Topic: Opportunity action

[darksilver]

I was curious to know how other GMs run the opportunity action option. My key questions are as follows:
1) Can the action interrupt another creature's action? For example, from my game a group of characters are waiting with weapons drawn for a troll to ascend a path towards them. Actions are decided, and intitiative is rolled. When the characters' initiative comes up, they do not wish to act as the troll is not yet in range, so they place their actions in opportunity state. On the next round the troll closes to melee range. Do the characters automatically act first, as they are 'readied' or not?
2) If an action is placed into opportunity state does it suffer the modifiers from the phase in which it was placed into that state or the phase in which it is resolved? If for example an action is placed into opportunity state during the deliberate phase (+10) and then resolved during the snap phase (-20) of the following round, what are the modifiers?
3) If spellcasting is placed into opportunity state is the character considered to be casting during this time or concentrating, or even preparing?

Just hoping for some ideas from the community as I find the issue a little troublesome. It seems unfair to just expect a readied character to reroll initiative for a new round and lose his advantage but it also seems overly brutal to allow automatic resolution of readied actions in the style of 3rd ed d&d, given the lethal nature of Rolemaster combat. Of course the players would be perfectly happy when it is they who are readied but if the situation occurs to their disadvantage it could be a harsh way to end a character's tale.

[Ecthelion]

I was curious to know how other GMs run the opportunity action option. My key questions are as follows:
1) Can the action interrupt another creature's action? For example, from my game a group of characters are waiting with weapons drawn for a troll to ascend a path towards them. Actions are decided, and intitiative is rolled. When the characters' initiative comes up, they do not wish to act as the troll is not yet in range, so they place their actions in opportunity state. On the next round the troll closes to melee range. Do the characters automatically act first, as they are 'readied' or not?

They can. That's exactly what Opportunity Actions are meant for.

2) If an action is placed into opportunity state does it suffer the modifiers from the phase in which it was placed into that state or the phase in which it is resolved? If for example an action is placed into opportunity state during the deliberate phase (+10) and then resolved during the snap phase (-20) of the following round, what are the modifiers?

I think an Opportunity Actions can be resolved at any later phase but suffers exactly from the modifiers appropriate for that phase. So in your example the -20 for the Snap Action Phase would be applied.

3) If spellcasting is placed into opportunity state is the character considered to be casting during this time or concentrating, or even preparing?

I'd say he is in some way concentrating, perhaps still having to make some gestures or mumbling magical phrases as required by the spell.