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You can't ready a charge action. But, if you were limited to only taking a standard action on your turn (Disabled, Staggered, etc.), could you ready a partial charge?
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the fAQ says:
i don't really like this answer, because it gives no justification for this ruling whatsoever, and ignores that per the RAW, it should work in several situations. it also ignores the difference between some of those situations, e.g. disabled/staggered vs. a surprise round. i don't have a problem with the ultimate ruling per se, but i feel like the rules should be errata'd to make the RAW match the FAQ, or otherwise be more specific about it. but that's the FAQ, and that would be the ruling in PFS.
there is a feat that allows readying a partial charge in all situations, and still lets you use the move action on normal turns. (rhino charge/sargava companion)
EDIT: if Errata was to be issued, i think two birds could be killed with one stone by just stating that any action that is normally a full-round action can't be readied... (it would have to be worded so that actions that are ALWAYS a different action type for you, e.g. standard action summons for summoners would be allowed, just not conditional changes like charge uses)
that would also cover the wierd situation of beginning a full-round action as a standard, and then readying an action to complete it as a standard action. there is special parameters for that to actually work (depending on the actual round, not just before your next turn) but per RAW it should work in some situations, allowing readied spring attack (using 2 rounds to set up, although one can be surprise round, or you can even be staggered/disabled while doing this).
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I didn't like the FAQ on this. To my mind the fact that readying an action restricts you to a standard action, means that you are restricted to a standard action! Therefore eligible to take a partial charge!
As a concept it seems fine, and doesn't break the game at all! I house-rule that you can ready a partial charge or withdraw action.
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In 3.5, you could ready a partial action to take a partial charge (normal move instead of double move).
There was nothing unbalancing about this, and it was ruled this way with pretty much the same language as PF.
Let it work. Doesn't hurt anything.
==Aelryinth
the problem i have with the faq is not fundamentally about anybody being able to ready partial charges whenever they want, that's a pretty great ability, and if paizo wants to say everybody can't do that (and you need a feat), i can accept that for their offical ruleset.
the problem i have is that when you REALLY ARE limited to a standard action on your turn, not just on a normal round using a readied action that allows another standard action, but you are on a surprise round which is where partial charge is supposed to occur, that the FAQ would say you can't ready that... even though you can ready pretty much anything else you can do with that standard action.
the faq gives no rationale for this, other than "it doesn't meet the requirements".
i simply can't see what requirement isn't being met on a surprise round. what is it?
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Charge is a full-round action all day, every day.
There's a special exception that allows you to make a charge, a full-round action, if you are restricted to taking only a standard action on your turn, but it doesn't actually make charge a standard action.
As it is always a full-round action, you can never ready a charge.
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"If you are able to take only a standard action on your turn, you can still charge, but you are only allowed to move up to your speed (instead of up to double your speed) and you cannot draw a weapon unless you possess the Quick Draw feat. You can't use this option unless you are restricted to taking only a standard action on your turn."
The entire purpose for this block of text was to allow you to charge during a usrprise round. It probably would have created much less confusion and headache if they'd simply changed it to: "During a surprise round, you can still charge, but you are only allowed to move up to your speed (instead of up to double your speed) and you cannot draw a weapon unless you possess the Quick Draw feat. You can't use this option unless you are restricted to taking only a standard action on your turn."
But you try to leave things open to accomodate unforeseen circumstances and you end up with weirdness like this. I think it's silly that a staggered creature suddenly gains the capability to do something he normally couldn't (even if it is limited a little) but it is what it is.
Charging is always a full round action that can still be taken under special circumstances when a full round action is not available.
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Charging is a special full-round action
and
If you are able to take only a standard action on your turn, you can still charge.....You can't use this option unless you are restricted to taking only a standard action on your turn
So you can charge if you are restricted to only taking a standard action. You may interpret that as a partial charge being a standard action, OR you may interpret that as being able to take a full-round action even though you only have a standard action to burn, but with restrictions to the charge. Either way, it can definately be done.
'Charge' is listed as a full-round action in the 'Actions In Combat' tables, with 'note 4' next to it.
4 May be taken as a standard action if you are limited to taking only a single action in a round.
The issue of semantics aside, the only thing left is this: does the act of readying an action-which restricts you to taking a standard action-count as being restricted to a standard action?
I think the answer is, 'yes'! Apart from making sense on it's own merit, apart from not hurting game balance one iota, James Maissen mentioned an excellent point; it makes no sense for a creature that is suffering no handicap to be unable to do something that a creature can do when handicapped by only being able to take standard actions! Such a creature definately could ready a partial charge!
the faq gives no rationale for this, other than "it doesn't meet the requirements".
i simply can't see what requirement isn't being met on a surprise round. what is it?During a surprise round when you can't act as much, while you are staggered, or when you are slowed you can ready a charge.
However, during a normal turn when you are at full capability then you are not limited to only a standard action and as such a charge is a full round action for you.. thus you cannot ready one.
This doesn't work for me, and I readily believe that a character should be able to voluntarily limit themselves to a standard action for their turn and thus be able to do, when they are hale, things that they can do when they are debilitated.
-James
I must be missing your point. An able character can spend it's whole turn to charge. A disabled character can spend it's whole turn to charge. The disabled character gains no benefit; actually, the disabled character's charge is rather inferior.
Even if you could voluntarily limit yourself to a standard action, you would gain no benefit, your charge would just get shorter.
Like the zombie, who is always staggered; can a zombie ready a charge? (Like if it can't get to you for some reason, but as soon as it can, it's going to charge).
Well, if a zombie can do it... why can't I do it?
His point is (forgive me, James) that a disabled creature can ready a partial charge, while an unhindered creature cannot! That makes no sense!
If you consider that, RAW, a charge is a full round action, then it makes perfect sense since neither one can ready a charge.
Also, what is a 'Partial Charge'? I can't find any references to it in the PRD.
Are you referring to the exception in the charge action that allows you to make a charge when limited to a standard action? I find that sort of confusing, since it's not a separate action you can take, just a special case of the charge action.
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His point is (forgive me, James) that a disabled creature can ready a partial charge, while an unhindered creature cannot! That makes no sense!If you consider that, RAW, a charge is a full round action, then it makes perfect sense since neither one can ready a charge.
Also, what is a 'Partial Charge'? I can't find any references to it in the PRD.
Are you referring to the exception in the charge action that allows you to make a charge when limited to a standard action? I find that sort of confusing, since it's not a separate action you can take, just a special case of the charge action.
Yes, a 'partial charge' is the one you can take as a standard action.
May be taken as a standard action if you are limited to taking only a single action in a round.
So charge may be taken as a standard action (if limited to standard actions).
Therefore, if you are limited to taking standard actions, you may charge as a standard action. When you do this, that partial charge is a standard action.
You can ready a standard action. If you can partial charge as a standard action, you can ready a partial charge.
His point is (forgive me, James) that a disabled creature can ready a partial charge, while an unhindered creature cannot! That makes no sense!
But the Official FAQ says you cannot ready a charge, as a blanket statement with no acknowledgement of the different scenarios that enable a partial charge in the first place. And then it gives a non-explanation explanation: "it does not meet the requirements" with no further details.
Somebody posted the idea that 'when limited to a standard action', you aren't actually enabled to take a Charge as a Standard Action, which would mean that this ability is entirely a non-action itself, that can just happen by rules exception in this case. So if there is no Standard Action Charge available to you possibly take, then you can't combine it with the Ready Action, which only works with Standard Actions (including Move Actions).
...That seemed straight enough to the point, if a functionality I wasn't a fan of, but what would that actually mean? That if you didn't spend a Standard Action in order to make a Partial Charge, that you would still have a Standard Action to spend on your turn, before or after the Partial Charge.
If that's not the case, then the Partial Charge is indeed a Standard Action you are spending, and that should work with Ready action since no wording suggests otherwise. That leaves the FAQ with no valid explanation, but with a direct, blanket "NO" to Readying Partial Charges... Which I would have to take as a poorly-communicated Errata (or pre-Errata ruling) which should indeed apply to all RAW-legal play like PFS. I really hope that decision isn't sustained, but that's what the FAQ says now.
no, i'm not talking about ready action ITSELF enabling partial charge to apply because it's 'limiting you to a standard action'. that's clearly diverging from RAW (and totally unsupported, since you CAN spend a move action before or after using the Ready action, so you AREN'T 'limited', and choosing not to use something you can use is not 'limited' either). that falls into the category of what people WANT the rules to do, or FEEL it should be able to do, but clearly isn't allowed per RAW.
i'm talking about when you are ALREADY IN a situation which would allow a partial charge (limited to standard action, e.g. surprise round),
using your standard action to ready an action: partial charge, which you COULD do with that standard action to begin with.
this isn't about what i or anybody feels the rules SHOULD do, but what they actually say:
i can't see any reason why if the situation already limits you to a standard, that you couldn't ready any standard action that you could do in that situation, and the FAQ provides no rationale why not either.
do you spend the standard action in order to be able to partial charge on a surprise round?
if so, why can't you use ready to spend a standard action to do the same thing?
note that even if you view ready action as enabling two standard actions (ready itself and the 'payload'),
the readied standard action isn't happening on YOUR TURN, which is the relevant rule for the partial charge restriction.
if it doesn't use a standard action to do so,
that leaves you a standard action remaining to use for whatever you like after your partial charge. OK.
maybe there is some rationale. i just don't understand why paizo didn't put it in the FAQ if they have one.
i don't really see any evidence that they did assess this specific situation,
since their FAQ covers both this situation and people trying to use ready action ITSELF to qualify for a partial charge, when the rules issues are totally different for both of them.
There is no such beast as a partial charge. You either charge or you can't.
Charge: "If you are able to take only a standard action on your turn, you can still charge, but you are only allowed to move up to your speed (instead of up to double your speed) and you cannot draw a weapon unless you possess the Quick Draw feat. You can't use this option unless you are restricted to taking only a standard action on your turn."
"Partial charge" is a shortcut for what is described there. Jason Bulmahn has even used it (here and here).
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The FAQ quotes only one part of the Charge rules-'restricted to taking only a standard action on your turn'-and then says that you can't ready a partial charge because, 'it does not meet the requirements of the text in the charge action'.
We must conclude that the part of the charge rules that means that readying 'does not meet the requirements' is the part quoted, i.e. 'restricted to only taking a standard action'. It must be saying that choosing to ready a standard action does not mean you are restricted to taking a standard action, even if readying only allows standard actions to be readied!
But, if choosing to restrict yourself to a standard action does not count as being 'restricted to a standard action' for the purpose of allowing you to take a partial charge, there are legitimate ways of being restricted to standard actions that do allow you to take a partial charge (surprise round, disabled, being a zombie)!
And, if the reason you can't ready a partial charge (even though it's a standard action) is because 'readying' doesn't count as being 'restricted', then if you are legitimately restricted in another way you must be able to ready a partial charge!
That means that creatures suffering a restriction can do something that those not suffering cannot!
BTW, when you ready an action the moment you take your triggered action is now your turn!