In my game we've got a Mystic Healer with the Lifelink ability. It is a very useful ability, however, the wording of the ability is as follows:
"At the start of each turn, you can choose an ally within 30 feet who has taken Hit Point damage and transfer her wounds to yourself, dealing an amount of damage up to your mystic level to your Hit Points (bypassing any Stamina Points you may have) and healing the ally’s Hit Points an equal amount. This doesn’t require any action on your part. You can’t prevent or reduce the damage you take from lifelink."
The first part, "At the start of each turn" is the troublesome text. The player posited that combat is comprised of "Rounds" wherein everyone acts within 6 seconds and "Turns" which are the individual combatant's portions of a single round. The way it is worded, it does not specify "At the start of THE CHARACTER'S turn," hence he argues that it can be performed at the beginning of ANY character's turn. The arguments in favor of this reading are that "it doesn't require any action on your part," and that it has a built in detriment to the PC (he will lose HP each time he uses it).
I conceded that the wording is vague and let the reading stand, however I note several problems with this reading. For one thing, the range and scope of the ability is altered or magnified depending on how many combatants there are in the Round. Another point, as long as the mystic has a handful of HP he/she can bring any downed character back from 0 immediately without requiring the downed character to spend resolve almost ever. In one round, the mystic and bestow any number of characters with a handful of HP and keep them up and going. If the mystic chooses, he can give the frontline fighter 4-5 HP per character turn, and when his own turn rolls around, just cast a heal spell on himself, regenerating his store of ready-to-dispense HP. *To be clear, I don't have a problem with the ability to bring a PC back from 0, just that I think it should be restricted to once per round, at the start of the mystic's turn.*
I am aware that a GM can simply lay down the law, but I feel compelled to find some external guidance which clearly shows that the Lifelink can only be used at the start of the player's turn, not any other character's turn. Unless I am wrong, and in that case I would feel much better knowing we have been reading the rule correctly.
Thank you!
They are most definitely stretching their interpretation / reading of that rule. "At the start of each turn" has been used before and refers to the of each COMBAT turn for the Mystic meaning at the start of the Mystics turn they can choose, not at the start of each Players turn. Your only allowed to act curing your own turn except in very specific exceptions. Seeing as this ability is clearly not a reaction that would also invalidate that interpretation.
That makes perfect sense. The reaction point really makes it clear. Thank you so much!