Reactions and Free Actions
One reaction per round (refreshes on your turn) triggered by specific events. [[compendium:action:Attack of Opportunity]] is rare — only Fighters/Champions get it by default. Free actions cost nothing.
Beyond your three actions per turn, PF2e provides reactions and free actions as additional ways to act.
Reactions: You get one reaction per round (not per turn). It refreshes at the start of your turn. Reactions are triggered by specific events and can occur on any creature's turn. Common reactions include:
- Attack of Opportunity: Strike a creature that uses a manipulate action, moves, or makes a ranged attack within your reach. Only Fighters and Champions gain this automatically — most classes and monsters do NOT have it. This is a deliberate design choice that makes movement safer in PF2e than in many other systems.
- Shield Block: After Raising a Shield, when you take physical damage, reduce it by the shield's Hardness. The shield takes the remaining damage (up to its HP/Broken Threshold).
- Reactive Strike: Some high-level classes gain their own version of Attack of Opportunity through class feats.
Free Actions: Cost no actions and usually have a specific trigger or timing. Examples: dropping an item, speaking a few words, sustaining a stance. Some abilities grant free actions at the start or end of your turn.
Important Distinctions: You cannot use a reaction on your own turn for something that triggers on your own actions (unless the reaction specifically allows it). Multiple reactions can trigger simultaneously — they resolve in order of initiative. If you've already used your reaction this round, you cannot use another until it refreshes.