Triggered actions per round; how many?

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I've got a quick question about at-will triggered actions.

Suppose a monster has a power that lets it shift 1 square whenever an enemy attack misses (such as a goblin). If three unlucky or low-level melee PCs attack this goblin, and all three attacks miss, does it get to shift 3 times, or just once?

Suppose a monster gets an additional attack whenever certain actions occur at-will, and this is not an opportunity action. I believe it can only get 1 extra attack, due to the restrictions on free actions, but if the trigger says something like Attack (Immediate Interrupt): Etc, does that cap still apply?

 

[OnlineDM]

If the triggered action is an Immediate Action (Immediate Interrupt or Immediate Reaction), it can only do it once per round. If it's a Free Action or No Action, there's no limit (though the DM is free to impose limits on free actions based on what seems reasonable). And it sounds like you already understand the limit on free action attacks.

So, it depends on how it's written - Immediate versus Free.

 

[mudlock]

Every triggered actions should explicitly say either "no action", "free action", "immediate interrupt", "immediate reaction", or "opportunity action".

If it doesn't, check the errata: some were missed and have been clarified. (I think, for instance, goblin tactics is an immediate reaction, although I thought it said as much in MM1, and so shouldn't need an errata...)

If the errata fail you, I believe the assumed default is "free action", and yes, that would run in to the restriction of one free *attack* action per turn if the free action is an attack. However, an immediate action, since it is NOT a free action, does NOT hit that restriction (immediate actions do, of course, have their own restrictions).

 

[OnlineDM]

Ah good catch - I forgot about Opportunity Actions, which are once per combatant's turn.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

You both seem to disagree on immediate actions (which are not attacks). It seems OnlineDM is saying there's no limit, but Mudlock is saying there is.

It seems that for free action attacks and opportunity actions, it's clear you only get to use it once.

 

[tiornys]

You both seem to disagree on immediate actions (which are not attacks). It seems OnlineDM is saying there's no limit, but Mudlock is saying there is.

It seems that for free action attacks and opportunity actions, it's clear you only get to use it once.

If you look closer at OnlineDM's answer, you'll see where he notes that combatants are limited to one immediate action per round, which is more restrictive than the once per combatant turn limit for opportunity actions or free actions that grant attacks.

t~

 

[fba827]

You both seem to disagree on immediate actions (which are not attacks). It seems OnlineDM is saying there's no limit, but Mudlock is saying there is.

It seems that for free action attacks and opportunity actions, it's clear you only get to use it once.

I think you may be misreading -- they are both saying the same thing.

Trigger actions will be further defined within its description as a type: immediate (reaction or interrupt) action, opportunity action (often an opportunity attack), free action, no action. Each of those follows different rules.

A goblin's triggered action is defined (see it's description) as an immediate reaction. Therefore it can only be used once per round and even then if he hasn't used any other immediate actions on that same round.

* immediate actions (reactions or interrupts) are once per round
* opportunity actions (usually in the form of opportunity attacks) are once per combatants turn (so if you have five creatures attacking you, you could in theory get off 5 opportunity attacks if all the conditions are met for the trigger)
* free action and no action, no limits in terms of how often unless they explicitly say "max 1/round" or something like that.

 

[WalterKovacs]

I think you may be misreading -- they are both saying the same thing.

Trigger actions will be further defined within its description as a type: immediate (reaction or interrupt) action, opportunity action (often an opportunity attack), free action, no action. Each of those follows different rules.

A goblin's triggered action is defined (see it's description) as an immediate reaction. Therefore it can only be used once per round and even then if he hasn't used any other immediate actions on that same round.

* immediate actions (reactions or interrupts) are once per round
* opportunity actions (usually in the form of opportunity attacks) are once per combatants turn (so if you have five creatures attacking you, you could in theory get off 5 opportunity attacks if all the conditions are met for the trigger)
* free action and no action, no limits in terms of how often unless they explicitly say "max 1/round" or something like that.

With the addendum that free attack actions are limited to 1/turn.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Okay, I see where the confusion is.

An individual (meaning monster or PC) only gets one immediate action per round, period.

An individual can get unlimited free actions (subject to GM restrictions), but only one can be an attack.

An individual can only trigger one opportunity attack (from an individual opponent) per turn, but one PC or monster could actually get multiple opportunity attacks against individual enemies which trigger them? So an ogre dreadnought with threatening reach 2 could attack all five PCs if they all ran through it's threatened area? This makes some soldier monsters a lot stronger... and some quite a bit weaker than I'd been playing them.

 

[WalterKovacs]

Okay, I see where the confusion is.

An individual (meaning monster or PC) only gets one immediate action per round, period.

An individual can get unlimited free actions (subject to GM restrictions), but only one can be an attack.

An individual can only trigger one opportunity attack (from an individual opponent) per turn, but one PC or monster could actually get multiple opportunity attacks against individual enemies which trigger them? So an ogre dreadnought with threatening reach 2 could attack all five PCs if they all ran through it's threatened area? This makes some soldier monsters a lot stronger... and some quite a bit weaker than I'd been playing them.

The idea isn't that they only trigger one opportunity attack from an opponent, but that they only get one per turn. If, for example, an enemy had multiple turns (i.e. a solo) it could provoke on OA on each of those turns. Or, if a warlord gave someone a free attack on his turn, that attack my cause on OA, etc.

So: Immediate action 1/round (a full initiative loop) and OA is 1/turn (each character or monster gets 1 turn. Even if you group all the same type of monster to a single initiative, they each technically get their own turn, and thus could give the PCs a chance to OA them). In the case of the monster vs. the PCs ... each of the PCs have their own turn [There are weird situations where people ready actions so that they occur during someone else's turn to avoid OAs and the like, but that's an exception).

A creature can take a free action to use an attack power only once per turn, so it could use one on each turn (like with OA's) but it would be in addition to OAs.