Specific Questions about enchanted items and blocks, if surprised

[mostlyawake]

I can't seem to find the rules in YS or a thread relevant here that tells me exactly how a block stored on a magic item is activated.

So, Tony the Sniper and his twin Timmy get the drop on you; you have no idea they are there.  They fire simultaneously, both rolling 5's to attack; the sound of their guns will reach you after the bullets do. Surprised, your athletics is treated as 0.  You have an enchanted duster with a block of 10, but it only has one use. What happens?

Most of the forums seem to say that because you've got this block ready, both bullets will bounce of the block, making it a great defensive item as it stops this sneak attack cold.

Everyone agree?

But, what happens next? Did it activate automatically, or does it cost you your action this exchange?  When can you act?  Should the sneak attacks be considered part of a previous exchange, and initiative called for after the shots hit?

The only answer that I rule out immediately is that you put a condition into the spell that says "if I get attacked by surprise", because all other parts of the book (in particular, the part on wards) indicate that magic can't be that discerning.

[wyvern]

You're looking for YS280: defensive items don't require a separate action to activate.

There don't seem to be any hard and fast rules on surprise, though.  (Or at least not that I can find with a cursory search.)  I'd take it as the sneak attacks happen, and then initiative proceeds from there - i.e. everyone involved who's not one of the snipers gets a chance to act before the snipers can shoot again.

[luminos]

You're looking for YS280: defensive items don't require a separate action to activate.

There don't seem to be any hard and fast rules on surprise, though.  (Or at least not that I can find with a cursory search.)  I'd take it as the sneak attacks happen, and then initiative proceeds from there - i.e. everyone involved who's not one of the snipers gets a chance to act before the snipers can shoot again.

Well, not quite.  Anyone who gets ambushed doesn't get an action in the first round of combat.  They can only defend.  In the second round, initiative proceeds as normal meaning the ambushers may well get to go twice in a row.

[mostlyawake]

Well, not quite.  Anyone who gets ambushed doesn't get an action in the first round of combat.  They can only defend.  In the second round, initiative proceeds as normal meaning the ambushers may well get to go twice in a row.

Is this your interpretation, or can you cite that? 

This is precisely what I am debating; whether or not you should always dump an extra shift of duration into such an item to cover a condition where you'd still be unable to act.  What you quoted is exactly how many other games (dnd, ect) work, but the games vary on if that first shot negates further surprise or not. If you are surprised until you can act, you need two actions of coverage.  If you act before the snipers go again, always, well you're okay. if you act after them, but shooting you broke their surprise, you're okay (you can use your defense before your initiative normally.) That's what I'm trying to suss out.

[mostlyawake]

You're looking for YS280: defensive items don't require a separate action to activate.

Thank you so much. That helps immensely.

[luminos]

If you act before the snipers go again, always, well you're okay. if you act after them, but shooting you broke their surprise, you're okay (you can use your defense before your initiative normally.) That's what I'm trying to suss out.

Look page 142, the ambush trapping of stealth.  The victim takes no action first round regardless of succeeding or failing on alertness roll.

The ambusher only has the element of surprise for that first round.  You get to defend normally afterwards.

[toturi]

So in the OP's example, does the shots bounce? Or do they get through because the Block does not activate?

[Becq]

I think there's some confusion between the system allowing the player to expend a 'charge' on a defensive item, and the character needing to take some action in order to activate the item.  Harry does not have a button on his duster to turn it on or off.  Not a physical button, nor a mental/mystical one.  It is 'always on'.  At the same time, it also has limited energy, which can be expended.  Thus the idea of 'charges'.  That the player can choose to use a charge or not reflects the narrative nature of the game, not any sort of 'concious activation' required on behalf of the character.

That said, it is possible that the decision to use a charge might be taken out of the hands of a player.  For example, if a sniper were to take a head shot against Harry, it's doubtful that his duster would make a difference.  Then again, perhaps a sudden gust of wind might buffet it up over his head at just the right moment (Fate point, assuming the GM allows it).  I'm not sure I'd want to play under a GM who'd do that to a player without a really *really* good excuse, of course...

[Tsunami]

Here's my take.

When Enchanted Items with Blocks are used as a reactive defense, they do not use an action. They also block only one attack per use. It's not like when you are using an action to establish a block. Basically it's a stored defensive roll, that you can choose to use in addition to everything else.

There are of course Enchanted items you activate to establish a block, like the shield crystal Molly uses in TC.
You then use a normal action to activate and establish the block, which then has a duration and all that... but those would not be used as a reactive defense.