Reaction : can I use it to attack ?

[Puke]

Hello !
This question is quite simple, I think I already got the answer, but some players in my group do not have the same understanding as I do...

If a player character used his action to attack, can he ready an action to counter-attack ?

Eg : Tomy, PC Barbarian says : "I ready an action to attack Blorg (Orc ennemy) if he attacks me".

Does this work ?

I guess it does work since ready action is a special action type... but you never know.

[kaervaak]

No, readying an action requires both your action and reaction to be free. If you've used your action to attack on your turn, you cannot also ready an action.

[BRC]

Hello !
This question is quite simple, I think I already got the answer, but some players in my group do not have the same understanding as I do...

If a player character used his action to attack, can he ready an action to counter-attack ?

Eg : Tomy, PC Barbarian says : "I ready an action to attack Blorg (Orc ennemy) if he attacks me".

Does this work ?

I guess it does work since ready action is a special action type... but you never know.

No you cannot.

Quoth the SRD

Sometimes you want to get the jump on a foe or wait for a particular circumstance before you act. To do so, you can take the Ready action on your turn, which lets you act using your reaction before the start of your next turn. First, you decide what perceivable circumstance will trigger your reaction. 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. Examples include “If the cultist steps on the trapdoor, I’ll pull the lever that opens it,” and “If the goblin steps next to me, I move away.” When the trigger occurs, you can either take your reaction right after the trigger finishes or ignore the trigger. Remember that you can take only one reaction per round. When you ready a spell, you cast it as normal but hold its energy, which you release with your reaction when the trigger occurs. To be readied, a spell must have a casting time of 1 action, and holding onto the spell’s magic requires concentration. If your concentration is broken, the spell dissipates without taking effect. For example, if you are concentrating on the web spell and ready magic missile, your web spell ends, and if you take damage before you release magic missile with your reaction, your concentration might be broken.



Readying an Action takes your action.
Triggering a Readied action takes your REACTION.

The turn would look like this

Bonus ACtion: N/A
Action: Use the "Ready" Action with the condition "If I am attacked, I will take an Attack action against whoever attacked me".

Then, when you are attacked, you use your Reaction to triggered your Readied action, now that the conditions are met.

Just like you can't both take the Dodge and Attack actions in a single turn, you cannot take the "Ready" and "Attack" actions in a single turn.

[MoiMagnus]

Hello !
This question is quite simple, I think I already got the answer, but some players in my group do not have the same understanding as I do...

If a player character used his action to attack, can he ready an action to counter-attack ?

Eg : Tomy, PC Barbarian says : "I ready an action to attack Blorg (Orc ennemy) if he attacks me".

Does this work ?

I guess it does work since ready action is a special action type... but you never know.

No. Otherwise attacks of opportunity would be useless. The whole point of attacks of opportunity is to allow you to use your reaction to attack under some special circumstances (when an enemy leaves your reach).

[When you ready an attack, you're not attacking for a Reaction, you are postponing an attack you would have made during your turn to latter]

[Puke]

Alright, thanks.
I really hate that this is not written under REACTION.

[Contrast]

Alright, thanks.
I really hate that this is not written under REACTION.

Generally speaking you can only take a reaction if you have some ability that allows you to do so. The specific thing that grants the ability to take the reaction will tell you how it works - in this case those rules are outlined in the Ready action.

You could, for example, make an attack and then later when you get attacked by someone cast the Shield spell using your reaction.

The issue isn't in this case that there's a rule preventing you attacking and taking reactions its that its specifically its an action to Ready and an action to Attack and you normally only have one action on your turn. If you had Action Surge or were under the effects of the Haste spell you could totally use one action to attack and another action to ready an attack or if you had some other way of triggering a reaction attack that wasn't the Ready action - for example the Polearm Master feat.

Other point to note - using the Ready action you only get to make a single attack even if you would normally have the Extra Attack feature. This is because the Extra Attack feature states 'whenever you take the Attack action on your turn' and opportunity attacks and readied actions don't fulfil that criteria.

[EggKookoo]

Other point to note - using the Ready action you only get to make a single attack even if you would normally have the Extra Attack feature. This is because the Extra Attack feature states 'whenever you take the Attack action on your turn' and opportunity attacks and readied actions don't fulfil that criteria.

I houserule this one out because it feels like the game wants it both ways. Either you're effectively transposing your turn-action over to your reaction or you're not. I run it so that if you use Ready, anything you do using your Readied Action functions as though you were doing it on your turn unless it renders things nonsensical. I think more than a few DMs run it this way, which could add to the confusion.

[Contrast]

...it feels like the game wants it both ways. Either you're effectively transposing your turn-action over to your reaction or you're not.

Can you explain how you feel like the game wants it both ways? It seems to me that both the RAW and RAI answer there is 'you're not' so I'm intrigued why you seem to feel the game is pulling in different directions.

Edit - Out of interest, would you rule that a Hasted rogue attacking and getting sneak attack and readying an action to get a second attack off turn wouldn't get a second sneak attack because it still counts as an action readied on that turn?

[EggKookoo]

Can you explain how you feel like the game wants it both ways? It seems to me that both the RAW and RAI answer there is 'you're not' so I'm intrigued why you seem to feel the game is pulling in different directions.

If I'm sacrificing my action on my turn to use it at a later point, I feel like I should get all the benefits or functionality of my turn. While I do get the benefit of timing my action better in response to what I expect to happen, it's also a risk because if the trigger doesn't happen I'll lose my turn that round.

As opposed to an opportunity attack, which is an extra thing I get to do on top of what I did (or will do) on my turn. So I get why that's limited to a single action or a quick spell.


Edit - Out of interest, would you rule that a Hasted rogue attacking and getting sneak attack and readying an action to get a second attack off turn wouldn't get a second sneak attack because it still counts as an action readied on that turn?

No, that's not what I mean. I mean when a creature comes around to using its Readied Action (off its turn now, right?), I would allow anything that had the "on your turn" flag.

Edit again: I do see your point, though. In a way I'm letting the rogue have it both ways if SA can be pulled off like that. At the same time, I'm more inclined to let the player have fun with it. I mainly implemented it because of Extra Attack, which I think shouldn't have the "on your turn" rider, and it should be opportunity attack that has the "no multiple attacks" restriction (which I think it does anyway?).

[Sigreid]

There are some abilities that allow an attack as a reaction. They call out specifically that they do that.

[Man_Over_Game]

Alright, thanks.
I really hate that this is not written under REACTION.

For the record, what you're looking for can be done with the Riposte maneuver for Battlemasters (attack an enemy with a Reaction if he misses you), or something similar can be done with the Defensive Duelist feat (block an attack with your weapon by using your Reaction).