Is "not an action" an action?

[Melkiador]

I was looking at Dimension Door and noticed you couldn't take actions after using it. So I went to the list of actions, and there is a sub-category of action called "not an action" including Delay and 5 Foot Step.

So are these "not an action" actions actions?

At least with regard to Dimension Door? Could you 5 foot step after Dimension Door? My feeling is no, but it is a bit contradictory.

[JoeJ]

The most straightforward reading is that "Not an Action" means that it's not an action.

[Trekkie90909]

I suppose you could delay not being able to do anything (the result of ddoor travel) to a later point in the same round since it does not functionally change anything other than your initiative order. 5 foot step is a move action which you can do for free as part of a full round action, which is probably why you found it there. Ddoor is a standard action so you wouldn't be allowed a free 5 foot step anyway.

[bbangerter]

Would there be any reason to 5' step after? Why not just dimension door to the spot you want directly?

And if you are already in the middle of your turn it is to late to delay.

[Trekkie90909]

Actually delay is a full round action; you can't do it halfway through your turn.

[Melkiador]

It occurs to me the point may be moot. I seem to remember that you can't take a 5 foot after taking an action that moves you. I thought of that as physical movement, but it probably applies to teleportation too.

So, I guess the question may become, does teleportation count as movement as regards a 5 foot step?

[bbangerter]

Trekkie90909 wrote:

Actually delay is a full round action; you can't do it halfway through your turn.

No its not. That would imply a wasted turn. Delay is merely a choice (non-action) to not take your turn yet. If it took a full round action you'd no longer have a full round later in the combat round to act in.

[Kazaan]

It's a "Not an action" type action. So your action types are Standard, Move, Full-Round, Swift, Immediate, Free, and 'Not an action'. Otherwise, a character that "can't act" can still take a 5' step.

[Zalman]

Hm, "Take 5-foot Step" is listed in the PRD under "Miscellaneous Actions". I could see reason to want to take one after a Dimension Door, but I think it is not allowed, based on the category.

Another thing to consider: you "can't take a 5-foot step in the same round that you move any distance." Does Dimension Door count as "moving any distance"?

[Trekkie90909]

Upon closer inspection the description for delay action is:

Quote:

Delay

By choosing to delay, you take no action and then act normally on whatever initiative count you decide to act. When you delay, you voluntarily reduce your own initiative result for the rest of the combat. When your new, lower initiative count comes up later in the same round, you can act normally. You can specify this new initiative result or just wait until some time later in the round and act then, thus fixing your new initiative count at that point.

You never get back the time you spend waiting to see what's going to happen. You also can't interrupt anyone else's action (as you can with a readied action).

It does not say you have to delay at the start of your turn, so theoretically you could DDoor, and then delay and do nothing at a later point in combat.

The wording on 5-foot step is fairly explicit, "You can move 5 feet in any round when you don't perform any other kind of movement." Any magical teleportation is a type of movement.

[Zhayne]

If something is not an action, then it is not an action, just as if something is not a dog, then it is not a dog.

[Melkiador]

bbangerter wrote:

Would there be any reason to 5' step after? Why not just dimension door to the spot you want directly?

And if you are already in the middle of your turn it is to late to delay.

The teleportation wizard school power made me wonder what could and couldn't be done with it? I'm also thinking it could be nice to mix it with a reach weapon.

prd wrote:

Shift (Su): At 1st level, you can teleport to a nearby space as a swift action as if using dimension door. This movement does not provoke an attack of opportunity. You must be able to see the space that you are moving into. You cannot take other creatures with you when you use this ability (except for familiars). You can move 5 feet for every two wizard levels you possess (minimum 5 feet). You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.

If you could 5 foot step after it, then at first level, I would be able to do something like Attack/Cast->Shift->5foot, and then be at a 10 foot reach to get an aoo, when they try to come at me.

Edit: Although it now occurs to me, I could just as easily attack/cast->5foot->shift or 5foot->attack/cast->shift.

So, other than getting around corners, I guess there isn't a huge reason to 5foot after the dimension door, but I still wanted to know.

[seebs]

Pretty sure that, in general, teleportation is not a Kind Of Movement, it's a kind of thing that changes where you are. But it's not "movement" in that it doesn't consume part of your allowed move distance or anything like that, in general. I think I'd allow you to take a five foot step on a turn when you teleported, if the teleportation didn't prohibit taking actions, or you had dimensional agility.

[Oladon]

Trekkie90909 wrote:

5 foot step is a move action which you can do for free as part of a full round action, which is probably why you found it there. Ddoor is a standard action so you wouldn't be allowed a free 5 foot step anyway.

Just felt the need to point out that these statements are completely wrong. You can't take a move action "as part of a full round action", nor is a 5-foot step a move action, nor is a 5-foot step tied to a move action or a full round action. You most certainly CAN take a 5-foot step when you use a standard action, provided you meet the other conditions for a 5-foot step.

[LazarX]

Melkiador wrote:

I was looking at Dimension Door and noticed you couldn't take actions after using it. So I went to the list of actions, and there is a sub-category of action called "not an action" including Delay and 5 Foot Step.

So are these "not an action" actions actions?

At least with regard to Dimension Door? Could you 5 foot step after Dimension Door? My feeling is no, but it is a bit contradictory.

Without special feats or abilities, Dimension Door ends your turn.

[RDM42]

Melkiador wrote:

It occurs to me the point may be moot. I seem to remember that you can't take a 5 foot after taking an action that moves you. I thought of that as physical movement, but it probably applies to teleportation too.

So, I guess the question may become, does teleportation count as movement as regards a 5 foot step?

I would say you did a five foot step - to go through the d door in the first place