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<blockquote data-quote="Ruin Explorer" data-source="post: 8353255" data-attributes="member: 18"><p>As far as I can tell, and I'm pretty sure this is the case, the Ready action is the rare example of an intentionally designed "trap" option, or more generously, "intentionally suboptimal" option in 5E.</p><p></p><p>In general in 5E they work hard to try and make stuff equal, or where something isn't, they signpost it.</p><p></p><p>With Ready, for some reason they refused to signpost that it was a trap choice, and they made it really outstandingly bad.</p><p></p><p>I know why they did it, because previous versions of this sort of thing (in previous editions) were both drastically more powerful and made turns much more complicated than they had to be, but at the same time, I think it's one of the few bits of outright bad design in 5E, because they didn't like, explain to players that they should not be taking it (the wacky and slightly counter-intuitive design of surprise is another one).</p><p></p><p>It basically screws the players in absolutely every way possible. You only get a move OR an action, you only get ONE attack if you take the attack option (which is bullcrap given you can cast a spell like Eldritch Blast and will get all your attacks with that, or use another cantrip which gets full damage which is equivalent to multiple attacks).</p><p></p><p>My players played a lot of 4E and 3E, and they still keep thinking "Okay, I can be tactical and Ready an action!" and I have to keep explaining to them that nah, in 5E you can't do jack crap with Ready. You're just stuffing yourself in 99 cases out of 100 (given Counterspell is already a Reaction).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ruin Explorer, post: 8353255, member: 18"] As far as I can tell, and I'm pretty sure this is the case, the Ready action is the rare example of an intentionally designed "trap" option, or more generously, "intentionally suboptimal" option in 5E. In general in 5E they work hard to try and make stuff equal, or where something isn't, they signpost it. With Ready, for some reason they refused to signpost that it was a trap choice, and they made it really outstandingly bad. I know why they did it, because previous versions of this sort of thing (in previous editions) were both drastically more powerful and made turns much more complicated than they had to be, but at the same time, I think it's one of the few bits of outright bad design in 5E, because they didn't like, explain to players that they should not be taking it (the wacky and slightly counter-intuitive design of surprise is another one). It basically screws the players in absolutely every way possible. You only get a move OR an action, you only get ONE attack if you take the attack option (which is bullcrap given you can cast a spell like Eldritch Blast and will get all your attacks with that, or use another cantrip which gets full damage which is equivalent to multiple attacks). My players played a lot of 4E and 3E, and they still keep thinking "Okay, I can be tactical and Ready an action!" and I have to keep explaining to them that nah, in 5E you can't do jack crap with Ready. You're just stuffing yourself in 99 cases out of 100 (given Counterspell is already a Reaction). [/QUOTE]
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