Post/Author/DateTime	Post
coltharpc 03-03-05, 08:27 AM	When you are readying a action against a NPC (i.e. attacking NPC with your longsword), must you specify what type of action the NPC has to do before you take your ready action? Here is what I mean. You move a five-foot step towards a NPC and you say you readying for any hositile action. The NPC can use physical attacks, spells, and psonics against the players. I asked what type of hostile action must the NPC do; the player says "any". I point out that it has to be a specific type of hostile action (i.e. spellcasting, looking funny at, attacking another player, etc) the player can determine. I referenced the fact that several ready specific actions are in the PHB. Distracting Spellcasters Readying to Counterspell Readying a Weapon against a Charge Readying an Action: You can ready a standard action, a move action, or a free action. To do so, specify the action you will take and the conditions under which you will take it. Then, any time before your next action, you may take the readied action in response to that condition. Am I correct in asking why specific type of hostile action the NPC must do to trigger the player's ready action or not? Please post your opinions with relevant sources. Thank you.
King Kashue 03-03-05, 02:27 PM	They do have to specify what type of action, but not as specifically as you're asking... They can say "my readied action goes off whenever they try to move" or "my readied action goes off whenever they try to do anything that doesn't involve movement first"... The thing is though, that their action may go off when they don't want it to...For instance, if a player were to say the latter one there, hoping to distrupt spell casting, and the wizard reached to draw a dagger, then the action would go off, since it met the player's criteria, but he wouldn't get his desire effect of disrupting the spell... In the case you mentioned, I'm not sure I'd let him get away with "hostile act" since that's kind of general, but only allowing one act for a trigger seems unnecessary...2 or 3 (if he casts a spell or reaches for a wand I'll attack him) seems reasonable...As well as the more general ones, like "if he twitches a muscle I'll attack... By the way, "readying a weapon for charge" does not refer to a readied action, it refers to bracing the weapon against something (usually your foot) in order to do more damage to a charging opponent...
deusxmachina 03-07-05, 01:01 AM	I like having the statement be somewhat-specific, but in a general way. :) It depends on the opponent, too, in how easy and common sense it is. Someone could easily say, "I'm going to shoot the wizard if he does anything hostile-looking such as going for a weapon or casting a spell." That covers pretty much everything for that instance and would seem quite vaild. Melee can also be easy. In Temple of Elemental Evil, the computer game, you can "ready vs. approach." If a potential enemy moves into your threat range, you get to whack him. This could backfire in that a non-hostile NPC could move within your threat range, but that would have to be one dumb NPC to do that without speaking his intentions first.