Adjudicating Readied Actions

[IceBear]

You are allowed to add a few simple conditions to a readied action, so you could say "If they attack me or cast spells I will attack the leader". But if one whips out a wand, well, too bad.

I personally would allow, in that example, someone to say "If they take any hostile action towards me, I will attack the leader". I would then enforce a Wis check (DC=15) to have the character determine what is a hostile action (eg, The cultist drop their weapons, and one of them steps forward to attack you (actual he was going to step forward and kneel for mercy, but that's not how you saw it - failed the Wis check) so you kill the leader. No more hostage for you; the enraged cultists pick up their weapons and attack)

IceBear

 

[RedShirtNo5]

Spider:

My take is that readied actions are supposed to be triggered by things you can tell with a glance. If you need to examine or consider, either you can't ready or there's a chance you will loose your action or trigger the action accidentially.

I would permit "If they do anything except drop their weapons", since it seems fairly straightforward. I know there's no facing, but if the cultists surround you and one decides to attack, I would be a chance you don't notice in time.

I would also permit "If they take any hostile action", but like Icebear have a chance for mishap.


Icebear & Pielorinho:

I sort of agree with this concept in terms of fairness, but I think it eventually needs a house rule.

I don't agree this should be considered as a delay. A player can't retroactively decide whether they readied an action or were delaying, and the same goes for NPCs. If you readied an action, you get only a partial action, whereas if you delayed you can take a full action. Do the archers get to take a full round attack or a partial attack? What if the archers took a move or MEA before they readied?

Also, there are situations that also feel unfair, but aren't so clear. What if the person decides to run down a long corridor. When they have done 3/4 of their move, they pass an alcove and suffer a readied attack from an archer. They still have 1/4 of the move left. Is the archer's intiative now before or after the runner? What about 5/6? 7/8?

I don't have a good solution to offer yet.

-RedShirt

 

[IceBear]

Yeah, I know it's weird to change it from a ready action to a delay, but as Daniel pointed out it seems harsh for someone to suffer two rounds of attacks because of the timing of things.

I think I would stick with the house rule that if the readied action doesn't occur until the second MEA then it's effectively a delay. A readied action is supposed to be an interrupt, but in the example given, the character has finished all his actions for the round so there isn't anything to interrupt.

The way I see actions now is that you really don't have to declare them until you take them. So, in the case of someone getting hit 3/4 of the way into their move, I see it as occuring in their second MEA (the character has finished all his actions for the round) and thus, to prevent this two rounds of free hits, I would have the attacker's initiative fall to just after the target's. I would enforce that the character would have to continue his move as planned though - no changing his mind after the action was declared.

I know, it's not a 100% accurate idea, but it does help with the issue of someone getting attacked in the first 1/4 of their move who then uses their second MEA to get out of the line of sight whereas the same character who gets hit 3/4 of the way through their round is stuck with two rounds of attacks before he can react.

IceBear

 

[Krystoff]

Quick question on readied actions

Heya guys, since this thread is already here and I was thinking about almost the same thing this morning I thought I would ask here.

If I am standing in front of a spellcaster and I ready an action to attack the spell caster if he casts a spell. The spellcaster realizes what Im doing and moves back 30 feet before begining to cast his spell. Am I allowed to charge him as the charge action is an attack action?

Edit: Changed muddy wording

 

[IceBear]

You are allowed to take a partial action as your readied action, so I'd allow a partial charge if that happened. I'm a pretty lenient DM though, so others might not allow it and they may be more rules correct than me (I haven't looked at the rules for this).

Keep in mind that if the spellcaster did that, he'd suffer an AoO for moving and casting. I can't remember if that occurs if the AoO could disrupt the spell - I think it would because you aren't really moving and THEN casting, but as casting as you move.

IceBear

 

[Dr. Zoom]

You have to specify the partial action and the condition. If you ready an attack action if he casts, you cannot change it to a partial charge. As Ice Bear said, though, the spellcaster would provoke an AoO when he moves away intending to cast, but this attack cannot disrupt the spell. The caster's move in this case provokes the AoO, not the the actual casting of the spell. He is not moving and casting at the same time. Also, even if your DM allows the partial charge, you must have a speed of 30 in this case to make it. If not, your charge comes up short.

 

[Krystoff]

Doesn't the charge action say you can charge up to twice your movement rate?

So even though the charge action is an attack action, its seperate from "The attack action" is that the case?

 

[IceBear]

That's what I thought the offical policy was. I use the "move and casting" at the same time description as it was the only way my party would buy why that would cause cause an AoO

(Player: Wait, I can move back 30ft and do nothing and not suffer an AoO, but if I move back 30ft and cast a spell, drink a potion, etc I do?

Me: Yes, because in the second case you are opening yourself up for an AoO.

Player: Why? Isn't that movement the same as if I just moved back 30ft?

Me: No, because in order to cast a spell in the same 6 second round, you would have to be less concerned about your defenses - you are rushing.

Player: Why? If I moved back 60ft I wouldn't suffer an AoO so that must take the same amout of time as a move and cast action, but that doesn't cause an AoO.

Me: *sigh* Ok, then lets assume that in order to move and cast a spell, or move and drink a potion, during the movement you are preparing the spell, potion, whatever as you move back and that's why you suffer the AoO?

Player: I can live with that

)

Anyway, I thought that the AoO didn't disrupt the spell, but I wasn't sure.

BTW - are you sure that you have to declare the partial action completely with readied action. I would have allowed someone to say they would attack if X, and then if X I'd allow them to describe the attack option - which I thought included a charge.

IceBear

 

[IceBear]

Doesn't the charge action say you can charge up to twice your movement rate?

So even though the charge action is an attack action, its seperate from "The attack action" is that the case?

I'm not sure about your second point. As I've stated, I'd allow it, but Dr Zoom would not. If someone said attack, I would ask them the details of that until the time came, so I'd allow them to take whatever partial attack action they wanted based on the current situation.

As for the first one, you can only ready a partial action so you're not charging, you're partial charging (1X your movement rate instead of 2 and then attack).

IceBear

 

[WaterRabbit]

After a ready action takes place, it seems like a simpler solution to have those involved reroll initiative to determine which one will go first the next time that initiative count comes back up.