Can auras interrupt actions if you move into them on your turn?

[Peter Kies]

Say a PC sees a bunch of baddies and decides to charge in and slash at one with his sword.

If during the move to close he encounters the perimeter of an aura, does he have to stop there and make a saving throw, potentially ending his move action and denying his attack action?

It seems to me the aura should only take affect once you start your turn within its boundaries. Most say save each round which suggests you need to be in there for the better part of a round before it can affect you.

If it can immediately interrupt turns I think closely spaced groups of creatures with auras could be easily overpowering; multiple chances to fail before you get a chance to do anything to reduce opponent numbers.

Yes colony of Seugathi I am looking at you - if I can even see you before I stumble into the range of your auras.

[Peter Kies]

As a follow up for that creature, text says it can suppress or activate aura as a free action.

That might suggest that it has to take a turn before it can have its aura active, but it could be just as likely that it normally has it active and needs its first turn before it can deactivate it.

Which brings me back to the original question - what happens if the aura is up when you charge into it?

[Fernn]

Peter Kies wrote:

As a follow up for that creature, text says it can suppress or activate aura as a free action.

That might suggest that it has to take a turn before it can have its aura active, but it could be just as likely that it normally has it active and needs its first turn before it can deactivate it.

Which brings me back to the original question - what happens if the aura is up when you charge into it?

depends on the aura. Do you have an example?

[Guru-Meditation]

You save when you fall under its influence. Its boundary is clearly defined. This may interrupt actions.

Auras can be permanently up, or permanently down, just as the owner desired. Most will hve it up as the standart unless under very special circumstances.

[Peter Kies]

Is there a rules source that explains this?

Seems to be game breaking if you have a circumstance where you have to succeed on multiple saves in the middle of your action (or lose it) due to an effect that doesn't require line of sight and could be concealed to prevent detection.

The chance of succeeding on multiple saves gets exponentially more difficult with more creatures, so the encounter CR should not go up simply in proportion to the number of creatures. Especially if the aura radius is beyond your range to perceive and identify the threat.

As an example I refer to 3 or more Seugathi all concealed in a fog filled room with auras that extend beyond the only entrance to the room. Unless the party is prepared with a way to clear the fog from a distance or blasts spells blindly into the room, this is a likely TPK unless the party numbers several greater than the monsters. The chance of succeeding at 3 DC 20 will saves at the same time is minuscule for most PCs, so while the monsters control 3 party members and remaining party members have only a 1/4 chance of acting normally, the party almost surely destroys itself or goes insane before it can take out the opponents. The only good chance for the party is if the GM decides the creatures start with aura down and must get to their initiative to use a free action to activate it. They need a chance to take out one of the creatures early because 3 aura saves stacked together is just too powerful if it catches them by surprise. Probably a dumb move to enter the room here, and PCs might not notice immediately if a fellow party member is confused. Of course the group was bold about the lack of good visibility as they did have a telepathic bond, which in hindsight might have had some weird effects or chance to identify the cause when others began to get confused.

[Diego Rossi]

Peter Kies wrote:

Yes colony of Seugathi I am looking at you - if I can even see you before I stumble into the range of your auras.

PRD - Confusion wrote:

Roll on the following table at the start of each subject's turn each round

So, you roll to save when you enter the Seugathi aura, but continue your action. You will roll to see if you take a random action when your next turn start.

But if someone attack you in the meantime, he become your target and you don't need to roll for your action.

[vorpaljesus]

That's definitely a devious encounter. Seems like a very bad idea to enter that room, but they had a decent reason to be bold, and sometimes you just have to trudge on.

The telepathic bond would almost certainly have afforded any unaffected creatures a sense motive check to notice the effect on the first PC who failed the save. Possibly even the first one who had to make such a save and succeeded.

All in all, sometimes when you head in underprepared, it's supposed to be a very difficult encounter, some players are supposed to run, or you will be TPK'd.

Just my two cents.

And you definitely need to save vs the aura as soon as you enter it.

[vorpaljesus]

Not to mention that if the Seugathi attacked a confused character, the character then attacks his or her assailant.

[Peter Kies]

Diego, nice catch on the confusion mechanic.

I thought it seemed wrong that they would be immediately confused and lose their actions, and you found the only place that clearly confirmed they would get to complete an action before the full effect of the confusion set in.

That makes it a little more survivable, and more or less matches how it played out. The PCs killed one in the first round while the other two kept making two party members try to kill each other, and the rest of the group had to split actions between protecting their friends from each other and actually going after the monsters.