Okay Charge Has me Confused ?

[No Name]

So after a charge, a character couldn't drop their weapon?

 

[Mort_Q]

So after a charge, a character couldn't drop their weapon?

Exactly! But a character could drop it before the next creature in the initiative order acted on their turn... which is functionally identical.

Simple, no!?

 

[RigaMortus2]

Exactly! But a character could drop it before the next creature in the initiative order acted on their turn... which is functionally identical.

Simple, no!?

So that same character could drop prone when the enemy archers fire at him?

 

[abyssaldeath]

No because dropping prone is a minor action.

 

[Mort_Q]

So that same character could drop prone when the enemy archers fire at him?

Dropping prone is a minor action, not a free action, so no.

 

[Amaroq]

It's a free action, so it doesn't have to be your turn to use it. That's the argument anyway, as near as I can follow it.

Charging ends you turn, but you can take your free action on the next creatures in the initiative order's turn, before they act.

Okay, I get that that's the FAQ response to the way Charge is worded ..

What I'm wondering is, what's "broken" if I'm allowed to Charge and then still do a Free Action on my turn?

What's the nastiest, gnarliest exploit you can come up with, using only Free Actions ... but that doesn't work if you can't do them on your turn?

...

(Where I'm going with this is, I don't see anything that feels too broken, just off the top of my head; I'm wondering if it would have been simpler and less "rules lawery" if Charge's "can't take actions" had been modified to "can't take a Move or a Minor action after the Charge". So I'm hoping somebody creative has an awesomely overpowered example of doing four things with Epic, Paragon, and magic-item Free Actions that turn a Charge into something unbeatably nasty. Post shades or devil-horns with your example, if you think its a winner!)

 

[mneme]

Nothing. It's pretty clear that the ban (sort of, but not really) on free actions after a charge is really an oversight; the intent was always that you couldn't do minor or move actions after the charge. Triggered free actions still work, non-triggered free actions can be done on anyone's turn so it doesn't matter, and the only murky issue is triggered free actions mixed with spending an action point after the charge (which is why the "yes, you can do triggered free actions, but it's not technically your turn then" answer is a -terrible- answer).

 

[Chris Knapp]

but it's not technically your turn then" answer is a -terrible- answer).

Agreed! I hope they clarify this someday (soon!)
What I don't like is that by this ruling, if I charge, my turn ends and my free action (Swift Charge forex) occurs at the start of the next initiative creature's turn. But if I charge, then declare that I'm using my action point, can I use my swift charge immediately before I resolve my action point's action? If so, that's messy.

 

[Mort_Q]

Agreed!

I'm not disagreeing.

 

[Istar]

Does charge have to be in a straight line to the closest square from which you can attack the target.

Doesnt say it, but it almost implies it.