a campaign I am playing in. I was thinking of making an invisible blade from CW. One of the primary abilities granted by an invisible blade is the ability to feint in melee as a free action. I was somewhat unclear on how often you can do this. In the RAW is there any limit or guideline to how many free actions one can do. Also how many times can one repeat a specific free action.

IE at higher levels, since I would be TWF I would likely have a fair number of attacks in a full attack action. Is it possible to feint for each attack in a full attack action? Or even more extreme since it's a free action, if I fail on one attempt would it be possible to just continue to try until I succed, and only then make an attack? Also how would this tie in with expert tactician? Could I get multiple free attacks? Could I feint, get a free attack from expert tactician and then feint again for my normal attacks? What about combined with spring attack. Could I move around the battle, feinting at various enemies and getting attacks on them from expert tactician?

I'm just curious to get peoples interpretions. I'm not sure what we will decide in the end.

CRGreathouse · Jan 24, 2004

Vysirez said:
In the RAW is there any limit or guideline to how many free actions one can do. Also how many times can one repeat a specific free action.

No, the only limit to free actions is the DM. Free actions can be repeated as often as desired if not limited by the DM, with the excepton of quickened spells -- you can only cast one quickened spell per round (lacking epic feats, at least).

Hypersmurf · Jan 24, 2004

CRGreathouse said:
No, the only limit to free actions is the DM.

Yup. The quote is "However, the DM puts reasonable limits on what you can do for free."

So, check with your DM what he considers "reasonable".

-Hyp.

Vysirez · Jan 24, 2004

Hypersmurf said:
Yup. The quote is "However, the DM puts reasonable limits on what you can do for free."

So, check with your DM what he considers "reasonable".

-Hyp.

That is pretty much what I had figured. Out of curiosity what does everyone here feel is reasonable?

Darklone · Jan 24, 2004

Reasonable? One per round.

Flyspeck23 · Jan 24, 2004

Darklone said:
Reasonable? One per round.

So it's not reasonable to shouting for help and drop a weapon while moving at double speed?

[Edit: added smiley...]

jgsugden · Jan 24, 2004

How many feints is reasonable when using a feat like this one? I'd say that quite a few could be made. If your DM tells you that he wants to limit it, I adivse you to rent him a few Jackie Chan movies ... he often feints *many* times in a 6 second period.

irdeggman · Jan 24, 2004

Since all attacks made in a round happen at the same time I'd say that feinting cannot apply to more than one. This is one of the strengths and weaknesses of the system - everything happens at the same time.

A character can only make one 5 ft step in a round and only 1 move action (none is taking multiple attacks). So the number of free actions that can be done is rather mote since everything must happen at the same time and that means that all the feints happen at the same time also.

Just my take on it all.

Ankh-Morpork Guard · Jan 24, 2004

irdeggman said:
Since all attacks made in a round happen at the same time I'd say that feinting cannot apply to more than one. This is one of the strengths and weaknesses of the system - everything happens at the same time.

Then what's the point of the Invisible Blade allowed Feinting as a free action?

I'd allow it with every attack, since that sure seems to be its intent. As a DM, I'm fairly lenient with free actions, since they don't usuall destory the universe.

reiella · Jan 24, 2004

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
Then what's the point of the Invisible Blade allowed Feinting as a free action?

I'd allow it with every attack, since that sure seems to be its intent. As a DM, I'm fairly lenient with free actions, since they don't usuall destory the universe.

Hmm, instead of not being able to attack until next round, they can attack this round? Unless Feigning was changed from being a standard/attack action in 3.5.