Sage Advice Compendium Update 1/30/2019

[HomegrownHydra]

I don't know all the ins and outs of the rules, so can someone tell me if it is possible to take the Attack action when it isn't your turn?

 

[Maxperson]

So consider the statement: "If you take the disengage action then it must end before you can move and thus you never are able to move while under the effects of the disengage action." We all agree that's absurd (at least I hope we do). Thus, at a minimum we know that the disengage action itself doesn't extend over the full period of time that it's effects occur.

Shouldn't the bold portion be "does extend over the full period of time that its effects occur."? The rule is as follows, "If you take the Disengage action, your movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks for the rest of the turn." That's it. It simply allows all of your movement, which is not an action, to not provoke an opportunity attack. It clearly lasts until your movement is done.

What you can do on your turn when you use the disengage action is use part of your movement, use the Disengage action, then finish your move with the rest of that move not provoking attacks. Or you can use the action, then use all or part of your movement on your turn without provoking an attack. Lastly, you can move fully, use the Disengage action, not move any further and be done. In the first and second examples the Disengage action lasts from the moment you take it until the moment your movement ends or turn ends if you still have movement. In the third example it's instantaneous and does nothing except make you feel foolish for wasting your action.

 

[FrogReaver]

I don't know all the ins and outs of the rules, so can someone tell me if it is possible to take the Attack action when it isn't your turn?

The only possibility I can think of would be a ready action which let's you use your reaction to act later in the round. It's not explicitly defined as letting you take an attack action when it isn't your turn so there may be some disagreement with terminology but that's essentially what would be occurring no matter how people want to define the terms around that interaction.

 

[Maxperson]

I don't know all the ins and outs of the rules, so can someone tell me if it is possible to take the Attack action when it isn't your turn?

No. You can only take reactions when it's not your turn. There's a work-around called Ready, though. You can Ready to attack when something specific occurs, allowing you to effectively use your Attack action as a Reaction.

Edit: Jinx!

 

[FrogReaver]

Shouldn't the bold portion be "does extend over the full period of time that its effects occur."? The rule is as follows, "If you take the Disengage action, your movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks for the rest of the turn." That's it. It simply allows all of your movement, which is not an action, to not provoke an opportunity attack. It clearly lasts until your movement is done.

What you can do on your turn when you use the disengage action is use part of your movement, use the Disengage action, then finish your move with the rest of that move not provoking attacks. Or you can use the action, then use all or part of your movement on your turn without provoking an attack. Lastly, you can move fully, use the Disengage action, not move any further and be done. In the first and second examples the Disengage action lasts from the moment you take it until the moment your movement ends or turn ends if you still have movement. In the third example it's instantaneous and does nothing except make you feel foolish for wasting your action.

I said it exactly as I meant it.

Let me repeat: The issue is that rules only provide for you moving before or after an action (barring a specific exception like the attack action). So if you take the disengage action, we know it's effects last till the end of the turn. We also know that movement is only allowed before or after an action unless it's specifically called out like it is in the attack action example. (I quoted the rule above)

Option 1) The disengage action itself lasts as long as it's effects. If this was true then given the above rule you would have a strange interaction. You would not be able to actually move after taking the disengage action since it would last until the end of your turn and you can't move while taking an action, only before or after it.

or Option 2) The disengage action doesn't last as long as it's effects. Thus you would have some period of time between when the action ends and when the effects end (which is at the end of your turn) that you would be allowed to move and benefit from it's effect.

We all disagree with option 1 and thus option 2 is the only reasonable alternative. Thus we know that the disengage action doesn't last as long as it's effects.

 

[FrogReaver]

No. You can only take reactions when it's not your turn. There's a work-around called Ready, though. You can Ready to attack when something specific occurs, allowing you to effectively use your Attack action as a Reaction.

Edit: Jinx!

Stop lying to the new guy. The bolded is demonstrably false.

PHB

A reaction is an instant response to a trigger of some kind, which can occur on your turn or on someone else's.

 

[Maxperson]

I said it exactly as I meant it.

Let me repeat: The issue is that rules only provide for you moving before or after an action (barring a specific exception like the attack action). So if you take the disengage action, we know it's effects last till the end of the turn. We also know that movement is only allowed before or after an action unless it's specifically called out like it is in the attack action example. (I quoted the rule above)

Option 1) The disengage action itself lasts as long as it's effects. If this was true then given the above rule you would have a strange interaction. You would not be able to actually move after taking the disengage action since it would last until the end of your turn and you can't move while taking an action, only before or after it.

or Option 2) The disengage action doesn't last as long as it's effects. Thus you would have some period of time between when the action ends and when the effects end (which is at the end of your turn) that you would be allowed to move and benefit from it's effect.

We all disagree with option 1 and thus option 2 is the only reasonable alternative. Thus we know that the disengage action doesn't last as long as it's effects.

You are missing option 3. Specific Beats General. The specific rule in the disengage action allows it to continue on throughout its effects and for you to move. Similar to how you can move in-between attacks in your attack action.

 

[Maxperson]

Stop lying to the new guy. The bolded is demonstrably false.

PHB

Context is your friend. You should use it. He asked about when it's NOT his turn. Therefore my answer was in that context.

 

[FrogReaver]

You are missing option 3. Specific Beats General. The specific rule in the disengage action allows it to continue on throughout its effects and for you to move. Similar to how you can move in-between attacks in your attack action.

No.
1) There is not even a rule that says that. I'm starting to feel like you are just making stuff up out of thin air.

2)"Option 1: The disengage action itself lasts as long as it's effects" And "Option 2: The disengage action doesn't last as long as it's effects." cover all possibilities. There is simply no room for an additional possibility as I made sure I exhausted every possibility when I carefully crafted those statements. This is the quintisential it's either "X" or "not X" type of logical reasoning.

So do you care to stop evading my question and instead try to answer it? Is it option 1 or option 2?

 

[FrogReaver]

Context is your friend. You should use it. He asked about when it's NOT his turn. Therefore my answer was in that context.

Dude, you said reactions can't be taken on your turn and the PHB rules say you can. At least own up to being wrong. SHEESH