Questions tagged [readied-action]
For questions about readied actions. A readied action is an action "held" to react to an anticipated circumstance.
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Do you have to specify what kind of attack or weapon you will Ready?
It seems logical that you can use the Ready action to prepare to grapple or shove an opponent if triggered. But can you just Ready an attack, and then decide when it's triggered whether to attack as ...
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Does this lake event in the “Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden” adventure allow a grapple as an opportunity attack?
There is an event in Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden (an official D&D 5e adventure by Wizards of the Coast) that seems to allow for a grapple attack as an opportunity attack. In the Lake ...
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1answer
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help with readied action [closed]
We roll a new initiative each turn to make it more random.
The scenario: the fighter readies to attack the creature when it moves into his range. The creature moves but doesn't reach the fighter.
on ...
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4answers
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If I ready an action (spell) in response to a companion's attack, what is a fair GM ruling over the order of events?
In our campaign, I have a cleric who wished to use Ready an Action as his move. His idea behind this was that he wanted to ready Guiding Bolt and the condition he set was that, when one of the players ...
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4answers
344 views
Can a creature react to being targeted by a missile attack from a non-Hidden foe?
Making an attack has the following structure:
Choose a target.
Determine modifiers.
Resolve the attack (typically as a hit or miss)
Consider a creature, standing near an ally, who could potentially ...
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0answers
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Holding, Delaying, or Readying an Action? - Rules As Written [duplicate]
Please point or link me to any official rules (rules as written) on when a character can delay, hold or ready an action for later in a round, instead of going on their initiative.
What does a ...
3
votes
1answer
373 views
Can you warm yourself up with Fire Bolt?
During my last encounter my 3lvl wizard fell into a trap with freezing water below. He managed to save himself using Levitate, but during my party's post-game discussion there was a question of ...
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3answers
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In case a trigger for a readied action is someone else's reaction, what is resolved first?
I asked if you can ready an action with someone's reaction as a trigger. The answer is YES.
But I'm still not sure - in such a case (i.e. a trigger for reaction being another reaction) - which ...
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1answer
196 views
Can you Ready an action with someone's reaction as a trigger?
The rule for readied action says:
First, you decide what perceivable circumstance will trigger your
reaction.
Of course, it's rather hard to be ready for someone's else reactions, especially first-...
4
votes
1answer
112 views
How does trample work with hide and hide in plain sight?
Let's say there is a treant shadowdancer who does not appreciate interlopers in its forest. Assuming it has enough hide skill to remain unseen, and as silly as it sounds, can this treant trample over ...
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2answers
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Produce Flame Cantrip as a readied or holding action?
A PC states that they are going to use the Ready action to cast produce flame. They want to produce the flame to see on their turn, but they want to wait until the trigger happens to hurl the flame.
...
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1answer
141 views
How should I be handling readied actions and turn order? [duplicate]
The monster my players were fighting acted first in the intitative order. It dove into the lake and out of sight. They all readied actions to attack when it revealed itself. On its next turn it ...
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2answers
560 views
With Crossbow Expert feat - can you Bonus Action attack on your turn, and then use a readied action to attack on someone else's turn?
I am playing a crossbow expert ranged rogue and trying to maximize my sneak attack capabilities in order to remain competitive with regard to DPR (Paladin and Fighter in the group).
I am wondering if ...
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2answers
152 views
Can a player use both a readied action and an immediate action?
Character A readies an action to counter a spell if Enemy Wizard casts a spell
Character A is then attacked by Enemy Rogue, and uses an immediate action (like Windy ...
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1answer
392 views
Does readying class features require concentration?
I'm interested in getting an answer for class features in general, but the specific case that came up for me was the following:
A Grave domain cleric chose to ready Path to the Grave to use before ...
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4answers
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Do you lose concentration on a Readied spell when you use your reaction for something else?
The War Wizard gets the Durable Magic feature at 10th level which states:
[...] While you maintain concentration on a spell, you have a +2 bonus to AC and all saving throws.
The Ready action states:
...
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5answers
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Can a Readied Action be used multiple times in the same round if you have multiple reactions?
A Marilith picks up a Longbow to use in combat. It walks to a tower window overlooking a large battle with many creatures. It takes the Ready Action with a trigger of "when a creature moves or ...
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2answers
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Can an enemy “surprise” a character with the Alert feat by readying the Attack action before initiative is rolled?
My character with the Alert feat was attacked and received damage pre-combat. Specifically, our party was walking through a dark cave, and on the ceiling there was a swarm of insects (that none of the ...
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2answers
589 views
Can someone use a Readied Help action between multiple attacks?
Scenario 1 : An ally is unseen and has Extra Attack. They have advantage on the first attack of their Attack action and I want to use the Help action to give them advantage on the second attack of ...
7
votes
1answer
332 views
How does readying a spell interact with the Sorcerer's Metamagic feature?
The Ready action states (emphasis mine):
[...] When you ready a spell, you cast it as normal but hold its energy, which you release with your reaction when the trigger occurs. [...]
Thus, when you ...
4
votes
1answer
395 views
Can you move during your reaction in a ready action?
So let's say that the party or the baddies want to dive a target all at once, but they are far apart on the turn order. Can the divers all do a ready action and then all jump in at once?
Example:
...
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4answers
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If a spell caster loses concentration on Greater Invisibility, and an opponent has readied a reaction, what happens first?
As an example, both the spellcaster and the opponent ("the archer") have 1 hp remaining, so whoever completes their action first will knock the opponent unconscious. The spellcaster casts Create ...
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0answers
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Can you execute your ready action in the same turn it was readied? [duplicate]
Is it possible for a spellcaster to ready a fireball when he is out of view, move into line of sight and release it in the same turn , without giving the opposing spellcaster the chance to ...
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2answers
153 views
Can you ready disengage to avoid opportunity attacks on your turn?
Edit: This question isn’t asking wether you can ready to disengage. That question has been fully answered in a forum linked in a comment below. What this question is asking is, if you ready disengage, ...
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1answer
705 views
Can you Ready a Help action against a creature not (currently) adjacent to you?
Per the combat rules,
Alternatively, you can aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature within 5 feet of you.
Is there anything in the rules that prevents me from readying an action to help ...
2
votes
2answers
219 views
Is there anything preventing a familiar from Readying a Help action?
Suppose the following situation: I want a familiar to give me advantage on melee attacks via the help action. However, I do not want to be yet another adventurer with an owl familiar doing fly-by ...
6
votes
3answers
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Is Ready required on your turn in order to use reaction abilities in between turns?
Do you have to Ready a reaction to use it? Thus, you would have had to used Ready as your action on your turn and wait for the trigger to use the reaction.
Would it be correct to say that you cannot ...
6
votes
1answer
789 views
Can you Ready an action to knock someone prone after they've attacked?
Could you ready the action: If an enemy attacks me then, once they've attacked, I will attempt to knock them prone.
If so it could be used if the distance between you and an enemy was too far to ...
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votes
2answers
1k views
Can a caster interrupt another caster from casting Time Stop by readying a Time Stop of their own?
If spellcaster A readies an action to cast time stop as soon as spellcaster B casts time stop, then on spellcaster B's turn they cast time stop, what happens? Who takes extra turns first? Also, can ...
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votes
2answers
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Can characters Ready an action with the trigger “when the target stops benefiting from Dodge and before they use their action”?
I ran into a situation with ready action that I feel goes against the spirit of the game and maybe the rules but I'm unsure.
I'm running a homebrew game. I made this Bladesinger NPC that I gave a ...
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1answer
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Are readied items/abilities expended or lost when the Ready action's trigger is not met?
I have been searching for an answer to the question as to whether a spell slot is lost or not if readied but not triggered. The rules as written does not explicitly state this but that appears to be ...
6
votes
1answer
242 views
Is there an acceptable way to ready an action to move and avoid the Cloudkill spell?
Say you are confident an enemy might cast cloudkill on their turn. Your turn is before theirs. If you ready an action to move, would that allow you to avoid getting hit by the spell?
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votes
1answer
2k views
If I Ready an action, can I then use my reaction for something else?
Merle the Wizard is fighting enemies with his friends on a bridge. He wants to cast a spell on the BBEG, but they are currently out of range and so he uses his action to ready a spell for when the ...
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votes
3answers
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Does a cantrip fired with the Ready Action require concentration?
The SRD states the following for the Ready action:
First, you decide what perceivable circumstance will trigger your reaction. Then, you choose the action you will take in response to that trigger, ...
16
votes
1answer
566 views
Is it impossible to Ready the Green-Flame Blade cantrip?
I've noticed a curious quirk of wording when it comes to the Green-Flame Blade cantrip (SCAG, p. 143). Specifically, this tidbit:
As part of the action used to cast this spell, you must make a ...
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3answers
542 views
How does readying an effect or spell granted by a magic item work?
Can a player hold the effect or spell granted to them by an item, and if so, does the spell or effect follow the normal "Readying spell" rule where if the trigger never occurs, the effect or the spell,...
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3answers
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Can a readied action be taken after a spell is cast, but before it deals damage?
This question evolved from discussion in the comments from another Q/A: "Can you use Shape Water on Tidal Wave?".
I've become unsure about how spells with a duration of "instantaneous" work. ...
4
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1answer
158 views
Are there limitations on what spells a creature can cast while holding a readied spell?
Are there limitations on what spells a creature can cast while holding a readied spell?
To give an example, say that a cleric uses their action to cast, and hold, a sacred flame, with some arbitrary ...
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2answers
243 views
What would be the balance implications of a house rule allowing a readied spell to be held indefinitely?
As established by this question, readied spells can only be held until the beginning of your next turn.
What would the balance implications be if there were no upper limit on how long the spell's ...
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1answer
411 views
Can you ready an action after you've already used your bonus action?
Like say, you use the rogue's cunning action to disengage, then you ready your action to shoot at the enemy when an ally gets within 5 feet of them.
Would this work?
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2answers
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Can I use a bonus action to ready an action?
The 5e rules are a little unclear on this, and I haven't found anyone who has asked this yet. I've been wondering if it is possible to use your bonus action to ready an action.
For example, can a ...
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votes
2answers
385 views
Does Readied movement count as “your move”?
The Ready action states:
Then, you choose the action you will take in response to that trigger, or you choose to move up to your speed in response to it...
However there are several times where ...
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votes
2answers
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Can you ready a bonus action?
The Ready action states:
Then, you choose the action you will take in response to that trigger...
I am unsure whether this means you can only ready an action such as Dodge, Hide, Attack, Cast A ...
10
votes
1answer
434 views
What else can you do in the turn you ready an action?
Suppose that, on your turn, you ready an action to hit the enemy in front of you if he tries to hit your friend.
What else can you do in the turn you ready the action?
(I'm asking about the turn ...
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votes
2answers
723 views
Do I have to take the Ready action to make an opportunity attack?
So, a friend and I are in a debate right now about how an opportunity attack works.
From what I understand after reading the handbook, you can only perform an opportunity attack if you use an action ...
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0answers
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How do readied actions involving movement interact with being charged? [duplicate]
Situation:
On her turn, Alice uses the ready action. She specifies the condition "a creature attacks me," and an action that would take her out of melee range (like teleporting away with dimension ...
10
votes
2answers
358 views
Can I use Two-Weapon Fighting on my mount's turn?
Can I use the Ready action on my turn to specify that I will make a melee attack once in range of an enemy, use my mount to get to the enemy, attack the enemy with one melee weapon, and then also ...
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votes
1answer
347 views
Can I Ready an attack action to trigger when the target Blinks back to the Material plane?
If my target casts the Blink spell and then Blinks to the Ethereal Plane, can I Ready my action to attack them as soon as they reappear? For example, "shoot them with an arrow when they Blink back to ...
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1answer
684 views
Can you escape from the Web or Moonbeam spells using readied movement?
Inspired by this question, I was wondering whether this works:
Web states:
Each creature that starts its turn in the webs or that enters them during its turn must make a Dexterity saving throw.
...
