Steadfast and Ready!

[NunoM]

I've come across "Steadfast boots" in MiC p. 138, and yes, i've seen a lot of discussion around, but no definite answer on this...

Here's the troubling part of the item's description:

STEADFAST BOOTS
[...]
Furthermore, as long as you carry a two-handed weapon, you are treated as if you had readied that weapon against any
creature that charges you (and thus it deals double damage if your attack is successful), even if the weapon can’t normally be
set against a charge.

1. Does this mean the character is "always ready" against every charge, possibly granting multiple free attacks in a round if charged by various opponents in a round?
2. ...a single attack (although the description says "against any creature that charges you")?
3. Should this be limited to AoOs available to the character? This sounds like houseruling to me, but...

Thoughts?

[Ithamar]

Unfortunately the boots are very vague.  It is a houserule of course, but for my arena we play that the boots use your immediate action.  Makes them a bit more reasonable.  The price is just so cheap!

[phaedrusxy]

The way the boots are worded, you should have unlimited readied actions against any number of creatures that charge you, and do double damage to them all. So 1.

[NunoM]

This goes nicely along with what i thought as well, thank you!

Another one, on the same matter...
Let's say i ready an action like this:
"When the guy gets within 5ft of me, i attack him!"... and the guy charges!

1) Does this trigger both actions (the boots' attack and the ready action's)? (granting the character 2 attacks for a single action)
2) If so, in which order is it triggered? Or do i get to chose it?
This may be of interest, regarding the initiative orders... I assume the (pseudo)ready actions granted by the boots don't change the initiative order (but i may be wrong!) and the readied action does, hence the question...

[phaedrusxy]

I've seen it argued that it does change your initiative. I don't know if you could ready two actions, which is basically what you're saying. You can certainly get an AoO if you have reach, though. Add the Hold the Line feat for a 3rd attack...

[Arz]

1) Yes
2) 1 readied attack vs charging creatures. Changes initiative as per readied actions.
3) This is houseruling

As an aside Skewer of gnomes has a relic power that is quite similar in the same book.

[NunoM]

Granted... It stands to reason that it actually changes the initiative order. It is a (pseudo) ready action, after all, so it's logical to fit it in the standard ruling for those...

I've seen it argued that it does change your initiative. I don't know if you could ready two actions, which is basically what you're saying. You can certainly get an AoO if you have reach, though. Add the Hold the Line feat for a 3rd attack...

I had forgotten all about that feat! Thanks for the reminder!
I'm planning on using these boots with a reach weapon + armor spikes so it fits nicely. I still have to weigh if it's worth spending a feat for such a conditional extra attack, though...

My reasoning behind the readying-two-actions stuff is this: technically, the response to the charge (granted by the boots), isn't readied - it would lose the whole purpose of the item if it did.
With that said, i see one of two ways to rule this:
- either the explicitly readied action is triggered as well (i.e. both are triggered).
- or one of the ready actions supersedes the other, and the player gets to choose which one to use...

[nijineko]

so long as you are wielding the weapon, you are auto-readied against any charge. technically, with that wording, you just have to be carrying it, not wielding it, but i would rule it that way. some preternatural sixth sense about charging, i guess.