Ready a full-round action

Li Shenron

Legend
Sometimes ghostly doubts haunt my nights... :)

1) Since Ready is a standard action, you are supposed to get also a move-equivalent action as well, isn't it? Should you take the MEA before readying or can you also take it after?

ex.: I can move and ready the partial action "shoot an arrow to the spellcaster as soon as he starts casting". Can I instead first ready, and then move after shooting, that is at the lowered initiative and just before the spellcaster's turn?

2) If you can take the MEA after the partial action, then why is it forbidden to ready a full-round action (or at least a FRA which is not a full-round casting spell)?

ex.: if you can move and ready a partial charge, why is it forbidden to ready a charge (without taking the other MEA, of course)?

3) Can you ready the partial action "start a full round action"? If yes, if you take the MEA before it, you would probably complete the FRA next round, but what if don't take the MEA before?
 

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PHB, Page 121.

"Partial Action: Usually, you don’t elect to take a partial action; the condition you are in or a decision you have made (usually the ready action) mandates its use. (You can elect to take a partial action as an extra action in some situations, such as when you’re affected by a haste spell.)"

Page 134.
"The ready action lets you prepare to take an action later, after your turn is over but before your next one has begun. Readying is a standard action, so you can move as well. It does not provoke a attack of opportunity (though the action that you ready might do so."

Thus, you can ready a partial action ONLY. You can move before you announce your readied action. Once your trigger condition happens, you have your partial action (which can include movement as long as it's limited to a partial move or a standard action, but not both).

I suppose it's possible to ready a FRA and use your partial to begin an FRA for completion next round, but that will give everyone else a round to prepare for it.
 

It would make no sense to ready a full-round action: You ready a partial action that you execute as soon as the trigger event happens, often to hamper the enemy: he starts to cast a spell, you shoot him, he looses his spell. But a full-round action is something that takes some time (around 6 seconds), so you can't use it to interrupt the other one. You could probably start a full round action, but the effects will only start when it's your turn again, and by then the enemy will have done what he wanted, with you gaining nothing.
 

Li Shenron said:
1) Since Ready is a standard action, you are supposed to get also a move-equivalent action as well, isn't it? Should you take the MEA before readying or can you also take it after?
You can only move on your normal initiative count. The Readying is a standard action, but the readied action is partial.

ex.: I can move and ready the partial action "shoot an arrow to the spellcaster as soon as he starts casting". Can I instead first ready, and then move after shooting, that is at the lowered initiative and just before the spellcaster's turn?
No.
When you say "I ready to shoot an arrow," that is a standard action, so you get a move during that part of the round. That move can be before or after you declare your readiness, but the distinction is meaningless; either way, it happens on your normal initiative count. When the readied action (shooting an arrow) is triggered, it is a partial action only, which means you do not get a move at that point of the round.

Since the answer to this question is no, your other questions are moot.
 

Yeah, the partial action actually takes place in between rounds if you want to get finky about it. The partial aciton is triggered and takes place after your turn, but before the targets turn. They have not had a chance to act, yet. So, you get a partial action similar to a haste partial action just with out the haste.
 

Li Shenron said:
Sometimes ghostly doubts haunt my nights... :)

1) Since Ready is a standard action, you are supposed to get also a move-equivalent action as well, isn't it? Should you take the MEA before readying or can you also take it after?
Doesn't matter, since the Ready doesn't really *do* anything on your turn. "I move then ready an action," is basically the same as "I ready an action then move." Your move for the round still happens on your turn; you can't take it when your Readied action gets triggered.
 

Re: Re: Ready a full-round action

AuraSeer said:

No.
When you say "I ready to shoot an arrow," that is a standard action, so you get a move during that part of the round. That move can be before or after you declare your readiness, but the distinction is meaningless; either way, it happens on your normal initiative count. When the readied action (shooting an arrow) is triggered, it is a partial action only, which means you do not get a move at that point of the round.

Since the answer to this question is no, your other questions are moot.

Thank you, this is the answer I was looking for :)
 

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