Can you use a Partial Action to Ready for later in the round?

[Artoomis]

Just to make sure this is really clear:

In a regular round, you could move and declare a "readied action" to happen sometime before your next action.

In a surprise round you could declare a "readied action " to happen sometime before your next action. (Assuming you get to take a partial action, and are not one of the ones standing around flat-footed)

In a "hasted" round you could take a standard cation (with a move) or a full-round action (like a full attack) and declare a readied action to happen sometime before your next action.

In no case do you gain an action - you are only taking one action you could have done anyway and taking it later in the round in response to something you think will happen.

Clear?

 

[Lucius Foxhound]

So a hasted Wizard could cast a spell, then use his extra partial action to Ready an Action for counterspell? Providing he doesn't move?

If so, that's interesting...

 

[Artoomis]

So a hasted Wizard could cast a spell, then use his extra partial action to Ready an Action for counterspell? Providing he doesn't move?

If so, that's interesting...

Absolutely! He could even cast a spell, move AND ready an action.

Of course, that's in place of casting a second spell, which he could do instead of readying for a counterspell.

 

[0-hr]

So if you ready an action in the surprise round, when do you stop being flat-footed? Does the answer change if you delay instead of ready?


My opinion is that you stop being flat footed the instant your initiative comes up, regardless of what (if anything) you do with that initiative.

 

[Lucius Foxhound]

So if you ready an action in the surprise round, when do you stop being flat-footed? Does the answer change if you delay instead of ready?


My opinion is that you stop being flat footed the instant your initiative comes up, regardless of what (if anything) you do with that initiative.

Yep. I agree.

 

[Artoomis]

So if you ready an action in the surprise round, when do you stop being flat-footed? Does the answer change if you delay instead of ready?


My opinion is that you stop being flat footed the instant your initiative comes up, regardless of what (if anything) you do with that initiative.

Technically yes, if you Delay you are still flat-footed. Note that if you Delay, your intiative has not yet come up (see below).

A character who has not yet acted during a combat is flat-footed...

Delay [Not an Action][AoO: No]
Description: When a character delays, the character voluntarily reduces it's own initiative result for the rest of the combat...

Ready [Standard][AoO: No]
Description: The ready action lets a character prepare to take an action later, after a character's turn is over but before a character's next one has begun. Readying is a standard action...

 

[IceBear]

Just to make sure this is really clear:

In a regular round, you could move and declare a "readied action" to happen sometime before your next action.

In a surprise round you could declare a "readied action " to happen sometime before your next action. (Assuming you get to take a partial action, and are not one of the ones standing around flat-footed)

In a "hasted" round you could take a standard cation (with a move) or a full-round action (like a full attack) and declare a readied action to happen sometime before your next action.

In no case do you gain an action - you are only taking one action you could have done anyway and taking it later in the round in response to something you think will happen.

Clear?

Yeah clear. I was just getting too literal with Delay being "Not an Action" and Ready being a "Standard Action". For some reason I was thinking that there was a "cost" of an action to readying (where you got to go just before your opponent) as opposed to delaying (where you got to go just after your opponent). As you say, no one is gaining an action

IceBear

 

[AGGEMAM]

Technically yes, if you Delay you are still flat-footed. Note that if you Delay, your intiative has not yet come up (see below).

Except one thing the PHB says you stop being flat-footed when you have had the chance to act, that means that even if you delay you are not flat-footed after that point.

When your initiative count comes up the first time in combat, you choose delay, but you still had the chance to act.

 

[Dakhran the Dark]

For some reason I was thinking that there was a "cost" of an action to readying (where you got to go just before your opponent) as opposed to delaying (where you got to go just after your opponent).

There's still a cost, in a way. Once you've declared the trigger for your readied response, you can't change your mind and do something else if that trigger is voided -- you've already used your standard action that round. For example, if the caster you were covering with an arrow, hoping to interrupt a spell, happens to bite it when another character attacks him, you're still holding that readied action until your initiative on the next round. However, with delay, once you decide to take your action, that action can be anything you're capable of doing normally. So basically, ready exchanges versatility for the ability to interrupt someone's action...

 

[aliensex]

Interesting stuff...

Could you use your move to ready an action?

Say two fighters are toe to toe. Could Fighter A attack, then ready his move to follow Fighter B if Fighter B moves away? I suppose this would probably be an on the fly interpretation or a house rule. You could consider movement to be a partial action that can be coupled with a standard action (the attack).

It seems reasonable that he could keep toe to toe if he wanted, seeing as he hasn't moved in the round (no 5' step).