| 13 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
"If my action triggers a readied action, can I just avoid taking my original action, and do something else instead, once the other creature's readied action is completed? If I cannot continue my original action, such s being tripped on a charge do I lose it"?
As an example of changing my action:
Cleric is holding a stone with the silence spell cast upon it. He readies an action in case he sees someone casting a spell (cannot hear it), that action being to throw the stone near the person casting the spell
Wizard starts casting a fireball.
The Cleric sees the spell casting and throws the stone
A) Does the wizard lose the fireball? (But have a move action remaining)
OR
B) Can the wizard move out of the radius and then try to cast the fireball?
my understanding is A, you can not change your "declared" action even if a readied action hinders your ability to continue with the declared action.
Ready says:
The (readied) action occurs just before the action that triggers it.
to me that means that the original action (the triggering action) is taken. This is the power of the readied action.
I agree with you, but others disagree. Their argument is that the rules dont say you "must" continue the original action so you can change it, and RAW they are making a good case, but it is not RAI.
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I don't think that the example you used are the best possible.
In both situations I would rule that the target can't change his action as he is already fully committed.
A fighter moving 5' and then declaring a full attack against a guy that readied a 5' step to move away from melee attacks would be better.
Or someone declaring a charge against target X that has readied an action to move around a corner if attacked.
As X movement happen before the triggering action, the charger can switch targets and charge a different enemy?
The problem with the ready actions is that they happen (not are resolved, but happen) before the triggering action.
So it is not "I wait for action X, when he try it I will benefit from the opening at the start of his action and act."
Instead it is: "I read him, when I sense that he is preparing action X I act." Fully before the target has started his action.
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my understanding is A, you can not change your "declared" action even if a readied action hinders your ability to continue with the declared action.
Ready says:
The (readied) action occurs just before the action that triggers it.to me that means that the original action (the triggering action) is taken. This is the power of the readied action.
You can choose not to complete your declared action, but you must start it. Your options are to continue the action (making any choices available to you) or lose it, taking no action of that order but suffering any consequences.
Well imho the wizard should loose his spell.
Otherwise he didn't cast and the Cleric wouldn't have thrown the stone... :-D
Marked as FAQ.
Personally, for me it depends on the action; the below statements are table rules, not RAW\RAI:
In the original example of the Silence stone and the Fireball, I would rule that the Wizard lost his standard action - but not the spell. He could still use his move action, and assuming that he had Quicken spell, he could move outside the Silence's range and then cast a Quickened spell.
In the example of the Fighter making a 5' step to full-attack, and being 'interrupted' by the opponent moving back, I would probably allow the Fighter to take an alternative action to the full-attack; if he could make a ranged attack against the opponent, I would allow it (single standard attack) - or he could use his standard action to move into melee range with the opponent.
Not sure if the wizard should lose his spell or not. If a cleric in a group I was DMing was the one tossingthe stone, I'd have the wizard lose the spell. If an enemy cleric threw the stone at a PC wizard, I'd let the dice decide with a fair 50/50 roll (that's my usual tie-breaker when I'm unsure). As for the fighter 5 foot stepping to full attack. The fighter can only take a 5 foot step in a round during which he is going to make a full attack action, or a move equivalent action and a standard action. As far as I can tell, he's effectively only taken 5 feet of movement, so there would be no reason he could not continue the movement up to his maximum speed before taking a single standard action. Thus, the readied action prevented him from getting a full attack, but did not stop him from doing damage. As a side note, who spends their standard action to ready a 5 foot step? lol.
Regardless of how I'd rule either example, I've FAQ'd this. Would be nice to get a clarification on it.
EDIT: D-D-D-DOUBLE POST!