Occams Razor

When someone is hit with disengage or repel are they still allowed to attack the person who used the skill as they back off. Also is the person who used the skill allowed to attack them while they are backing out? It is it pretty much a reset where both skill user and opponent cannot strike each other? I know repel has a longer duration and I am asking specifically about the few seconds right after the attack has been delivered and the person is backing off. I have seen it handled both ways and just want to be sure I have a clear understand of the mechanics as they apply to OR.

In a disengage nobody attacks, and all disengaged back off roughly (x distance) away from the disengaged. Nobody should be attacking. This lasts only a couple seconds.

In a repel, the repelled must back away and strive to avoid getting near/attacking the one who repelled them. The one who did the repelling may attack the repelled, but MELEE strikes break the repel effect. Ranged effects do not. Huehuehue at your leisure. Repel lasts five minutes, short repel for ten seconds.

Is Repel five minutes or five minutes of rest?

Brendan's got it.

Repel lasts for five minutes of Rest.
Short Repel lasts for ten seconds of Rest.

To clarify something Brendan said: he's on the money except for the "roughly X distance" bit--the combatants back away until their extended weapons can no longer touch.

To Dave: Like most Effects in Accelerant, five minutes of Rest will get you out from under a standard Repel effect (delivered by a weapon, packet, name, voice, or gaze). Gesture-based Repels last until the Gesture is broken, so yes, you are correct, Dave.

And in further note, if they are incapable of Resting, namely being on their feet and fighting other people, they cannot Rest off the Repel?

Correct.

Awesome. Thank you!