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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Crust" data-source="post: 5849853" data-attributes="member: 22330">As has already been mentioned, speaking is a free action you can perform even when it isn't your turn, which means you CAN use a free action power word, such as "Shazam," in conjunction with contingency to interrupt another's actions.  As others have pointed out, the speaker must be aware of the situation in order for that to work.For example, a wizard could cast contingency on him/herself and set the following trigger: "Teleport is cast on me (taking me to my 'safehold') whenever I speak the word 'shazam.'"  If a great wyrm red dragon wins initiative and breaths, the wizard can interrupt the dragon's actions by speaking "shazam" and be gone before the breath weapon leaves the dragon's mouth.  Of course, that wizard must be aware of the impending breath weapon and be able to speak in order for that to work.I might also add that whether the spell is contingency or a contingent spell, speaking is still a free action that can be performed when it's not your turn, and if the trigger is a word, speaking that word will interrupt another's actions, whether that action is casting a spell, attacking, or anything else the caster can discern with his/her own conscious senses (spot checks, see invisibility, etc.).As another example, the contingency trigger "Stoneskin is cast whenever someone tries to attack me" would fail every time because contingency has no way of identifying an attacker.  The spell's range is "personal" and its target is "you," the caster, and there is no numerical value in the spell's description indicating how far out contingency's spell effect extends from its point of origin (the caster).  Therefore, only when the caster is directly affected will contingency work properly.  That wizard can also set off his/her contingency by taking direct action, such as speaking a command work, which, again, is a free action that can be performed even when it's not your turn (thus, interrupting the actions of those who won initiative).</blockquote>

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