What Wins? 5-Foot Step or Readied Versus Approach?

[Robert Billingham]

Situation: Player readied a standard action versus approach so that his melee attack would go off when the enemy stepped into the square in front of him. But the enemy only took a 5 foot step. Does the 5 foot rule still override the Readied action?

[Abraham spalding]

A 5 foot step only prevents AoO's, it doesn't prevent readied actions. A readied action is a delebrate maneuver taken (generally) in response to another person's action. Since it is not an AoO the character gets to take his readied action (that being an attack on the person who approached him).

Please note since this is not an AoO if the enemy then started casting a spell without casting defensively then the character could take an AoO as normal (since he hasn't taken one yet this round).

[Robert Billingham]

Thanks Abe! That's how I ruled it. Just checking.