Can I use a Free Action during my opponent's turn?

[HappyDaze]

I have been thinking that a Free Action can only be used on a character's own turn, but I was reading the Preacher Archetype (for Inquisitors) where I found this:

Determination (Ex): At 3rd level, the preacher is a person
of few words on the battlef ield, but those words hold great
power and authority. Once per day, the inquisitor can use
this ability to create one of the following effects. Each is a
free action to use.
Aggression: The preacher may reroll an attack roll that
she just made before the results of the roll are revealed. She
must take the result of the reroll, even if it’s worse than the
original roll.
Defense: When the inquisitor would be hit by a melee or
ranged attack, as an immediate action she may add a +4
insight bonus to her Armor Class against that attack, and if
this makes the inquisitor’s AC higher than the opponent’s
attack roll, the attack misses.
Warning: When a preacher’s ally within line of sight
would be hit by a melee or ranged attack, she may call out a
warning to that ally, and the attacker must reroll the attack
and use the results of the second roll. The ally must be
able to hear the preacher and must not be helpless for this
ability to have any effect.

So, can I use a Free Action during my opponent's turn? If not, then the Defense and Warning options listed above are pretty much useless. If I can use Free Actions during my opponent's turn(s) then there are a great deal of other things that need to be addressed.

Edit: Weird. I just noticed that Defense says Immediate Action. I suppose that Warning should be an Immediate Action too. Perhaps the whole thing should be rewritten as:

Determination (Ex): At 3rd level, the preacher is a person of few words on the battlefield, but those words hold great power and authority. Once per day, the inquisitor can use this ability to create one of the following effects.
Aggression: As a free action, the preacher may reroll an attack roll that she just made before the results of the roll are revealed. She must take the result of the reroll, even if it’s worse than the original roll.
Defense: When the inquisitor would be hit by a melee or ranged attack, as an immediate action she may add a +4 insight bonus to her Armor Class against that attack, and if this makes the inquisitor’s AC higher than the opponent’s attack roll, the attack misses.
Warning: When a preacher’s ally within line of sight would be hit by a melee or ranged attack, as an immediate action she may call out a warning to that ally, and the attacker must reroll the attack and use the results of the second roll. The ally must be able to hear the preacher and must not be helpless for this ability to have any effect.

[Jeraa]

A normal Free Action can only be taken on your turn. An Immediate Action is a special type of free action that can be taken at any time, even when it isn't your turn.

The Defense effect you listed above specifically says it is an immediate action. And while the Warning effect doesn't say it is an immediate action, it would have to be as you use it only on someone elses turn, not your own.

[Asgetrion]

Jeraa wrote:

A normal Free Action can only be taken on your turn. An Immediate Action is a special type of free action that can be taken at any time, even when it isn't your turn.

The Defense effect you listed above specifically says it is an immediate action. And while the Warning effect doesn't say it is an immediate action, it would have to be as you use it only on someone elses turn, not your own.

+1. This is how it works.

[Kaisoku]

Asgetrion wrote:

Jeraa wrote:

An Immediate Action is a special type of free action that can be taken at any time, even when it isn't your turn.

+1. This is how it works.

Nope, this is not how it works.

Free Actions and Immediate Actions are two totally unrelated action types.

Immediate Actions are swift actions that are specifically taken prior to your next turn, and use your Swift action for your next turn.
The importance of this distinction is that you can only ever perform a single Swift action in a single round.

Free Actions can be done as many times as is feasable (DM adjudication). Most free actions are performed on your turn, but for example, dropping your weapon and falling prone (when you go unconscious), or simply speaking (saying "ouch" when you get hit) can happen even when it's not your turn. Note, the Speaking entry specifically calls out that you can do it when it's not your turn.

The ability is not clear because it was written with two conflicting absolutes used:
"Each is a free action to use."
"as an immediate action "

Immediate Action =/= Free Action

Warning is written correctly according to the preface, while Defense is not. I'd suspect that there needs to be a errata on this.
Either that, or a FAQ explaining that the Defense action takes a Free Action and an Immediate Action (which really doesn't make much sense, since anything that restricts free actions also restricts immediate actions, it's extraneous).
I suspect that the person that wrote this didn't realize the difference between immediate and free actions, or there were changes made partway through and it wasn't cleaned up.

[Cheapy]

All throughout the rules, there are assumptions that some free actions can be done out of turn.

Go with the intention of the rule. It is clearly meant to be done out of turn.

[Robert Young]

from d20pfsrd Free Actions:
In general, speaking is a free action that you can perform even when it isn't your turn. Speaking more than a few sentences is generally beyond the limit of a free action.

The Determination 'Warning' is an example of the 'speaking' type of free action, therefore usable 'even when it isn't your turn".

[Goldenbraid]

speaking of which, I always had this question:

Lets say I have a contingency cast on me or w/e which activates by speaking a special word. When Im about to get wtfpwned I speak that word as a free action. Can I do it when its not my turn? perhaps between attacks of a full attack action of an enemy?. As I read it and from your comments Id say yes. Broken? Yeah

[Diego Rossi]

Goldenbraid wrote:

speaking of which, I always had this question:

Lets say I have a contingency cast on me or w/e which activates by speaking a special word. When Im about to get wtfpwned I speak that word as a free action. Can I do it when its not my turn? perhaps between attacks of a full attack action of an enemy?. As I read it and from your comments Id say yes. Broken? Yeah

Not more or less than having it activating "when I have less than 10 HP", "when I am hit by a magical fire attack" or a myriad of other conditions.

In some instance those conditions can be even more broken as you can set the spell to react to dangers you haven't noticed or to work when you are flat footed and can't use free actions.

Some of the triggers (like the 10 hp example) can even be things that make sense only in game terms but that couldn't be definited outside the gaming table.

[wraithstrike]

Kaisoku wrote:

Asgetrion wrote:

Jeraa wrote:

An Immediate Action is a special type of free action that can be taken at any time, even when it isn't your turn.

+1. This is how it works.

Nope, this is not how it works.

Free Actions and Immediate Actions are two totally unrelated action types.

Immediate Actions are swift actions that are specifically taken prior to your next turn, and use your Swift action for your next turn.
The importance of this distinction is that you can only ever perform a single Swift action in a single round.

Free Actions can be done as many times as is feasable (DM adjudication). Most free actions are performed on your turn, but for example, dropping your weapon and falling prone (when you go unconscious), or simply speaking (saying "ouch" when you get hit) can happen even when it's not your turn. Note, the Speaking entry specifically calls out that you can do it when it's not your turn.

The ability is not clear because it was written with two conflicting absolutes used:
"Each is a free action to use."
"as an immediate action "

Immediate Action =/= Free Action

Warning is written correctly according to the preface, while Defense is not. I'd suspect that there needs to be a errata on this.
Either that, or a FAQ explaining that the Defense action takes a Free Action and an Immediate Action (which really doesn't make much sense, since anything that restricts free actions also restricts immediate actions, it's extraneous).
I suspect that the person that wrote this didn't realize the difference between immediate and free actions, or there were changes made partway through and it wasn't cleaned up.

That is also not correct. Some things have no action type assign to them, such as falling prone from a sleep spell.

[Kaisoku]

wraithstrike wrote:

That is also not correct. Some things have no action type assign to them, such as falling prone from a sleep spell.

That's true. I was questioning my own example as I typed it.

However, my main point stands. Immediate Action uses swift actions, not free actions. Something was messed up in the writing of this ability.

[Goldenbraid]

Diego Rossi wrote:

Goldenbraid wrote:

speaking of which, I always had this question:

Lets say I have a contingency cast on me or w/e which activates by speaking a special word. When Im about to get wtfpwned I speak that word as a free action. Can I do it when its not my turn? perhaps between attacks of a full attack action of an enemy?. As I read it and from your comments Id say yes. Broken? Yeah

Not more or less than having it activating "when I have less than 10 HP", "when I am hit by a magical fire attack" or a myriad of other conditions.

In some instance those conditions can be even more broken as you can set the spell to react to dangers you haven't noticed or to work when you are flat footed and can't use free actions.

Some of the triggers (like the 10 hp example) can even be things that make sense only in game terms but that couldn't be definited outside the gaming table.

yeah pretty much, wasn't thinking on those cases. I just thought that speaking a word would be a lot more flexible (Assesing the situation rather than programming it) Perhaps in the 10 hp example you already have 3 heal spells ready to use and you don't need the contingency from the spell where the "special word" could be activated when you have 11 and no healing left. Guess it's one for the other. now foresight and special word = win :P