Level Up (A5E) Reaction Explanation

They're not sure whether "makes an attack" is "says they're going to attack and rolls to hit," meaning they can riposte and potentially kill the attacker before damage is rolled, or if the entire attack process has to be completed including damage and THEN the trigger goes off. I've stated the latter, but others here have suggested otherwise.

Unfortunately saying "they make an attack, then the reaction" doesn't help educate people as to the correct answer :(
The entire attack. You make an attack, not half-make an attack, or start making an attack, or make a portion of an attack. Follow the process for making an attack. Then do the reaction.
 

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Per page 444 of the Adventurer's Guide, the trigger would go off prior to rolling damage by the enemy, potentially allowing for the player to counter-attack and deliver their damage before they are damaged themselves.

This is also consistent with the a5e.tools website:


Which defines making an attack as the following:

Attacks all follow a simple structure, whether it is a melee attack with a sword, a ranged attack with a bow, or a spell attack. If it ever needs to be determined whether an action counts as an attack, it is an attack if you are making an attack roll.

  1. Select a Target: Choose a target within your attack’s reach or range: a creature, an object, or a location in space. Generally, you must have line of sight and line of effect to attack a target, but that can vary (such as firing an arrow through a glass window, or swinging a sword at where you assume a hidden target is located).
  2. Apply Modifiers: The Narrator determines whether the target has cover and if you have advantage or disadvantage on your attack roll. Certain abilities, spells, or effects can apply additional modifiers or expertise dice to your attack roll.
  3. Resolve the Attack: You make your attack roll, rolling a d20 and applying your modifier with the bonuses or penalties from above. On a hit, you roll damage and apply any additional effects of the attack.

Dealing damage is covered in a follow-up section and comes after making the attack and as you can see in point #3 is a consequence of hitting with an attack. (Page 446).

This is also thematically consistent, since an arcane fencer type character's riposte would be expected to deflect and counter attack instead of standing there and exchanging blows like a Berzerker/Barbarian.
 
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Per page 444 of the Adventurer's Guide, the trigger would go off prior to rolling damage by the enemy,
Yes
potentially allowing for the player to counter-attack and deliver their damage before they are damaged themselves.
Not sure where you're deducing this from page 444/445 of the AG.
The trigger is when the enemy makes an attack, not receiving damage. This does not mean that you deal damage before the enemy does, though.
Although this may seem convoluted, it avoids the situations where the "killing blow" is done by the reaction where normally would be done by the initiating attack.

Your table, your rules, but for me the two damages would be rolled regardless, their order unimportant, since both have to happen. The reaction happens just after the trigger, but both action and reaction must be resolved
 

Per page 444 of the Adventurer's Guide, the trigger would go off prior to rolling damage by the enemy, potentially allowing for the player to counter-attack and deliver their damage before they are damaged themselves.

This is also consistent with the a5e.tools website:


Which defines making an attack as the following:



Dealing damage is covered in a follow-up section and comes after making the attack and as you can see in point #3 is a consequence of hitting with an attack. (Page 446).

This is also thematically consistent, since an arcane fencer type character's riposte would be expected to deflect and counter attack instead of standing there and exchanging blows like a Berzerker/Barbarian.
Making an attack includes the damage part of the attack, the reaction occurs after the attack is resolved.
 

The trigger is when the enemy makes an attack, not receiving damage. This does not mean that you deal damage before the enemy does, though.
Although this may seem convoluted, it avoids the situations where the "killing blow" is done by the reaction where normally would be done by the initiating attack.
A riposte is a parry plus counter-attack in fencing? The ability clearly doesn't include a parry effect, but if it doesn't act as an interrupt effect that potentially lets a player cancel an enemy's attack, then why go with the name arcane riposte and not arcane counterattack? Thematically, it seems that my interpretation of the rules is more in line with the name and flavour of the the ability than the warrior standing and exchanging blows like a couple of barbarians.
 

A riposte is a parry plus counter-attack in fencing? The ability clearly doesn't include a parry effect, but if it doesn't act as an interrupt effect that potentially lets a player cancel an enemy's attack, then why go with the name arcane riposte and not arcane counterattack? Thematically, it seems that my interpretation of the rules is more in line with the name and flavour of the the ability than the warrior standing and exchanging blows like a couple of barbarians.
There are no interrupt mechanics in A5E AFAIK. There may be triggers like "when you're targeted by...", which would work in the way you want.
As for the name of the maneuver, it's a riposte, it doesn't necessarily mean the character isn't hit.
Maybe the Parrying Counter maneuver is closer to what you'd like, and it's formulated as "when you're missed"
 

There are no interrupt mechanics in A5E AFAIK. There may be triggers like "when you're targeted by...", which would work in the way you want.
As for the name of the maneuver, it's a riposte, it doesn't necessarily mean the character isn't hit.
Maybe the Parrying Counter maneuver is closer to what you'd like, and it's formulated as "when you're missed"
The feat Deflector is based on a 5e feat that does interrupt an attack, as does the Shield spell.
 

The feat Deflector is based on a 5e feat that does interrupt an attack, as does the Shield spell.
Not exactly
Deflector
You may expend your reaction to increase your AC by an amount equal to your proficiency bonus against an attack targeting you in melee.
The trigger is being targeted. It does not interrupt the attack because this happens even before the attack happens, but the attack then does happen.

Shield

Casting Time:
1 reaction, which you take when you are hit by an attack or targeted by the magic missile spell

You create a shimmering arcane barrier between yourself and an oncoming attack. Until the spell ends, you gain a +5 bonus to your AC (including against the triggering attack) and any magic missile targeting you is harmlessly deflected.
I do agree that this works like an interrupt for melee attacks, because it happens when you're already hit but can actually invalidate the hit if the new AC is high enough to deflect the attack. It's not great for consistency, but specific beats general and here the "including against the triggering attack" is fundamental to make the spell work as intended. Maybe it could have been formulated as "when you're targeted" like the feat above, but then one would have to burn a spell slot before knowing if there's a point in using it, which isn't great either.

What I meant more precisely with "there are no interrupts" is that interrupts are not even defined and there are no rules for them. I do agree that it would have been better if there were such a definition and some spells or effects were defined as interrupts rather than general reactions.
 

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