Readied Action and Distracting Spellcasters

[happykj]

Can I ready a move action, with a trigger of "move in front of a foe when he start casting spell", then use my AOO to hit him (which is provoked by the foe's spellcasting action)?

[Pizza Lord]

Yes, you can ready an action to move when an enemy starts casting, but no, you wouldn't get the AoO once you got there. His casting triggers the AoO. You could ready to attack an enemy caster if they started casting, even 5-foot step and attack him, if you hadn't moved (I think you know that, just for other's benefit). But if you ready to move, and he starts casting, you will just move in front of him. You wouldn't get the AoO for him starting to cast.

Once he starts casting, moving next to him before he finishes will not trigger an AoO, just like if he was casting a 1 round spell, like a summon monster spell and you moved next to him halfway through the round.

Even though your Ready action makes you technically interrupt his turn, it's based on him doing a certain thing, and even though you will be set in a new initiative order ahead of him, you still can't stop him from 'starting' to cast (just like he can't decide not to cast after someone takes an AoO on him to not use the action or lose the spell after it disrupts his spell). Your action will occur before the casting is complete, but that will only move you next to him, then he'll conclude the casting.

If it was a ranged spell, like a ray or something that requires a ranged attack, then you would get an AoO for him making a ranged attack while threatened, because you would be in position at that point.

[Mysterious Stranger]

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.

There does not seem to be any reason you cannot have the readied action be a charge. By using a readied action by definition you are limited to using the action you prepared which would trigger the standard action clause of the charge. That would allow you to move up to your movement and make a single melee attack. You will get the +2 to attack and take the -2 on AC, but can make the attack. Once you are next to the caster if he provokes an AoO form another action like making a ranged attack with a spell, that will allow you to take an AoO.

[Name Violation]

Mysterious Stranger wrote:

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.

There does not seem to be any reason you cannot have the readied action be a charge. By using a readied action by definition you are limited to using the action you prepared which would trigger the standard action clause of the charge. That would allow you to move up to your movement and make a single melee attack. You will get the +2 to attack and take the -2 on AC, but can make the attack. Once you are next to the caster if he provokes an AoO form another action like making a ranged attack with a spell, that will allow you to take an AoO.

You can't ready a charge without very specific feats

Quote:

Rhino Charge (Combat)

Your charges are both violent and unpredictable.

Prerequisites: Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, base attack bonus +5.

Benefit: You may ready a charge, though you may only move up to your speed on the charge.

Normal: Charging is a full-round action and allows you to move twice your speed.

[AwesomenessDog]

Name Violation wrote:

Mysterious Stranger wrote:

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.

There does not seem to be any reason you cannot have the readied action be a charge. By using a readied action by definition you are limited to using the action you prepared which would trigger the standard action clause of the charge. That would allow you to move up to your movement and make a single melee attack. You will get the +2 to attack and take the -2 on AC, but can make the attack. Once you are next to the caster if he provokes an AoO form another action like making a ranged attack with a spell, that will allow you to take an AoO.

You can't ready a charge without very specific feats

Quote:

Rhino Charge (Combat)

Your charges are both violent and unpredictable.

Prerequisites: Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, base attack bonus +5.

Benefit: You may ready a charge, though you may only move up to your speed on the charge.

Normal: Charging is a full-round action and allows you to move twice your speed.

You can in fact ready a charge if your actions in the turn you would ready was already limited you to only the standard action charge. The most obvious examples are Surprise Rounds and being staggered.

The Rhino Charge feat extends this to all turns, i.e. when you aren't staggered or in a surprise round.

[happykj]

special initiative action wrote:

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

Forgot to quote this.

This is the paragraph that make me wonder about the "move and AoO" thing. It stated the readied action occur before the trigger action, but I not sure whether the "Oppoturnity" is there when i reach it, or the spellcaster havent started the spellcasting yet.

Pizza lord reminded me about the 1 round casting time, so I guess I won't get the AoO anyway.

[AwesomenessDog]

The "this action occurs just before the action that triggers it" is a little misleading. Basically Person A readies to move when Person B stats casting; Person B starts casting and checks if anything would get an AoO; before Person B finishes the action (read their action has "occurred") Person A moves next to them; there is no more check for Person B's AoO, so they finish resolving their spell.

You interrupt and stop the action from finishing, but not starting, and its the starting of casting a spell that triggers the AoO.