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"Assuming he is still capable of doing so, he continues his actions once you complete your readied action. "
Yes Both are legal. But as the readied action invalidated the action the BADGUY was going to take he can do something else. For instance use another move to follow the player or quickdraw a bow and shoot him.
With the 5-foot-step, same thing but the badguy could also five foot step to follow him (assuming he hasn't moved).
I think it is a valid tactic. Although, if you 5 ft. step and are still within the attacker's reach, I'd assume he'd adjust and still be able to attack you, since he is attacking you and not a square. However, if you 5 ft. step backwards out of reach and are using a reach weapon, the attacker would no longer be able to attack you while you would be able to attack him.
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I'll assume the enemy is setting up to do this to my character. If I would finish my allowed move in that square (e.g. target is exactly my move speed away), yes, that works. He swings and steps back, and I can either close with my standard action, or do something else. If I was charging and am out of move, I waste the charge action and don't get to attack.
However, that's pretty rare. Usually if I'm closing to attack, I will still have some move left over. So I'm in the middle of my move action, and I move 15' in and hit the trigger square. The guy with the readied action interrupts that move, attacks, and moves 5' further away. That done, it's still the middle of my Move action. I move another 5' since I have move remaining to close the gap, and then I can perform whatever Standard Action I was intending to use.
There are exceptions, naturally -- if the readied action impacts my movement (Trip effect, Entangle, Bull rush effect, etc...), I may no longer be able to complete my move action, or may not be able to reach a point close enough to attack, even though I had remaining move.
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According to the CRB the attack is continued only if it is possible to do so. If it is not than you can change your actions.
Readied actions happen before the event that triggered them. So The player stepping back actually happens before the bad guy attacks.
I would say that you could not continue moving because you have already used the move action but could otherwise decide what action to take with his standard action.
On a charge, I would say he could continue charging (assuming the player stepped back in a straight line from the charge).
Design Manager
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The attack action would be wasted if the character could no longer make it because the fighter 5 foot stepped out of his reach. This can be a tricky tactic, but it does have drawbacks-
1) ineffective against enemies with reach
2) cannot take full attacks
3) can be easily countered by an enemy who learns his lesson and readies an action to counter the characters action. This one may result in squicky Mexican standoffs where both characters are essentially taken out of the fight until their buddies change the dynamic.
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Design Manager
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According to the CRB the attack is continued only if it is possible to do so. If it is not than you can change your actions.
Readied actions happen before the event that triggered them. So The player stepping back actually happens before the bad guy attacks.
I would say that you could not continue moving because you have already used the move action but could otherwise decide what action to take with his standard action.
On a charge, I would say he could continue charging (assuming the player stepped back in a straight line from the charge).
PLease verify where the CRB says this. There is no provision for being able to continue your movement, which you ended before you started the action that triggered the readied action. Nor is there a provision for starting a different action because the triggering one was foiled. All the CRB says is that the interrupted character gets to complete his action if he's still capable of doing so. If not, he's SOL until the next turn, because he's already used his actions for the round. If you stopped moving and started to attack, and in response the player attacked and stepped back, all you can do is scratch your head and learn your lesson. You've already completed your move action, and you already took a standard action (otherwise how was the readied action triggered?).
I think that it would depend on how the person phrased the trigger for their readied action.
If they stated that they were waiting for the target to move into range to attack them, then counter-attack and five-foot step, then I would allow the target to continue its move action. In that circumstance, the triggering action was the move.
If they stated they were waiting for the target to attack them, then counter-attack and five-foot step, then I would probably not allow them to continue to move - unless they had Spring Attack or something similar.
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I said he couldn't keep moving for exactly that reason. He has already finished his move action.
And no the character hasn't lost his action. The readied action has made his action impossible but it technically happened before he took his action. Thus he can do something else. the CRB only says you have to continue the action if you are "still capable of doing so."
Nothing says you loose you action and the specifically defined order of events would mean you don't.
Yar!
One thing that popped into my mind right away is this:
PC: I ready an action to move (more than a 5' step) away from the enemy if he melee attacks me.
Enemy: I attack the PC.
PC: My Readied Action goes off, I move 30' away.
Enemy: PC's movement provokes an Attack of Opportunity, I take that attack before he can move.
PC: OW! Okay, so now I move away.
Enemy: My intended action is invalid due to there being no PC to attack, so instead I will a) cry like a baby, b) move after him (and attack again/charge if we started adjacent), c) switch to a ranged weapon to snipe that coward, d) cast a spell/use a power/ability/command fellow enemies use intelligent tactics/etc.
It really isn't so much "abuse" as it is playing a character that is a mix of brains and cowardice.
"What the heck! He looks tough! I'm going to spend all my time watching him and run away if he comes close!"
If an enemy survives the round that this first happens, unless the enemy is a complete moral (subjective), he will adjust his tactics accordingly.
Also, if the PC 5' steps instead of moves, it's pretty much the same as above, but without the AoO (however, there are feats to deal with this. Step Up for example).
Still, rather than punish the player for this, let him have his fun, but mix things up so that it's not a 100% usable tactic all of the time. Such as difficult terrain to stop 5' steps unless they have feats invested to negate that, in which case they should be allowed to as they invested in exactly that, or more than one enemy going after him at the same time!
~P
But the attack is wasted or I could just act as if I did not that attack?
Anguirel says I could continue my move action and attack, but I dont think so: if the action triggered you stopped your move action an cant resume that. I am pretty sure about that.
Seriphim84 told you can quidraw and attack with a bow, but i think it would be illegal: if I started an attack with an axe, I cant use that same attack to switch on a bow.
So... This point is important: do I lose an attack, or not? And can I resume a move action? Or a charge?
The key here is "if that triggered action stopped your move action" and a follow-up: "have you started your next action yet?"
My move action is not "Go to Square (8,5) because the enemy is in (8,6)." It is "Get next to the enemy." A readied action can interrupt an action, it does not cancel it. Here, I'll use a more obvious example first:
[E][ ][X][ ][ ][P]
The Player P readies a spell to cast if any enemy enters square X. Let's go with "Shield" first. Enemy E declares a move to get next to P. He crosses "X". He is mid-move, so his move is paused while the Readied Action occurs, then resumes and he takes two more squares of movement and completes his move. There was no reason to halt his movement due to the effect that happened.
Version 2: Player P readies "Grease". This time Enemy E needs to make his appropriate Saves and Acrobatics checks to continue. If he does, and has enough move remaining, he should still be able to close the distance and attack, but depending on how you handle things at your table might be denied his Dex bonus for that round (using Acrobatics on his move as a Balance action means he'll remain off balance until the end of the round -- table-ruling as to whether he needs to remain in the Grease-affected zone for that to be the case, I'd say it persists for a few seconds, others might not). Again, his move was interrupted, and in this case it created difficult terrain, but it didn't completely stop him. If he'd failed his checks and fallen prone, his move ends there (the attack stopped his move). He'd still have a Standard Action left.
Version 3: Player P readies "Hydraulic Push". This time he knocks E back a square or two -- possibly so far that E no longer has enough move left to reach P. E can either burn his standard action to close in, or take a different Standard, but gets to act essentially as if you had preceded him in the initiative order.
So that's if you are triggering on "enter a square". But if the trigger is "If I'm attacked" things might be different...
[E][ ][X][P][Y]
E moves forward (not a charge) into X to attack P. Move action completes. Attack action starts, triggering the readied action... And now P is in square Y. Hmm. Well, E hasn't actually attacked yet, so whether he's fully into his Standard Action or not is in question... the CRB to the rescue! "The action occurs just before the action that triggers it. If the triggered action is part of another character's activities, you interrupt the other character. Assuming he is still capable of doing so, he continues his actions once you complete your readied action." P's readied action happens before E's action. He is not in his Standard yet. So since he had to use his Move action, and his move was "Get next to P", if he has move remaining (and he probably does), I'd rule that he continues that action and gets his attack. By RAW, he probably shouldn't get to move, though, and other DMs might rule that he's "finished" his Move already, but in either case he'd still have a Standard available and at worst could select an action appropriately as if he were Staggered.
Version 2: Charge - very clearly in favor of E getting to continue, as the Move and Attack are a single combined Full-Round Action, and that action can continue. Even side-stepping won't avoid it in the above situation, as the closest point remains in a direct line, though in some cases where the charge is already at the corner of a character, a side-step away might cancel the charge (Toro!), as it is no longer a direct line from the start of the charge to the closest edge of the target. If there's another valid target along the line, I'd consider allowing a re-target. I'd also be in favor of a house rule that broke the Charge back into Move+Standard -- you lose the benefits of Charge and retain the penalties, but at least you can redirect a bit and get your attack in (if you haven't already exceeded your move range), and at worst you can at least end up adjacent (again, assuming sufficient Move remaining). Possibly toss in a Dex, Ride, or Reflex Save to recover sufficiently if it feels thematically appropriate. Again RAW wouldn't support it, but it makes the game play better and removes the ugly corner cases and weird examples like this where someone can game the mechanics in ways that don't match up to reality particularly well.
Version 3: [E][X][P][Y] -- this complicates things if E uses a 5-foot step. He can't move any further at that point, but still has all actions available (Move and Standard, or a Full Round). Personally, if the 5-foot step didn't allow him to escape AoOs, I'd allow it to convert into a Move. If it did, he could accept AoOs to convert it (a stumble as he stepped forward as his target danced away and he was knocked back enough, perhaps). But RAW doesn't support that. So by RAW, E is stuck in place, but can use whatever other actions feel appropriate in that moment. Probably ready an action, or use a ranged attack.
To address a specific point, though:
Seriphim84 told you can quidraw and attack with a bow, but i think it would be illegal: if I started an attack with an axe, I cant use that same attack to switch on a bow.
Unless you use Full-Round Declarations or Reverse Initiative (i.e. everyone declares all actions for the turn before any actions are taken -- actions that no longer make sense are simply lost), don't think this way here. Pathfinder is not a full-round-declarative game. In other systems, yes, that's absolutely the case. In PF, I can choose to split my attacks how I choose on the fly. I can even insert a 5-foot step between them. If you aren't requiring your player to declare "Attack 1 on Enemy A, Attack 2 on Enemy A, Attack 3 on Enemy B" before any attacks are rolled, and won't let them change things up if Enemy A drops on the first attack, or he misses twice, why would you require that here?
Treat the Readied Action as if it happened on the initiative just prior to the character that triggered it, and they are still at the start of their "Declare Standard Action" part of their turn. If you can change what you would do in that case, you can change what you would do now. If that new action is to drop the axe and pull a bow, that's fine.
If you want to keep it somewhat restricted, then at least allow the acting character to pick a new target (easily allowed above with iterative attacks -- selection of target is made at the time of the attack roll) -- still an attack with the axe, just at a new person. Or, as above, at the very least allow the standard Attack to convert into a Move-Toward-Enemy, even where that "breaks" other rules (like no movement on top of a 5-foot step).
Or consider this: an opposed roll of some sort (Initiative?) to see if the attack goes before the 5-foot step carries the target out of range. Allowing a 5-foot step readied action to entirely negate a turn in this fashion is simply asking for trouble of exactly the sort you're experiencing. At least in the case of a readied Trip (or the like) there's some active roll in place to force that effect to happen, and a method to potentially avoid it. This... not so much. Next you'll have people readying a 5-foot step if they recognize a targeted attack spell being cast to break Line of Sight. By RAW? Probably acceptable. In practice? Kinda silly. Especially if you had the spell fizzle and the caster lost that spell for the day. Make them use a distracting attack or counter-spell, or roll the inherent Save associated... or in this case, make them use a combat maneuver that actually stops movement. If they don't have anything invested in halting a melee enemy, they shouldn't be able to get that benefit for free.
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And no the character hasn't lost his action. The readied action has made his action impossible but it technically happened before he took his action. Thus he can do something else. the CRB only says you have to continue the action if you are "still capable of doing so."Nothing says you loose you action and the specifically defined order of events would mean you don't.
The CRB says you can continue the action if you are still capable of doing so. Which would mean that you can't continue the action if you're no longer capable of doing so, and since you already started it, it's gone.
Assuming he is still capable of doing so, he continues his actions once you complete your readied action. If he's no longer capable of continuing his action, then and he's already taken a move and started a standard that provoked your response, he has no actions left to take.Tough noogies for him, his attack got wasted on a chunk of air.
I think I understand the situation, but we'll see.
1) The player readies an specifically worded action that will be triggered if he is attacked.
2) The monster moves up to the player and begins to attacks.
3) The player's readied action interrupts the monster's attack. The player attacks and then 5-ft step away.
4) The monster no longer has a legal target.
So, is the monster's standard action wasted? Tough to say. I know what my GM would do though because I tried something very similar once. He would let the monster use any remaining movement it had left from it's move action, then it would try to attack me. I can't say for sure if that is legal or not, but overall I think it was a good choice. Its one thing to outwit the GM, its another to spam a corny tactic. Even if this is legal, it reeks of loophole to me.
And I want to note that readying a move action still uses the player's standard action. If the player moves (not 5-ft step) as part of that readied action, the movement can still provoke attacks of opportunity.
For reference, Ready.
Assuming two medium sized humanoids without reach weapons, there is a scenario where this readying tactic would work. To make it work, the PC would have to ready an action "Attack the enemy if he tries to attack me, then move 5' in this direction." It's important that the PC declares what square he's using his 5' step to get to. First, because unlike actions on your own turn, readied actions must be declared in advance. Second, because he might pick a square that the enemy is able to reach!
Also, most initial attacks are charges, which are special full round attacks ending in an attack roll. So, if the enemy charges the PC, the PC does hit hit-move thing, then the enemy gets to finish his charge. It's possible that the enemy would have been moving to exactly the end of it's available movement, but pretty unlikely.
So, overall, the "ready-hit-step" tactic will very rarely be effective.
Personally, I find this tactic to be somewhat annoying, but I can see a reasonable argument for in in the rules as written, if not necessarily as intended. If you choose to allow this tactic in your game, don't forget that your player's character isn't somehow smarter than everyone else in the game universe. Everyone in the world knows exactly how this works, can use it themselves, and knows how to counter it.
A few notes:
1) If a PC uses this as a normal tactic I would rule it as a valid normal tactic for the world. As such, most of my NPCs would be ready for it and start the combat with ranged attacks and wait for the PCs to close.
2) While the tactic may pass RAW, it is only possible due to the round component of the abstract combat system. In my opinion, it is outside the realm of a legitimate tactic and should not be used. I fully believe that a 5 foot step was never ment to be an interrupt with the ability to stop an attack.
3) If I were to allow the tactic, I would not make the original attacker lose their action. The CRB states that if able he continues his actions. It does not state that he must continue the same actions. The if able refers to death or other condition that may stop him. If you set a readied action to poison someone's potion as he lifts it to drink, he doesn't have to continue his action when he sees you do it. He can now change his action. As the Readied Action happens BEFORE the trigger, the trigger never happens, just like with an AoO.
4) Step Up causes some of the same problems. If a wizard players says they are going to take a 5 foot step back and cast a spell then their opponent says they Step Up, the wizard doesn't have to cast that spell and the person that Steps Up doesn't get an AoO.
Just my 2 coppers
I skimmed through this quickly, so if the point I'm about to make is here already, and I just missed it, my apologies.
The ready action lets you prepare to take an action later, after your turn is over but before your next one has begun. Readying is a standard action. It does not provoke an attack of opportunity (though the action that you ready might do so).
Readying an Action: You can ready a standard action, a move action, a swift action, or a free action. To do so, specify the action you will take and the conditions under which you will take it. Then, anytime before your next action, you may take the readied action in response to that condition. The action occurs just before the action that triggers it. If the triggered action is part of another character's activities, you interrupt the other character. Assuming he is still capable of doing so, he continues his actions once you complete your readied action. Your initiative result changes. For the rest of the encounter, your initiative result is the count on which you took the readied action, and you act immediately ahead of the character whose action triggered your readied action.
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. Emphasis, Mine.
So, the fighter can ready an action to perform a move action and doing so may make him an invalid target for an archer. I personally would allow the archer to choose another target, potentially having shot his first arrow at the fighter, and then all subsequent arrows at another target. HOWEVER, your fighter spent his standard action to ready that move action, so he did not get an attack that round. If he is "readying" an action, and it is not costing him his standard action, they yes, shenanigans are at hand. Personally, if he is using his standard action to be defensively clever, then reward him with bonuses to AC, or wasted attacks by SOME enemies, but not all. Cleverness is a tactic that should be rewarded with bonuses, provided the player is paying the proper cost - in this case, his standard action.
I just wanted to make sure that was pointed out.
Also, most initial attacks are charges, which are special full round actions ending in an attack roll. So, if the enemy charges the PC, the PC does hit hit-move thing, then the enemy gets to finish his charge. It's possible that the enemy would have been moving to exactly the end of it's available movement, but pretty unlikely.
Edit in bold.
MechE: it says you can ready a standard action, even in your text.
And as the Fighter would dodge out of the way before the Archer's attack, the archer would keep his first attack and be able to redirect it.
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1) can a player ready an action to move away from an enemy to avoid an attack?
Yes, but depending at what point the readied move is triggered, the enemy may still get an attack of opportunity as the player moves away.
2) can a player ready an action to attack an enemy and then take a 5-foot step?
Yes.
In either case, as to the question of whether or not the enemy can "finish up its movement", I think that is a GMs call that would depend on the situation, though for most cases I would personally err on the conservative side and say no.
Moved up using a move action, though didn't use full movement: I'd say no, but it could certainly move with its standard action.
Moved up as part of a charge, but has movement left: I'd say no.
Mounted using ride-by-attack: I'd say yes, with the restrictions associated with RBA.
MechE: it says you can ready a standard action, even in your text.
...? That it costs a standard action to ready was the point of my post. Maybe I worded it poorly, or you misread it, not sure...
And as the Fighter would dodge out of the way before the Archer's attack, the archer would keep his first attack and be able to redirect it.
Yes, I know this is the RAW, and I should have stated more clearly that as a DM, interpreting the scenario to cover situations that the rules do not always cover in depth (they cannot cover every possible situation, the CRB is 569 pages, not 56,900 pages), I personally would reward cleverness with a slight defensive bonus, provided that the action economy cost was being paid - in this case, the fighter's offensive capabilities through his standard action. This is an on the fly houserule, and probably should have been mentioned more clearly as such in the rules forum - my bad.
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The initiative consequence of readying an action is that the readier changes his initiative count to be the same as his attacker's, but goes just before him.
The readied action takes place before the action that triggers it. Therefore, that action never took place. The attacker intended to use his move action to move adjacent to the readier and use his standard action to attack him. There is no gap between move and standard action; if the standard action never takes place then the attacker is still on his move action and can still move if he has any squares of movement remaining.
Note that creatures must define the trigger for their readied action. This must be an action the character can describe, not the player. Characters have no concept of game actions, move actions, attack actions. He can say 'if he tries to attack me I'll attack him first', but he can't say 'as he's in the middle of his attack action', nor 'after he's completed his move action'.
Also, the readier must describe precisely what he intends to do in response to the trigger. The attacker has no such instruction; he can decide what he wants to do on the fly.
I think you mean 5-foot step here. There's no "1.5 ft step".
A 5 foot step is roughly a 1.5 meter step.
I've been along with the "the attacker just continues his move action and attacks anyway" argument through most of this thread, but there is a catch. It works in the case of charges, or just moving regularly after the PC, but as soon as the distance between them is only 5 feet (which it would be after the first dodge), most opponents would just 5-foot step up and try to get a use of their full-round attack. But now when the PC steps back, the enemy has already taken a 5-foot step and therefore has no further move to spend in order to reach the PC.
To me, this is where the real issue lies, and now we get to discuss whether or not characters are aware of the difference between moving 5 feet and taking a 5-foot step, so the enemy can adjust and just use move actions and sacrifice the full attack to get to the PC...
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This seems like a powerful tactic for advanced gamers only, even if it doesn't always work.
Bluff is a good response (sense motive would be a passive check, I'd assume).
Remembering these are important:
- a 5ft step readied action is a burnt standard action
- initiative order changes for the readied character
- for the readied 5ft step, no AoO applies; for readied movement, it does apply
- it's a near perfect defence against charging. Even if the 5ft-stepper moves into a poor position for a lined-up charge (eg. directly-back) and the charger still has more movement, the charger aims for a specific square. See below for more info here.
I don't think the bad guy (or good guy, if the bad guys employ this tactic) can say "actually I don't attack" when attacking was what triggered the readied action to go off.
re: readying a Move Action itself, that works, but should also provoke an AoO (although you can Tumble).
re: readying a Standard Attack action, that also works, and RAW you can include a 5' step as part of the action.
that part isn't as clear, i think ruling that it happens simultaneous with the attack (as part of the action) is reasonable,
and that rules out attacking (as readied) and THEN 5' stepping away to evade an attack (to a square where you don't threaten them).
you COULD ready to 'simultaneously' 5' step + attack, moving INTO an opponent with reach weapon, to where they can't use their reach weapon.
but yeah, if he uses this tactic, NPCs can as well. if nobody else in the game is into this level of gameplay, it's kind of unfair to subject them to it, but if the NPCs just happen to use this tactic against him, he should be happy to see his brilliant idea in play.
the bluff things is interesting (bluffing that you are attacking/not attacking) but i think it doesn't really work, RAW: if you bluff that you are attacking the readied action still doesn't go off until it's trigger really happens, if you bluff that your real attack isn't an attack, the readied action still goes off per it's trigger.
ALSO, and outside this specific approach to readying, I've allowed sense motive vs. bluff checks to notice that a character is readying an action, period (which could be a readied spell, etc). How much detail you can get from that, besides that they are readying something, is up to you. that at least lets characters adjust (which could be switching targets, throwing weapons, etc, it doesn't really matter since the ready-ing character wasted their turn if the trigger doesn't occur)
To people thinking that the character whose action was readied against can now choose to do a different action, that's not how it works: A caster can't decide to do something else just because somebody readied an action against their spell, the readied action INTERRUPTS it's target action before that target action completes, but that target action already has been initiated, and it already had to have it's initial parameters declared (for full attacks, subsequent iteratives are independently targetted after resolving the first one).
Don't worry about bad English; you should see the way some people spell 'armour' in this forum!
: )
I'm interested in new varieties of rouge armour.
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THe weak spot in this type of readied action is that if the enemy does something that different than what was readied, the readied character gets to do nothing.
So if the PC who "readied an attack, then 5' step away" if he is attacked is NOT attacked, he twiddles his thumbs for a round while his friends carry on. You have to be darn sure exactly what is going to happen before you do this. THIS is what makes this tactic fair in the game. Unless you are extremely predictable or your NPCs are fairly predictable (for instance, PCs are fighting a lot of trolls) then it has limited use. Though it is obvious, you also have to win initiative a lot, so in some ways it is build dependent as well.
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Total defense gives a +4 to AC for a standard action, use that as a point of comparison on what you should get for using your standard to be ready for an opponent. To instead get an attack and invalidate all of one opponents attacks is very silly.
I'm with Rob, if there is wiggle room in the interpretation to try and make it right, it should be taken.
I skimmed through this quickly, so if the point I'm about to make is here already, and I just missed it, my apologies.
The ready action lets you prepare to take an action later, after your turn is over but before your next one has begun. Readying is a standard action. It does not provoke an attack of opportunity (though the action that you ready might do so).
Readying an Action: You can ready a standard action...
This is what Komoda was referring to.
I'm with Rob80 & Sitri. There's a little room for interpretation in the rules, and that room should be used to make a logical, consistent, and fair game system.
I'm currently playing an 11th level barbarian who would be amazing at taking advantage of this tactic:
- Jaunt Boots (5' steps can be 15' long)
- Unexpected Strike rage power (enemy provokes an attack of opportunity for steping into a threatened square)
- Beast Totem (full attack on a charge, which I can do from 15' away)
And as I wrote, the WORST abuse of it: readying an attack AND 5' stepping away to a square they don't threaten (negating any attack on you) doesn't work as easily if the "take a 5-foot step as part of your readied action" is understood to mean it must happen simultaneously, which is a very straight-forward reading of that line.
Things like Cleave include multiple events within a Standard Action and the 5' step could occur with any part... but for Cleave I would say that if you decide not to 5' step during the first attack, and if it fails then you can't 5' step after it (because then that isn't "part of the action"/simultaneous, but after the action), so you are making a big gamble on top of the gamble of Ready. Having a Reach advantage over them with your weapons (which they can usually tell) and/or Lunge (not so much, but they may also have Lunge, and you actually need an advantage over them for it to work) will help, but that just isn't universally applicable, monsters tend to have larger reach, and NPCs can use Reach Weapons and Lunge just as much as PCs. If you do have a Reach advantage, you can already (aside from this tactic) Ready an action to single Move away just after taking the AoO against their approach...
I get the feeling the OP just isn't familiar with Readying IN GENERAL, much less the very precise usage of it as evidenced by his player. If you are familiar with it, then you're aware of the broad factors which can effect it's efficacy. At minimum, you are gambling on wasting your turn completely, and if it works you are still acting later in the turn giving up Initiative advantage to some degree (if there is just one enemy it doesn't really make a difference, but just one enemy usually makes for easy encounters anyways). As mentioned, you also can't otherwise move on your turn (and also 5' step during a Ready), meaning you're giving up tactical maneuvering, which can mean giving up AoE opportunities, not to mention giving up Full Attacks. If a GM has a solid handle on all these factors, then these factors should actually make a difference a good amount of the time.
And like I said, if a PC wants to use this tactic, then it should be used against them, which is obvious enough but the GM actually needs to be comfortable and confident with the ruleset there. If you don't feel that you are, and don't feel that it's important that you upgrade your game to that level, it's probably best to just have a discussion with the player how everybody should be playing on the same level, that isn't really different than for a player who is exceptionally better than the GM at any aspect of the game rules.
Allowing the character that was Readied against to "change their action" doesn't work for one simple reason: their action needed to trigger the Ready in the first place, if their action was changed, then the trigger didn't occur. This is why the only reading that makes sense is to distinguish between actions "starting" and "ending", with the Readied action interrupting and occurring before the trigger actions "ends", but by definition it must have already "started" for the Trigger condition to be met. Readying is not pre-cognition.
Again, if you want additional moderation of the ability, it's more than plausible to say that "Ready" is noticeable as an action (to know that they are Readying something, and adjust around that), but require a Sense Motive vs. Bluff to actually notice it. If somebody really wants to build around this tactic, they can max out Bluff, but this tactic really just isn't universally beneficial especially if a GM has a strong handle on the tactical game mechanics in general and the trade-offs of Ready in particular.
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I don't think I need a Sense Motive check to notice if my foe has moved 5 feet.
Also, 'Assuming he is still capable of doing so, he continues his actions once you complete your readed action.', means that he continues his turn after the interruption, using his full complement of allowed actions. He didn't have to declare future actions (like 'I'll attack after this move') before the interruption, and he's free to choose again now. He doesn't have to choose the same action (the trigger) again, but if he doesn't it doesn't mean the readied action wasn't triggered.
For those arguing that you can chance what action you do if your planned for action is no longer possible answer these questions:
If a mage starts to cast a spell, then gets attacked (which would force a concentration check or lose the spell) would you allow him to change to a different action, thereby not losing his spell?
If a person (who has not taken any actions yet) starts an attack, and a readied action disarms him, would you allow him to use his move action to retrieve his weapon, then still make an attack (as he hasn't used his standard action yet either based on your viewpoint)?
Someone up thread suggested the spell caster case was a specific rule to trump the general rule in this case.
You can ready an attack against a spellcaster with the trigger “if she starts casting a spell.” If you damage the spellcaster, she may lose the spell she was trying to cast (as determined by her Spellcraft check result).
Okay, based on that I guess a spell caster would still have to make the concentration check or lose the spell. It does not say though that they lose their action. Would you allow said spell caster to lose their spell, then still have a standard action available to do something else with? If you believe the spell caster loses their action in this case you have no ground to stand on that others do not lose their standard action.
For the case of charge or movement, those actions (assuming max movement has not been reached) are still in progress, and should certainly be allowed to continue, unless of course the readied action tripped said player (or something else) preventing physical movement.
You can take a 5-foot step before, during, or after your other actions in the round.
You can only take a 5-foot-step if your movement isn't hampered by difficult terrain or darkness. Any creature with a speed of 5 feet or less can't take a 5-foot step, since moving even 5 feet requires a move action for such a slow creature.
You may not take a 5-foot step using a form of movement for which you do not have a listed speed.
Readying an Action
You can ready a standard action, a move action, a swift action, or a free action. To do so, specify the action you will take and the conditions under which you will take it. Then, anytime before your next action, you may take the readied action in response to that condition. The action occurs just before the action that triggers it. If the triggered action is part of another character's activities, you interrupt the other character. Assuming he is still capable of doing so, he continues his actions once you complete your readied action. Your initiative result changes. For the rest of the encounter, your initiative result is the count on which you took the readied action, and you act immediately ahead of the character whose action triggered your readied action.
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.
Looks perfectly legal to me.
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I'd give the attacker an AoO for the readied move action.
As to a readied 5-foot step, by RAW, how are you readying an action that isn't an action? You're not.
Readying an Action:
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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.
So you can take a 5' step during your readied action.
The problem is the definition of what you do in reaction to what trigger.
Readying an Action: You can ready a standard action, a move action, a swift action, or a free action. To do so, specify the action you will take and the conditions under which you will take it. Then, anytime before your next action, you may take the readied action in response to that condition.
The OP ask:
"Can a player ready an action to "move" if an enemy attacks him to evade the attack?And even worse, can he ready an action to attack that enemy when he attacks him and at the same time EVADE THAT ATTACK shifting his position doing a 1,5 ft step?"
You react to any attack? You use this tactic once, then I throw a dagger, stone, whatever at you and make you spend your action, while still attacking you if you are in range and don't have total cover (you move before my attack, so I know where I should aim).
You react only to a melee attack?
That mean that you wouldn't react to a charge, bull rush, grapple, etc., by strict reading not even to a unarmed attack.
Reading an action is a fairly restricted maneuver. You can surprise someone once with this kind of tactic, but unless the enemy is played as a mindless brute he will not fall for it a second time in the same combat.
Even animals know how to counter this kind of moves.