Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Logain08 Apr 23, 2015 5:53:19	Hello everyone,   I have a question about the timing of a readied action. In my last session, the group I am in fought a Vrok (or how do you spell it?) demon while it was aided by 5 shadow monks. We're a very melee oriented group, so the flight of the Vrok was pretty annoying. So I thought about readying an action on my turn: "When the Vrok comes in my reach I use my attack action". I want to use my attack action to knock him prone and then try to grapple him, so no more flying for him.   But my question is about the timing of my readied action. The Vrok came within my reach and made his attack (1 beak, two talons) and he knocked me unconscious while doing so. But do I get to make my readied actions before the enemy gets to make his attacks? Do they happen simultaneously? And if so, what happens if you get knocked out, like I was?   Side question: what is the best way of dealing with magical darkness? Because magical darkness nearly wrecked our group last time. Good thing we have a warlock with the correct invocation to help us a bit during those times...   Many thanks in advance!   EDIT: It's been made clear to me by my DM that this is not what happened! We played the encounter twice and I think I got the circumstances mixed up in my mind. I think what actually happened is that the Vrock moved up to me and attacked me, while the DM told me I could make an OA when the Vrock moved away again. But the thing knocked me out before I could do that. The encounter went quite poorly and I was overthinking it a lot afterwards and the scenario I put forward was one of the things I wanted to do during the encounter but never got around to do it for several reasons: getting knocked out myself, healing my comrades with lay on hands and generally not being useful in other ways due to lack of ranged options and lack of sight due to the magical darkness. All in all a very humbling experience as an adventurer :-)
#2 mellored Apr 23, 2015 6:22:52	Timing for reactions isn't very specific.  Though i would the Vrok to have 1 attack, then allow you to react, then allow it to finish it's turn. Don't forget, monks can use slings, and Str based charaters can use throwing weapons.   Besides spells to counter the darkness, the best way to deal with magical darkness is to run away.  Unless your trapped in a room, simply move.
#3 Rya.Reisender Apr 23, 2015 6:24:19	Usually reactions on movement happen before an action. If you say you wanna do it when he comes in your range, then you do it before he attacks. After all, you didn't say you do it after he attacked. You could easily circumvent the problem by stating your reaction clearer "When the Vrok comes in my reach, but before he attacks me, I use my attack action to knock him prone". But if I'm DM it's usually clear for me that you would want your character to react before he gets attacked (unless maybe your character has a flaw that he's hesitant or has slow reactions).   I don't think you can knock him prone AND grapple him with one reaction, though. Reaction only allows one action. After you knocked him prone, he could directly stand up again if he still has enough movement left. He can also still attack you, even while prone.   So basically you'd be knocked unconscious after you knocked him prone.     Can't really help with the other question.
#4 jaelis Apr 23, 2015 6:57:18	I would also say that if you ready an action for when an opponent comes in reach, then you'd get to take your action before the opponent attacks. But: I don't have my book handy, but doesn't a Vrock have 10 ft reach? If so then your plan won't work.   Also Rya is correct that you could not normally both knock a creature prone and grapple it as part of the same readied action. Even if you have extra attacks, you can normally only use them if you attack on your turn. (Remember you can't use a bonus action when it isn't your turn.)
#5 Danny_Montanny Apr 23, 2015 6:57:05	PHB wrote:
#6 jonathonhawke Apr 23, 2015 7:13:54	jaelis wrote:
#7 Danny_Montanny Apr 23, 2015 7:17:39	My bad, Extra Attack only works on your own turn. So it wouldn't work with a reaction as a part of the Ready action on another creature's turn.
#8 Logain08 Apr 23, 2015 7:47:40	So basically I could have reacted before the Vrock attacked me, but I don't get my full Attack action (seeing as the Ready action only allows for a reaction and not a full attack). So I could have tried to grapple it or not it prone, but not both. Correct?   Maybe I could have been more precise in my statement of the trigger, but the whole timing of a readied action still seems iffy to me. Right before or simultaneously? In this case, it could have made the difference between dying and living to fight another day :-)   The magical darkness was difficult to deal with. My DM is quite clever tactically and he positioned his shadow monks in such a way that the covered the entire battlefield (a chapel in a castle) in magical darkness. So I pretty much sucked during the entire fight, since my paladin (level 7) couldn't really do much :-) The Vrock was a real pain to deal with as well and I thought I could outsmart the DM by locking it down by knocking it prone. Hence the whole discussion about the timing of my reaction. My DM ruled I could make my reaction after the Vrock made his attacks: he landed all three and those talons hit quite hard (1d10 plus modifier each IIRC). And down I went :-)
(Reply to #8) Coredump00	Logain08 wrote:
#10 Cooperjera Apr 23, 2015 10:39:25	Darkness in a fun environment modifier.  The easiest way to rid yourself of the Darkness spell is the Daylight spell.  If you do not have that spell on your spell list there is an uncommon magic item, Drift Globe, that should be fairly easy to get, depending on your DM, that can cast Daylight once per day.  If you do not have access to Daylight, then you'll want to find a way to get Advantage in combat.  You should still be able to find the opponent because of the sound from the enemy, but you'll be at Disadvantage to hit because of the loss of sight.  If you can find a way to get Advantage then you will be rolling on 1d20 to hit.  Another way around this is to use features that do not require a roll to hit.  Such features include grapple and shove.  A third thing to consider is that darkness allows one to take the hide action.  If the monks or Vrok cannot see in the darkness then you become hidden from view and use the environment to your advantage.  Finally, if you can put all characters on even footing by casting fog or a similar spell (smoke bottle magic item), then the enemy will not have an advantage on you.   In my game, creatures with the Keen Sense ability to have advantage on perception, negates the disadvantage from heavy obscurement.  Therefore, a lion would roll 1d20 to make an attack.  I'm not sure if the Vrok has a Keen Sense or not.
#11 AndyDay Apr 23, 2015 12:28:54	Can you move as part of a readied action?   I find the ready action rules to be needlessly complex.
(Reply to #11) Bloodscythe	AndyDay wrote:
(Reply to #9) Logain08	Coredump00 wrote:
(Reply to #13) Coredump00	Logain08 wrote:
#15 El_Condoro Apr 24, 2015 22:27:49	Vrocks have darkvision to 120 ft.
#16 jonathonhawke Apr 24, 2015 23:10:49	El_Condoro wrote: