Had a situation where a player playing a warlock, was in combat with another enemy caster (NPC) who had counterspell. The terrain in the ecounter allowed the warlock to move around a corner and out of sight of the NPC caster. The Warlock then casted a readied spell, Banishment. His ready action was when he saw the caster he would cast Banishment.
Since the NPC caster did not see the Warlock cast the spell (Banishment) the player said the NPC caster could not counterspell his Banishment. Which I agree. However, Banishment says you have to see the creature you are casting Banishment on, so should the Warlock been allowed to cast Banishment without the NPC caster counter spelling it?
Is this tactic only useful when using spells that don’t have the “creature you see” type of description
The rules for readying a spell say "When you ready a spell, you cast it as normal...", so RAW you would need the normal targeting requirements to be met; no total cover, target you can see, etc. So no casting from behind a wall.
Personally I would allow someone to ready the action "I cast Banishment on the first enemy to come through that door", and it would require concentration, but it would be counterable during that reaction casting since the targeting of the spell was still happening.
Basically there shouldn't be a free shortcut to avoid Counterspell. That is one of the valuable points of Subtle Spell and invisibility and such, and it shouldn't be replaced by the existence of corners.
Agreed. Another important part of readying a spell is the caster casts the spell and uses the spell slot even if the trigger doesn’t happen. Meaning most of the time it’s best to only ready cantrips, especially for warlocks.
If the trigger is to cast Banishment on the first visible enemy then that should be fine. If the NPC takes more than six seconds to move around the corner into sight then the spell slot is lost as Tim said.
If the NPC does move around the corner then the spell gets cast as normal which means it's still counterspellable. Just remember that the NPC won't always know what spell the Warlock is casting so you need to be careful not to metagame counterspell to only stop the dangerous spells.
If the trigger for a readied spell does not occur, that does not mean the spell is lost. When you ready a spell, you are concentrating. The only things that can cause you to lose a spell you're concentrating on are to fail a Concentration check, to cast another spell requiring concentration, or choosing to stop concentrating.
Individual DMs may adjudicate differently at their tables, but RAW there is no stipulation on length of time that a spell can remain readied. If your enemy caster doesn't become visible right away, you continue to have the spell readied through your next turn, or--while being able to fully use your action, bonus, move, and even reaction--for as many turns as necessary.
The caveat is, of course, that you still need your reaction to actually be available when the trigger occurs. If you use your Ready action on round 1, the trigger doesn't happen, and you use your reaction on round 2 for something else then you wouldn't be able to actually release the readied spell if the trigger also occurs on round 2. There is a grey area in this situation regarding whether the spell is wasted or not if the trigger does actually occur and you don't or aren't able to use your reaction. I'd personally say that it doesn't (you're still concentrating), but requiring the use of another Ready action to "re-designate a trigger" would seem appropriate.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Except the Ready action does stipulate a time limit. (Emphasis mine)
Ready
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.
Once your next turn comes around you can no longer use your reaction for the readied ability because the Ready action ended before the start of your turn. You would have to take the Ready action again which would require you to cast the spell again.
I can see allowing the player to keep the readied spell concentrating so long as they continue to take the Ready action every turn - stopping them from doing anything else. But RAW and RAI seems to be against that.
End result it seems we agree, but I disagree that a time limit is stipulated by readying an action. RAW, the time limit on anything is the unmodified timing parameter: anything not explicitly a Reaction by default (counterspell, AoOs, some feats/class features) is limited to being done on your turn. The Ready action allows sequence breaking to bridge the end of your turn with the beginning of your subsequent turn. In most scenarios this makes sense. If a readied attack or movement trigger doesn't happen before your turn, you lost some time, but otherwise likely have the opportunity to ready the same thing again without having lost finite resources.
Spells are a different beast, and I do wish the rules entry on readying a spell would be split to its own discrete entry; there are enough "what-ifs" to warrant it. In particular, the introduction of both actually casting the spell at the time of readying--and of concentrating on it while readied--marks a clear distinction for "readying a spell", and supersedes the limitation of "before the start of your next turn".
If readied spells are intended to be limited to 1 round, then:
The spell should not be actually cast upon taking the Ready action.
Readying a potion does not consume the potion immediately, nor does it consume the potion if the trigger does not occur within the 1 round.
Conceptually, readying a spell is like readying a photoshoot: you make your preparations based on the scene, calibrate/focus your camera, and wait for the right moment to actually snap the shot. Nothing is consumed until the shutter clicks.
Concentration should not be a component.
More specifically, the wrong version of concentration is being applied here (there's more than one?! Yes.)
The outcome of casting your spell does not resolve until you actually finish casting (because it hasn't happened yet!)
The current version of concentration being applied (to the Ready action) is the duration-based form which applies to spell effects after they are cast for on-going effects.
When concentration breaks, the spell is lost. That's fine, but it is predicated on the assumption that the spell has already taken effect (which it hasn't).
The version of concentration that should be applied here is the longer casting time form.
You haven't cast a fully resolved spell with an ongoing effect. You're really just extending the casting time of your spell by a couple seconds.
When concentrating on a spell in this manner, you do not lose the spell slot if your concentration breaks. You only lose the action it took to ready.
Even though the actual amount of time spent "casting" under a 1-round limitation is still a maximum of 6 seconds--the time between the start of one of your turns and the start of your subsequent turn is 6 seconds (1 round) no matter what happens in between--requiring concentration for the interim period is appropriate for balance concerns.
We basically have two scenarios that would make sense:
You fully cast the spell at moment of readying, lose spell slot if your concentration breaks, but have no timing restriction beyond having your reaction available.
You draw out the casting time of the spell by readying, lose the action if your concentration breaks (but not the spell slot), and you lose the action (still not the slot) if you do not resolve casting the spell before the beginning of your next turn.
The conjunction of both a 1 round limit and losing the spell slot are incompatible at best, and otherwise overly-punitive to the PC.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
A readied spell's slot is lost if you don't release the spell with your reaction before the start of your next turn.
Jeremy's tweets are not official rulings, nor is it mentioned anywhere in the actual Sage Advice Compendium. For what it's worth, Jeremy even says that it is not a rule he follows himself.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
I think one of the reasons they went with “the spell slot is lost”, rather than “you can continue concentrating and then use your action and reaction on a later turn”, is to prevent situations like this.
Wizard uses Ready action to cast Tenser’s Transformation. Wizard continues to concentrate for 10 min while donning plate armor. Wizard continues concentrating until encounter begins. Wizard uses first turn action and reaction to release spell.
If the DM doesn’t have any problems with this, they can allow it by house rule.
I think one of the reasons they went with “the spell slot is lost”, rather than “you can continue concentrating and then use your action and reaction on a later turn”, is to prevent situations like this.
Wizard uses Ready action to cast Tenser’s Transformation. Wizard continues to concentrate for 10 min while donning plate armor. Wizard continues concentrating until encounter begins. Wizard uses first turn action and reaction to release spell.
If the DM doesn’t have any problems with this, they can allow it by house rule.
Doesn't work since you'd need to have the heavy armor proficiency in order to actually cast the spell. If the Wizard tries to get into Plate before having actually cast it, then they're boned. No conflict there. Long-term concentration is also exactly the kind of thing that a DM should throw periodic concentration checks at you for attempting (which is RAW & RAI).
To be clear, I also prefer a system which does not allow you to "hold" an action of any kind (spell or otherwise) beyond 1 round, but forcing the loss of a spell slot is massively over-punitive to casters for something they may not have control over (trigger not occurring). An arrow doesn't loose itself if an archer doesn't see their target within 6 seconds (called shot). A potion of healing doesn't smash itself on the ground if a fighter doesn't get hit (prepared for dealing with anticipated damage). Prepared spell-like abilities, wands, staves, wondrous items etc. don't lose uses/charges unless they are actually used, right? Spell slots should not be any different.
A spell slot should not be consumed if the casting of the spell has not been 100% resolved.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
I think one of the reasons they went with “the spell slot is lost”, rather than “you can continue concentrating and then use your action and reaction on a later turn”, is to prevent situations like this.
Wizard uses Ready action to cast Tenser’s Transformation. Wizard continues to concentrate for 10 min while donning plate armor. Wizard continues concentrating until encounter begins. Wizard uses first turn action and reaction to release spell.
If the DM doesn’t have any problems with this, they can allow it by house rule.
Doesn't work since you'd need to have the heavy armor proficiency in order to actually cast the spell. If the Wizard tries to get into Plate before having actually cast it, then they're boned. No conflict there. Long-term concentration is also exactly the kind of thing that a DM should throw periodic concentration checks at you for attempting (which is RAW & RAI).
To be clear, I also prefer a system which does not allow you to "hold" an action of any kind (spell or otherwise) beyond 1 round, but forcing the loss of a spell slot is massively over-punitive to casters for something they may not have control over (trigger not occurring). An arrow doesn't loose itself if an archer doesn't see their target within 6 seconds (called shot). A potion of healing doesn't smash itself on the ground if a fighter doesn't get hit (prepared for dealing with anticipated damage). Prepared spell-like abilities, wands, staves, wondrous items etc. don't lose uses/charges unless they are actually used, right? Spell slots should not be any different.
A spell slot should not be consumed if the casting of the spell has not been 100% resolved.
Regardless of whether you find it too punitive, that's how the rules say it works. Moreover, you can't really compare a spell to an arrow, or a potion. Spells are more powerful, usually, and more versatile, than arrows and potions. Regarding Jeremy's tweets not being official rulings: they are no longer official rulings, but at the time of that tweet, they were.
I wouldn't mind playing at a table were readying a spell didn't mean I lost the slot if I didn't cast it, and/or I could hold the readied spell for more than one turn. The latter, particularly, I believe was added to reduce complexity and make the game flow faster (it doesn't only apply to readied spells, but to any and all readied actions), so at a table that doesn't mind the added complexity, or can handle it without slowing the game down, it's probably not a big deal.
I think one of the reasons they went with “the spell slot is lost”, rather than “you can continue concentrating and then use your action and reaction on a later turn”, is to prevent situations like this.
Wizard uses Ready action to cast Tenser’s Transformation. Wizard continues to concentrate for 10 min while donning plate armor. Wizard continues concentrating until encounter begins. Wizard uses first turn action and reaction to release spell.
If the DM doesn’t have any problems with this, they can allow it by house rule.
Doesn't work since you'd need to have the heavy armor proficiency in order to actually cast the spell. If the Wizard tries to get into Plate before having actually cast it, then they're boned. No conflict there. Long-term concentration is also exactly the kind of thing that a DM should throw periodic concentration checks at you for attempting (which is RAW & RAI).
To be clear, I also prefer a system which does not allow you to "hold" an action of any kind (spell or otherwise) beyond 1 round, but forcing the loss of a spell slot is massively over-punitive to casters for something they may not have control over (trigger not occurring). An arrow doesn't loose itself if an archer doesn't see their target within 6 seconds (called shot). A potion of healing doesn't smash itself on the ground if a fighter doesn't get hit (prepared for dealing with anticipated damage). Prepared spell-like abilities, wands, staves, wondrous items etc. don't lose uses/charges unless they are actually used, right? Spell slots should not be any different.
A spell slot should not be consumed if the casting of the spell has not been 100% resolved.
The wording of Ready action says you cast the spell with your action then release it with your reaction. You cast the spell, concentrate, then put on the armor, then release it.
I’m sure there are many other ways to abuse allowing casters to hold spells, so a DM that allows it should be careful.
RAW: its very clearly written that you have to release it "BEFORE YOUR NEXT TURN"
RAI: He wrote the book, if you are asking **INTENT** then he can answer the question.
The only leg you have to stand on that you can hold it forever is Rule 0: My home table I can DM how I want. Which is fine, but you should be honest with yourself and players that you are overriding default rules.
My point here is that the existing rules governing readied spells are contradictory in multiple ways, and the most important is regarding when the spell is actually cast.
If the spell is cast (as is asserted) the very moment that you take the Ready action, then it is literally impossible to ready any spell for "when (x) is in range", "when (x) is visible", "when (x) comes out of cover", "first (x) to come around the corner", etc. All spell requirements are front-loaded, so if it's not possible for you to immediately cast the spell as a normal action, then it is absolutely impossible to ready the spell for a delayed release.
Even more problematic is the question of whether those spell requirements must also be fulfilled at the moment you release the spell. You've already cast the spell, so do you still need a clear line of sight when you release too, or does the spell effect just happen despite whatever might have happened between ready & release? What if you're out of range after readying?
Fireball releases in a line from your finger to the targeted location. Let's say I'm in the intersection of a 4-way corridor. I ready my Fireball and designate the target location down one of the hallways. I then move down one of the perpendicular hallways, so there is now a solid wall between myself and the targeted location. When I release the spell, does the fireball manifest from my original location (travelling to the target as if I had not moved), or does it manifest from my current location (exploding in the wall right next to my face)?
This also contradicts the ever-so-basic concept of "If it hasn't happened, then you haven't done it." If you haven't rolled dice or resolved an effect, then you haven't cast the @#%$ing spell! This is literally putting the cart before the horse.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Luckily there are some RAW clarifications to this question in SA compendium (which is compiled by WotC and is RAW).
For readying a spell or other action, does the target have to be in range? Your target must be within range when you take a readied action, not when you first ready it.
How does readying a spell work? Do you lose your spell slot if the trigger never occurs? A readied spell’s slot is lost if you don’t release the spell with your reaction before the start of your next turn.
Luckily there are some RAW clarifications to this question in SA compendium (which is compiled by WotC and is RAW).
For readying a spell or other action, does the target have to be in range? Your target must be within range when you take a readied action, not when you first ready it.
Then you haven't cast the spell, and you do not need to have line of sight to the target when you ready the spell.
Luckily there are some RAW clarifications to this question in SA compendium (which is compiled by WotC and is RAW).
How does readying a spell work? Do you lose your spell slot if the trigger never occurs? A readied spell’s slot is lost if you don’t release the spell with your reaction before the start of your next turn.
There. Questions answered. Problems solved.
Then you have already cast the spell which contradicts everything else.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Luckily there are some RAW clarifications to this question in SA compendium (which is compiled by WotC and is RAW).
How does readying a spell work? Do you lose your spell slot if the trigger never occurs? A readied spell’s slot is lost if you don’t release the spell with your reaction before the start of your next turn.
There. Questions answered. Problems solved.
Then you have already cast the spell which contradicts everything else.
How are you arriving at that conclusion? How is "not releasing the spell" tantamount to "casting the spell"? Wouldn't it be contradictory if "not being able to cast the spell" meant "you cast the spell", which is the opposite of what's being described here? Or are you assuming that because you lost the spell slot, the spell must have been cast? Where in the rules does it say "the only way you can lose a spell slot is to successfully cast a spell using that slot"?
It seems to me the rules are pretty clear (if not especially easy to remember): when you ready a spell, you're not fully casting it yet (and why would you? You're not taking the "Cast a Spell" action, you're taking the "Ready" action), so you don't need to fulfill the requirements of the spell (range, target visibility, etc.). When you do finish casting the spell (i.e. when you release it), you should abide by the normal rules of casting spells (and of course you should, you are, after all, finishing casting a spell), which includes range, target visibility, etc., excepting those that are explicitly excepted by the "Ready" mechanism (e.g. the spell is cast using your Reaction rather than your Action, etc.). When you do release the spell, your spell slot is consumed (as normal). If you do not release your spell, whether by letting the Readied action "run out", or having your Concentration interrupted before releasing it, you lose your spell slot (this is not obvious from following the spellcasting rules, but is explicitly stated by the Ready action rules/errata).
Now, you may disagree with those rules, and you're free to change them for your games, but calling them out as "contradictory" is unwarranted.
When you cast a spell you must fulfill all the requirements for the spell. If you are not subject to the targeting rules for spells when you "ready" it, then you have not cast the goddamn @#!%ing spell.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
I would consider that in general the targeting of the spell is the very last thing that gets performed when casting it. The main part being the weaving of the energy into it's usable form.
This way readying makes perfect sense. You're initiating the casting of the spell (using the spell slot) and holding onto the energy until you are able to target. And by the time your next turn comes around if you haven't released the energy it just poofs out of your hand harmlessly.
Question about readying a spell to be triggered.
Had a situation where a player playing a warlock, was in combat with another enemy caster (NPC) who had counterspell. The terrain in the ecounter allowed the warlock to move around a corner and out of sight of the NPC caster. The Warlock then casted a readied spell, Banishment. His ready action was when he saw the caster he would cast Banishment.
Since the NPC caster did not see the Warlock cast the spell (Banishment) the player said the NPC caster could not counterspell his Banishment. Which I agree. However, Banishment says you have to see the creature you are casting Banishment on, so should the Warlock been allowed to cast Banishment without the NPC caster counter spelling it?
Is this tactic only useful when using spells that don’t have the “creature you see” type of description
The rules for readying a spell say "When you ready a spell, you cast it as normal...", so RAW you would need the normal targeting requirements to be met; no total cover, target you can see, etc. So no casting from behind a wall.
Personally I would allow someone to ready the action "I cast Banishment on the first enemy to come through that door", and it would require concentration, but it would be counterable during that reaction casting since the targeting of the spell was still happening.
Basically there shouldn't be a free shortcut to avoid Counterspell. That is one of the valuable points of Subtle Spell and invisibility and such, and it shouldn't be replaced by the existence of corners.
Agreed. Another important part of readying a spell is the caster casts the spell and uses the spell slot even if the trigger doesn’t happen. Meaning most of the time it’s best to only ready cantrips, especially for warlocks.
Professional computer geek
If the trigger is to cast Banishment on the first visible enemy then that should be fine. If the NPC takes more than six seconds to move around the corner into sight then the spell slot is lost as Tim said.
If the NPC does move around the corner then the spell gets cast as normal which means it's still counterspellable. Just remember that the NPC won't always know what spell the Warlock is casting so you need to be careful not to metagame counterspell to only stop the dangerous spells.
Mega Yahtzee Thread:
Highest 41: brocker2001 (#11,285).
Yahtzee of 2's: Emmber (#36,161).
Lowest 9: JoeltheWalrus (#312), Emmber (#12,505) and Dertinus (#20,953).
If the trigger for a readied spell does not occur, that does not mean the spell is lost. When you ready a spell, you are concentrating. The only things that can cause you to lose a spell you're concentrating on are to fail a Concentration check, to cast another spell requiring concentration, or choosing to stop concentrating.
Individual DMs may adjudicate differently at their tables, but RAW there is no stipulation on length of time that a spell can remain readied. If your enemy caster doesn't become visible right away, you continue to have the spell readied through your next turn, or--while being able to fully use your action, bonus, move, and even reaction--for as many turns as necessary.
The caveat is, of course, that you still need your reaction to actually be available when the trigger occurs. If you use your Ready action on round 1, the trigger doesn't happen, and you use your reaction on round 2 for something else then you wouldn't be able to actually release the readied spell if the trigger also occurs on round 2. There is a grey area in this situation regarding whether the spell is wasted or not if the trigger does actually occur and you don't or aren't able to use your reaction. I'd personally say that it doesn't (you're still concentrating), but requiring the use of another Ready action to "re-designate a trigger" would seem appropriate.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Except the Ready action does stipulate a time limit. (Emphasis mine)
Once your next turn comes around you can no longer use your reaction for the readied ability because the Ready action ended before the start of your turn. You would have to take the Ready action again which would require you to cast the spell again.
I can see allowing the player to keep the readied spell concentrating so long as they continue to take the Ready action every turn - stopping them from doing anything else. But RAW and RAI seems to be against that.
Mega Yahtzee Thread:
Highest 41: brocker2001 (#11,285).
Yahtzee of 2's: Emmber (#36,161).
Lowest 9: JoeltheWalrus (#312), Emmber (#12,505) and Dertinus (#20,953).
End result it seems we agree, but I disagree that a time limit is stipulated by readying an action. RAW, the time limit on anything is the unmodified timing parameter: anything not explicitly a Reaction by default (counterspell, AoOs, some feats/class features) is limited to being done on your turn. The Ready action allows sequence breaking to bridge the end of your turn with the beginning of your subsequent turn. In most scenarios this makes sense. If a readied attack or movement trigger doesn't happen before your turn, you lost some time, but otherwise likely have the opportunity to ready the same thing again without having lost finite resources.
Spells are a different beast, and I do wish the rules entry on readying a spell would be split to its own discrete entry; there are enough "what-ifs" to warrant it. In particular, the introduction of both actually casting the spell at the time of readying--and of concentrating on it while readied--marks a clear distinction for "readying a spell", and supersedes the limitation of "before the start of your next turn".
If readied spells are intended to be limited to 1 round, then:
We basically have two scenarios that would make sense:
The conjunction of both a 1 round limit and losing the spell slot are incompatible at best, and otherwise overly-punitive to the PC.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
100% intended that readying a spell wastes it if you don't trigger it before the turn:
https://www.sageadvice.eu/2015/09/25/how-does-readying-a-spell-work/
Jeremy's tweets are not official rulings, nor is it mentioned anywhere in the actual Sage Advice Compendium. For what it's worth, Jeremy even says that it is not a rule he follows himself.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
I think one of the reasons they went with “the spell slot is lost”, rather than “you can continue concentrating and then use your action and reaction on a later turn”, is to prevent situations like this.
Wizard uses Ready action to cast Tenser’s Transformation. Wizard continues to concentrate for 10 min while donning plate armor. Wizard continues concentrating until encounter begins. Wizard uses first turn action and reaction to release spell.
If the DM doesn’t have any problems with this, they can allow it by house rule.
Doesn't work since you'd need to have the heavy armor proficiency in order to actually cast the spell. If the Wizard tries to get into Plate before having actually cast it, then they're boned. No conflict there. Long-term concentration is also exactly the kind of thing that a DM should throw periodic concentration checks at you for attempting (which is RAW & RAI).
To be clear, I also prefer a system which does not allow you to "hold" an action of any kind (spell or otherwise) beyond 1 round, but forcing the loss of a spell slot is massively over-punitive to casters for something they may not have control over (trigger not occurring). An arrow doesn't loose itself if an archer doesn't see their target within 6 seconds (called shot). A potion of healing doesn't smash itself on the ground if a fighter doesn't get hit (prepared for dealing with anticipated damage). Prepared spell-like abilities, wands, staves, wondrous items etc. don't lose uses/charges unless they are actually used, right? Spell slots should not be any different.
A spell slot should not be consumed if the casting of the spell has not been 100% resolved.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Regardless of whether you find it too punitive, that's how the rules say it works. Moreover, you can't really compare a spell to an arrow, or a potion. Spells are more powerful, usually, and more versatile, than arrows and potions. Regarding Jeremy's tweets not being official rulings: they are no longer official rulings, but at the time of that tweet, they were.
I wouldn't mind playing at a table were readying a spell didn't mean I lost the slot if I didn't cast it, and/or I could hold the readied spell for more than one turn. The latter, particularly, I believe was added to reduce complexity and make the game flow faster (it doesn't only apply to readied spells, but to any and all readied actions), so at a table that doesn't mind the added complexity, or can handle it without slowing the game down, it's probably not a big deal.
The wording of Ready action says you cast the spell with your action then release it with your reaction. You cast the spell, concentrate, then put on the armor, then release it.
I’m sure there are many other ways to abuse allowing casters to hold spells, so a DM that allows it should be careful.
RAW: its very clearly written that you have to release it "BEFORE YOUR NEXT TURN"
RAI: He wrote the book, if you are asking **INTENT** then he can answer the question.
The only leg you have to stand on that you can hold it forever is Rule 0: My home table I can DM how I want. Which is fine, but you should be honest with yourself and players that you are overriding default rules.
My point here is that the existing rules governing readied spells are contradictory in multiple ways, and the most important is regarding when the spell is actually cast.
If the spell is cast (as is asserted) the very moment that you take the Ready action, then it is literally impossible to ready any spell for "when (x) is in range", "when (x) is visible", "when (x) comes out of cover", "first (x) to come around the corner", etc. All spell requirements are front-loaded, so if it's not possible for you to immediately cast the spell as a normal action, then it is absolutely impossible to ready the spell for a delayed release.
Even more problematic is the question of whether those spell requirements must also be fulfilled at the moment you release the spell. You've already cast the spell, so do you still need a clear line of sight when you release too, or does the spell effect just happen despite whatever might have happened between ready & release? What if you're out of range after readying?
Fireball releases in a line from your finger to the targeted location. Let's say I'm in the intersection of a 4-way corridor. I ready my Fireball and designate the target location down one of the hallways. I then move down one of the perpendicular hallways, so there is now a solid wall between myself and the targeted location. When I release the spell, does the fireball manifest from my original location (travelling to the target as if I had not moved), or does it manifest from my current location (exploding in the wall right next to my face)?
This also contradicts the ever-so-basic concept of "If it hasn't happened, then you haven't done it." If you haven't rolled dice or resolved an effect, then you haven't cast the @#%$ing spell! This is literally putting the cart before the horse.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Luckily there are some RAW clarifications to this question in SA compendium (which is compiled by WotC and is RAW).
There. Questions answered. Problems solved.
Then you haven't cast the spell, and you do not need to have line of sight to the target when you ready the spell.
Then you have already cast the spell which contradicts everything else.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
How are you arriving at that conclusion? How is "not releasing the spell" tantamount to "casting the spell"? Wouldn't it be contradictory if "not being able to cast the spell" meant "you cast the spell", which is the opposite of what's being described here? Or are you assuming that because you lost the spell slot, the spell must have been cast? Where in the rules does it say "the only way you can lose a spell slot is to successfully cast a spell using that slot"?
It seems to me the rules are pretty clear (if not especially easy to remember): when you ready a spell, you're not fully casting it yet (and why would you? You're not taking the "Cast a Spell" action, you're taking the "Ready" action), so you don't need to fulfill the requirements of the spell (range, target visibility, etc.). When you do finish casting the spell (i.e. when you release it), you should abide by the normal rules of casting spells (and of course you should, you are, after all, finishing casting a spell), which includes range, target visibility, etc., excepting those that are explicitly excepted by the "Ready" mechanism (e.g. the spell is cast using your Reaction rather than your Action, etc.). When you do release the spell, your spell slot is consumed (as normal). If you do not release your spell, whether by letting the Readied action "run out", or having your Concentration interrupted before releasing it, you lose your spell slot (this is not obvious from following the spellcasting rules, but is explicitly stated by the Ready action rules/errata).
Now, you may disagree with those rules, and you're free to change them for your games, but calling them out as "contradictory" is unwarranted.
When you cast a spell you must fulfill all the requirements for the spell. If you are not subject to the targeting rules for spells when you "ready" it, then you have not cast the goddamn @#!%ing spell.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
I would consider that in general the targeting of the spell is the very last thing that gets performed when casting it. The main part being the weaving of the energy into it's usable form.
This way readying makes perfect sense. You're initiating the casting of the spell (using the spell slot) and holding onto the energy until you are able to target. And by the time your next turn comes around if you haven't released the energy it just poofs out of your hand harmlessly.
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