Can you choose to stop your movement in mid-air?

[glass]

Actualy, if I remember right, a readied action becomes your next turn, therefore it would wouldn't work, as it changes where you go in the initiative order.

It resets your iniative count if you take it. You could argue that it becomes 'your turn', but by the time it does, you're already attacking so it's too late to take a move action 'this turn'.



glass.

 

[KarinsDad]

But if they specifically intended to disallow readied-action mid-jump attacks, they don't appear to have succeded in terms of what they actually wrote.

Actually, I do not think they wrote it so badly.

Hyp is one of the few people in the world who would find such a (sometimes literal, sometimes not literal) loophole.

 

[Nyeshet]

What if you want to end your turn in mid-air? Can you just say you wait to jump until the end of your action?

Somehow this question reminds me of Trinity in The Matrix.

 

[Hypersmurf]

For this to work, you are allowing the mid-air jump to extend from round one to round three.

Let's look at an example that doesn't touch on Readied actions at all.

I take a standard action to attack someone, then make a running jump in such a fashion that my jump distance exceeds my movement, thus ending my turn in midair.

My next action, either on this turn or if necessary on my next turn, must be a move action to complete the jump.

While I am in midair, an opponent hits me with a spell that leaves me stunned for three rounds. I cannot take any actions in that time. My 'next action' does not occur on this turn or even on my next turn; my 'next action' does not occur for three rounds.

What happens to my mid-airness?

Let's say instead of being stunned, it was a Hold Person spell. My next action must be a move action, but it is also restricted to being a full round action to make a second saving throw against the spell.

Which action do I take? What happens to my mid-airness?

-Hyp.

 

[KarinsDad]

Let's look at an example that doesn't touch on Readied actions at all.

...

Which action do I take? What happens to my mid-airness?

That is why there are DMs and we do not play a computer game.

If it were a jump over a ravine, the character will continue to move (in my campaign).

If the character rolled well enough to make the jump, he would be prone on the far side of the ravine at a distance dependent on how well he rolled (although I would not have him more than 10 feet past the edge unless he was purposely trying to get that far).

If the character did not roll well enough, the character cannot catch the edge and falls into the ravine.

If the character was doing a high jump, the character would fall prone in his square on the next round.

I would give the character the "ending jump move action", even though technically the character cannot take a move action.

Sometimes, you just have to step in as DM and make a logical adjudication with some on the fly rules and/or rolls in order to handle a situation that the game rules did not take into account.


However, this new example of yours is a case where the character has no control. In your Readied scenario, it is taking advantage of a loophole in the rules to avoid the "next action must be a move action" rule. Hence, in your original jump and ready example, I just would not allow the Ready Action.

Additionally after discussing this now, I would never allow a Readied Action followed by a Move Action in the game anyway (even without a mid-air jump) since the Next Action must be the Readied Action and hence, cannot be a Move Action.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I would give the character the "ending jump move action", even though technically the character cannot take a move action.

However, this new example of yours is a case where the character has no control. In your Readied scenario, it is taking advantage of a loophole in the rules to avoid the "next action must be a move action" rule.

Well, calling it a "next action must be a move action" rule is less accurate than calling it a "next action (either on this turn or, if necessary, on your next turn) must be a move action" rule

In a way, though, it's similar - the Readied action is already 'allocated'. I can't decide, when a Readied action triggers, to use it for movement instead. So really, it's also a case where the character has no control. If the Readied action triggers, it may be the next action (though not, I maintain, the 'next action (either on this turn or, if necessary, on your next turn)'), but it is not one that may be used as a move action to complete the jump.

So the "ending jump move action" is just as applicable here as in the stunned/held situation.

-Hyp.

 

[KarinsDad]

So the "ending jump move action" is just as applicable here as in the stunned/held situation.

Only if you allowed a Move Action after a Ready Action in the first place, which I would not allow. To me, "if necessary" is the designer's way of saying any time from now until your next turn, not just this turn and next turn exclusive.

Allowing it is just literal linguistical gymnastics.

 

[ElectricDragon]

If you fall off a cliff and someone casts Hold Person on you, do you stop falling because your next action must be a full round action to save again? Being paralyzed or stunned in mid-jump would start a fall IMHO. I.E. no hanging in air for an extended time while you overcome your distress. Levitate can do that. Fly can do it too. But Stunning Fist or Hold Person? Nah! So my house rule would be that being incapacitated in mid-jump would cause you to fall becuse you can't spend your next action to end the jump.

How about a 15th level human fighter with a Str of 22 (including enhancements), activated boots of speed, a ring of improved jumping, and 18 ranks in jump. His jump could easily be 50 feet or more (+46). 20' running start, roll of 20 = 86 feet jumped, rounded to 85. Movement 60 ft.; so 45 feet left of jump at end of turn. Last round of Haste on boots, so next round's Move action is only 30 feet and he must take two move actions to finish the jump. Or can he save that second move action and take a standard action mid-air since it is not mentioned in the rules that more than one move action can be necessary? He did use his next action to finish the jump, it just didn't totally finish it.

Ciao
Dave

 

[Izerath]

And......

Actually, the answer to the OPs question appears to be yes.

You can end your turn in mid-jump. The rules state that this can happen, so it is merely a matter of contriving your movement so that it happens.

The further question of whether you can attack and get a bonus to hit because of that is more problematic, but still doable.

For example, you could get an AoO while "hanging in mid air". An AoO is not an action, so it can be done.

There is probably at least one feat or PrC special ability that allows you to do a normal attack outside of your turn and outside the Ready action, but that would not be a move action, so it could not be used.

And, of course, an Elocater can do this (jump, float, attack or ready an attack).

Hyp's Ready "trick", although clever, could not be used because the next action is not a move action: "your next action (either on this turn or, if necessary, on your next turn) must be a move action". Next Action here cannot refer to next turn due to the "either on this turn ..." phrase.

To add to this, looking at the flyby attack feat, which someone mentioned earlier, the feat clearly states that a standard action cannot occur during a move action, it must occur before or after.

Flyby Attack, MM p303 Normal: Without this feat, the creature takes a standard action either before or after its move.

If a standard flyer needs a feat to attack during a move, why would any other form of movement supersede this general rule? I have to admit, Hyp's idea is clever, but because the rules define actions clearly in that one must be completed before another can occur, I would not allow it.

That said, if you compare carefully, while the words may be different, Spring attack and Flyby attack feats are identical in effect, but one is specific to land-based movement while the other to flying movement. Acknowledging that, I'd allow an attack in mid-air only if the leaping attacker had the Spring attack feat. Then the mid-air between turns rules work correctly and the attacker can attack during his move action, even a jump.

 

[Hypersmurf]

If a standard flyer needs a feat to attack during a move, why would any other form of movement supersede this general rule?

True. But you're taking the action after your move (which finishes at the end of your turn, while you're in mid-air), and before your next move (which begins with your next action either on this turn, or, if necessary, on your next turn... and given that this turn has finished, the 'if necessary' clause applies).

-Hyp.