Can free actions be used as interrupts?

[Aulirophile]

Free Action Attack should be "Free Action Attack Power." Otherwise... yeah, basically correct.

 

[MrMyth]

Not to weigh in on the specific example, but rather the general topic...

This is one area the rules tend to be somewhat unclear, or even occasionally contradictory. My group's approach has always been to assume that free actions are not interrupts, except in the case where that is made explicit by the power or is requisite for the power to work (as with most triggers). That tends to avoid any major abuse or strange rules issues while still letting the powers function as intended.

 

[Aegeri]

It's no longer clear that variable resistance applies to the damage just taken, actually.

Variable resistance has never been clear if it applies to the damage that has just been taken or not. There have been numerous arguments on rules Q&A on the official forums and the general conclusion is that it doesn't. Given that most triggered free actions that don't occur on your turn are reactions, it is likely variable resistance doesn't apply to the damage taken.

In fact I remember this has been discussed before.

The general consensus on Q&A is that it cannot be used against the triggering action. Not that it usually matters, because resistance is typically negated most of the time anyway.

 

[DarkLord Of DForce]

Someone needs to remind CS of all this.

Through consistent multiple e-mail inquiry's to them, different customer reps all replied that once Repulsive Armor's effect had pushed a foe who had moved adjacent to you away 1 squre, the only way it could move back was if it spent another action or power to do so - it couldn't continue the same move action that had got it there.

Maybe this is one of those "Rules As Intended" vs "Rules As Written" things.

Note I'm not arguing for, or against anyones well-reasoned arguments and points here, just what Customer Service has consistently replied to me.

Thanks.

 

[keterys]

Well, Repulsion Armor is an immediate reaction, not a free action, so it's actually fairly clear, unlike Force Push...

It's probably more in the particular words used for CS.

For example, ask about a monster that is intending to walk right past you through multiple squares, and you push it away at an early square, rather than on its "final square". It's impossible to get the response you apparently got, at least not by anyone who actually understands the game

 

[Aegeri]

Wow, the podcast today just totally blew a load of worms all over this argument. Basically they discuss free actions, particularly in how they could interrupt something else - in this case Dwarven armor. Dwarven armor lets you use a free action to regain HP as if you had spent a surge. The question was about if they could do that between an attack and taking damage. The question is asked at around 14:40 in the podcast. The interesting part of the answer was that if a free action doesn't have a trigger, such as the example from the OP, could it be used during the enemies action? The answer was basically that it couldn't be. If it didn't have a trigger, which specifically allowed it to be used during an enemies action it couldn't interrupt anything. So the OPs original question the psion couldn't use telekinetic push until the creature had completed its action.

So a monster could move 5 squares and stop - then you could push them. Similarly, if it is making an attack you cannot push them until it finishes. But you couldn't push them at any point until the creature finishes moving. I can't see where this is covered in the actual rules, so it feels like something that a written errata or clarification would be useful.

 

[bfiggins]

I also just realized that my thought of 'let the monster finish their move next to me, then push them away' doesn't work. Well, it works, but I'll suck an opportunity...

...

...wait, you can't take an opportunity action on your own turn. So it does work.

Grr! This D&D thing is hard!

 

[kaomera]

So a monster could move 5 squares and stop - then you could push them. Similarly, if it is making an attack you cannot push them until it finishes. But you couldn't push them at any point until the creature finishes moving. I can't see where this is covered in the actual rules, so it feels like something that a written errata or clarification would be useful.

The thing is, there's a clause in the movement rules that makes each square of movement a separate "thing" that can be reacted to etc. So you can react to any single square of movement.

 

[Aulirophile]

The thing is, there's a clause in the movement rules that makes each square of movement a separate "thing" that can be reacted to etc. So you can react to any single square of movement.

Rule is specific to Immediate Reactions. Free Actions are not Immediate Reactions.

 

[Aegeri]

The thing is, there's a clause in the movement rules that makes each square of movement a separate "thing" that can be reacted to etc. So you can react to any single square of movement.

This is not true actually in the way you are thinking, you're specifically thinking of the way immediate reactions are worded. Immediate reactions are allowed to interrupt movement because it says they can. There is no specific rule for free actions anywhere, so the free action would have to wait until the creature finished its movement. At least this is the impression that I got from the podcast, which would be super handy if Wizards actually wrote down so everyone could see the rules somewhere.