Can you Ready against a psion manifesting a power?

[Psyduck]

I read through the psionic's handbook, and I didn't find any place mentioning counter-manifesting or readying to try and break the concentration of a psion, but it's possible to take AoOs on them.

At first I figured you can't ready against them, but someone told me that since they can provoke AoOs, they can be readied against. Is this true?

 

[HeavyG]

How can you ready against something you can't perceive ?

 

[Psyduck]

easy..

How can you ready against something you can't perceive ?

Would it not be the same way you can take an AoO against someone just appearing to stand there?

 

[HeavyG]

Re: easy..

Would it not be the same way you can take an AoO against someone just appearing to stand there?

No. When you're fighting a psion and he manifests a power (ditto with any spell-like ability), your character doesn't say "Mmm, he's manifesting, l337" and strikes. It's just that the act of manifesting means he's not concentrating on defense so you get an AoO. Your character doesn't necessarily knows if the other guy's 'casting', just that he gets an opening and takes it.

However, to ready an action would require a visible action.

For example, you can't ready an action to strike a guy if he thinks nasty thoughts.

And it would seem to me that manifesting powers is not detectable visually because you can do it while magically held.

However, you could always rule that as soon as the psion starts manifesting, the power's displays start happening too, which would let you ready an action against it.

 

[Psyduck]

Ok. Thanks for the help. I thought I was right, but had to make sure

 

[Victim]

Yes, you can ready against a psion manifesting a power. A psion's power is a spell - like ability. Look at the DMG page 71 for descriptions of NPC actions. Apparently, the concentration required to use a spell-like power or cast a still silent spell is obvious.

If just standing there provoked an AoO, stunned or held characters would be even more dead.

 

[Geron Raveneye]

Of course you can...

...after all, a psionic power, being manifested, is accompanied by visual and other effects that can be percieved by anybody with a little experience with psionics, so you can ready, watching out for the signs of a psion manifesting a power, and then strike.

 

[HeavyG]

Yes, you can ready against a psion manifesting a power. A psion's power is a spell - like ability. Look at the DMG page 71 for descriptions of NPC actions. Apparently, the concentration required to use a spell-like power or cast a still silent spell is obvious.

That's the "there's no mistaking the deep concentration of spellcasting" or something quote, right ?

I personally don't buy it because why would someone who knows next to nothing about magic know the difference between someone that concentrates deeply on casting a spell-like ability and someone that's concentrating real hard on anything else ? A mage or psion, sure, but anyone ?

Anyway, I think it's reasonable to allow readying against a psion manifesting a power. But if it's worded that way by the player of that 6 intelligence know-nothing half-orc fighter, then I have a problem. I'd much rather he say "I get ready to whack him if he gets a look of deep concentration or something."

Geron's answer is spot-on.