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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Stormrunner" data-source="post: 1855373" data-attributes="member: 13471">OK, now you're confusing me .Let's assume we've got A)rcher, B)arbarian, and C)leric vs. F)ighter, G)nolls and H)exer/Adept.  We'll refer to them by their initials for brevity.It sounds (forgive me if I'm wrong) Thanee, that you're saying that if F readies an action to shoot A, and A never pops up, that F can then say, "OK, I shoot C instead, then ready another action to shoot A."  Can't do that.  Readying is an action - if F readies to shoot A, he has taken his standard action for the round - it's a prolonged action, like casting a 1-round spell, but an action nonetheless.  He can't retroactively change it when his initiative comes around again.  If his initiative comes up next round, and he hasn't taken his shot yet, his action was wasted (Players Handbook, p160.)If F chooses to Delay instead of Ready, then he hasn't taken his action yet .  In this case he can choose to take a different action - but he will not be able to interrupt A's pop-and-shoot action.  And if his delay takes him into the next round, he loses the action he would normally take in that round.In short, if F takes a Ready against jack-in-the-box A each round, then the two trade single shots each round.  If he chooses to ignore A and shoot someone else, then A is freed to rain full attacks on him (or more likely, on G and H, who probably have lower ACs).F is probably better off choosing to ignore A and shoot B or C.  Their higher ACs will reduce his average damage per round, but probably not as much as taking only a single attack rather than a full attack each round.  If A is doing the pop-and-shoot in the first place, it must be because A fears to just stand there and trade shots with F - either A has a low AC, or is low on hit points, or F's shots do more damage.  In either case, if A can distract F for several rounds it's almost as good as taking F out of the fight altogether for those rounds.Alternatively, F can remember that Ready is a standard action, so you can take a Move action and still Ready in the same round.  Each round he Readys against A's pop-up, he also Moves closer to A's hidey-hole.  After a few rounds, he'll probably be close enough to close the distance with a double-move or charge - and then he'll be in melee with A, where F almost certainly has an advantage, being a fighter and more heavily armored and all.</blockquote>

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