Rule Interpretation: Ready Action with Two Attacks

[Aaron]

Heya,

This is a question in regards to the 'Ready' action, and its use in regards to characters with two attacks. Is the character able to attack once, and then ready their second attack as a reaction?

An example is my level five fighter dispatches a hobgoblin with his first attack, but has no remaining move, or is unwilling to advance and attack the second time, but wishes to ready their second attack to strike at a foe who enters melee with him.

This would turn his second attack into his reaction action, and in my mind would only allow a single attack (meaning if he was level ten with three attacks, he'd forfeit the third attack). Has anyone come across a situation such as this, or is there any official ruling by WotC? My googling skill was not high enough to glean much result.

Any help is appreciated.

[Treegreen]

Try here: https://www.sageadvice.eu/2015/01/24/extra-attack-ready/

[Griogre]

Heya,

This is a question in regards to the 'Ready' action, and its use in regards to characters with two attacks. Is the character able to attack once, and then ready their second attack as a reaction?


No you can't take the attack action and the ready action on the same turn. They are both actions and you only get one action per turn. The fighter attack action during his turn grants extra *attacks* not extra *actions*. Thus it is more advantageous for him to use up all his attacks on his turn, instead of readying just one attack all other things being equal.

[Aaron]

Thanks Treegreen and Griogre.

That's very true, 'Ready' is an action, and 'Attack' is an action, and only taking one action per turn is the way things go. That's cleared that up for me, I can sleep again at night. ;)

Thankyou again for the replies.

[damned]

That's cleared that up for me, I can sleep again at night. ;)

Thats a relief... people do strange things when they get sleep deprived.

[Xorn]

I disagree strongly with the Sage Advice tweet. I recognize that came from Koontz but people make mistakes.

You can take a Ready (action) to Cast a Spell (action) with your (reaction). So there's precedence showing that Ready lets you use an (action) with your (reaction). By stating that you can't use Extra Attacks (a modifier to the Attack "action") you are saying that a wizard can cast a max level Fireball with a Ready action, but a fighter can't use his multiple attacks--which is how his power level is balanced versus a wizard.

So I feel that Ready lets you postpone an Action to trigger with your Reaction. The downside is you lose your Reaction (no OAs or casting Shield, etc).

[Treegreen]

I disagree strongly with the Sage Advice tweet. I recognize that came from Koontz but people make mistakes.

You can take a Ready (action) to Cast a Spell (action) with your (reaction). So there's precedence showing that Ready lets you use an (action) with your (reaction). By stating that you can't use Extra Attacks (a modifier to the Attack "action") you are saying that a wizard can cast a max level Fireball with a Ready action, but a fighter can't use his multiple attacks--which is how his power level is balanced versus a wizard.

So I feel that Ready lets you postpone an Action to trigger with your Reaction. The downside is you lose your Reaction (no OAs or casting Shield, etc).

I think the reason Jeremy Crawford (who is the official rules guy at WoTC) stipulates it the way he does is because of the wording of Extra Attack. Extra Attack states "you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn (PHB, p.49). Readied actions do not occur on your turn. So, as written I feel it's the correct interpretation. Now, obviously, you can house rule it differently, but since a fighter could action surge to get another attack action on their turn it seems OK to me.

Edit: Spells used as a ready action have to have a cast time of 1 action and holding onto the spell’s magic until you release it with your reaction requires concentration. So, any spell you were already concentrating on ends when you ready your spell. It also means if the trigger does not occur before your turn you'd need to use your action to continue concentrating on the readied spell or take your action normally and thus break concentration on the readied spell (losing it and the spell slot).