Help Understanding the Ready Action

[Water Bob]

I've been told that I'm wrong about this. If I am, I'd like to know for sure so that I understand the rule correctly.

What I see when I read the Ready Action is this...

1. That Readying an action is a standard action.

2. That a character can ready a standard, move, or free action (and a swift action in D&D).

3. That if a character performs no other movement, he can take his 5' step either as he readies the action or as part of whatever action he readies.



Given that, let's say that I think my character will be charged. I want to ready my spear to receive a charge.

1. Standard Action. I ready the spear to receive the charge. I shove the spear into the ground. I cover it with my foot. I brace the spear for the incoming impact with my arms. All of this is considered "readying" the action and is a standard action.

2. Standard Action. When I am charged, I make an attack against my foe just before he attacks me. If I hit, I will do automatic double damage, which is a bonus to this type of attack (spears readied against charges).



Now, that's two actions I've taken in the round. I've readied and action and I've taken an action. That's all I can do this round, except maybe take a 5' step as I readied the action.

There is no room in the round to move because I've taken two actions.





Others have said that a character can Move up to his Speed, Ready the spear for the charge, and then also get the attack when the attack action is triggered by a charge.

By my count, that's three actions: 1 action for the Move, 1 action for the readying of the action, and 1 action once the readied action is triggered.



Do you see this differently than I do?

If so, how?

 

[Belzbet]

Hello Water Bob. I think that you can make a move action in conjunction with a ready action (or else they would have made it a full round action). In the Players Handbook under the Ready description it actually says you can move up to a door and ready an action. The 5ft step can be taken only if you do not move, if you drew a weapon then readied it for a charge. It doesn't say you cannot move refer to PH pg 160. Think of it NOT as taking 3 actions but as delaying your standard action until later... hope this helps...

 

[iamtheend]

I think I'm not understanding your last example when looking at your previous ones.

You're granted a double move, move and standard, or 5 foot step with full round normally. With a readied action you can choose a free, move, or standard action. Before you make your readied action you can preform whatever actions you want as long as the readied action doesn't go over your normal limit or at least I'm pretty sure.

So the readied action doesn't count as an action YET but you're delaying it until you do. Your initiative order changes to when you take the action as to you're completing your actions from the previous round.

So you can move to ready a spear for a charge and when it's triggered attempt to hit for double damage changing your initiative order.

 

[the Jester]

"Ready" is kind of special. It requires a standard action but you basically defer your action until later in the round.

Yes, you can move and ready. The attack you make is the same action that you used to ready; it just hasn't 'triggered' yet.

 

[Water Bob]

Hello Water Bob. I think that you can make a move action in conjunction with a ready action (or else they would have made it a full round action).

If they made it a full round action, it would take a full round to ready the action, and you wouldn't have any time life for whatever action was actually readied.

Readying the action is an action (thus how I describe the character getting the spear ready for the charge), and whatever action that is readied is the second action in the round--giving you two actions in the round.

In the Players Handbook under the Ready description it actually says you can move up to a door and ready an action.

Yes. That's in the paragraph discussing the 5' step. I think it's saying that if you use the 5' step to approach the open door, you cannot use another 5' step once the attack is triggered. As normal, you can only have one 5' step--you decide where you take it.

In my example above, the character could take a 5' step then ready the spear. His second action comes when its triggered, and he can't take the 5' step then if he took it earlier.

Or, the character can ready the spear, then as the attack is triggered, he can take a 5' step then.

In otherwords, the 5' step can only be attached to one action, not both.



BTW, the 3.5 Rules Companion seems to back up my way of reading this rule.

You're granted a double move, move and standard, or 5 foot step with full round normally.

Yes.

With a readied action you can choose a free, move, or standard action. Before you make your readied action you can preform whatever actions you want as long as the readied action doesn't go over your normal limit or at least I'm pretty sure.

That's not how I read it...see below.

So the readied action doesn't count as an action YET but you're delaying it until you do.

I initially thought that, too. But, if you look at the description of the Ready action, it says, "Readying is a standard action."

So, whatever you have to do to get your later action readied is a standard action.



Remember that you can ready a standard action, move action, free action, or swift action. But, the rule says that "readying" an action is a standard action.

That means that you use your first standard action to ready whatever action you wish to ready for later.

Then a trigger happens.

Then your second action--the one that was readied--is allowed to play out.



So, when you Ready an action, your first action is always the "readying" part. The second part or your turn happens when it is triggered, and that happens to be whatever action has been triggered--it could be a Move action, a standard action, a free action, or a swift action.

You spend the first half of the round readying.

The last half of your turn happens when your action is triggered.

Therefore, you can't move more than 5' when you are readying an action. But you can ready a move action for trigger later in the round.

At least that's what I'm seeing.



If someone sees something different in the rules, show me where I'm messing this up. I'm just going by what the rulebook says.

 

[Water Bob]

It seems that a lot of people think that the actual act of readying an action is not really an action.

The book says specifically that Readying an action is a standard action. Then it says that the type of actions you can ready are Move, Standard, Free, and Swift.

If you decide to ready a Move action, and the rules say that readying an action is a standard action, then when does that standard action take place?

1. You Ready the Move = Standard Action.

2. You Move when triggered = Move Action.



You can't Move more than 5' and Ready a Move action all in the same round because that will give you three actions...

1. You Move up to your Speed = Move Action.

2. You Ready the Move on a trigger = Standard Action.

3. You Move when triggered = Move Action.

 

[Water Bob]

The basic question is: Is the act of readying an action a standard action, as the book says? Or is readying an action part of the action that is readied?

I think that a character needs to take some time (about 3 seconds) to ready whatever action he wants to do under a trigger later in the round.

If readying an action was part of the action that is readied, then the act of readying the action would be a free action.

It's not. It's a standard action.

Therefore, the first half of the round is dedicated to readying the action. And, the second part of a character's turn is reserved for whatever action might be triggered.

 

[Belzbet]

Hey Water Bob, I really do see where you are coming from but I think per rules you can make a move action and a ready action in one turn. Think of it we can ALWAYS take a move and a standard action in one turn: the ready action, lets say your right, lets you take an extra standard action i n one turn since you practically sacrificied it earlier that round. Lets say i am right then when we elect to take a move action as our ready action, then I am turning a move action into a standard action and delaying it until later. Howevver, either way nothing odd is here... the specific rules always 'break' the general rules I don't think you need to worry about this (and I do think that you can make both a move action and a standard action i one turn). Considering that paragraph with the 5ft step it explicity says that if you moved towards a door and readied an action you CANNOT take a 5ft step. Why would it mean that if you took a 5ft step toward the door you cannot take another 5ft step? I think it means any movement not simply a 5ft step. Like anytime you take a 5ft step: YOU CANNOT DO IT IF YOU ALREADY MOVED THAT TURN, like you cannot take a 5ft step after a charge. As has been said I think one should think of ready as a delaying of your action (but similarily ready could be a standard action that GIVES you an extra action then delays it (either way you can move and ready though)...

 

[Water Bob]

Hey Water Bob, I really do see where you are coming from but I think per rules you can make a move action and a ready action in one turn.

I think so, too, but you'd have to Ready a Move action.

1. Readying the Move = Standard Action.

2. Move when triggered = Move action.

Considering that paragraph with the 5ft step it explicity says that if you moved towards a door and readied an action you CANNOT take a 5ft step. Why would it mean that if you took a 5ft step toward the door you cannot take another 5ft step?

Because you can't take two 5' steps in a round. Since the exampe had you taking your 5' step towards the door, you can't move at all when your readied action is triggered.

As has been said I think one should think of ready as a delaying of your action ...

Well, that's fine. Then why does it say that readying an action is a standard action?

What is a standard action? Readying. The act of getting the triggered event ready.



Like I said in the OP. If you are readying your spear, setting it for a charge, then you are using a standard action to pop it in the ground, put your foot over it, and brace the spear with your arms.

The actual attack you make with the spear when triggered by a charge is a standard action taking the place of your Move action.

1. Ready the spear = Standard Action

2. Attack with spear when triggered = Standard Action.

And, that's all the character can do in a round, except for a 5' step.

 

[Water Bob]

If I'm wrong about this, that's fine. My goal is to correctly understand the rule. So, if I am wrong, I want to understand why.

Here is my basic question...

The rules stat that readying an action is a standard action.

Let's say I move 30', then ready a move when I hear the signal from the other side of a wall. The trigger for the readied action is a bird tweet.

1. My first move is a Move Action.

2. When I hear the bird tweet, that will trigger my second Move.

Where does the standard action of readying the second Move action fit into all of this?