Is there any mechanical difference between the phrases, “as a reaction…” and “can use your...
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I was reading Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes when I stumbled on an interesting turn of phrase (it's repeated often in the book and in others, but this was where I first realized it).
The Demonic Boons section lists the following trait for followers of Graz'zt (p. 30):
Joy from Pain. Whenever this creature suffers a critical hit, it can make one melee weapon attack as a reaction.
[Emphasis mine]
Meanwhile, in Xanathar's Guide to Everything (p. 46), the Mastermind rogue's Misdirection subclass feature says:
When you are targeted by an attack while a creature within 5 feet of you is granting you cover against that attack, you can use your reaction to have the attack target that creature instead of you.
[Emphasis mine]
Is there any mechanical difference between these two phrases? If something is done "as a reaction", does it not "use your reaction"? Or are they just interchangable phrases?
dnd-5e reactions
edited Nov 28 at 6:11
V2Blast
18.9k252117
asked Nov 28 at 4:44
SeraphsWrath
4,3781152
add a comment |
up vote
7
down vote
favorite
I was reading Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes when I stumbled on an interesting turn of phrase (it's repeated often in the book and in others, but this was where I first realized it).
The Demonic Boons section lists the following trait for followers of Graz'zt (p. 30):
Joy from Pain. Whenever this creature suffers a critical hit, it can make one melee weapon attack as a reaction.
[Emphasis mine]
Meanwhile, in Xanathar's Guide to Everything (p. 46), the Mastermind rogue's Misdirection subclass feature says:
When you are targeted by an attack while a creature within 5 feet of you is granting you cover against that attack, you can use your reaction to have the attack target that creature instead of you.
[Emphasis mine]
Is there any mechanical difference between these two phrases? If something is done "as a reaction", does it not "use your reaction"? Or are they just interchangable phrases?
dnd-5e reactions
edited Nov 28 at 6:11
V2Blast
18.9k252117
asked Nov 28 at 4:44
SeraphsWrath
4,3781152
add a comment |
up vote
7
down vote
favorite
up vote
7
down vote
favorite
I was reading Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes when I stumbled on an interesting turn of phrase (it's repeated often in the book and in others, but this was where I first realized it).
The Demonic Boons section lists the following trait for followers of Graz'zt (p. 30):
Joy from Pain. Whenever this creature suffers a critical hit, it can make one melee weapon attack as a reaction.
[Emphasis mine]
Meanwhile, in Xanathar's Guide to Everything (p. 46), the Mastermind rogue's Misdirection subclass feature says:
When you are targeted by an attack while a creature within 5 feet of you is granting you cover against that attack, you can use your reaction to have the attack target that creature instead of you.
[Emphasis mine]
Is there any mechanical difference between these two phrases? If something is done "as a reaction", does it not "use your reaction"? Or are they just interchangable phrases?
dnd-5e reactions
edited Nov 28 at 6:11
V2Blast
18.9k252117
asked Nov 28 at 4:44
SeraphsWrath
4,3781152
I was reading Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes when I stumbled on an interesting turn of phrase (it's repeated often in the book and in others, but this was where I first realized it).
The Demonic Boons section lists the following trait for followers of Graz'zt (p. 30):
Joy from Pain. Whenever this creature suffers a critical hit, it can make one melee weapon attack as a reaction.
[Emphasis mine]
Meanwhile, in Xanathar's Guide to Everything (p. 46), the Mastermind rogue's Misdirection subclass feature says:
When you are targeted by an attack while a creature within 5 feet of you is granting you cover against that attack, you can use your reaction to have the attack target that creature instead of you.
[Emphasis mine]
Is there any mechanical difference between these two phrases? If something is done "as a reaction", does it not "use your reaction"? Or are they just interchangable phrases?
dnd-5e reactions
dnd-5e reactions
edited Nov 28 at 6:11
V2Blast
18.9k252117
asked Nov 28 at 4:44
SeraphsWrath
4,3781152
edited Nov 28 at 6:11
V2Blast
18.9k252117
asked Nov 28 at 4:44
SeraphsWrath
4,3781152
edited Nov 28 at 6:11
V2Blast
18.9k252117
edited Nov 28 at 6:11
V2Blast
18.9k252117
edited Nov 28 at 6:11
V2Blast
18.9k252117
18.9k252117
asked Nov 28 at 4:44
SeraphsWrath
4,3781152
asked Nov 28 at 4:44
SeraphsWrath
4,3781152
asked Nov 28 at 4:44
SeraphsWrath
4,3781152
4,3781152
add a comment |
add a comment |
1 Answer
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Grammar is the only difference
Mechanically these two phrases are identical. Doing something "as a reaction" "use[s] your reaction". They only exist in two forms to make the sentence structure and grammar correct for the various abilities that use them.
Third Person vs. Second Person
[...] it can make one melee weapon attack as a reaction.
is a third person description of the action. Whereas,
[...] you can use your reaction [...]
is a second person perspective. Potentially, this the reason for the variations in phrasing. There are contradicting examples however, so this probably isn't the case.
answered Nov 28 at 4:47
linksassin
4,31211244
1
I like this answer and I think it's correct, since I just now noticed a similar pattern with "use your action" and "as an action," and allowing "as an action" to not burn the creature's action would be absurdly broken. However, I will note that other abilities in Xanathar's use second person and still use "as a reaction", such as the Scout Rogue's Skirmisher Ability on page 47 ("you may move up to half your speed when an enemy ends its turn within 5 feet of you..."), so I'm not sure that's the reason. It was a good theory, though.
– SeraphsWrath
Nov 28 at 4:59
@SeraphsWrath ah well. The first part was my main answer. I was just having a guess based on the examples given. I would need to go a analyse a bunch more examples to come up with a better reasoning.
– linksassin
Nov 28 at 5:05
add a comment |
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1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
Grammar is the only difference
Mechanically these two phrases are identical. Doing something "as a reaction" "use[s] your reaction". They only exist in two forms to make the sentence structure and grammar correct for the various abilities that use them.
Third Person vs. Second Person
[...] it can make one melee weapon attack as a reaction.
is a third person description of the action. Whereas,
[...] you can use your reaction [...]
is a second person perspective. Potentially, this the reason for the variations in phrasing. There are contradicting examples however, so this probably isn't the case.
answered Nov 28 at 4:47
linksassin
4,31211244
1
I like this answer and I think it's correct, since I just now noticed a similar pattern with "use your action" and "as an action," and allowing "as an action" to not burn the creature's action would be absurdly broken. However, I will note that other abilities in Xanathar's use second person and still use "as a reaction", such as the Scout Rogue's Skirmisher Ability on page 47 ("you may move up to half your speed when an enemy ends its turn within 5 feet of you..."), so I'm not sure that's the reason. It was a good theory, though.
– SeraphsWrath
Nov 28 at 4:59
@SeraphsWrath ah well. The first part was my main answer. I was just having a guess based on the examples given. I would need to go a analyse a bunch more examples to come up with a better reasoning.
– linksassin
Nov 28 at 5:05
add a comment |
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
Grammar is the only difference
Mechanically these two phrases are identical. Doing something "as a reaction" "use[s] your reaction". They only exist in two forms to make the sentence structure and grammar correct for the various abilities that use them.
Third Person vs. Second Person
[...] it can make one melee weapon attack as a reaction.
is a third person description of the action. Whereas,
[...] you can use your reaction [...]
is a second person perspective. Potentially, this the reason for the variations in phrasing. There are contradicting examples however, so this probably isn't the case.
answered Nov 28 at 4:47
linksassin
4,31211244
1
I like this answer and I think it's correct, since I just now noticed a similar pattern with "use your action" and "as an action," and allowing "as an action" to not burn the creature's action would be absurdly broken. However, I will note that other abilities in Xanathar's use second person and still use "as a reaction", such as the Scout Rogue's Skirmisher Ability on page 47 ("you may move up to half your speed when an enemy ends its turn within 5 feet of you..."), so I'm not sure that's the reason. It was a good theory, though.
– SeraphsWrath
Nov 28 at 4:59
@SeraphsWrath ah well. The first part was my main answer. I was just having a guess based on the examples given. I would need to go a analyse a bunch more examples to come up with a better reasoning.
– linksassin
Nov 28 at 5:05
add a comment |
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
up vote
8
down vote
accepted
Grammar is the only difference
Mechanically these two phrases are identical. Doing something "as a reaction" "use[s] your reaction". They only exist in two forms to make the sentence structure and grammar correct for the various abilities that use them.
Third Person vs. Second Person
[...] it can make one melee weapon attack as a reaction.
is a third person description of the action. Whereas,
[...] you can use your reaction [...]
is a second person perspective. Potentially, this the reason for the variations in phrasing. There are contradicting examples however, so this probably isn't the case.
answered Nov 28 at 4:47
linksassin
4,31211244
Grammar is the only difference
Mechanically these two phrases are identical. Doing something "as a reaction" "use[s] your reaction". They only exist in two forms to make the sentence structure and grammar correct for the various abilities that use them.
Third Person vs. Second Person
[...] it can make one melee weapon attack as a reaction.
is a third person description of the action. Whereas,
[...] you can use your reaction [...]
is a second person perspective. Potentially, this the reason for the variations in phrasing. There are contradicting examples however, so this probably isn't the case.
answered Nov 28 at 4:47
linksassin
4,31211244
edited Nov 28 at 6:09
answered Nov 28 at 4:47
linksassin
4,31211244
answered Nov 28 at 4:47
linksassin
4,31211244
answered Nov 28 at 4:47
linksassin
4,31211244
4,31211244
1
I like this answer and I think it's correct, since I just now noticed a similar pattern with "use your action" and "as an action," and allowing "as an action" to not burn the creature's action would be absurdly broken. However, I will note that other abilities in Xanathar's use second person and still use "as a reaction", such as the Scout Rogue's Skirmisher Ability on page 47 ("you may move up to half your speed when an enemy ends its turn within 5 feet of you..."), so I'm not sure that's the reason. It was a good theory, though.
– SeraphsWrath
Nov 28 at 4:59
@SeraphsWrath ah well. The first part was my main answer. I was just having a guess based on the examples given. I would need to go a analyse a bunch more examples to come up with a better reasoning.
– linksassin
Nov 28 at 5:05
add a comment |
1
I like this answer and I think it's correct, since I just now noticed a similar pattern with "use your action" and "as an action," and allowing "as an action" to not burn the creature's action would be absurdly broken. However, I will note that other abilities in Xanathar's use second person and still use "as a reaction", such as the Scout Rogue's Skirmisher Ability on page 47 ("you may move up to half your speed when an enemy ends its turn within 5 feet of you..."), so I'm not sure that's the reason. It was a good theory, though.
– SeraphsWrath
Nov 28 at 4:59
@SeraphsWrath ah well. The first part was my main answer. I was just having a guess based on the examples given. I would need to go a analyse a bunch more examples to come up with a better reasoning.
– linksassin
Nov 28 at 5:05
1
1
I like this answer and I think it's correct, since I just now noticed a similar pattern with "use your action" and "as an action," and allowing "as an action" to not burn the creature's action would be absurdly broken. However, I will note that other abilities in Xanathar's use second person and still use "as a reaction", such as the Scout Rogue's Skirmisher Ability on page 47 ("you may move up to half your speed when an enemy ends its turn within 5 feet of you..."), so I'm not sure that's the reason. It was a good theory, though.
– SeraphsWrath
Nov 28 at 4:59
I like this answer and I think it's correct, since I just now noticed a similar pattern with "use your action" and "as an action," and allowing "as an action" to not burn the creature's action would be absurdly broken. However, I will note that other abilities in Xanathar's use second person and still use "as a reaction", such as the Scout Rogue's Skirmisher Ability on page 47 ("you may move up to half your speed when an enemy ends its turn within 5 feet of you..."), so I'm not sure that's the reason. It was a good theory, though.
– SeraphsWrath
Nov 28 at 4:59
@SeraphsWrath ah well. The first part was my main answer. I was just having a guess based on the examples given. I would need to go a analyse a bunch more examples to come up with a better reasoning.
– linksassin
Nov 28 at 5:05
@SeraphsWrath ah well. The first part was my main answer. I was just having a guess based on the examples given. I would need to go a analyse a bunch more examples to come up with a better reasoning.
– linksassin
Nov 28 at 5:05
add a comment |
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