Ready action outside of combat

[Kae'Yoss]

Err... no... you'd be the one not 'getting it'... but anyway...

You want to tell me you took Hypersmurfs

Maybe all us morons and rules lawyers take that too literally

at face value? I'm not him, but I dare to make the assumtion that he was less than serious about that line. I even dare to say he was being sarcastic.

You know, the rules don't, and shouldn't, apply to every single situation. They are guidelines to be adapted to circumstance.

Yes. Adapted to circumstance is the right thing to do. Not throw them overboard. The rules explicitly state that there are never no readied actions outside combat. If they ware short-sighted and forgot about people being surprised, I'd say that you need some fixing, but they presented to us a perfectly good way to handle this

The one I'm thinking of in particular is what spurred this question in the first place. The PC's enter a room and are gathered before two people sitting in chairs. Another person stands to the side of the two. Three invisible rogues are aiming crossbows at the PC's. They have 'readied' actions that should anyone attack the two seated individuals, they fire upon the aggressor.

Now nobody is in combat until someone initiates it however I feel it's entirely justified to say that the rogues get their shots off before the aggressor has even managed to finish drawing their weapon.

Now it can't be surprise either since that too would indicate a readied action anyway since you're allowing them to go first.

That situation is handled easily, without disregarding the rules: as soon as the PC's open the door, combat (with initiative) starts, and the rogues get their surprise round. They can fire right away, or they can ready an action to "shoot as soon as anyone of them opens hostilities". Now the party strolls in, oblivious to to the unseen threat (unless they get their spot check or some such) and the rogues are first.

Okay, fine, so it could work as a surprise round where anyone not aware of the rogues doesn't get an initiative roll in the surprise round.

That's how it works for surprise rounds: no initiative for the unaware.

The guy who said it to me in a chatroom, however, is still a moron, regardless of this... but even idiots can be right sometimes

Sure, he was right, but he didn't share your opinion, and so he must be a jerk. Nice attitude.

 

[Dr. Zoom]

Just to share how well surprise can work for the BBEG's. In my game over the weekend, two encounters began with the bad guys surprising the heroes.

In the first encounter, 3 shadows surprised the barbarian and collectively drained 9 points of Str. The shadows won initiative and drained 13 more, which killed him and transformed him into a shadow within seconds. Scratch one barbarian.

In the second encounter, a large earth elemental surprised the ranger and won initiative, pounding him into the dirt for 60 points of damage with 3 blows. The ranger withdrew with 2 hit points left.

So yes, surprise can be lethal, especially with those rogues firing at a bunch of flat-footed heroes.

 

[pvandyck]

Just a question, Dr.

Did this happen with the surprise round guys only getting a partial action? We've been playing that during the surprise round, you only get a partial action (as it says in the book). This has lead to surprise rounds that mean simply that the surprisers simply get to move up to you from where they were waiting/hiding. Very seldom does someone surprise you and suddenly appear in the 5' square next to you.

Thelbar

 

[Pielorinho]

We've been playing that during the surprise round, you only get a partial action (as it says in the book). This has lead to surprise rounds that mean simply that the surprisers simply get to move up to you from where they were waiting/hiding. Very seldom does someone surprise you and suddenly appear in the 5' square next to you.

One of the best uses of a partial action is to partial charge your opponent -- move up next to them and whale on them.

However, since a shadow drains 1d6 points of strength with each hit, it's easy to see how 3 shadows could drain 9 points with one hit each.

'sides which, shadows normally get only one attack per round, so they're usually as effective during a surprise round as they are during a normal round.

Daniel

 

[pvandyck]

The only way they'd get an attack is with the partial charge. Otherwise, all they get to do is move, doesn't matter how many attacks per round they've got.

From my DM perspective, I'm not real happy with partial charge. I don't know if I'd allow it during a surprise round. I dunno. Maybe that's house rule.

Thelbar

 

[Pielorinho]

From my DM perspective, I'm not real happy with partial charge. I don't know if I'd allow it during a surprise round. I dunno. Maybe that's house rule.

Definitely a house rule, and one that I would discourage. It makes archers and spellcasters more powerful than melee fighters, since the former can attack during a surprise round when melee fighters cannot.

If you do decide to forbid partial charges during a surprise round, make sure your players know this well in advance. It's a significant house rule.

Daniel

 

[Hypersmurf]

It's also one of the few times partial charge actually happens

Take it away, and you're limited to, what, Haste and Slow?

-Hyp.

 

[Pielorinho]

Take it away, and you're limited to, what, Haste and Slow?

And zombies.

UUUuuurrrggggghhhhhhh braiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnssssss chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrgggggeeeeeeee!

Daniel

 

[Dr. Zoom]

Shadows were hiding mostly in the ground and were not spotted. They popped up and attacked (5 foot step and partial attack). The elemental attacked in a similar manner, only from an earthen wall.

 

[Caliban]

Shadows were hiding mostly in the ground and were not spotted. They popped up and attacked (5 foot step and partial attack). The elemental attacked in a similar manner, only from an earthen wall.

How did the earth elemental pass through the wall?

Or was it just standing in front of the wall looking like part of the scenery?