I have yet to see a dev clarification for the confusion about how simple actions and charms work if they are not a typical attack (withering, decisive, gambit) or social influence action. This is the single biggest system issue / confusion I have, so if I want to use Essence right now I need to decide how I want to handle it at my table. What I've come up with is: Attack actions use the 8-step process, with one charm per step as per the RAW, so Excellency can't be used on step 2. Social actions are RAW with 4 steps. Other simple actions that don't have an explicit structure of steps (like build power, miscellaneous actions like picking a lock, etc.) are just treated as non-combat actions so any one charm can be used, ignoring step restrictions.
Regarding defending against the environmental hazard from Volcano Cutter, my reading is that the wielder of the artifact uses their action and the evocation to create the environmental hazard, but it isn't an attack (ie, not withering or decisive) and the hazard damage isn't something that takes place within the step structure of the enemy's turn. They declare their action on step 1 but you aren't defending against it on a step 2 or anything. They just create the hazard and that is their action and their turn ends. Then the hazard takes over and affects the people in the area once per turn on their turn, and the character responds to that situation with a reflexive action at that point. So I think RAW is that you can use an Excellency to avoid that hazard, since the hazard damage is not occurring during some step of the enemy's action.
Regarding defending against the environmental hazard from Volcano Cutter, my reading is that the wielder of the artifact uses their action and the evocation to create the environmental hazard, but it isn't an attack (ie, not withering or decisive) and the hazard damage isn't something that takes place within the step structure of the enemy's turn. They declare their action on step 1 but you aren't defending against it on a step 2 or anything. They just create the hazard and that is their action and their turn ends. Then the hazard takes over and affects the people in the area once per turn on their turn, and the character responds to that situation with a reflexive action at that point. So I think RAW is that you can use an Excellency to avoid that hazard, since the hazard damage is not occurring during some step of the enemy's action.
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