Action Points

[OakwoodDM]

I have something that's puzzling me about Action Points, and specifically their interactions with the Warlord feat Inspired Recovery and Conditions.

If a condition (such as stunned) prevents you from using actions, can you spend an action point to gain an extra action you can't use? Normally this wouldn't be a question worth considering, but Inspired Recovery allows any ally who spends an action point to gain a standard action to take a save with a bonus equal to your Cha modifier.

What this means is that if you can use action points while stunned, dazed or anything else which restricts your actions, you can get a chance to break free of the condition (if it's a save ends one) at the start of your turn and keep all your actions (plus the extra one from the action point). If you can't, essentially the only usefulness of the feat is to lose slowed at the beginning of your turn or to get an extra chance to lose ongoing damage (with the bonus as well).

 

[mach1.9pants]

I dunnoe rules wise but I would allow it. APs are something that lets you do something beyond the norm. An Getting a free save when stunned (etc) is not over powered.

 

[Kaledor]

I though you had to check for "save ends" at the END of your turn.
You don't get the option to save in the beginning of your turn.

(Now, I haven't read the warlord feature close enough to know whether it's giving the player an immediate interrupt save...)

 

[Ander00]

Well, using an action point is a free action (that you can only take on your turn) and being stunned precludes you from taking any actions, so by RAW, I'm afraid it doesn't work in that case.
I don't see anything inherently wrong with allowing it to work anyway if that is more up your alley, but you'll have to decide on where to draw the line then (action point while petrified? unconscious? dominated?).

In the case of being dazed, you are explicitly allowed to take free actions in addition to your one minor, move or standard action, so there's absolutely nothing preventing you from using the action point then.

Side note: Hmm, since you can take free actions during a surprise round, an action point would potentially allow you to act in it even if you are surprised. I'll have to give this a closer look.


cheers

 

[OakwoodDM]

I though you had to check for "save ends" at the END of your turn.

With this feat, a Warlord grants an immediate Save with a bonus to any ally who can see him (I believe) who spends an action point to gain an extra standard action

Well, using an action point is a free action (that you can only take on your turn) and being stunned precludes you from taking any actions, so by RAW, I'm afraid it doesn't work in that case.

Is it? I looked before I posted the question, but couldn't find anywhere a statement of spending an action point taking any sort of action, free or otherwise. If I had, I wouldn't have asked. Where is that?

 

[TimeOut]

PHB, page 286, right side. Caption of "spend an action point: free action"

 

[OakwoodDM]

Thanks for that. I am clearly blind or not looking in the right places. It's not mentioned in the Action Points section, which is a shame.

Anyway, thanks again for pointing me in the right direction.

 

[Xect]

Side note: Hmm, since you can take free actions during a surprise round, an action point would potentially allow you to act in it even if you are surprised. I'll have to give this a closer look.

Hmm. Does it say somewhere that you can take free actions? I seem to recall someone mentioning that there was contradictory rulings in the PHB.

The main chapter on surprise rounds does not allow free actions. And even if you got to use your free action, it specifically forbids taking actions, so the standard action you got could not be used.

 

[Ander00]

I did that closer looking mentioned earlier. If you get to act, you can use free actions in a surprise round, but you specifically can't use action points. If you don't get to act, no free actions at all, so that's a no go.

I'd say the text about surprise rounds where it is spelled out trumps the surprised entry in the conditions summary.


cheers