Using Ready to get out of the way ?

[Enkhidu]

Yup, but to me it almost seems like:

"He casts a spell. Roll a Will save."
"I got a 39 on my Spellcraft - do I know what spell he's casting?"
"It depends. If you fail your save, it's Hold Person. If you make it, it's Magic Missile."

You need to decide what action you're taking before you take it. Are you taking the Move action, the Run action, or the Charge action?

How you move might change over the course of that Move action. How you Charge can't, because you need to charge at a specific opponent, who has to be chosen before it can be determined if the Charge is legal.

-Hyp.

It might seem strange, but the situations you're proposing come up so infrequently that we simply gloss over them most of the time. Frankly, because this works so smoothly for us we're willing to deal with the occasional paradox.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I understand the point of Ready is to grant an interupt action, but I think you need some common sense guidelines about when and where the it can be used. I don't see how any combatant [low dex, high enc, whatever] can use Ready to react --just in the nick of time-- to beat a melee attack. To react so fast and with such precise timing that their attacker has absolutely no chance to adjust their swing...

They can adjust their swing - if you step to a position they still threaten, they can hit you. But it doesn't matter how much they adjust their swing if you're in a square they can't attack...

-Hyp.

 

[Mallus]

They can adjust their swing - if you step to a position they still threaten, they can hit you. But it doesn't matter how much they adjust their swing if you're in a square they can't attack...
-Hyp.

Your really making me hate the reliance on a mapgrid

My point's simple. I don't think Ready mechanic should be used to automatically defeat a melee attack by 5-ft stepping back out of way. Characters are assumed to be moving, dodging etc. Unless their is a pressing reason why an attacker couldn't pursue, or a equally pressing reason the stepping character --outisde of any other mechanics that govern his AC/dodge ability/reaction time-- can time his step just so... I wouldn't allow it.

I'm questioning why anyone would implement this rule. What's gained?

 

[Hypersmurf]

I'm questioning why anyone would implement this rule. What's gained?

It's not a case of implementing the rule. The rule is already implemented. It's Core. It's how Ready works.

It's a case of either deciding-not, or not-deciding, to create a house rule that prohibits it. And there are several reasons someone might do that... not the least of which is "can't be bothered"

-Hyp.

 

[Artoomis]

Your really making me hate the reliance on a mapgrid

My point's simple. I don't think Ready mechanic should be used to automatically defeat a melee attack by 5-ft stepping back out of way. Characters are assumed to be moving, dodging etc. Unless their is a pressing reason why an attacker couldn't pursue, or a equally pressing reason the stepping character --outisde of any other mechanics that govern his AC/dodge ability/reaction time-- can time his step just so... I wouldn't allow it.

I'm questioning why anyone would implement this rule. What's gained?

This tactic will only be effective in limited circumstances - limited to when the bad guy has already moved. You get sequences that look like this:

1. I ready an action - if someone moves up to me and attacks, I attack first and step back 5' (technically, the "step back 5' does not need to be declared). This is fine - the bad guy might not even come up to you, and then you've wasted an action.

2. Bad guy's movement was over, and he can't reach you. Fine.

Next round.

1. I move back 20' and ready an action. If the bad guy steps up to me and attacks, I attack first and move back 5'.

2. Bad guy comes up to me - same as above.

End result? Really, really stupid bad guy gets killed. A smarter bad guy would look at you and realize you were ready (for what he can't really say). Discretion being the better part of valor, he whips out his bow and shoots you.


If you are attacked with a full attack, this tactic is useless:

1. If I am attacked, I'll attack and step back 5'.
2. Bad guy attacks. I attack first and step back 5'.
3. Bad guy takes a 5-foot step and gets in all the rest of his attacks. Whoops.

Against an intelligent opponent, it looks like the best you could really hope for is to deny him one attack. Not entirely useless, but you never get to make a full attack routine.

I see no problem with this at all.

 

[DarkMaster]

1. I move back 20' and ready an action. If the bad guy steps up to me and attacks, I attack first and move back 5'.

2. Bad guy comes up to me - same as above.

l.

This Tactic can only work once

per SRD
You can take a 5-foot step as part of your readied action, but only if you don’t otherwise move any distance during the round

 

[Artoomis]

This Tactic can only work once

per SRD
You can take a 5-foot step as part of your readied action, but only if you don’t otherwise move any distance during the round

Of course you're right.

See? It's even less of a problem that I thought.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Of course you're right.

Why?

He moves up and attacks, triggering my Readied action - attack and step back 5' when I'm attacked. His turn is over. New round.

My initiative is immediately before his, due to my previous Readied action, so I go first. My turn - Ready an action, attack and step back 5' when I'm attacked. His turn - he steps up and attacks. My readied action triggers. New round.

This continues to work until a/ I run out of room to backpedal, or b/ he doesn't actually attack in a round.

-Hyp.

 

[RigaMortus]

You can't move 20' then Ready, and have your ready include an attack and a move. You only get 1 Standard Action, not a Standard Action and a Move. And you can't take a 5' step if you've already moved that round.

 

[Artoomis]

...
My initiative is immediately before his, due to my previous Readied action, so I go first. My turn - Ready an action, attack and step back 5' when I'm attacked. His turn - he steps up and attacks. My readied action triggers. New round....-Hyp.

Right but:

1. My example include moving back on my round to force the attacker to make more than a 5-foot step. Can't do that AND Ready and action that includes a 5-foot step.

2. What you state is true. Of course, you get one attack, but he gets ALL of his less the first one, for he takes a 5-foot step after the first one and uses up the rest on you.

This is NOT a good tactic in general. It probably works well if:

The attacker is stupid enough to keep coming
AND
the attacker has two of fewer attacks (the secoind attack has less of a chance to hit).
OR
You really need to back up just a bit to gain some tactical advantage.

So I see no problem whatsoever in allowing it. In limited circumstances it might even be a good idea.