Ki Ryn said:
On the other hand, maybe it means exactly that. Got any references?
I have an email from Skip that says you can set a gem ward to go off when a bad guy comes near it because triggering the ward is a "not-an-action" action. It seems to me that you can do a "not-an-action" action whenever you are doing something else (whether or not that something else is on your turn).
Exactly- you may do a not-an-action activity whenever you are doing something else for which it is an integral part of your activity.
This may seem like it's the same thing as "whever you want," but it's not, really. For example, let's say you had a "not an action" activity that gave you a + 5 saving throw for 5 rounds. You could activate it whenever you need to make a save, but not whenever someone else in your party must make a save. It may seem like a small distinction, but it may make a big difference.
Let me use an example so you'll understand. Let's say Divine Resistance gets changed to "not an action." Okay - sounds pretty good, right? Now up comes two situations:
1. You are in the area of effect for which the resistance would help you - you may activate it and take the bonus right away, as will your allies within a 60' burst.
2. Now lets say you are outside the area of effect but your allies are not. Whoops - sorry, as you are taking no action, not even resisting the effects of a spell, you
cannot take the "not an action" of Divine Resistance.
That's because a "not an action" activity can only be taken when it is an inherent part of "something else." To say that "something else" includes simply waiting for ytour turn to act is taking things a bit to far, though I'd be inclined to allow an appropriate "not an action" ectivity when resisting a spell effect, for example.
