Question about a particular readied action

[Stalker0]

Hey guys, this idea popped in my head, let me hear your take on it.

Your in melee with a guy with 5ft reach. You ready an action that if he attacks you will move 30 ft back from him.

In this instance, would the attack basically be an automatic miss? He would still have a move equivalent if he wanted, but as far as I can tell, you can do that.

This bring up another question, I ready an action that if the guy ahead of me charges me, I will charge him. I do so. If my action take place before his, then
he never gets to make distance for a charge attack. Would it simply be a normal attack then with all the normal rules applying?

 

[hammymchamham]

Specify the partial action a character will take and the
conditions under which it will be taken. When those conditions are met, the character may take the readied partial action. The partial action comes before the action that triggers it. For the rest of the fight, the character's initiative result is the count on which the character took the readied action, and the character acts immediately ahead of the character whose action triggered the readied action.

Yes, I would think so... unless someone who is more clever than I has better reasoning.

 

[RigaMortus]

Hey guys, this idea popped in my head, let me hear your take on it.

Your in melee with a guy with 5ft reach. You ready an action that if he attacks you will move 30 ft back from him.

In this instance, would the attack basically be an automatic miss? He would still have a move equivalent if he wanted, but as far as I can tell, you can do that.

No it wouldn't. His action never went off because your ready action happens first. So he would be ready to swing at you (but never follow through) as you move back 30 feet. Then it goes back to the other guy. He would simply move up (or even charge) 30' and attack you.

This bring up another question, I ready an action that if the guy ahead of me charges me, I will charge him. I do so. If my action take place before his, then
he never gets to make distance for a charge attack. Would it simply be a normal attack then with all the normal rules applying?

Basically yes... He would get ready to charge, but you would beat him to the punch. So your charge would go off first and you would get to attack him (+2 to hit, -2 to AC from charge). It would then go back to his turn in which case he has no room to charge so he can do a normal attack or something else.

 

[Spatzimaus]

According to the rules, as I read it, yes, you could do that. However, there are downsides that would make it a bad idea.

You'd draw an AoO for leaving a threatened space unless moving was the ONLY thing you did during your turn; however, since this partial action is actually part of the previous turn and you clearly did something other than move away from the guy (since you're still adjacent to him), you'll get AoOd at the same attack bonus a partial attack would get. Plus, you've just spent your turn, and now he can move up to you and hit you again.

This'd also have required you in the previous turn to run up to him and Ready instead of attacking. Even if he was the one who charged at you, you're taking a move that you would have done anyway, and delaying it a turn (hurting your initiative relative to everyone else) in the hope that he chooses the action you readied.

For example, let's say I charged at you last turn. You hit me back, and ready a 30' move if I attack you with my sword. If I do something other than attack (drink a potion, cast a spell, attempt to Sunder your sword or trip you) you effectively lost the partial action.

At least, this is how I read it.

 

[Zenon]

Hey guys, this idea popped in my head, let me hear your take on it.

Your in melee with a guy with 5ft reach. You ready an action that if he attacks you will move 30 ft back from him.

In this instance, would the attack basically be an automatic miss? He would still have a move equivalent if he wanted, but as far as I can tell, you can do that.

This bring up another question, I ready an action that if the guy ahead of me charges me, I will charge him. I do so. If my action take place before his, then
he never gets to make distance for a charge attack. Would it simply be a normal attack then with all the normal rules applying?

Actually, by the rules, I don't think this can happen.

Per the SRD:

Ready [Standard][AoO: No]

Description: The ready action lets a combatant prepare to take an action later, after a combatant's turn is over but before a combatant's next one has begun. Readying is a standard action, so a combatant can move as well. It does not provoke an attack of opportunity (though the action that a combatant readies might do so).

Only partial actions can be readied. See the table in the description of "Start full round action" for a list of standard partial actions.

Specify the partial action a combatant will take and the conditions under which it will be taken. When those conditions are met, the combatant may take the readied partial action. The partial action comes before the action that triggers it. For the rest of the fight, the combatant's initiative result is the count on which the combatant took the readied action, and the combatant acts immediately ahead of the combatant whose action triggered the readied action.

If the combatant takes the readied action into a subsequent round, and the conditions are met before the combatant's normal initiative, the combatant's initiative rises to that new point in the order of battle, the combatant may take the readied action, and whether that action is taken or not, the combatant does not get a regular action that round.

And let's look at what a Partial Action is:

Per the SRD

Partial Action: As a general rule, a combatant can do as much with a partial action as a combatant could with a standard action minus a move. Typically, a combatant may take a 5-foot step as part of a partial action.

So if I'm reading this right, you can take a Ready action as a Standard action in the round (so you can move as you Ready).

However, the Ready action only allows to to ready a partial action.

By definition, you cannot move with a partial action, unless it's only a 5' step (combat adjustment), and you could only take that if you did not move at all in the round you readied the action.(2nd edit - unless you readied a Partial Charge, but movement would have to be in the same direction)

Seems to me it would be a cool thing to do, but I don't think by the rules, it's allowed (unless you make a house rule for it).

edit -

Found this is the DnDFAQ09062002

Can someone take an action and then instead of moving after the action go on the ready to move? A typical use for this would be the wizard who gets ready to run away after casting her spell if someone comes after her.
You can ready any partial action. You can't take a standard action, such as casting a spell, and ready an action. (Readying is a standard action all by itself.) Note that you can take a move after any standard action, so you can cast a spell and move away. So, if you want to get out of Dodge after casting a spell, you've got to do it right after you finish the spell.

What they seem to be saying supports the above (I think). (3rd edit - Yes, I know they're actually saying you can't do 2 standard actions in a round in the above quote from the FAQ)

Am I wrong?

 

[0-hr]

I think that the question, in general, is this:

If you start an action and are interrupted by someone else's readied action, must you continue with the action after the interruption is resolved?

 

[shilsen]

I think that the question, in general, is this:

If you start an action and are interrupted by someone else's readied action, must you continue with the action after the interruption is resolved?

In at least one case (spellcasting), you are essentially forced to continue. If a fighter (A) readies an action to strike a wizard (B) as soon as the latter begins casting a spell, and successfully does so, B either makes a Concentration check or loses the spell. He doesn't get the option to quit the spell since he gets hit.

 

[Pax]

IMO, this would only be good for avoiding a many-hit-chances Full Attack, say by a Hydra or the like. You give them an AoO for leaving their threatened area, but, they don't neccessarily get all 5 or 10 or 100 attacks they might otherwise have gotten (instead, they complete their now-failed-attack, and move up to you ...).

IMO, it'd be better to *whack* the ugly blighter, than play a one-sided version of "tag" all day long.

 

[Thanee]

Moving your speed is a Partial Action!

Bye
Thanee

 

[Caliban]

Moving your speed is a Partial Action!

Bye
Thanee

I believe it's a Move action. Otherwise you couldn't do a Move and Attack with a standard attack action.