Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg? A Question of Timing

[Ravingdork]

My aerokineticist activates the Pacifying Infusion ability of the Safe Elements feat for 1 action, then follows up with Aerial Boomerang for 2 actions. However, the positioning is not ideal, so my kineticist Strides to a better position using their air impulse junction (which allows them to move half their Speed before or after a 2-action impulse).

Does my kineticist's movement disqualify the character from the benefits of Pacifying Infusion since they used an action before the impulse to move; or does it not, since there can be no movement without FIRST activating the impulse?

[NorrKnekten]

I would say it does not disqualify Pacifying Infusion, By definition their next action is still Aerial Boomerang. The Impulse junction just bakes the Stride into the activity which happens to be the Impulse.

[Baarogue]

Infusion trait wrote:

Actions with the infusion trait tweak your kineticist impulses. You must use an infusion action directly before the impulse action you want to alter. If you use any action (including free actions and reactions) other than an impulse action directly after, you waste the benefits of the infusion action. Any additional effects added by an infusion action are part of the impulse's effect, not of the infusion action itself.

Single Gate, emphasis mine wrote:

In addition, you gain an impulse junction, a benefit that occurs when you use an impulse of the chosen element that takes 2 actions or more. This happens before the other effects of the impulse, unless noted otherwise. You can gain only one impulse junction per round; they are described in full below.

Air Impulse Junction, emphasis mine wrote:

Before or after the other effects of the impulse, you can either Stride up to half your Speed or Step. If you have a fly Speed, you can Fly up to half your fly Speed instead.

The next action you USED directly after the infusion was the impulse. Being allowed to Stride is an effect added to the impulse by your Air Impulse Junction. It is a bonus subordinate action which you can place "Before or after the other effects of the impulse"

[TheFinish]

I have to agree with NorrKneten. The timing is essentially:

1 Action, I use Pacifying Infusion
2 Actions, I use Aerial Boomerang. I can now use the Junction, which states I may Stride half my speed or Step before or after any other effects of Aerial Boomerang.

This is because the rules state "In addition, you gain an impulse junction, a benefit that occurs when you use an impulse of the chosen element that takes 2 actions or more. This happens before the other effects of the impulse, unless noted otherwise."

Essentially, the junction is changing the effect of Aerial Boomerang from:

Spoiler:

A blade of shearing wind races away from you in a 60-foot line. Each creature in the area takes 2d4 slashing damage with a basic Reflex save against your class DC. In the final square of the line, the boomerang whirls in place until the end of your next turn. Any creature that ends its turn in that square has to save against the boomerang.

On your next turn, you can use a single action, which has the concentrate trait, to return the boomerang to you. It returns in a line from its square to your current location, with the same effect as the initial line, then the impulse ends. You must have line of effect to the boomerang and be within 60 feet of it.

to

Spoiler:

A blade of shearing wind races away from you in a 60-foot line. Each creature in the area takes 2d4 slashing damage with a basic Reflex save against your class DC. In the final square of the line, the boomerang whirls in place until the end of your next turn. Any creature that ends its turn in that square has to save against the boomerang.

On your next turn, you can use a single action, which has the concentrate trait, to return the boomerang to you. It returns in a line from its square to your current location, with the same effect as the initial line, then the impulse ends. You must have line of effect to the boomerang and be within 60 feet of it.

Before or after the initial effects of the impulse, you can either Stride up to half your Speed or Step. If you have a fly Speed, you can Fly up to half your fly Speed instead.

But it's still all part of the same Impulse activity, so Pacifying Infusion's clause is still met.

[Finoan]

Aerial Boomerang ends up having a subordinate Stride action.

But still the next action used after Pacifying Infusion is Aerial Boomerang.

[*Khan*]

The egg evolved millions of years long before chickens.

[Claxon]

*Khan* wrote:

The egg evolved millions of years long before chickens.

I like to imagine that velociraptors were just proto-chickens.

[NorrKnekten]

What about fish and insects?

[Claxon]

NorrKnekten wrote:

What about fish and insects?

Honestly, there's probably an evolutionary difference between hard shell eggs like birds have, and the eggs of fish and insects, but that's not my field of study.