RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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Air elementals have the following ability:
[Reaction Icon]Disperse
Trigger The air elemental takes damage from a hostile action.
Effect The air elemental disperses. Until the end of the current turn, it can’t be attacked or targeted, doesn’t take up space, and deactivates its aura. At the end of the turn, the elemental re-forms in any square within 15 feet of where it dispersed and its aura reactivates.
If multiple characters ready an action to attack the elemental when it re-forms, can it use the Disperse action as soon as the first attack hits? Or do all the reactions happen "simultaneously" and therefore it can't use a reaction until after all of the other reactions are resolved?
In the more general case, how should we handle the sequencing of multiple reactions occurring based on the same triggering action?
OK. I know that the stats for monsters is different than how characters are created, but I though that the combat rules were the same.
A combatant only has one reaction action that they can use.
So if the air elemental uses its reaction to disperse against one character's attack, then the reaction is spent until the start of the air elemental's next turn.
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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OK. I know that the stats for monsters is different than how characters are created, but I though that the combat rules were the same.
A combatant only has one reaction action that they can use.
So if the air elemental uses its reaction to disperse against one character's attack, then the reaction is spent until the start of the air elemental's next turn.
Right, I get that. The question I'm wondering about is whether the reaction would be able to stop all of the readied actions or just one?
Assume a Fighter, Druid, and Ranger have all readied actions to attack the elemental when it re-forms.
Scenario A:
The elemental re-forms
Fighter's readied action goes off, so he makes an attack
Druid's readied action goes off, so he makes an attack
Ranger's readied action goes off, so she makes an attack
Elemental can finally use its reaction to disperse
Scenario B:
The elemental re-forms
Fighter's readied action goes off, so he makes an attack
Elemental uses its reaction to disperse
Druid's readied action goes off, so he would make an attack, but the elemental is already dispersed, so nothing happens.
Ranger's readied action goes off, so she would make an attack, but the elemental is already dispersed, so nothing happens.
The elemental only has 1 Reaction per round. For it to re-form, it would have to have already used its Reaction this round to Disperse. It cannot Disperse twice in one round, and readied actions cannot be carried to a new round. There is no way for the elemental to avoid the readied attacks if they are triggered on "the elemental re-forms."
But to address the question of readied actions, I would go with the PF1 standard of they all occur simultaneously if they have the same trigger.
I see nothing preventing responding to a reaction with another reaction. So after the first readied action goes off, the elemental should be able to Disperse and thereby ruin all the other readied actions before they can go off.
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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The elemental only has 1 Reaction per round. For it to re-form, it would have to have already used its Reaction this round to Disperse. It cannot Disperse twice in one round, and readied actions cannot be carried to a new round. There is no way for the elemental to avoid the readied attacks if they are triggered on "the elemental re-forms."
Don't your Reactions refresh at the beginning of your turn? In this example, the elemental used its reaction *last* round to disperse. Then on its turn, it re-forms in order to make an attack, at which point everyone else's readied actions go off. At that point, the elemental has its reaction available again, so it can disperse when it gets hit.
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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No, Morroch explained it correctly - Disperse lasts until the end of the current turn, i.e. the turn of the Person that attacked it. Therefore it would be pretty strange for People to ready an attack for this.
The air elemental disperses. Until the end of the current
turn, it can’t be attacked or targeted and doesn’t take up
space. At the end of the turn, the elemental re-forms in any
square within 10 feet of where it where it dispersed.You confused this with Round. A round is when everybody had his turn (CRB, pg. 303). So no, the elemental probably doesn't have his reaction beack when it reforms.
There are Scenarios where that might be useful, but I admit they are probably limited, as could have just attacekd yourself instead of readying an Action. Disperse basically protects you once per turn from follow up attacks by one guy and lets you step 10'.
But maybe the room makes it difficult to move around, so you want to make sure you can hit it if it Pops up Close to you?
Interesting, so it's only until the end of the attacker's turn, not until the elemental's next turn. I clearly misinterpreted that.
I think the underlying question of how multiple reactions are sequenced could still use some clarification, though.
I think it would thwart the readied actions beyond the first successful attack, but since it only lasts until the end of the current turn (not the end of the round) it means that the elemental can essentially choose to avoid the iterative attacks of one character and readied attacks of multiples if they attempt to do so, but not attacks on subsequent turns in the round.
I think this is fairly balanced. It means you can't just have everyone ready an action to attack it as soon as it reforms, but it means the elemental is also regularly available to be attacked during all but one character's turn.