4E - Shifting as a Free Action

[Ignatius]

So, the rules compendium states that you can take as many free actions as you want, and you can do them on your turn or anothers...

If a Shaman has the Stalker Spirit Adept feat that allows an ally adjacent to the spirit companion to shift as a free action does this mean that said ally can shift as a free action after it has been targeted for an attack, but before it gets hit?

And since you can have as many free actions as you want, can that said ally shift through the squares adjacent to the spirit companion to end up entirely away from the attacker?

[Mando Knight]

If a Shaman has the Stalker Spirit Adept feat that allows an ally adjacent to the spirit companion to shift as a free action does this mean that said ally can shift as a free action after it has been targeted for an attack, but before it gets hit?

If the attack occurs at the start of the character's turn (i.e. Needle-damned Drake Swarm, some Beholders), as the feat has a specific limitation on the shifting: "as the first action during his or her turn."

[Ignatius]

Aha... missed that part!

It doesnt print that caveat out on the character sheet, and it has been a while between building the character and playing with it so I hadnt read the feat description for a while!

Thanks for the clarification.

[BarroomBard]

Also, you wouldn't be able to use it to avoid an attack because a free action is not an Immediate Reaction.

[Reluctance]

There's precedent for free actions being able to interrupt, so a free action shift could indeed get you out of harm's way.

[DragonBaneDM]

Also, you wouldn't be able to use it to avoid an attack because a free action is not an Immediate Reaction.

You're thinking of Immediate Interrupt. Reactions happen after the attack hits, like a Swordmage's Aegis of Assault, whereas Interrupts happen at the same time of the attack, such as Aegis of Shielding.

[tenshiakodo]

It depends on the trigger for the action. An ability that says "shift 1 square when an enemy moves adjacent to you" can foil an attack, even if it's an immediate reaction, because it would resolve after the enemy's move action, but before their attack action, as an example.

I'm fairly certain an immediate reaction ability that triggers when you are targeted by an attack, but before the attack roll is actually made, could foil a melee attack as well.

The timing of free actions is such that they generally function at immediate reaction speed, unless they would need to interrupt to function as written. The Tiefling racial encounter power is a good example; when an enemy hits you, you can blast them for fire damage. This would normally be an immediate reaction, but it's written as a free action so that the Tiefling can always use it, even if they've used up their immediate action for the turn or are dazed/stunned/etc., which would prevent them from making an immediate reaction (my Kensai recently ran into this problem with his Ultimate Parry, an ability that reduces damage taken as an immediate reaction to the damage, but the attack dazed him, so he couldn't use it!).

[MeeposFire]

There was a clarification recently that says unless the power says that it interrupts (or if it has to interrupt to even work) then a free action can not be used to interrupt another action.