Is there a decent guideline for limiting free actions--particularly combat-significant ones? Example:
- A peryton can use Shadow Mark as a free action, but it's a ranged touch attack. Why bother making it a ranged touch attack if it is guaranteed to hit given enough tries?
- There's a creature in Distant Worlds that can use its damaging Spark attack as a free action during a grapple. <palpatine>UNLIMITED . . . POWER!</palpatine>
How should these be adjudicated?
I feel like you tried to find the most obscure monsters possible for this question.
IN GENERAL: You shouldn't limit the number of free actions, with some very specific exceptions. Almost all of those exceptions are "talking."
For the peryton: It needs to move over the target, and then take the free action.
They are essentially pooping on the humanoid below them, seeing if it hits. That should explain to you how often it can do that.
For that DW creature...make it a swift.
- A peryton can use Shadow Mark as a free action, but it's a ranged touch attack. Why bother making it a ranged touch attack if it is guaranteed to hit given enough tries?
- There's a creature in Distant Worlds that can use its damaging Spark attack as a free action during a grapple.
How should these be adjudicated?
Shadow Mark (Su) As a free action, a peryton can make a ranged touch attack by flying over a humanoid target...
This ability is poorly-phrased, as are many of the Pathfinder rules. It should probably have said something like "Any time the peryton's flying movement takes it over a square occupied by a humanoid target, the peryton can attempt a ranged touch attack in order to... blah blah. This attack takes place as part of the movement, and does not require a separate action."
Same deal with the damaging spark: the critter makes one grapple check per round; the spark is made as part of the grapple, rather than as a separate action.
I feel like you tried to find the most obscure monsters possible for this question.
Heh, I really didn't. I stumbled across peryton looking for appropriate monsters to toss at my party (probably won't use it this time, in case they get unlucky and have their hearts ripped out). As for Distant Worlds, it's a recent release that I just finished reading, and that clause just jumped out at me.
Besides . . . peryton aren't all that obscure, are they?
I feel like you tried to find the most obscure monsters possible for this question.
IN GENERAL: You shouldn't limit the number of free actions, with some very specific exceptions. Almost all of those exceptions are "talking."
For the peryton: It needs to move over the target, and then take the free action.
They are essentially pooping on the humanoid below them, seeing if it hits. That should explain to you how often it can do that.
For that DW creature...make it a swift.
The first makes sense. I missed where it had to be a flyover; that would limit its use under any reasonable interpretation.
The second one, they probably intended it to be an addition to a grapple attack action, so I'd just tack it on to the normal attack action taken while grappling. Was curious if others had come to the same conclusion.
I believe they did the peryton that way so it doesn't have to have fly-by attack to do its thing, nor are the targets limited to the number of attacks it has. If you line up the caravan just right and it has a big enough fly speed, it can get everyone ...
The rules explicitly say that Free Actions are NOT used an 'unlimited' times per round, they just leave the exact limit up to the GM.
That paradigm was re-iterated TWICE within the Combat chapter... So it's well within RAW that such limits do well apply. Thus, infinite Free Spark attacks during a Grapple, or infinite Ranged Touch attacks are definitel NOT what the Rules are suggesting here... Unless your GM refuses to follow thru with decisions that the Rules prompt him/her to make.
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You think that's bad... Try throwing shields + Quick draw.
Benefit: You can throw the shield as a free action. Neither a shield’s enhancement bonus to AC nor its shield spikes apply to your attack or damage rolls.
That there is unlimited power if I ever saw it :)
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Actually, the worst offender I know of with regards to this kind of thing is the assassin vine. The assassin vine can cast entangle as a free action.
Is there any reason it couldn't just cast the spell repeatedly until everyone fails their saves? This should definately be a swift action, but it isn't. That's a pretty bad one, eh?
I'll bet that assassin vine is supposed to be something like 'once per round as a free action'. It doesn't cost the vine an action, but it's not spammable in a single round.
Actually, the worst offender I know of with regards to this kind of thing is the assassin vine. The assassin vine can cast entangle as a free action.
Is there any reason it couldn't just cast the spell repeatedly until everyone fails their saves? This should definately be a swift action, but it isn't. That's a pretty bad one, eh?
Eep.
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Entangle (Su) An assassin vine can, as a free action, cause plants within 30 feet of it to animate and grasp at foes. This ability is otherwise similar to entangle (CL 4th, DC 13). The save DC is Wisdom-based.
No limit that says once per round. The game assumes GM's and players will make reasonable decisions.
I still think it should be a swift action though.
Stop using logic and use RAW. :)
There are a few free actions that should be codified and clarified as to under what circumstance they could be used (and many more that should be changed).
But, I think the guidance that has been suggested here is of high quality.
