How does the Flying Dagger Swarm's aura work?

Question

The Flying Dagger Swarm (dungeon magazine #195, pag 18) aura states:

Aura 1 - any enemy that starts his turn in the aura takes ongoing 5 damage (save ends). If that enemy is already taking untyped ongoing damage, that damage increases by 5. (no errata or FAQs published)

Three questions:

• The aura gives you ongoing 5 damage at the start of your turn. But, ongoing 5 damage also gets triggered at the start of your turn. If a PC starts his turn in the aura, does he take the ongoing damage right away in that turn or does he take the damage starting the following turn?
• if a PC starts his turn in the aura of two Flying Dagger Swarms, does he take 5 ongoing or does he take 10 ongoing from the auras overlapping?
• if a PC starts his turn in the aura and is already taking ongoing damage, does he take the original ongoing damage or the one increased by the aura in that turn?

Answer 1

1) They would not take 5 damage until their next turn

The start of turn would trigger the:

If you are taking ongoing damage, increase it by 5, otherwise take ongoing 5.

effect, but then it is done. The start of turn trigger is a single instant in time that can trigger multiple effects, not a phase of time that is repeatedly checked for changes and new effects after each effect is resolved.

2) They would be taking 10 ongoing

This is treated as 2 effects happening in sequence; since they are the same the order does no matter, but they are both essentially:

If you are taking ongoing damage, increase it by 5, otherwise take ongoing 5.

Therefore, we apply the first effect, which would give the PC ongoing 5, then apply the second, which would see the ongoing 5 and increase it by 5 to ongoing 10.

3) It depends on the controller of the character

As per the Rules Compendium, if multiple effects are occurring at the same time, the acting player can choose the ordering of the effects. Hence it depends on the order they choose; they can choose to either increase the ongoing damage first, then take the ongoing damage, or take the ongoing damage first, then increase it.