(Quotes from Rules Questions/ready To Charge? What Do You Mean I Can't Ready A Charge?)
In PF, can a character Ready a charge attack?
Depends. At my table I would allow it, as the rules need to be consistent and make sense.
If your PC were reduced to only being able to take a standard action (surprise round, slowed, you're a zombie, etc) then yes you could make a partial charge, and you could ready that partial charge action as a standard action.
It doesn't make sense to me that a PC could not voluntarily elect to reduce themselves down to just having a standard action. Thus as a DM I would allow it if they forgo the rest of their turn.
Straight RAW? I don't think it's allowed.
However, the idea that you would be MORE capable when slowed or the like is untenable for me. Thus I conclude that the only thing preventing one from doing so is that the writers felt the verbiage for its allowance was either too convoluted or was self-evident.
Thus I'd allow it, and really would have liked PF to 'patch' what I consider a flaw in the RAW,
James
That's actually a good question. I'd probably allow it (that is, allow the readied surprise-round charge to carry into the first normal round) as doing otherwise would seem awkward and it doesn't seem too unbalanced.Presumably you could ready a charge in a surprise round yes?
And would you need to take that readied action in the surprise round or would it carry over to the next, full, combat round (so basically the readying character loses a while rounds worth of action just to have a charge or ready)?
This issue about Charging has been a bone in my craw since before Pathfinder existed as a rules set. Like James, I was really hoping that PF would present different rules that made more sense, as I also cannot square the thought of Zombies being able to do something natively that Humans can't (without taking a feat).
The issue at the root of this conundrum is that allowing readied charges breaks the concept of restricting a charging creature's movement in a round in which it charges. If it was possible to ready a charge, under the existing rules, a creature could take a move action prior to readying the action to maneuver to a more advantageous position, and then ready an action to charge as soon as another creature starts to act.
While I'm uncertain that this is as game-breaking as has been suggested, two potential options present themselves:
(1) A creature can ready an action to charge or charge as a standard action by sacrificing (not taking) its move action for the round. The creature gains the standard benefits and penalties associated with charging.
(2) Add the following action: Standard Action: Short-Charge. A creature that Short Charges executes a Charge as a Standard Action (as opposed to a Full-round action), and takes a -2 penalty to AC until its next turn. The Short-Charging creature gains a +1 bonus to hit, however, rather than the +2 normally gained by charging. This action can be readied, as usual for standard actions.