Coup de Grace: "Disruptable" Full-Round Action?

[ptolemy18]

Ah, the dreaded coup de grace... A coup de grace is a full-round action which provokes attacks of opportunity and can only be used "against a helpless foe." I have a few questions about it from my last game.

(Question Part 1)
Can a monster (or PC) "ready" a coup de grace? Can a monster (or PC) who's in a space adjacent to a helpless character say "Do as I say or I'll kill him!" and then "hold their action" to perform a coup de grace?

(It seems logical that they could. I guess the question is... can you "hold your action" to perform a full-round action? Perhaps, since it's a full-round action, you "hold your action" to BEGIN the "coup de grace", but then everybody else gets the rest of the round to react and possibly attempt to disrupt your action, as with a spell with a full-round casting time?)

(Question Part 2)
If someone is unconscious and prone and not bound, but is then healed to consciousness, do they automatically become "un-helpless" and therefore can't be coup-de-graced?

Take the above situation... if someone "holds their action" to perform a coup-de-grace, but then someone else heals the helpless character to consciousness, does this "disrupt" the coup-de-grace attempt?

I played this situation by ear in my last game, and I ruled that the healer (in situation 2.2) disrupted the "coup de grace" attempt in the middle of the full-round coup-de-grace action. I don't know if I'm correct, or if I was being lenient on the players. :/

What do you guys think?

Jason

 

[Darkness]

(Question Part 1)
Can a monster (or PC) "ready" a coup de grace?

No. You can't ready a full-round action.
The Death Blow feat turns it into a standard action, though, which can be readied.

Can a monster (or PC) who's in a space adjacent to a helpless character say "Do as I say or I'll kill him!" and then "hold their action" to perform a coup de grace?

If you have the Death Blow feat, yes. (Otherwise, no - see above. At best, characters without Death Blow can use "delay an action," which allows full-round actions to be delayed, to perform a CDG after the character they addressed has taken his action but delay doesn't enable you to interrupt someone else's action so it's not helpful against the healing attempt further down in your post.)

(Question Part 2)
If someone is unconscious and prone and not bound, but is then healed to consciousness, do they automatically become "un-helpless" and therefore can't be coup-de-graced?

Yes.

Take the above situation... if someone "holds their action" to perform a coup-de-grace, but then someone else heals the helpless character to consciousness, does this "disrupt" the coup-de-grace attempt?

(Assuming we're talking about a standard action CDG, as a full-round one is not possible with ready.) Yes, assuming the healing attempt doesn't trigger the CDG. If it does trigger the readied CDG, the readied action (i.e., the CDG) goes first.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Not directly a response to anything but the title of the thread, but I think allowing CDG to be disrupted would make for a very good house rule.

 

[Darkness]

Not directly a response to anything but the title of the thread, but I think allowing CDG to be disrupted would make for a very good house rule.

True. I'll seriously consider that idea.

 

[Numion]

Not directly a response to anything but the title of the thread, but I think allowing CDG to be disrupted would make for a very good house rule.

One can sometimes use bull rush to move either Coup de Gracer or Coup de Gracee away from each other. At least thats what we've done.

 

[Berandor]

Attack of Opportunity: use for disarm, grapple. No CdG.

 

[Felix]

Correct me if I'm wrong ptolemy18, but are you under the impression that a CDG full-round action means that the CDG will be complete at the beginning of the character's turn in the next round? That's what I'm readng from your post.

If not, then ignore the rest of this.

A CDG does not take "1 round" to do, like a Summon spell. It is a full-round action like a full attack. The character performing the CDG can take no other actions other than a 5-foot step, but the action is begun and finished on his initiative.

The importance of this is that unless another character has readied an action to heal the helpless guy, there is no way that the CDG can be interrupted because even though it takes a full-round action, it doesn't take place over the course of the whole round. See what I mean?

---

This might be 3.0, but can't you ready an action to begin the first part of a full-round action? I don't know why you'd do it, but you could ready the CDG, the readied action goes off interrupting something else, and then next round you would be able to finish the CDG with less than a full-round action. Similarly, you could...

First round:
Move 30' to helpless guy. (move action)
Begin CDG. (Standard action)

Next round:
Finish CDG. (Standard action?)
Move 30'. (Move action)

 

[ptolemy18]

No. You can't ready a full-round action.
The Death Blow feat turns it into a standard action, though, which can be readied. If you have the Death Blow feat, yes.

Darkness -- where is the "Death Blow" feat described?

Thanks,

Jason

 

[Endur]

Bad guy has helpless victim. Bad guy says drop your weapons or she dies (free action talking). Bad guy delays action. If good guys do something else, Bad guy uses his action to slay victim.

If good guys use their something else to free the victim, bad guy can't do the CDG until he makes the victim helpless again.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Complete Adventurer. Requires BAB +2 and Improved Initiative.