Should you be able to dodge a fireball by readying an action?

[Mistwell]

You can't ready an action outside of initiative order.

Not really relevant. Traps can definitely happen during initiative, and the kind of trap I am referring to generally does.

I don't see a problem with substituting "trap" or "monster" for "character", but the limit of you have to be in an initiative order already before you can change the result still applies.

Fair enough, but that allows for events rather than just actions, since traps don't take actions but they do involve events like "Blade coming down in a sequence".

 

[mvincent]

It occurs to me that if the wizard notices that his target is likely readying an action to move out of the area of a fireball, then the wizard could instead move and ready an action to cast fireball when his target next moves. On the target's next turn, he will likely move before readying his action to move again.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

It occurs to me that if the wizard notices that his target is likely readying an action to move out of the area of a fireball, then the wizard could instead move and ready an action to cast fireball when his target next moves. On the target's next turn, he will likely move before readying his action to move again.

But that brings up a whole other subject of "can you tell someone is readying/what they are readying for/should there be a sense motive check involved?"

For which, as far as I know, there is no RAW.

 

[mvincent]

But that brings up a whole other subject of "can you tell someone is readying/what they are readying for/should there be a sense motive check involved?"

Actually, I was approaching it from the perspective that the target dodged the first fireball, and the wizard speculating that the target was going to try the same trick again.

 

[Zaruthustran]

I think it'd help, conceptually, if you wrote each action on its own 3x5 card and arranged them in initiative order.

Here's my attempt, using text.

Actions:
[Cast Fireball], [Move Ranger Wicket]

ROUND 1
Ranger Wicket's Turn: Ready [Move Ranger Wicket] if wizard casts a fireball. Go ahead and put that card on the table, because it hasn't yet occurred.
Wizard's turn: [Cast Fireball]. Put that card on top of the other card.

When executing the actions in the round, it at first looks like this:
[cast fireball]
[move ranger wicket]

However, since Ranger Wicket readied an action, his action takes place before the wizard's. So instead, put Ranger Wicket's card on top of the wizard's. The actions of the round are therefore executed like this:
[move ranger wicket]
[cast fireball]

In other words, the DM says "he's casting", ranger wicket says "my readied action goes off", and then the DM says "okay, go ahead and take a move before he casts. Done? Okay, now he casts, and he includes you in the AOE. Boom."

Net effect: no difference at all. Ranger Wicket should have just moved.

The key thing to remember is that the Ready action lets you preempt someone else's action. But it does not let you interrupt someone else's action. You can't ready to move "after the wizard casts, but before the fireball pellet reaches me". The Ready mechanic can't do that. You have to preempt the entire [cast fireball] action.

What Ranger Wicket is looking for, I think, is a feat or ability that grants an immediate action if he's targeted by a spell. Immediate actions can interrupt someone else's action.

-z

PS: it is possible to use Ready defensively. Like, for example, if there is a low wall right in front of you and you say "I ready an action to drop prone if the archer shoots at me". The DM declares that the archer targets you, your readied action goes off and you drop behind the wall, and the archer can't target you any more because he just lost line of sight. His action is effectively wasted, because he can't shoot, and he can't decide to do something else.

PSS: And, since it's cool to flee with explosions going on all around you, the DM and players can (and should!) agree on the spot to houserule the Ready action for this one encounter. But be aware, that'd definitely be a houserule.

 

[Hypersmurf]

The key thing to remember is that the Ready action lets you preempt someone else's action. But it does not let you interrupt someone else's action.

Of course, that phraseology gets confusing when you compare it with "If the triggered action is part of another character’s activities, you interrupt the other character."

-Hyp.

 

[Zaruthustran]

Of course, that phraseology gets confusing when you compare it with "If the triggered action is part of another character’s activities, you interrupt the other character."

-Hyp.

True. You interrupt the other character's turn, but not his action. For example, if the wizard had moved, it'd be
[move wizard]
[move ranger wicket]
[cast fireball]

Ranger Wicket's move action interrupts the wizard's turn; it takes place after the wizard's [move wizard] action but before his [cast fireball] action.

Definitely a potential for confusion, there.

I sometimes think it'd help if hard rules text were printed as a sidebar, using very precise, complete, and uniform language. Maybe even in a different font.

 

[Kmart Kommando]

You can ready an action to get out of the way of an arrow, or ready to attack someone coming into a room (or cast a spell on them), or ready to move away from someone trying to charge you, then why would it not be possible to ready to move away from ground zero of a fireball?

We already have people taking the 20ft spread template and moving it around, trying to find where they can roast the most enemies, all in under 6 seconds. How is jumping out of the way at the last second, at the cost of giving up any other action at all, a bad thing?
Fantasy is riddled with just such a maneuver.

 

[Thurbane]

Let me thrown another situation into the mix - can a character ready an action to use a withdraw action out of melee just as the enemy swings at him?

 

[Hypersmurf]

Let me thrown another situation into the mix - can a character ready an action to use a withdraw action out of melee just as the enemy swings at him?

Only if he's Slowed, a zombie, it's the surprise round, etc.

Withdraw is a full-round action (and thus unreadyable) unless you are restricted to a standard or move action only on your turn.

-Hyp.