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For my tower shield lugging bard (he's using his puppet theatre as a pavise), I would like to delve a little deeper in how I can encode a readied action.
Tower shields have the ability to become total cover on expending a standard action, which is the potential that you buy for lugging around a -10 Armor Penalty shield.
So, what I would like to know is; can I use an IF-ELSE-THEN statement to describe the trigger for my action? For example, say that my bard has his tower shield and readies as follows;
"My bard scans the battlefield for any threats to the wizard. If the bard is not attacked by [insert ranged enemies] before his next turn, he will cast Compel Hostility on the first enemy potentially threatening the wizard with a ranged weapon after their round is completed. Else (if the bard =is= attacked), he will duck behind his shield and take no further actions".
Would that be legal? Is that kind of detail allowed?
My take is that you wouldn't be able to do that as you're essentially readying two actions for two different triggers. The benefit of a readied action is that you get to interrupt another persons action but the drawback is that if that trigger doesn't happen you lose your action.
My interpretation of the readied action rules is that you can only set one action, but you can select multiple conditions for that action.
Ready
The ready action lets you prepare to take an action later, after your turn is over but before your next one has begun. Readying is a standard action. It does not provoke an attack of opportunity (though the action that you ready might do so).Readying an Action: You can ready a standard action, a move action, a swift action, or a free action. 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. 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.
You can take a 5-foot step as part of your readied action, but only if you don't otherwise move any distance during the round.
Initiative Consequences of Readying: Your initiative result becomes the count on which you took the readied action. If you come to your next action and have not yet performed your readied action, you don't get to take the readied action (though you can ready the same action again). If you take your readied action in the next round, before your regular turn comes up, your initiative count rises to that new point in the order of battle, and you do not get your regular action that round.
Distracting Spellcasters: You can ready an attack against a spellcaster with the trigger “if she starts casting a spell.” If you damage the spellcaster, she may lose the spell she was trying to cast (as determined by her Spellcraft check result).
Readying to Counterspell: You may ready a counterspell against a spellcaster (often with the trigger “if she starts casting a spell”). In this case, when the spellcaster starts a spell, you get a chance to identify it with a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell level). If you do, and if you can cast that same spell (and are able to cast it and have it prepared, if you prepare spells), you can cast the spell as a counterspell and automatically ruin the other spellcaster's spell. Counterspelling works even if one spell is divine and the other arcane.
A spellcaster can use dispel magic to counterspell another spellcaster, but it doesn't always work.
Readying a Weapon against a Charge: You can ready weapons with the brace feature, setting them to receive charges. A readied weapon of this type deals double damage if you score a hit with it against a charging character.
Although a few do, most GM's do not allow an if-then-else readied action. Especially not that complex. The closest I've seen usually allowed is along the lines of:
"I ready to shoot at the first person I see come through the door."
"I ready to counter the first spell I see cast by the enemy forces. If I have the counter spell known I will use that or I can use Dispel Magic."
Some people think the second one is too much.
As the others have said, you can only ready one action, ducking behind cover OR casting that spell, not both.
A readied action is more about getting the timing right on the action that you ready than reacting to the situation by changing the action you're going to take. For reaction, there's delay.
Well, readied action just says "To do so, specify the action you will take and the conditions under which you will take it."
Since it says "conditions", you could argue it allows you to ready against multiple conditions. But since it says "action" (singular), you could also argue that you can only ready one action against those multiple conditions.
I would probably allow a single ELSE, within reason, but that's going to be up to your GM.
You would be much more likely to get your GM to allow something like, "If someone attacks me or the wizard, I plant the shield to give the target cover against the attack" (since you can pick the corner when you plant the shield and take a five foot step as part of the readied action).
In this particular case, though:
When your turn comes back around, you lose your readied action and get to take your next turn. To me, it sounds like you're just readying an action and then taking your regular turn if it's not triggered by your next round, which is exactly how readied actions work.
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Well, readied action just says "To do so, specify the action you will take and the conditions under which you will take it."
Since it says "conditions", you could argue it allows you to ready against multiple conditions. But since it says "action" (singular), you could also argue that you can only ready one action against those multiple conditions.
I would probably allow a single ELSE, within reason, but that's going to be up to your GM.
You would be much more likely to get your GM to allow something like, "If someone attacks me or the wizard, I plant the shield to give the target cover against the attack" (since you can pick the corner when you plant the shield and take a five foot step as part of the readied action).
In this particular case, though:
When your turn comes back around, you lose your readied action and get to take your next turn. To me, it sounds like you're just readying an action and then taking your regular turn if it's not triggered by your next round, which is exactly how readied actions work.
I see, that makes a lot of sense.
So, basically, readying the tower shield will only allow me to interrupt an attack through the edge I select upon triggering the ready action, which I suppose is a cool enough trick. Just means that my action economy will be more restricted, I suppose.
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Although a few do, most GM's do not allow an if-then-else readied action. Especially not that complex. The closest I've seen usually allowed is along the lines of:
"I ready to shoot at the first person I see come through the door."
"I ready to counter the first spell I see cast by the enemy forces. If I have the counter spell known I will use that or I can use Dispel Magic."
Some people think the second one is too much.
Really? Picking the spell that you will counterspell with is part of the counterspelling action - the second sentence is implied within the first.
If the target of your counterspell tries to cast a spell, make a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + the spell's level). This check is a free action. If the check succeeds, you correctly identify the opponent's spell and can attempt to counter it. If the check fails, you can't do either of these things.
To complete the action, you must then cast an appropriate spell. As a general rule, a spell can only counter itself. [Weirdo - exceptions to general rule are below] If you are able to cast the same spell and you have it prepared (or have a slot of the appropriate level available), you cast it, creating a counterspell effect. If the target is within range, both spells automatically negate each other with no other results.
Specific Exceptions
Some spells can counter other specific spells, often those with diametrically opposed effects.
Dispel Magic as a Counterspell
You can usually use dispel magic to counterspell another spell being cast without needing to identify the spell being cast. Dispel magic doesn't always work as a counterspell (see the spell description)
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"I ready to counter the first spell I see cast by the enemy forces. If I have the counter spell known I will use that or I can use Dispel Magic."
Some people think the second one is too much.
Really? Picking the spell that you will counterspell with is part of the counterspelling action - the second sentence is implied within the first.
** spoiler omitted **...
I have seen a few GM's that will say you have to be very specific.
"I will ready to counterspell the wizard casting haste with my slow spell."
If the wizard casts fireball or his sorcerous ally casts the slow, you are just out of luck.
Unless they have that OP Shield up.
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Readying to counterspell has it's own special, specific rules. Please don't let the counterspell rules muddy the conversation about readied actions in general. (But btw, the rules clearly disagree that you have to declare what spell you're counterspelling as you ready the counterspell.)
As for readied actions, there are two parts: the action and the trigger. The trigger is set off by "conditions", which RAW can be as general or convoluted as you like. "I ready to do X when my character feels it'd be a good idea" is a completely legal trigger, by RAW. Or the trigger could be a complicated Boolean condition with "or"s, "and"s, "unless"s, etc. Some GMs will restrict this part, but by RAW it can be almost anything. The action itself, though, must be specified. There is some debate over HOW specific you must be (whether "I ready to cast a spell" is too general and you must specify which spell you're casting.) However, "I ready to cast a spell or move" is clearly not legal, as you have to specify a single action.
tl;dr: the trigger can take any form you like, but the action must be specific.
I'd port your DM to Python.
Especially if the GM requires you to predict the spell your enemy will cast, that makes counterspelling essentially useless.That, to me, would be an exceptionally narrow ruling, especially since you can use dispel magic to counterspell anything as long as you make a caster level check.
I'm pretty sure that both of the GM's I'm thinking of would allow you to say I'm going to ready to counter spell any spell the wizard casts with a dispel magic. That is perfectly specific.
Casting a spell.Countering with dispel magic.
What they wouldn't allow is the decision in allowing countering with which ever specific spell is most likely to succeed.
Not saying they are right. It is not how I rule it when I am GM. But it isn't a huge problem to me since I have only seen a PC attempt to counter spell a handful of times over the last few decades.
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Especially if the GM requires you to predict the spell your enemy will cast, that makes counterspelling essentially useless.That, to me, would be an exceptionally narrow ruling, especially since you can use dispel magic to counterspell anything as long as you make a caster level check.I'm pretty sure that both of the GM's I'm thinking of would allow you to say I'm going to ready to counter spell any spell the wizard casts with a dispel magic. That is perfectly specific.
Casting a spell.
Countering with dispel magic.What they wouldn't allow is the decision in allowing countering with which ever specific spell is most likely to succeed.
Not saying they are right. It is not how I rule it when I am GM. But it isn't a huge problem to me since I have only seen a PC attempt to counter spell a handful of times over the last few decades.
Not allowing to counter a spell with whatever is most likely to succeed would make the "improved counterspell" feat useless, as it allows you to counter with a spell of the same school as long as it's higher level.
Not allowing to counter a spell with whatever is most likely to succeed would make the "improved counterspell" feat useless, as it allows you to counter with a spell of the same school as long as it's higher level.Especially if the GM requires you to predict the spell your enemy will cast, that makes counterspelling essentially useless.That, to me, would be an exceptionally narrow ruling, especially since you can use dispel magic to counterspell anything as long as you make a caster level check.I'm pretty sure that both of the GM's I'm thinking of would allow you to say I'm going to ready to counter spell any spell the wizard casts with a dispel magic. That is perfectly specific.
Casting a spell.
Countering with dispel magic.What they wouldn't allow is the decision in allowing countering with which ever specific spell is most likely to succeed.
Not saying they are right. It is not how I rule it when I am GM. But it isn't a huge problem to me since I have only seen a PC attempt to counter spell a handful of times over the last few decades.
At a guess, I would say they would rule the improved counterspell feat gives you that ability. But you don't have the ability to make those decisions without the feat. That is just my guess.
It never came up. I've only once seen a character take the improved counter spell feat (it was not with those GM's). He almost never used it and wished he hadn't taken it.|
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At a guess, I would say they would rule the improved counterspell feat gives you that ability. But you don't have the ability to make those decisions without the feat. That is just my guess.
It never came up. I've only once seen a character take the improved counter spell feat (it was not with those GM's). He almost never used it and wished he hadn't taken it.
With Pathfinder vs 3.5 giving more feats and decent favored class bonuses (bonus spells for human sorcerer!) it actually is a better feat now than before. Make sure you have most of the schools covered and you can counter anything as long as you ready for it.