Defend and changing options

[hcobb]

ITL 102 option c) "Move up to half its MA while dodging" I.e. the dodge option applies during movement and the action is spent at that time.

The obvious workaround is to throw your javelin at somebody you've engaged so he can't dodge.

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by Nils_Lindeberg

This also means that there will never be a defend action without an actual attack.

That isn't my experience. Even in a white box, one might easily understandably decide to defend against against an attack they expect will be coming. Let's say you really don't want to get hit with that battleaxe wielded by a DX 9 heavy. Your DX is 13. You commit to defending, and the Battleaxe dude attacks the guy who also has battleaxe and who lost initiative. You defended, your opponent took advantage of your commitment and attacked someone who he was pretty sure he didn't want to take a chance getting hit by.

[larsdangly]

This question can't be answered unless you specify when each of the two relevant characters (PC and animal tamer) 'acted'. The way the OP was written made it sound like the PC attacked and animal tamer defended in response. In that case, the PC is already committed and can't take back the decision to attack. If instead the animal tamer went first and chose 'defend', then he or she is committed to that. The point is, you are not committed to act until you actually act, and it is foolish to declare what you intend to do, or listen to what someone else says they intend to do, before they actually do it. There are constraints on the range of possible actions, depending on your position, engagement, movement during the movement phase, etc. But until you actually act you are not committed to anything. Once you act, you are fully committed and cannot take it back.

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by larsdangly

The point is, you are not committed to act until you actually act, and it is foolish to declare what you intend to do, or listen to what someone else says they intend to do, before they actually do it.

But it isn't necessarily foolish to declare that you are defending and thus committing to that action. By doing so, you can intentionally advertise that you are a more difficult target. If this doesn't make your opponent attack someone else instead, it will at least increase your chances of not getting hurt. If you can do this while increasing your odds of hitting that opponent on the next turn, that's smart tactics.

But I agree that when you say that you are taking an action, you have committed to it.