I really, really don't want to throw any more gasoline on this fire some of you folks've ignited, but I am going to add something which I think may help people to understand why there is some disagreement, conflicting expectations, and a lack of clarity which is resulting in a need for a DM 'call' on this topic.<br/><br/>I am adding this not to contest any-damn-thing at all but purely in the interest of helping folks see WHY there is a mixup of expectations here, and I hope that it will be received as a positive effort by all parties involved, because I don't really have a dog in this fight, but the arguing is making me a little sad, because this game is, generally speaking, going awesomely, and I'd like it to continue to do so without anybody feeling singled out, whether player or DM, or anybody having their feelings hurt.<br/><br/>In 3.5, one of the FAQs very explicitly explained how a coup de grace in such a situation worked, and explicitly stated how the timing of it worked in relation to other 'full round' actions such as full attack, charge, etc.<br/><br/>In the “Sage Advice” column by Skip Williams of Dragon Magazine #312 (https://archive.org/stream/DragonMagazine260_201801/DragonMagazine312_djvu.txt), published by Paizo, and listed in that text as a “3.5 Issue Official Answer,” the following FAQ appeared:<br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote from: Skip Williams of Dragon Magazine/Paizo</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Q: While we are on the subject, just when do so-called full-round actions take place? Does a sorcerer’s heightened spell {or any other spell with a metamagic feat applied) go off on the sorcerer’s turn, or not until just before the sorcerer’s action on the following turn? What about other full-round actions? The coup dc grace has generated a lot of problems in our campaign. When is this action finished? If it’s not over until just before the attacker’s next action, can the target’s friends save her, perhaps by getting in the way or dragging her out of reach? <br/><br/>A: Any full-round action takes place entirely during the acting character’s turn. That is, the action begins and ends during the acting character's turn in the initiative order. Although taking a full-round action leaves you no time to move (except, possibly, a 5-foot step) it does not continue into the next round in the same way a spell with a casting time of 1 round does. A full- round action is quicker than a 1-round casting rime. <br/><br/>Delivering a coup de grace requires a full-round action, not 1 round. The coup de grace is delivered during the attacker’s turn, and there's not much the target's allies can do about it except to drag the target out of reach before the attacker can acl (this requires the allies to act before the attacker does during the current round), or fell the attacker with the attacks of opportunity that are triggered when the attacker attempts the coup de grace (this requires the allies to be in position to threaten the attacker). Since attacks of opportunity are resolved before the action that triggers them, they can prevent a coup de grace if they drop the attacker. Also, a helpless character’s allies could ready an action to attack anyone that tries to hurt the helpless ally, but since doing so requires the ready action, they’re usually better off dragging their helpless ally to a place of safety.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/><br/>NOW, please note that while this edition of Dragon Magazine was posted after WOTC sold it to Paizo, it's still not a Pathfinder ruling,<span class="bbc_u">it's a 3.5 ruling</span>.<br/><br/><em><strong>AS FAR AS I KNOW THERE IS <span class="bbc_u">NO</span> EQUIVALENT STATEMENT ANYWHERE IN ANY LITERATURE REGARDING TO PATHFINDER.</strong></em><br/><br/>It is easy to understand the confusion about trying to interrupt coup de grace (the confusion is identical to that of the original questioner), and I think that maybe some players who used to play 3.5 prior to PF are mentally grandfathering that FAQ.<br/><br/>But that FAQ does not, strictly speaking, apply to Pathfinder.<br/><br/>Some of the back and forth here is starting to sound a little personal, and I can only speak for myself and not anybody else here, but I'd hope to see this resolved in a fashion which doesn't leave any hurt feelings on either side, does respect the fact that the GM has the right to make a call as they deem reasonable regardless of what the rules may say in a previous version, and hopefully will allow everyone to move forward in a mutually friendly and cooperative fashion, oriented on fun rather than on rules-lawyering, so we can all mutually enjoy killing goblins and teasing each other again.<br/><br/>This isn't about a character being CdG'd, so I don't think there's any need for anyone to get personally upset about it. It's a hostile mob, and one which can probably be taken out quickly by the players, CdG or no CdG. I'd say that the 'immediate effect' of things like Full Attacks, Charges, etc. are fairly well established in practice, but that the CdG is far more rarely used and has a lot more odd specificity to it. It's one of the last 'save or die' things in the game, and as such a thing which people are apt to get a little twitchy about.<br/><br/>Can we please get untwitchy, work things out, shake virtual hands and move on in a friendly fashion?<br/><br/>Please?<br/><br/>I'm also going to suggest that if you aren't sure of something or think it might be an edge case, or you're having to rely on three different peculiarities of rules which aren't usually used together in order to make your move, that you PM the GM and ask their thoughts rather than posting it as a<em>fait accompli</em>(like I did that one time,<em>mea maxima culpa</em>) that may result in a public disagreement.<br/><br/>You can't see it but I am making the GOD DAMNEDEST BIG PUPPY DOG EYES at you.