Can free actions be used as interrupts?

[UngeheuerLich]

And once again i appear in a free action thread and demand a new wording:

free interrupt, free reaction



maybe a developer reads it and thinks, hey why not

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

The funny thing is I have yet to see anyone even bother to try to take the 'Free Actions don't work like interrupts' position ANYWHERE except on this board. Go to the 4e Q&A forum and it will get universally and immediately rejected. Its just too inconsistent to be a good ruling.

I guess it would be fine if there was some clarification, but most of the world oddly doesn't seem to be in bad need of one...

 

[keterys]

The funny thing is I have yet to see anyone even bother to try to take the 'Free Actions don't work like interrupts' position ANYWHERE except on this board. Go to the 4e Q&A forum and it will get universally and immediately rejected. Its just too inconsistent to be a good ruling.

I guess it would be fine if there was some clarification, but most of the world oddly doesn't seem to be in bad need of one...

As far as I can tell, the stance that they work similar to interrupts _was_ taken on this board.

The key word there is _similar_, though. Much like how immediate interrupts and reactions are different, there's still a key difference.

The 'free reaction' and 'free interrupt' idea is a good one, though I'd suggest a third option for 'on your turn' would be a good idea. That would solve situations like swordmages who try to get versatile damage one very attack while also gaining the full 'one-handed' AC bonus against every attack.

 

[DarkLord Of DForce]

See, this? This is simply incorrect.

Immediate reactions to movement go after each square of movement -- not someone ending their movement (which is a separate trigger). So Repulsion Armor doesn't stop people from ending their movement next to you, it just lets you push them the first time they do so (which -can- stop them from attacking you, but you need to be clever -- stand near a pit or a fighter or something, or an extra square away).

If reactions didn't happen on every square of movement, then readied actions on movement wouldn't work properly, which would be a serious problem.

Yep, been there, done that with this conversation in another thread. Following that, Repulsive armor is basically useless. Anytime its used, and the target has at least 1 square of movement left, it can continue on. In our current campaign/game, when someone stops their "move" part of their turn, then its over, unless they want to spend a standard action or an action point to get a 2nd move action.

I took the time to get the response to this problem from customer service from -3- different representatives. They claim that the move action is resolved, ending in the square next to you, before Repulsive Armor's immediate reaction kicks in, and pushes them back one square. Since RA would be useless otherwise, and 3 customer reps support this, we are using it to that effect.

Thanks.

PS and apologies to the OP - didn't mean to digress from the actual subject here. Was just curious about simliarities/diffs.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Unless it specifically says it can, free actions do not interrupt an action. In one of the examples used, the character is already "hit" and the attack and damage is essentially one action unless a power SPECIFICALLY says it can interrupt the completion of the attack.

Actually, Attack and Hit are two very separate points in the power. So much so that there are many Immediate Actions that act explicitly on one or the other. Shield is an excellent example of this; the trigger is if you are hit (ie, a successful Attack), and it can prevent the Hit part of the line. Elven Accuracy is an example of a free action that works on the same principle.

 

[Legildur]

No books in front of me, but this thread has got me thinking.

If Free Actions are allowed outside of your turn, and using an Action Point is a Free Action, then that means you can use an Action Point outside of your turn?

 

[abyssaldeath]

No books in front of me, but this thread has got me thinking.

If Free Actions are allowed outside of your turn, and using an Action Point is a Free Action, then that means you can use an Action Point outside of your turn?

The rules for action points say that they can only be used on your turn.

 

[Legildur]

The rules for action points say that they can only be used on your turn.

Thanks. I was expecting that answer, but with no books in front of me, I couldn't look it up and just had to have the answer now!

 

[TarionzCousin]

Can Free Love be used as an interrupt?

 

[Herschel]

Actually, Attack and Hit are two very separate points in the power. So much so that there are many Immediate Actions that act explicitly on one or the other. Shield is an excellent example of this; the trigger is if you are hit (ie, a successful Attack), and it can prevent the Hit part of the line. Elven Accuracy is an example of a free action that works on the same principle.

The point is, those are EXPLICIT in their ability to interrupt the attack/hit/damage sequence and the expicit overrules the general. There's nothing in the general free actions that allows for interrupting the resolution of the attack/hit/damage segments of the power's action. The attack/hit/damage/rider/(even movement part of a charge) are all part of a SINGLE action, generally a standard action. The general free actions do not state they can interrupt said action.