Immediate Reaction (bloodied)

[Sunglare]

Here's one for the brain trust.

The rogue in the game I'm running hit a berzerker with his Positioning strike and bloodied him. The Berzerker has a Immediate Reaction that when he is bloodied he get to make a Free basic melee attack.
So i let the berzerker get an attack off before the rogue could slide him with his strike. does this sound right or wrong to you guys?.

At the time it seemed correct. His immediate reaction is from getting bloodied which happens right after the damage.

 

[themilkman]

My ruling would be that the reaction occurs after the action that triggered it is completely resolved. So the baddy can't make his attack until after he's been repositioned. If he no longer has range, than he can no longer make the attack.

I see the argument that it was the condition of being bloodied, and not the attack action, that triggered the reaction, but I tend to be of the school where a reaction always occurs between actions (except movement).

 

[Mort_Q]

Well, for immediate reactions, the triggering action, event, or condition occurs and is completely resolved before you take your reaction, except that you can interrupt a creature’s movement, as per the Player's Handbook.

The triggering action was caused by the Positioning Strike, and as it is not the movement exception, it needs to be completely resolved before the berzerker gets to react.

 

[Pyrex]

IIRC, an Immediate Reaction means you have to wait for the triggering action to finish resolving before you make your reaction, so I think the Bbn is out of luck.

 

[Sunglare]

Well, for immediate reactions, the triggering action, event, or condition occurs and is completely resolved before you take your reaction, except that you can interrupt a creature’s movement, as per the Player's Handbook.

The triggering action was caused by the Positioning Strike, and as it is not the movement exception, it needs to be completely resolved before the berzerker gets to react.

i guess i can't wrap my head around it because i write down damage before any effects are applied. I believe the HIT: happens before the Effect: not at the same time.
What about a Dark creeper? On it's death it lets out a shadow burst. If the rogue kills a Dark creeper with it's Positioning Strike how is it going to slide it if it's dead?

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Yep, an immediate reaction happens after the action that triggered it. An OA OTOH is an Opportunity Attack and follows its own special rules. An immediate interrupt would happen instantly when its trigger condition is met, even if that means it happens during another action.

As for the Dark Creeper, its Killing Dark power is not specified as being an action, thus it pretty much logically has to be a 'No Action' and simply happens as soon as the condition is met. It would be up to the DM to determine if that is when the damage is dealt, or at the end of the attacker's action. As to the slide part, I have no problem with that, the rogue kills the target with his attack, and then shoves the body into the next square, likely pulling his blade out at the same time with a flourish and wiping off the blood on his fallen foe's clothing . Personally I'd allow the rogue to complete his action first, which means if he's clever enough to use Positioning Strike as the final killing blow, then he gets the reward of avoiding the Killing Dark.