Readying an Action

Where CKs swap ideas and players figure out what's coming.

Moderator: Keeper Advice Moderators

Post Reply
marcuspeddle
Ulthal
Posts: 595
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 8:00 am

Readying an Action

Post by marcuspeddle »

I looked through the PH but couldn't find a rule about this. I apologise if it is there and I missed it.

Here is the current situation in a Play-by-Post game. The party is walking up stairs in a tower and they know two goblins are waiting at the top of the five foot stairs. The goblins also know the party is coming. What the goblins plan to do is to keep their bows at the ready and shoot at the first person to stick his nose around the corner.

This is how I plan to run the situation but I would like to hear suggestions. One goblin lost initiative but the other is ahead of at least one other character. So, the goblin with the 1 initiative doesn't get to ready an action because he's at the bottom of the combat list. If the second goblin wants to wait for someone to come out he can delay his action until someone makes a move, yes? And from then on his action will come at the point where he made his action in the first round. Does this sound right?

serleran
Mogrl
Posts: 14094
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2008 7:00 am

Post by serleran »

C&C initiative is not cyclical, not by the rules. Every round a new initiative is rolled -- you don't "keep" the first roll for the encounter. Therefore, readying an action effects that round of combat, only. It is primarily used to disrupt a spell in process as there is little else it will do.

You have to have initiative before you can ready your action -- that is, if you're going after someone, there is no way you're going before them (unless they wait for you to do something) so the goblin that lost initiative cannot ready his action -- he'll go last. The others can wait for the PCs to do something, and then, as they are doing it, get to act -- obviously, if there is nothing for them to do, by necessity they have to ready their action (or make the first move.)
_________________
If it matters, leave a message at the beep.
Serl's Corner

Post Reply