Steadfast Boots and Receiving a Charge.

[Three_Haligonians]

Just looking for some clarification here,

In the Arms & Equipment Guide, there is a magic item called Steadfast Boots that, among other things, states, "As long as the wearer carries a melee weapon that is Meduim-size or larger, she also counts as being set against a charge. The weapon does not have to have reach."

So... ignoring the 3.0 ideas of "Medium-sized weapons," if my character has a pair of these boots and the enemy charges him, I automatically get to attack him (with double damage) and my initiative changes (as per the rules on ready actions).

Right?

J from Three Haligonians

 

[UltimaGabe]

That's the way it seems. Really, I think that's a terribly broken item considering its price.

 

[Delemental]

Yeah, no trips or bull rushes, and a free set vs charge without readying? It's a pretty sweet item. I sure do like mine.

They probably would end up being a bit more expensive if they were ever updated to 3.5.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

That depends how you read the section on readying an action against a charge. It could be read to say that you have to ready an action to set your weapon against a charging opponent... now that you've set it, if you, for some reason, get an attack (an AoO for instance) it deals double damage.

Under that interpretation, Steadfast boots don't give any readied actions.

It could also be read to mean that you ready an attack and that you can set your weapon as a part of that readied attack. Under this interpretation, the steadfast boots are very much like they are under the first interpretation: they enable you to get double damage on AoOs against charging opponents (provided you have a weapon that actually deals double damage against charging opponents when set vs. charge--a halberd does and a greatsword doesn't).

It could also be read as you are reading it. In this case, you would always have a readied action and, any time an NPC charged you, your initiative would reset to right before theirs. This interpretation is overpowered and would be a real pain if the DM exploited it (and I certainly would if I had a player who was cheesy enough to attempt to use it). "OK, you're just about to open up with a full attack when... a goblin sorcerer with displacement charges you. You miss. Oh, your turn is up. You'll go right before the goblin next round. His ally steps to flank and full attacks you. You're about to be up again. The other goblin summons a fiendish dire rat and it charges you. You'll go right before the fiendish dire rat. His friends both full attack you...."

 

[Shin Okada]

The rule is not-well written and the intention of the rule can only be guessed.

Several month ago (or maybe a year or more?) I made the same question here. No one could find clear rule clarification for it.

But at that time the most agreeable intention was,

1. It does not let you make a readied attack (that interpretation messes initiative rule too much).
2. It does not let you cause double damages against charging opponent unless your weapon is spear and the like.
3. But if you can make AoO against it, or you made an attack because of some other reason, your weapon is considered as if readied against charge. So if your weapon is happen to be a spear, halberd and such, it causes double damages.

Most people discussing on this topic at that thread had thought this interpretation is a reasonable one and will not cause game balance problems.

But this was just an opinion of whom answered in that thread, of course.