Ready action outside of combat

[DDK]

Ok, this came up in a chatroom incident where some moron pointed out that you can't have a readied action outside of combat because it takes up a standard action to do so.

Now, I don't care what the rules lawyer says as I'll house rule it either way that you can, but I wouldn't mind knowing the official stance on this.

Can you have a readied action outside of combat rounds?

 

[IceBear]

No, you can't. You have to roll Initiative before you can ready an action. If it wasn't this way - everyone would "Ready an action to partial charge the first monster they see" and always get in the first blow.

This has been debated on here before and that's the answer. You could, outside of combat, state you will "Ready an action to attack the first monster you see", but when you encounter a monster you have to roll initiative like normal and the monster might win and until your turn comes you don't have an action.

IceBear

 

[Hypersmurf]

It's possibly worth checking p64, where the moron who wrote the DMG explicitly states "Don't allow players to use the ready action outside of combat".

Maybe all us morons and rules lawyers take that too literally.

-Hyp.

 

[smetzger]

Its perfectly within the rules to give a circumstance bonus to inititiative under certain conditions.

 

[RigaMortus]

LOL

 

[IceBear]

It's possibly worth checking p64, where the moron who wrote the DMG explicitly states "Don't allow players to use the ready action outside of combat".

Maybe all us morons and rules lawyers take that too literally.

-Hyp.

Give that man a prize

IceBear

 

[DDK]

Maybe all us morons and rules lawyers take that too literally.

I'd second that.

If a character has a sword to someones throat and says, "I ready an action to skewer him if he attempts to run or attack," then yer damn right I'll Rule Zero that moronic rule. Same goes for crossbows being pointed at a characters chest by coppers who say, "Move, and I'll shoot!"

Frell initiative.

And as for the example of walking around with a readied action to charge a monster... well, refer to the motion above...

 

[Hypersmurf]

Same goes for crossbows being pointed at a characters chest by coppers who say, "Move, and I'll shoot!"

Surprise! You're in combat!

Either the cops got surprise, in which case their partial action in the surprise round is "Ready an action"; or they won initiative, in which case see above; or they lost initiative, in which case the character reacts before they manage to shoot.

Movies are full of situations where someone has a gun taken off them because the target reacted faster than they expected.

-Hyp.

 

[Dash Dannigan]

Yeah I agree, the second someone shouts out something akin to: "If he moves I shoot/stab/cast hold person if they look at me funny!" Then Viola! You're effectively in "combat" now and whoever justed shouted out the first action just got a surprise round (a partial; or in 3.5 terms, a standard action). Roll for inititive monkey boy!

 

[IceBear]

I'd second that.

If a character has a sword to someones throat and says, "I ready an action to skewer him if he attempts to run or attack," then yer damn right I'll Rule Zero that moronic rule. Same goes for crossbows being pointed at a characters chest by coppers who say, "Move, and I'll shoot!"

Frell initiative.

And as for the example of walking around with a readied action to charge a monster... well, refer to the motion above...

And you're polite too