During this weekends game my ST made a call that at the time I thought might be wrong. In general as a group unless it is life or death of a character we review the rule calls during the time between games (not during play) in order for us to better understand the rule.
So I've come to ask about the following scene.
We were in a pretty heavy fight, everyone had taken more than 1/2 their hit-points, the Orcle and Summoner were out of spells. The melee fighters were stuck using ranged weapons to try to hit the enemy whom was a spell caster.
During this point, my character on his initiative announces that he is reading an action to shoot the target if it attempts to cast a spell.
The enemy caster instead of casting a spell (which he was out of spells per day) uses a spell like ability.
Now my question, Does a spell like ability trigger the readied action set to go off for casting of a spell?
FYI, My story teller let the use of a spell like ability trigger the readied action, (as I mentioned we were in a heavy fight) however he ruled that the damage dealt would not make the caster make a concentration check.
|
From the Core Rulebook (emphasis mine):
Spell-Like Abilities: Usually, a spell-like ability works just like the spell of that name. A spell-like ability has no verbal, somatic, or material component, nor does it require a focus. The user activates it mentally. Armor never affects a spell-like ability's use, even if the ability resembles an arcane spell with a somatic component.
Because of the bolded portion, I'd say that your character had no way of knowing that the spellcaster was using a spell-like ability. So there would be nothing to trigger your readied action, until you actually saw the result of the ability.
Spell-like abilities most of the time follow the rules for spells, including subject to being disrupted by damage from opportunity attacks or readied actions.
Of course your GM has the right to interpret it differently but honestly, if he decided that spell-like ability triggers action readied against spell (which would be standard interpretation) then he should also allow for possibility of disruption.
Spell-Like Abilities (Sp) Spell-like abilities are magical and work just like spells (though they are not spells and so have no verbal, somatic, focus, or material components). They go away in an antimagic field and are subject to spell resistance if the spell the ability is based on would be subject to spell resistance.
A spell-like ability usually has a limit on how often it can be used. A constant spell-like ability or one that can be used at will has no use limit; unless otherwise stated, a creature can only use a constant spell-like ability on itself. Reactivating a constant spell-like ability is a swift action. Using all other spell-like abilities is a standard action unless noted otherwise, and doing so provokes attacks of opportunity. It is possible to make a concentration check to use a spell-like ability defensively and avoid provoking an attack of opportunity, just as when casting a spell. A spell-like ability can be disrupted just as a spell can be. Spell-like abilities cannot be used to counterspell, nor can they be counterspelled.
From the Core Rulebook (emphasis mine):
Spell-Like Abilities: Usually, a spell-like ability works just like the spell of that name. A spell-like ability has no verbal, somatic, or material component, nor does it require a focus. The user activates it mentally. Armor never affects a spell-like ability's use, even if the ability resembles an arcane spell with a somatic component.Because of the bolded portion, I'd say that your character had no way of knowing that the spellcaster was using a spell-like ability. So there would be nothing to trigger your readied action, until you actually saw the result of the ability.
If your interpretation was standard then spell-like abilities would not provoke attacks of opportunity, nor would spells that lack verbal, somatic and material components (for example silent teleport) and yet those still provoke - using a spell-like ability requires degree of concentration on the caster's part that is clearly observable in combat.
I'm with Drejk on this one. They provoke. AFAIK, it has been stated by Buhlman that all spells show visible signs when cast even if they lack components.
However, I do not think this has anything to do with attacks of opportunity. Attacks of opportunity arise from a lack of focus in combat, the readied actions are triggered because an event is observed. Yes, you can ready to "when my target loses concentration on combat", but that's vague and would at least lead to triggering on anything that cause an AoO.
|
You cast a spell but, whatever their other similarities, you never cast a spell-like ability.
Thus, I would have ruled that using the SLA would not have triggered your readied action which was clearly stating "when he casts a spell".
That said, your readied action was quite logical when confronted with an obvious spellcaster and I am wondering how much metagaming went into the NPC using a spell-like ability instead of casting one of his spells.
After all, there is no way for him to know that you are expecting just that to launch your attack.
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
|
That said, your readied action was quite logical when confronted with an obvious spellcaster and I am wondering how much metagaming went into the NPC using a spell-like ability instead of casting one of his spells.
The enemy caster instead of casting a spell (which he was out of spells per day) uses a spell like ability.
So I guess the answer is as follows:
I ready a action to strike the target if he attempts to use an ability that if I hit him with my weapon will require him to make a concentration check to activate that ability.
LOL
It might have worked had he said "if he uses a spell," but it won't, since he said "if he casts a spell." Spell-like abilities are activated, not cast.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
|
I'm with your GM/ST, I'd have let it trigger. You could just as easily have set your readied action to be "If he does anything magicky"... there is really no hard and fast guidelines to what conditions or how specific the conditions need to be to trigger a readied action.