Readied action that allows for an offensive but invulnerable fighter?

[Stalker0]

Is this legal?

I have a polearm, and ready an action that when my enemy charges at me and starts moving through the square 10 feet away I move 20 feet to the right. They charge, I get the AOO for movement, and then move away. Since I am far away, they cannot attack. Rinse, repeat.

From a realistic standpoint, the idea of a polearm weilding spinning away from an opponent as he hits him is possible, but still... its poweful.

Thoughts.

 

[FireLance]

Yeah, it's a viable tactic, but there are a number of things just might spoil your day:

1. Other reach weapons
2. Missile weapons
3. Limited space to move
4. Enemies that surround you
5. Enemies with sufficient movement (able to move 40 ft., say) to follow you after you move and still be able to attack.

 

[dcollins]

That's one that I don't have an answer for, it seems like a gray area in the ready-an-action rules. Here's the flip side that one of my players came up with last session:

Swordsman confronts polearm-user. Swordsman moves 15 ft. away, readies that when the polearm user gets 10 ft. away to strike, he takes a 5 ft. step in and attacks. Polearm guy can't attack (not at 10 ft.), and gets no AOO (none during 5 ft. step).

Re: Firelance, I've never been sure on whether option #5 was allowed or not. (Consider also the victim of a trip or large-and-in-charge attack.)

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

I'm not sure the tactic is valid. You can't have 2 things happen simultaneously. When the polearm user moves from 10' to 5', you either get the hell out of the way, or you take your AoO. Not both (that's how I'd rule it anyways).

AR

 

[Hypersmurf]

It looks viablish...

... once.

After that, when you ready an action to trigger if he charges, you look rather silly when you discover that since you're only twenty feet away, he doesn't need to charge to reach you next round...

-Hyp.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Swordsman moves 15 ft. away, readies that when the polearm user gets 10 ft. away to strike, he takes a 5 ft. step in and attacks.

Not both in the same round, presumably?

Re: Firelance, I've never been sure on whether option #5 was allowed or not. (Consider also the victim of a trip or large-and-in-charge attack.)

Given that he's charging, he definitely can't make a ninety degree turn to follow. Charging is straight line only.

If he wasn't charging, however, and had simply used a move action, then he can certainly take a second move action to close with the polearmer. All the way, too, given that he's already provoked one AoO for leaving a threatened square.

Next round, obviously, the polearmer gets to 5' step back and full attack, but he's lost his "you can't hit me" magic.

Or he can use a withdraw action, but that, again, leaves him in charge range, and this time (while he gets an AoO), he can't pull his Ready trick.

Or he can use a Move action to get away, and Ready again, but he incurs an AoO in this case.

-Hyp.

 

[dcollins]

Not both in the same round, presumably?

Actually, yes. This in 3.0 where PHB Table 8-3 allows a 5-ft step with any partial action... I'll ask you to not focus on that detail. For brevity's sake, assume that the swordsman is already 15 ft. away when the round starts, if you like.

If he wasn't charging, however, and had simply used a move action, then he can certainly take a second move action to close with the polearmer. All the way, too, given that he's already provoked one AoO for leaving a threatened square.

I must say, it really doesn't feel right for this set of tactics (assuming swordsman charges round 1, double moves round 2) to manage keeping the swordsman from making any attack at all for 2 full rounds, with AOOs from the polearm in both rounds, when he's allegedly within striking range the whole time.

 

[0-hr]

What you can claim for triggers and effects is unfortunately vauge with regards to Readied Actions. It's really up to the DM do decide if it's a realistic action that can be done with a split-second decision. In this particular case, I'd let the readied action go off either before or after the move, but not in the middle of it.

I can't imainge how it work in "real" life so I wouldn't allow it in-game. It just strikes me as a munchkin attempt to take advantage of the quantized-movement nature of turn based combat.

 

[Hypersmurf]

In this particular case, I'd let the readied action go off either before or after the move, but not in the middle of it.

Doesn't work as a general rule, though, because to do so would make the "Set spear against a charge" Ready action nonsensical.

-Hyp.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

By the letter of the law you do have a case, but you will only get away with it if your DM is gullible IMO.

My general problem with this type of Readied Action tactic is you are using OOC metagame information to hyperexpertly time your Readied Action. From the IC perspective the charge is a fluid action. Whether there is a unambiguous moment in time as the attacker is moving out of his 10' square but before he reaches 5' is a D&D Zeno's paradox. We assume it exists for the mechanical convenience of resolving AoOs, but it is a questionable OOC concept on which to word a Readied Action.

If I were DM, I would rule that the attacker enters 5' immediately after the AoO is resolved. If you choose to move at that time, you will provoke an AoO.

Obviously you have the option of simply Readying an action to attack in case he charges, in which case you would get two attacks -- the Readied Attack and the AoO.

Doing this fancy footwork you suggest seems like gaming the system and not like playing a RPG in the proper spirit. RPGs are merely guidelines to facilitate story conflict resolution. If someone wants to game an abstract system, I have a closetful of boardgames I could recommend.