Steadfast Pike (Ex)At 3rd level, a polearm master gains a +1 bonus on attack rolls with readied attacks and attacks of opportunity made with a spear or polearm. The bonus increases by +1 for every four levels beyond 3rd.
This ability replaces Armor Training 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Does the italicized part mean that a fighter could just constantly declare that he's going to ready his attack in response to his opponent acting, or a party member acting?
Readying an Action...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.
Given the quote on readying actions above, you could ready an attack for whenever your target acts, then get the +1 to attack... you would always remain before the person in initiative, so you could just keep readying an action.
Granted, that's a lot of cheezy gaming to squeeze an extra +1 out, but is it actually rules-wrong?
Yes, you can.
Its a bad idea though. You can only ready standard actions. You give up your move action or iterative attacks for a +1 to hit. You must also set a specific trigger, so if the enemy doesn't do that action you lose the attack. "Whenever the target acts" is not a specific trigger IMO, but I could see some GMs disagreeing and allowing it.
+1 bonus on attack rolls with readied attacks
I assume the intent was for Readying a Weapon against a Charge since that's what pikes are generally known for.
It's a good idea up to level 5.
Yup, looks like you can do that. The attacks of opportunity is where the real money is though. Go for Combat Reflexes so you can take multiple AoO each round and go to town on those baddies!
Steadfast Pike? What about Fortuitous Salmon? Adamant Carp?
+1 bonus on attack rolls with readied attacksI assume the intent was for Readying a Weapon against a Charge since that's what pikes are generally known for.
Nothing in the description says that it has to be a pike, or a brace weapon. I was actually thinking of this for a trip/disarm character.
It depends upon the DM, of course, but the section on readied actions is pretty clear that both the trigger and the readied action have to be fairly specific. I don't think that, "If my opponent takes an action, I will react" would qualify. I'm also pretty sure that you can take a move and then ready an action.