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Mar 25, 2010 -- 6:32PM, Panthine wrote:

If you set a trigger and the trigger comes up, and you choose not to take it your readied action is wasted. When setting trigger it is important to be clear.
You can set trigger - "first enemy that comes out of cover i shoot with my daily power". If the first enemy coming from behind cover is a known minion, and you choose not to fire - YOUR READIED ACTION IS GONE!
you can also set trigger - "first undead foe to come around the corner", or dragon etc if the boss is a different type to the rest. "first NON-undead/dragon" if you know the weaker types also works.

setting up a bunch of squares to cover from range is just as easy as it is for melee. Ranger "i target the first enemy i see with my twin shoot power" Barbarian "i charge the first creature who moves within 6 squares" Fighter "i attack the first enemy to come adjacent to me".
If your DM allows one, he effectively allows them all.

Our DM avoids our triggers so we write our trigger face down on paper and use it like a trap card in cardgames: if the trigger comes up, we show the DM and have our turn. (not needed if he didnt avoid triggers so much we forced)

Avoiding end-of-turn or save-ends conditions, is as simple as triggering off a free action ("HOODY HOO") on your next allies turn, or on noticing the next monster in init order doing ANYTHING, wastes your immediate action, only wastes your standard if trigger doesnt happen - you end turn, make save, pass or fail you get another chance to use your planned standard action (awesome for blinded condition) and possibly dont even change init order.

This interpretation is the worst of all worlds.

Mar 25, 2010 -- 7:02PM, Panthine wrote:

the above isnt what i believe - just got all the stupid stuff from this thread out in one post :p

The trap card bit i added, but i actually like that idea, wish my party would go for it, i hate triggering their actions and think subconciously i adjust monsters reactions based on it.

And some of it i got from YOUR posts lord weasel

Heh.   I am not shy about disagreeing with the "established wisdom" of the group.

My theory is this:
1) you can trigger off "an action or event"
2) restricting 1 to "non-Free Actions" in the mechanical sense results in nonsense badness in several obvious cases
3)  restricting 1 to "Actions" if you allow "Free Actions" to count results in EFFECTIVELY being able to trigger any Readied action any time you want.
4) all rules that apply to PCs should apply equally to NPCs.

As such, I personally let players (and NPCs!) trigger Readied Actions basically any time they want to.  I also interpret the "If you don't react to the trigger, you lose it" clause to mean that you lose the option to react to *that specific instance* - but you retain the ability to respond to any further events that match your trigger.

I understand that I am permissive in this respect, and I don't care.  The results are fun and non-broken, so they're what I do.

Mar 25, 2010 -- 11:35PM, Panthine wrote:

I use wisdom where i see it, i also call bull $%*^ or occasionally go devils advocate.

You have posted to ppl if they word their trigger properly, they can choose to hold off and use the trigger later (points up). If your trigger comes up, and you choose not to take the action, you lost the action, meaning the first time a trigger specified by you comes up thats the only shot you have to take the action.

This is a valid interpretation of the wording of the rules.

It is not the only valid interpretation.

It is not the interpretation I use in my games, because it is not the *most fun* of the valid interpretations.

And if you have a DM that has the use it or lose it belief, you can just do the same thing as before.  And have your trigger be a free action of you or someone else saying something.  When the guy comes around the corner I say "CHARGE!", and my readied action goes off.  Or maybe I wait till the 4th guy comes around the corner before saying it.  Eather you dont allow free actions to trigger readied actions (with no rules basis that I can find for donig so), or you might as well allow them to choose which instance of the trigger to use.