Can I do this as a Ready action?

[Ywain]

There are 5 action types, each with strict rules as to what can or cannot be accomplished. Part of a standard action is a move. A partial action is usually a standard action minus the move.

"Ready [Standard][AoO: No]

Description: The ready action lets a combatant prepare to take an action later, after a combatant's turn is over but before a combatant's next one has begun. Readying is a standard action, so a combatant can move as well."

On your initiative count you declare what Partial Action you want to take later. You can move before or after you ready the action because Ready is a standard action. BUT, the partial action that you take later does not allow a move. You cannot "hold" your move until after the Partial action.

1) Yes. You can always do less in an action type than the maximum allowed. You could just ready to change the opponent you are dodging. Sometimes this would be the best choice available, but not usually.

2) Yes. The readied action takes place before the action that triggered it. Your initiative count would now be the same as the Orcs (but you would always act before the orc).

3) Indeed, that is the effect of declaring dodge on an opponent.

4) No. For two reasons, one might be a misunderstanding on my part. In Step 1, above, you didn't declare Full Defense as your readied action so you don't get to declare it now. If you meant to include (or imply) that declaration in Step 1, then this isn't a problem. What IS a problem is that you don't get to move when yout take a Partial Action -- and you can only ready partial actions -- so you could begin fighting defensively, but you can't move as well. If you wanted to move you could have moved when you took your standard action to Ready the partial action.

 

[Ywain]

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.

Okay, in this example the PC has:

1. Taken a Standard Action to shoot an arrow.
2. Taken a Standard Action to Ready an Action
3. Taken a Partial Action to Dodge at a later time.

That's one too many Standard Actions. You cannot substitute a Standard Action for a Move or Move Equivalent Action. Otherwise, a first level Wizard could cast two spells in a round. Not a good idea.

 

[Vaxalon]

Total defense is a standard action.

The allowed partial actions are:

Attack(melee), attack (ranged), attack (unarmed), partial charge, cast a spell, activate magic item, use special ability, concentrate to maintain a spell, dismiss a spell, single move, partial run, miscellaneous partial action, and start full-round action.

A miscellaneous partial action is defined as a miscellanous action which is defined as a standard or move-equivalent action. "Total defense" is listed in the miscellaneous action table as a standard action.

So there you go. You can go on total defense as a readied action.

 

[RigaMortus]

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

And why is this necessarily bad? What if your Initiative was 4 and your opponents was 19? Then that 19 Init opponent attacks me and suddenly I have a 20 init.

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.

That is one example, yes. What about this:

Your Initiative is 4, and you have four opponents going on 19, 15, 9 and 4. Wow, suddenly if you Ready an action to Dodge, there is a chance your Initiative will INCREASE! Not that this is bad or good since Init doesn't matter after the first round anyway (except in the case of wandering monsters).

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.

Is this a new rule or something? When are you ever allowed to Attack and then reserve a partial action?

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.

Actually that isn't how it would work. First off, I wouldn't be able to "fire an arrow" and "reserve a partial action" as described above. On my initiative of 19, I would be allowed to Ready an action to move as soon as someone shot at me (for example). Init 9 opponent goes and shoots at me. My readied (partial) action kicks in. I declare that I am Dodging the opponent that fired, and I also opt for the Total Defense maneuver. Wow, suddenly I have a +4 to my AC and a +1 Dodge to my AC (do these bonuses stack?) against that one opponent.

Now why wouldn't I just take Total Defense to begin with? If I did, then the opponent may not have attacked me. By reading the Total Defense, I just re-directed an attack that may have otherwise hit my ally. And ya know what else? Let' say I had the Defensive Strike feat from OA. Now if I can get close enough to that opponent next round, I get a +4 to my attack against them (assuming they missed me and I had Total Defense on).

Ok, so now I charge them.... Hmmmm, +6 to attack and -2 to AC.... Not bad... Some other things I could do... I could use Expertise and still get that +2 to my AC back from the charge, and still get a +4 to hit... I could Power Attack and my +6 to hit will help counter that negative...

That was the basic premise of why I asked if you could do it, Ready an action and take Total Defense...