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Hey Logan Bonner or Mike Mearls, how to handle free actions after charge?
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<blockquote data-quote="Black Arrow" data-source="post: 4914728" data-attributes="member: 3846"><p>One question that I failed to ask Customer Service at the time was whether a critical property like that on a rending weapon would grant the extra MBA if critting on a charge attack. For me, the answer is yes. Why -- because it's an effect that doesn't require 'spending' a [free] action. Similarly, a "no action" power could be used by a player following a charge (generally they affect saving throw die rolls) because it does not require the player to take an action.. it happens automatically at the player's discretion.</p><p></p><p>While not only RAW, I also think in terms of game balance (RAI) denying a player triggered free actions after a charge is more balanced then permitting them. [Consider the feycharger combining Eladrin Swordmage Advance feat and Fey Charge feat as one egregious example (imo)].</p><p></p><p>A charge attack already grants +1 hit, allows up to twice the normal movement to hit a creature that might otherwise be out of melee range, and can be used with a number of specific powers/PP features. But the player needs to weigh the potential opportunity loss of damage-amplifying or other free action effects (warden's Nature's Wrath, etc.). Rampage or other free action effects need to occur immediately after being triggered on your turn. Otherwise it would explicitly be stated whether such a free action could occur after your turn ended.</p><p></p><p>Delaying or readying actions are good alternatives to consider if a player hopes to gain benefit from free actions after movement without taking the charge action. Or keeping an action point in reserve to be able to take actions after a charge.</p><p></p><p>Most of the feats or class features granting a free action on critical hit (or similar) carry the following verbage...</p><p></p><p>- Eladrin Swordmage Advance: "WHEN you use your fey step racial power... you can make a melee basic attack... as a free action"</p><p></p><p>- Rampage (Barbarian Class Freature): "WHEN you score a critical hit with a barbarian attack power, you can IMMEDIATELY make a melee basic attack as a free action"</p><p></p><p>- Two Weapon Opening (Paragon feat): "WHEN you... score a critical hit... you can make a melee basic attack... as a free action."</p><p></p><p>- Reckless Attacker (Paragon Feat) "WHEN you score a critical hit... you can make a melee basic attack as a free action."</p><p></p><p>- Swift Charge (Barbarian Class feature): "Trigger: [When] Your attack reduces an enemy to 0 hit points; Effect: You charge an enemy; Action Type: Free Action"</p><p></p><p>- Nature’s Wrath (Warden Class Feature): "Once during each of your turns, you can mark each adjacent enemy as a free action..."</p><p></p><p>I interpret "When" to be "when [or while] it's still your turn," in other words, immediately following the previous action. You can't delay the free action until after your turn ends or it would have an explicit provision to allow the action to be delayed or use a more ambiguous term such as "after." "When" is pretty specific. Occam's Razor aptly applies here... "the fewer assumptions an explanation depends on, the better it is." The game has no provision or rules explaining or permitting actions in-between player or other combatant's turns. You can use a free action during your turn or another combatant's turn, but you're making up rules out of the air to allow free actions in-between turns. And "when" you score the critical hit or cause the triggering effect happens during your turn, not during some other combatant's turn. If you're unable to take the triggered free action during your turn WHEN the triggering event occurs, you lose it.</p><p></p><p>I think in terms of game balance, a literal interpretation of the charge rules and strict reading of feats, class features, or powers that grant free actions should be applied. DM's fiat applies of course, but given Customer Service's response to my query and follow-up query, that is how I would handle free actions after a charge in my game.</p><p></p><p>This almost reminds me of the debate I've seen about whether one could split actions (e.g. take a partial move, standard action, and finish your move action). CustServ squarely debunked that hypothesis too. You can't split actions even with a free action unless explicitly stated in the description. Customer Service may not always be 'right,' but their responses are as 'official' as it gets (per WotC) barring contrary FAQ or errata.</p><p></p><p>Would love to hear from one of the game designers to bring this topic -- free actions after a charge -- to finality.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Black Arrow, post: 4914728, member: 3846"] One question that I failed to ask Customer Service at the time was whether a critical property like that on a rending weapon would grant the extra MBA if critting on a charge attack. For me, the answer is yes. Why -- because it's an effect that doesn't require 'spending' a [free] action. Similarly, a "no action" power could be used by a player following a charge (generally they affect saving throw die rolls) because it does not require the player to take an action.. it happens automatically at the player's discretion. While not only RAW, I also think in terms of game balance (RAI) denying a player triggered free actions after a charge is more balanced then permitting them. [Consider the feycharger combining Eladrin Swordmage Advance feat and Fey Charge feat as one egregious example (imo)]. A charge attack already grants +1 hit, allows up to twice the normal movement to hit a creature that might otherwise be out of melee range, and can be used with a number of specific powers/PP features. But the player needs to weigh the potential opportunity loss of damage-amplifying or other free action effects (warden's Nature's Wrath, etc.). Rampage or other free action effects need to occur immediately after being triggered on your turn. Otherwise it would explicitly be stated whether such a free action could occur after your turn ended. Delaying or readying actions are good alternatives to consider if a player hopes to gain benefit from free actions after movement without taking the charge action. Or keeping an action point in reserve to be able to take actions after a charge. Most of the feats or class features granting a free action on critical hit (or similar) carry the following verbage... - Eladrin Swordmage Advance: "WHEN you use your fey step racial power... you can make a melee basic attack... as a free action" - Rampage (Barbarian Class Freature): "WHEN you score a critical hit with a barbarian attack power, you can IMMEDIATELY make a melee basic attack as a free action" - Two Weapon Opening (Paragon feat): "WHEN you... score a critical hit... you can make a melee basic attack... as a free action." - Reckless Attacker (Paragon Feat) "WHEN you score a critical hit... you can make a melee basic attack as a free action." - Swift Charge (Barbarian Class feature): "Trigger: [When] Your attack reduces an enemy to 0 hit points; Effect: You charge an enemy; Action Type: Free Action" - Nature’s Wrath (Warden Class Feature): "Once during each of your turns, you can mark each adjacent enemy as a free action..." I interpret "When" to be "when [or while] it's still your turn," in other words, immediately following the previous action. You can't delay the free action until after your turn ends or it would have an explicit provision to allow the action to be delayed or use a more ambiguous term such as "after." "When" is pretty specific. Occam's Razor aptly applies here... "the fewer assumptions an explanation depends on, the better it is." The game has no provision or rules explaining or permitting actions in-between player or other combatant's turns. You can use a free action during your turn or another combatant's turn, but you're making up rules out of the air to allow free actions in-between turns. And "when" you score the critical hit or cause the triggering effect happens during your turn, not during some other combatant's turn. If you're unable to take the triggered free action during your turn WHEN the triggering event occurs, you lose it. I think in terms of game balance, a literal interpretation of the charge rules and strict reading of feats, class features, or powers that grant free actions should be applied. DM's fiat applies of course, but given Customer Service's response to my query and follow-up query, that is how I would handle free actions after a charge in my game. This almost reminds me of the debate I've seen about whether one could split actions (e.g. take a partial move, standard action, and finish your move action). CustServ squarely debunked that hypothesis too. You can't split actions even with a free action unless explicitly stated in the description. Customer Service may not always be 'right,' but their responses are as 'official' as it gets (per WotC) barring contrary FAQ or errata. Would love to hear from one of the game designers to bring this topic -- free actions after a charge -- to finality. [/QUOTE]
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