Questions about Interrupts and Reactions

Hey guys,

This question has been killing me ever sense I started prepping for my P-Files Campaign - how do Interrupts and Reactions work in combat?

Here's the paragraph taken directly from the player's handbook:

"Immediate Interrupts and Reactions – This is a special kind of talent that doesn’t activate until a specific trigger activates it, a little like a trap. When the triggering action activates the interrupt, you get to interrupt the action that triggered it and apply the talent’s effects before the triggering action resolves. For example, if the triggering action is a friend taking damage and the interrupt allows you to give that friend 5 health – the player gets the 5 health before he takes damage from the attack. If the talent is a reaction, the player will take the damage and only gain the health after. This all sounds pretty complicated, but it’s actually simple. Immediate actions wait for something specific to happen. When they do, they do their effect – before the trigger (if it’s an interrupt) or after the trigger (if it’s a reaction)."

That still doesn't clarify things for me though. It feels like the rules for Interrupts/Reactions can be interpreted a number of different ways.

For instance, I was imagining that I/Rs have to be set first "like a trap," and if that's the case, then you'd spend a standard action to set the Interrupt/Reaction, and then it would activate any time that it's conditions are met.

But then, perhaps the I/Rs act differently from normal combat actions? Can you wait until the conditions are met (during an opponent's attack action, say) and then spend the I/R PiP cost at that moment to use the I/R?

-Also, on a side note, do you have to trigger an I/R the first time its conditions are met, or can you hold off on activating an I/R and save it for later.

I ask for cases like the following scenario:

Let's say you're fighting a boss-lvl monster and it's minion ally. You have Vengeance is Mine prepped and ready, set to deal the same amount of damage to an enemy that the enemy deals to you. However, the minion attacks first, even though you know the boss is about to unleash an unbridled (pun-intended) can of whoop-flank on his turn. You want to use your ViM on the boss, but the minion went before him.

Thus, do you have to have ViM kick in on the mook, or can you save it up for the boss's attack to give him a taste of his own medicine?

I CRAVE OFFICIAL CLARIFICATION!

-Thanks in advance guys!

XandZero2 wrote:
But then, perhaps the I/Rs act differently from normal combat actions? Can you wait until the conditions are met (during an opponent's attack action, say) and then spend the I/R PiP cost at that moment to use the I/R?

You got it perfectly.

XandZero2 wrote:
-Also, on a side note, do you have to trigger an I/R the first time its conditions are met, or can you hold off on activating an I/R and save it for later.

You always have a choice/

I ask for cases like the following scenario:

-Thanks in advance guys!

You're welcome.

Stairc -Dan Felder wrote:

XandZero2 wrote:
But then, perhaps the I/Rs act differently from normal combat actions? Can you wait until the conditions are met (during an opponent's attack action, say) and then spend the I/R PiP cost at that moment to use the I/R?

You got it perfectly.

Thanks for the quick reply, Stairc. This has been bugging the heck out of me.

Just to be completely, 100% sure on this though -

I/Rs require no set-up time? All you need is the right number of PiPs?

XandZero2 wrote:
I/Rs require no set-up time? All you need is the right number of PiPs?

Absolutely. I'm planning making other talents that do require set-up later, but interrupts and reactions DO NOT.

You can only activate one per trigger though. If you have two interrupts that could trigger when you are dealt damage, you can only choose one of them each time.

Stairc -Dan Felder wrote:

XandZero2 wrote:
I/Rs require no set-up time? All you need is the right number of PiPs?

Absolutely. I'm planning making other talents that do require set-up later, but interrupts and reactions DO NOT.

You can only activate one per trigger though. If you have two interrupts that could trigger when you are dealt damage, you can only choose one of them each time.

Okey-dokey Loki.

Again, thanks for the clarifications there.

Stairc -Dan Felder wrote:I'm planning making other talents that do require set-up later[...]

Actually, I have a question about that. I was working on a Sylph, who has since been dismantled, but one of her attacks was, "On your next turn, every opponent that damaged you this turn takes d12 damage." Is that sort of setup allowable?

AlicornPriest wrote:

Stairc -Dan Felder wrote:I'm planning making other talents that do require set-up later[...]

Actually, I have a question about that. I was working on a Sylph, who has since been dismantled, but one of her attacks was, "On your next turn, every opponent that damaged you this turn takes d12 damage." Is that sort of setup allowable?

I don't see why not. But from what Stairc was saying, I kind of figured that it was going to introduce a new 'keyword'. I might be mistaken though.

It's perfectly allowable AlicornPriest. Why don't you submit it to the combat talent section?