Let's say that you are hidden behind an object that gives you total cover, and on your turn you ready an action (shoot an arrow) in case an enemy does something.
If your ready action gets triggered by the enemy's action, after you shot your arrow, do you automatically return to the previous state (hidden), since you attacked via a reaction and not an action, or what?
Could anybody enlighten me, please?
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Technically, Hide is an action, so you wouldn't be hidden. In terms of whether you could regain full cover, I think itnwould be DM's discretion since it doesn’t explicitly talk about this in RAW. However, when you're readying an action, you are preparing for it - if you're going to shoot an arrow around someone, you won't be hiding behind cover, you'll be drawing your bow and preparing to shoot. Therefore, you won't be going back to being being behind cover. I might grant you half cover, but it wouldn't be full cover - readying and action does not, to my knowledge, include movement. So, thentrigger happens, you shoot and that's it.
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Making a ranged attack always reveals your position unless you specifically have something that keeps you hidden. For example a rogue can use their action to attack and then move and use canny action to hide again. With your specific example however you reveal yourself when attacking as your reaction, and you can’t move or bonus action as part of it. You are therefore visible until your turn. The inability to move also means that you can’t move out from behind total cover and therefore wouldn’t be able to see the target for them to trigger the opportunity attack in the first place. You would need to see them so at most 2/3 cover.
Let's say that you are hidden behind an object that gives you total cover, and on your turn you ready an action (shoot an arrow) in case an enemy does something.
If your ready action gets triggered by the enemy's action, after you shot your arrow, do you automatically return to the previous state (hidden), since you attacked via a reaction and not an action, or what?
Could anybody enlighten me, please?
So I take it you are already hidden from a previous turn or used bonus action via a feature/trait.
In any case, attacking reveals your location until you hide again. Of course, you were probably found anyway since something came around your cover (the rules don't really go into great detail about stealth).
I’m wondering, OP, is the idea that you are behind total cover (not necessarily “hiding” in game terms, just behind total cover), then the triggering action occurs, then you would move out of cover and shoot, and you are wondering if you can then go back?
Because if that’s the question, you couldn’t even do it in the first place. You can have a readied action to move, or to make an attack, but you can’t move then attack. And you certainly can’t move, attack and move back.
I was already hidden from a previous turn and preparing an action.
The issue was wether, I would have been to Attack, as a triggered reaction and without moving anywhere, simply returning to my original position hidden behind my cover.
I assume that preparing for and executing a ranged attack was part of the Attack action, hence not involving any Move action.
I was already hidden from a previous turn and preparing an action.
The issue was wether, I would have been to Attack, as a triggered reaction and without moving anywhere, simply returning to my original position hidden behind my cover.
I assume that preparing for and executing a ranged attack was part of the Attack action, hence not involving any Move action.
Barring a special rule to the contrary, making the attack will break stealth - you will no longer be hidden. You also won't have moved, so any total cover you were behind you will still be behind.
I was already hidden from a previous turn and preparing an action.
The issue was wether, I would have been to Attack, as a triggered reaction and without moving anywhere, simply returning to my original position hidden behind my cover.
I assume that preparing for and executing a ranged attack was part of the Attack action, hence not involving any Move action.
It is. Aiming/firing or swinging your weapon is, pivoting in your spot should also be OK.
But other than that not moving means not moving and that presents a problem for you as you stated you are behind something that gives you full cover. That also means that your enemy have full cover from you meaning that you cannot attack him (you probably wouldn't even be able to perceive the trigger 'him doing something').
If your enemy steps around the cover then you could certainly attack him but then you would of course also be seen by him afterwards.
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Let's say that you are hidden behind an object that gives you total cover, and on your turn you ready an action (shoot an arrow) in case an enemy does something.
If your ready action gets triggered by the enemy's action, after you shot your arrow, do you automatically return to the previous state (hidden), since you attacked via a reaction and not an action, or what?
Could anybody enlighten me, please?
Technically, Hide is an action, so you wouldn't be hidden. In terms of whether you could regain full cover, I think itnwould be DM's discretion since it doesn’t explicitly talk about this in RAW. However, when you're readying an action, you are preparing for it - if you're going to shoot an arrow around someone, you won't be hiding behind cover, you'll be drawing your bow and preparing to shoot. Therefore, you won't be going back to being being behind cover. I might grant you half cover, but it wouldn't be full cover - readying and action does not, to my knowledge, include movement. So, thentrigger happens, you shoot and that's it.
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Making a ranged attack always reveals your position unless you specifically have something that keeps you hidden. For example a rogue can use their action to attack and then move and use canny action to hide again. With your specific example however you reveal yourself when attacking as your reaction, and you can’t move or bonus action as part of it. You are therefore visible until your turn. The inability to move also means that you can’t move out from behind total cover and therefore wouldn’t be able to see the target for them to trigger the opportunity attack in the first place. You would need to see them so at most 2/3 cover.
So I take it you are already hidden from a previous turn or used bonus action via a feature/trait.
In any case, attacking reveals your location until you hide again. Of course, you were probably found anyway since something came around your cover (the rules don't really go into great detail about stealth).
I’m wondering, OP, is the idea that you are behind total cover (not necessarily “hiding” in game terms, just behind total cover), then the triggering action occurs, then you would move out of cover and shoot, and you are wondering if you can then go back?
Because if that’s the question, you couldn’t even do it in the first place. You can have a readied action to move, or to make an attack, but you can’t move then attack. And you certainly can’t move, attack and move back.
If that wasn’t the question, see answers above.
I was already hidden from a previous turn and preparing an action.
The issue was wether, I would have been to Attack, as a triggered reaction and without moving anywhere, simply returning to my original position hidden behind my cover.
I assume that preparing for and executing a ranged attack was part of the Attack action, hence not involving any Move action.
Barring a special rule to the contrary, making the attack will break stealth - you will no longer be hidden. You also won't have moved, so any total cover you were behind you will still be behind.
It is. Aiming/firing or swinging your weapon is, pivoting in your spot should also be OK.
But other than that not moving means not moving and that presents a problem for you as you stated you are behind something that gives you full cover. That also means that your enemy have full cover from you meaning that you cannot attack him (you probably wouldn't even be able to perceive the trigger 'him doing something').
If your enemy steps around the cover then you could certainly attack him but then you would of course also be seen by him afterwards.