Can I do this as a Ready action?

[RigaMortus]

Can I Ready an action to use my Dodge feat vs. the first enemy that tries to strike me?

If so, can I do anything else that round? I understand you get a partial action, so would I be allowed a move in addition to me declaring the Dodge?

Can I also use Total Defense on a partial action? Specifically can I do this:

1) Ready an action to Dodge the first enemy that tries to attack me.
2) Orc fires an arrow at me from far away, my Ready action kicks in.
3) I start to Dodge the Orc, gaining +1 on my AC vs. him.
4) Ready actions are partial actions, so my Dodge really doesn't take any time (correct me if I am wrong). So therefore I can also take a partial action. In this case I wish to take Total Defense AND move my speed.

Is this legal/possible?

 

[Magus Coeruleus]

Since Dodge can be declared at any time during your action, I think Readying it is fine. As far as the other part of the readied action is concerned, you'd of course get it since Dodge takes no time, but you'd have to specify what you'll do when you declare the Ready.

In other words, the Dodge part is a gimme. It's the other part of your Ready that is more demanding, and it follows the same constraints as a regular Readied action.

You know, the idea of Readying an action so as to be able to Dodge someone based on whether they're attacking you sounds like a really good idea in some situations.

P.S. The Dodge feat text says you can select a new opponent to dodge on any action. How do people interpret that? Does that mean that you can do it once per round, or once per any action (including each move, standard action, free actions, etc.)?

 

[dr_nukem]

P.S. The Dodge feat text says you can select a new opponent to dodge on any action. How do people interpret that? Does that mean that you can do it once per round, or once per any action (including each move, standard action, free actions, etc.)?

In our group we have decided that you may choose to dodge any opponent during your turn, but you can not change who you are dodging until your next turn. That way, you can not walk past 10 enemies, and dodge each one as they get their AoO against you. This is a house rule.

WRT Total Defense, I would say most certainly. TD is a standard action that allows you to move. As a partial action, you can perform 1 standard action, plus (generally) a 5' step.

 

[Li Shenron]

Can I Ready an action to use my Dodge feat vs. the first enemy that tries to strike me?

I have to carefully think about it...

1. You can ready a partial action, which can be a single move.
2. You can change your Dodge opponent only during your action

IMHO I think you can: you ready any partial action, and when you start doing it, it is your action and therefore you can reassign your Dodge opponent. Of course, you can ready a move but decide to move 0 ft if you want (that is, losing your partial action), only to use Dodge.
Anyway, you must decide the partial action when you ready it.

Can I also use Total Defense on a partial action?

Total Defense (TD) is a standard action, with the special fact that your MEA MUST be a single move and nothing else (PHB, p.127).
The Partial Actions table (same page) includes "Miscellaneous Partial Actions" = miscellaneous actions defined as standard or MEA.
IMHO, at the moment it seems feasible to consider TD an eligible Partial (without the move), although to me it sound very weird: remember that if you could do so, your AC will benefit until your next turn (basically a full-round effect).

4) Ready actions are partial actions, so my Dodge really doesn't take any time (correct me if I am wrong). So therefore I can also take a partial action. In this case I wish to take Total Defense AND move my speed.

IMHO, here it is too much! Since you can ready a partial, some but not all the possibilities include:

a) ready a move
b) ready a total defense without a move

Still it sounds weird to me...

 

[RigaMortus]

I see what you are saying, but Total Defense allows a single move. So if you allow Total Defense as a partial move (from a Readied action) then I think it only makes sense that you allow the single move as well. JMHO, but I would like some other opinions (or better yet, facts) on this as well.

 

[Darklone]

I see what you are saying, but Total Defense allows a single move. So if you allow Total Defense as a partial move (from a Readied action) then I think it only makes sense that you allow the single move as well. JMHO, but I would like some other opinions (or better yet, facts) on this as well.

Partial actions are usually a Standard Action without a move. Total defense is a Standard action, you move and gain a dodge bonus to AC (correct me if it's another bonus).

So I would rule you can't move more than a 5ft step. There may be something in the PHB though that says that you can only use it while moving your speed (dodging). Then I would not allow it.

 

[Magus_Jerel]

1. yes
2. yes
3. yes
4. yes


You have to "reverse engineer" the D&D initiative system to explain why you can. This practice is verboten however, depending on who you talk to... no first order logic applications to the initiative system...

 

[Christian]

You know, the idea of Readying an action so as to be able to Dodge someone based on whether they're attacking you sounds like a really good idea in some situations.

Actually, it sounds like a rotten idea to me, because your initiative resets to the initiative count you take your action on.

Example: Your initiative is 18, and you have four opponents going on 19, 15, 9, and 4. You're at missile range, all of you are using bows to shoot at one another, and you don't have any iterative attacks yet. Not interested in moving, you decide to take a standard action on your turn to shoot one arrow, and reserve a partial action to take a regular move of 0' and Dodge the missile the first time an opponent attacks you.

So, you shoot an arrow on 18. On 15, that opponent shoots at an ally, but the second shoots at you on 9. Your initiative changes to 9, and you get a +1 AC to dodge the arrow. The opponents on 19 and 15 go, on 9 you shoot again and prepare the same action. This time, the opponent on 9 shoots at another ally, as do the opponents on 4 and 19. Finally, the opponent on 15 takes a shot at you, and you take your 0-move-and-dodge action and reset your initiative to 15. A quick count will show that, by the time your original initiative of 18 rolls around again, everyone will have taken three actions in the combat, except you, who have taken two. The discrepancy will continue to get larger as the combat progresses; and what you get in return is a +1 AC against one attack per round instead of +1 AC against sometimes one, sometimes no attacks per round.

There's no disadvantage if nobody ever attacks you, of course. No advantage either, though, in that case.

I'd definitely allow this as a DM, although if I were in a charitable mood, I might point out the disadvantages to the player first ...

 

[alaric]

I don't believe you can ready an action to dodge, since dodge isn't an action, but i do believe you can word an action like "i attack the first person that threatens me" (threaten in this case being the non game version of the term). Now since your action goes before him, you can take a dodge action against whomever you wish at that time.

Total defense isn't granting you an extra move or anything, it's limiting what you are allowed to do in a round. When you declared the ready action you either already used your MEA or you forfeited that action. There is no indication in Total Defense action that it can be used to get around this limitation.

 

[Artoomis]

Total Defense (Standard Action):

Description: A combatant doesn't attack or perform any other activity other than moving at base speed, but the combatant gets a +4 dodge bonus to AC for 1 round. The combatant's AC improves at the start of this action, so it helps against any attacks of opportunity provoked while moving.

Standard Action:

A standard action allows a combatant to do something and move a combatant's indicated speed during a combat round. A combatant can move before or after performing the activity of the action.

Partial Action:

Partial Action: As a general rule, a combatant can do as much with a partial action as a combatant could with a standard action minus a move. Typically, a combatant may take a 5-foot step as part of a partial action.

Reading this all in together, it seem clear that Total Defense is regular Standard Action, with the possible restriction that you may not substitute a MEA for your move (that's debatable, but not relevant to this discussion). Thus, taken as a Partial Action, TD would not allow the move. Simple, ain't it?

Your misunderstanding, Riga Mortis, is that TD allows a move - that's true, but it ONLY allows a move because it is a Standard Action - just like an Attack allows a move, but a Partial Attack does not.