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I could not find anything about this in the rules forum. Please give your advice about whether this readied action is legal.
On your turn: "For my Standard Action I ready an action to attack this foe when I arrive in that square. For my Move action I move to that square, take my readied action, then keep moving."
This readied action approaches the utility of Spring Attack, but is not as good, because you still provoke AoOs from the target. If you wield a reach weapon and choose an appropriate target the foe won't get an AoO, but in theory it could.
What do other people think? Legit, or not legit?
From the rules, "The ready action lets you prepare to take an action later, after your turn is over but before your next one has begun."
Since your turn is not over in the middle of your move action, it appears not to be legal by RAW.
To do so, specify the action you will take and the conditions under which you will take it. Then, anytime before your next action, you may take the readied action in response to that condition.
Once you start your move action you "break" your readied action, since your move is your next action.
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OK, how about this one, for a mounted PC:
"I ready an action to do X (attack, channel, whatever ...) when I enter that square. I end my turn. Now it's my mount's turn. My mount moves to that square, triggering my readied action, then keeps moving."
That seems to overcome both (100% valid) objections.
OK, how about this one, for a mounted PC:
"I ready an action to do X (attack, channel to harm, etc) when I arrive in that square. I end my turn. Now it's my mount's turn. My mount moves to that square, triggering my readied action, then keeps moving."
That seems to overcome both (100% valid) objections.
Sorry, that won't work either. Mounts that are under your control move on your initiative (p202, Core, under "Mounts In Combat"). So if you wanted to release control of your mount, it might be possible, that that means your mount could move wherever it wanted and probably would attempt to avoid combat.
The real way to do that is to ready the action, which would be both moving and casting, wait until the target is in range or in the square you want, trigger your action, move, and cast your spell.
So, I must ask: is this to try and get the Bracing damage bonus by yourself, or are you looking into contingency options for Contingent Action?
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Sorry, that won't work either. Mounts that are under your control move on your initiative (p202, Core, under "Mounts In Combat"). So if you wanted to release control of your mount, it might be possible, that that means your mount could move wherever it wanted and probably would attempt to avoid combat.
An intelligent animal companion mount has it's own initiative, I believe. Most GMs simplify things by having it share your turn initiative number, but that's actually a nearly universal house rule. That's the sort of mount I was talking about. Same would apply with an eidolon.
Specific case that brought this up: Holding breath, fighting a ghast, and running out of air. Wanted to move 5', strike ghast with reach weapon, then move well away from it to take a breath. Killed it with blow, so it wound up not mattering. Got me thinking, though ...
VITAL STRIKE:
YES, one can use Vital Strike with a readied action, so long as the action itself it legal in combination with Vital Strike.
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Per CRB, Combat chapter:
Your mount acts on your initiative count as you direct it. You move at its speed, but the mount uses its action to move.
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I was under the impression your mount and you effectively move at the same time.
So you'd be allowed to have your mount move, then you take a standard action to attack, then it could continue its movement. No readying.
That's similar to using the Ride-By Attack feat, except the feat allows you to do it with a charge. Have I got it wrong?
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Yop, that would seem to duplicate Ride By Attack. I hadn't noticed that. Since it duplicates an existing feat it is inherently forbidden. Does that only apply to weapon attacks, though, or to everything?
E.g. Say I am a negative channeling cleric riding on a mount. I face a block of foes in martial array. I want to ride (on an intelligent, self-directed mount) just out of range of their spears, [selective] CHANNEL NEGATIVE TO HARM, then ride away. Ride by Attack feat will NOT allow that. Is it possible to do it with a readied action?
On a related note, if one rides an intelligent mount, is it possible for both the rider and the mount to ready [different] actions?
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You can do that. have your mount move, you do your action, and then your mount moves again. I'm pretty sure it's in the rules for making arrow attacks while a mount double moves, and spellcasting, and perhaps even moving and getting one swing and then moving away. If you're on a mount many things are possible. But without one there's not really a way to move do something and move again.
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It doesn't duplicate Ride-By Attack, the way I'm talking about is a regular attack, and the feat allows you to do a charge (allowing the Spirited Charge feat combo to work).
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Combat while Mounted: With a DC 5 Ride check, you can guide your mount with your knees so as to use both hands to attack or defend yourself. This is a free action.
When you attack a creature smaller than your mount that is on foot, you get the +1 bonus on melee attacks for being on higher ground. If your mount moves more than 5 feet, you can only make a single melee attack. Essentially, you have to wait until the mount gets to your enemy before attacking, so you can't make a full attack. Even at your mount's full speed, you don't take any penalty on melee attacks while mounted.
I think this is the part people get tripped up on. If your mount is combat trained, it is a free action to control it with your knees. If you move more than 5 feet, you can only make a single melee attack. Since your mount is moving, and not you, you can have the mount move up as one action, attack, and then move away with the mounts other action. This would genearlly provoke an AoO for leaving a threatned square however.
The Ride-By Attack feat allows you to do this with a charge, getting the +2 to hit and -2 ac benefits, as well as avoiding the AoO from the creature you charged.
Combat while Mounted: With a DC 5 Ride check, you can guide your mount with your knees so as to use both hands to attack or defend yourself. This is a free action.
When you attack a creature smaller than your mount that is on foot, you get the +1 bonus on melee attacks for being on higher ground. If your mount moves more than 5 feet, you can only make a single melee attack. Essentially, you have to wait until the mount gets to your enemy before attacking, so you can't make a full attack. Even at your mount's full speed, you don't take any penalty on melee attacks while mounted.
I think this is the part people get tripped up on. If your mount is combat trained, it is a free action to control it with your knees. If you move more than 5 feet, you can only make a single melee attack. Since your mount is moving, and not you, you can have the mount move up as one action, attack, and then move away with the mounts other action. This would genearlly provoke an AoO for leaving a threatned square however.
The Ride-By Attack feat allows you to do this with a charge, getting the +2 to hit and -2 ac benefits, as well as avoiding the AoO from the creature you charged.
This. If you're lancing, get Ride-By Attack so you can do full lance damage and still get out of the way. Otherwise, you can still stick and move, but you won't get the charge bonuses.
Side note: I always felt like charge bonuses should increase with the speed of the charger, but I suppose that would be difficult to balance appropriately.
This. If you're lancing, get Ride-By Attack so you can do full lance damage and still get out of the way. Otherwise, you can still stick and move, but you won't get the charge bonuses.
Side note: I always felt like charge bonuses should increase with the speed of the charger, but I suppose that would be difficult to balance appropriately.
I like that idea as a house-rule. Maybe +1atk/-1ac per 10' past 30. This would give a horse charge +4atk/-4ac. Too much?
Monks and barbarians would also benefit; not sure if it'd be too much.
It gets pretty nuts with speed buffs. Expeditious retreat becomes a very good 1st-level attack buff, if only for the charge, and horseshoes of speed become even more awesome than usual.
It gets pretty nuts with speed buffs. Expeditious retreat becomes a very good 1st-level attack buff, if only for the charge, and horseshoes of speed become even more awesome than usual.
Sure, but it leaves you just as open for them to full-attack into if you don't kill them on the charge...