Nasty trick - will it work?

[Lord Pendragon]

No because the opponent had to threaten the target in order for the trigger to fire off. He actually starts his attack, but the target moves back (i.e. resolves the readied action first) before his attack can connect.

Readied actions are weird that way.

Interesting. I think I may have to house rule it IMC, though. It works fine generally, but a charge will naturally continue onward. Still, good to know the actual mechanics of it.

 

[WizarDru]

Starting an action is no different then completing it.


Completing an action in metagaming terms (i.e. rolling the dice to hit or for damage for something else) is different than completing an action in game terms (i.e. I do this). You do the action the instant you declare what it is, you just are not necessarily successful with it. You cannot change the action in mid-action. There are no rules that allow for that for standard actions. If you find one, let us know.

"When the spell takes effect" does not mean "when the caster starts casting it", and I still haven't seen you provide something to indicate otherwise. You seem to want to accept certain metagame concepts as valid, and others as not. You translate "A spell cast in this manner immediately takes effect" as "as soon as you declare that you're casting a spell, it is effectively cast." I translate it as "When the spell is actually cast, and not declared." Your problem seems to be with the ready action, here.

To repeat an SRD quote from earlier: "The action occurs just before the action that triggers it." No IFs ANDs or BUTs there, either. In other words, the trigger action has not occured...so even if we disagree over the trigger action timing, the fact remains that he hasn't taken his action yet. So even under your intepetation, he doesn't have to choose his effects, yet.

Either way, I think we've gone about as far as we're going to go, here. Vaxalon has his answer, either way, and I don't think either of us are likely to change the other's mind.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

Incorrect.

From 3E SRD: "The charge stops as soon as the character threatens the target."

You threaten the target when you get within threat range, not when you actually attack. The fact that you then no longer threaten the target because of the readied action is irrelevant.

The 3.5 rules go into more detail, but the 3.5 SRD is down at the moment.

Basically, they state something to the effect that the charge has to be in a straight line to the closest space to the target (or some such). But, you still stop at that point. There are no rules for continuing the charge (there are rules for continuing an Overrun, but not for a charge).

I find this line of reasoning opens up enormous possibilities for ruleslawyering while confusing DM and player alike to no positive end. As for the technical merit of this argument, you are allowing the Readied defender metagame knowledge to time his movement: after the charge stops and before the attack completes.

What happens if the Readied action completes before the charging character has stopped? The charging character must stop but he is no longer threatened so he cannot legally stop. That is a self contradiction in the rules that the DM must adjudicate by applying common sense.

 

[Vysirez]

What happens if the Readied action completes before the charging character has stopped? The charging character must stop but he is no longer threatened so he cannot legally stop. That is a self contradiction in the rules that the DM must adjudicate by applying common sense.

What actually happens is the charger is both unable to complete his action and required to do so. This state causes a rip in reality that results in a blackhole that destroys everything within 5 light-years so that the universe never has to deal with something that dumb again.