3.5 edition feats question

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Does a feat exist that lets you ready a full round action? As it stands, Francis the Fighter (16th level) is guarding a door. He can ready an action to strike the next creature to walk through the door. When Harry the Hobgoblin walks through the door, Francis can smack him once (a standard action.) Yay Francis!

What I would like to see is Francis lay a full attack of 4 blows on poor Harry.

If such a feat does not exist, I propose to design it. Here goes:

HAIR TRIGGER READINESS

(General, Fighter)

Prerequisites: Dexterity 13, Combat reflexes, Lightning Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Concentration 5 ranks, Base Attack Bonus 8.

Benefit: You can ready a full attack action as a regular action. You may not move more than a 5 foot step in the round you do so. This feat allows you to unleash a full attack before an opponent gets to resolve his actions.

For example, Francis the Fighter (Level 16) sees Barry the Barbarian (Level 16) 75 feet away. They role initiative and Francis wins with a roll of 16 (Barry gets a 14, poor jerk). Francis readies a full attack for when Barry enters any 5 foot square adjacent to Francis. Barry, being a walking cliche, charges Francis (he's a half orc in a chain shirt, movement 40, 40x2=80, no problem reaching Francis). Barry figures Francis readied a standard action, one hit with his hand-and-a-half sword. No big deal. Instead, as Barry enters Francis' threatened square, Francis cuts loose with 4 well aimed strikes, and drops Barry like a sack of hammers before he can land a single strike with his greataxe.

What do you think? Entry requirements too easy? Too harsh? Feat too powerful?

 

No such feat exists as far as I'm aware. It would be a very powerful feat.

If I were to do it I would probably allow up to 2 attacks to be readied maximum. Another instance of the feat taken allows up to 3. And so on. You have to high enough attacks per round to take the higher level versions of the feat.

 

Sounds way overpowered. Wich is why, i guess, such a feat doesn`t excist.

 

Sounds way overpowered to me. Imagine a Dwarven Defeneder with that feat. He would be the unmovable object when guarding a doorway, laying waste to anything that got close.

 

It allows you to substitute a standard action (ready) for a full-round conditional one later... I think it is a bit much in terms of action economy.

 

Well, my idea was based on two feat trees that I have come across regarding similar abilities. The first is the Player's Handbook 2's Bounding Assault ---> Rapid Blitz tree, which allows you 2 to 3 extra attacks with Spring attack, each one dropping the BAB by 5 as per usual. Pretty powerful, though you don't get Rapid Blitz until 18th level.

The other is from Chet Eretz's material, and it is a Combat Reflexes tree, Improved Combat Reflexes --> Greater Combat Reflexes. Basically, when an opponent provokes an Attack of Opportunity, you get to hit them 2 or 3 times, each attack dropping by 5 again, assuming you have a sufficiently high Dexterity to burn off that many Attacks of Opportunity.

I figured, why not give a similar ability to someone who likes to Ready actions? Maybe I should make it so that it is a full round action, and in addition forbid even a 5 foot step? Or maybe force a Concentration check or a Wisdom check? Or maybe state that the move provokes an attack of opportunity and drops your Armor Class by 2? Or a combination of the above. Thoughts?

 

Bounding assault/Rapid blitz help get a pseudo-pounce on charging, although there are some abilities like that anyway - and charging iirc is still a full-round action. The combat reflexes upgrade tree I haven't read, and I can't really comment on. Do you lose an AoO for every additional attack, or only for the first one?

If you readied a full-round action as a full-round action, I guess it could work. Just make sure the benefit you get is balanced against the price you pay via the limited number of feats you get - there should be a reason for not always using it.