Free actions...anytime!!!

[Stalker0]

I haven't seen it mentioned, so I'll just highlight that in the quickplay rules it mentions that free actions can now occur ANYTIME, even when its not your turn!!

 

[Ipissimus]

Gooooood point. You can use an Action Point as a reaction, then? Perhaps to get out of the area of a breath weapon or area effect spell? Or duck out of sight of a spellcaster? Of course, it's only one every so often, but still.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Well, the description was of free actions such as speaking, dropping something and so forth, which would preclude the kind of dodging out of an area thing.

But still works well for co-ordinating actions (being able to talk and drop stuff at any time without having to co-ordinate initiatives...)

Cheers

 

[Li Shenron]

I haven't seen it mentioned, so I'll just highlight that in the quickplay rules it mentions that free actions can now occur ANYTIME, even when its not your turn!!

It doesn't really make a big difference with 3e.

In 3e we get as many free actions as we want on our round, plus a bunch of other actions (unnamed in 3.0, "immediate" in 3.5) which could be done on someone else's round.

In 4e we get one group only, uniformed to immediate actions. However some of former free actions will turn into minor actions.

3.5 swift actions are basically just bundled to 4e minor actions.

Summary:
(3e)
actions you can do once in your turn
actions you can do as many times in your turn
actions you can do as many times anytime
(4e)
actions you can do once in your turn
actions you can do as many times in your turn
actions you can do as many times anytime

But then the difference is not that big IMHO, perhaps most of those "type 2" actions weren't usually worth taking more than once per round.

Really depends on which actions go under each type. For instance, if you could stand up from prone as a free action (by some special ability) in 3e, this will necessarily go under Minor actions in 4e. If someone can drop you more than once during YOUR turn, you won't be able to get up a second time.

I hope that only a few actions will be 4e free actions. Occasionally interrupting someone else's turn makes for an interesting battle, BUT too many possible interruptions will certainly turn it into a nightmare.

 

[Ipissimus]

gah, Free Actions, of course. Not my best night, apparently.

I thought there was mention of using Action Points outside of your turn... but maybe I'm getting muddled up, alot to digest today.

 

[hong]

Action points apparently don't take an action as such to use, but 1) you can only use them on your turn and 2) only once per encounter. So you can use an AP without eating into your "actions budget" so to speak.