Do attacks of opportunity stop a character's action?

[raxies94]

Hello again playground. My group had a disagreement during our last session about attacks of opportunity.

Say a character is moving from point A to point B. Someone gets an attack on him while he's moving, and they hit. Does the character:

1. Continue moving and then do whatever else he can on his turn?

2. Stop moving where the attacker hit him?

The SRD seems rather ambiguous on this particular question. I'm under the impression that it doesn't stop the action or the character's turn.

Thanks once again Playground!

Edit: Also, does the answer work the same way in Pathfinder?

[BillyBobJoe]

The correct interpretation is number 1 in this particular case. In the case of grappling and some other combat maneuvers, it does stop that action.

[Ravens_cry]

Not that I am aware of unless it is something that doing damage forces a concentration check, like casting a spell, or if the attack of opportunity forces them to use an action to continue the action, like tripping someone as they walk by, forcing them to use a move action to stand up and likely ending their turn. There is probably more to it than that, but that is how I understand it. Feel free to prove me wrong.
edit: I am wrong, I guess.

[Flickerdart]

The character can continue doing whatever he was doing before unless the attack was a trip, grapple, bull rush, Stand Still or similar maneuver that has made his intended move impossible.

[Big Fau]

Hello again playground. My group had a disagreement during our last session about attacks of opportunity.

Say a character is moving from point A to point B. Someone gets an attack on him while he's moving, and they hit. Does the character:

1. Continue moving and then do whatever else he can on his turn?

2. Stop moving where the attacker hit him?

The SRD seems rather ambiguous on this particular question. I'm under the impression that it doesn't stop the action or the character's turn.

Thanks once again Playground!

Edit: Also, does the answer work the same way in Pathfinder?

1, as #2 requires a feat on the attacker's part.

[Allanimal]

1, as #2 requires a feat on the attacker's part.

What feat is that? Sounds useful.

[tyckspoon]

Stand Still, Expanded Psionics Handbook. Lets you AoO somebody to stop them in their tracks instead of doing damage.

[kardar233]

When you Trip someone with an AoO, do they fall prone where they provoked it? Because that would also be a way of interrupting their move.

[IthroZada]

When you Trip someone with an AoO, do they fall prone where they provoked it? Because that would also be a way of interrupting their move.

Tripping is usually the obvious solution, and it even comes packaged with extra attacks (and therefore damage.) The main advantage that Standstill has over it, is that it is useable on creatures you can't normally trip, e.g. oozes.

[kardar233]

Yeah, and big things with nice size modifiers and high Str but low Reflex saves.

[NikitaDarkstar]

I'm also pretty sure that if you get an attack against a spellcaster that's casting in melee (very stupid of said spellcaster) he at least have to pass a concentration check to keep casting?

[Divide by Zero]

I'm also pretty sure that if you get an attack against a spellcaster that's casting in melee (very stupid of said spellcaster) he at least have to pass a concentration check to keep casting?

Correct. That falls under the first entry on the table for Concentration.

[Flickerdart]

However, he can cast defensively and avoid that problem, and those checks become trivial to make pretty fast.

[Person_Man]

Enemies will normally provoke AoO when they move out of your threatened square or make a ranged attack in a threatened square. This does not stop their action (unless you kill them). You can get additional AoO by knocking enemies Prone, using nets, Karmic Strike, Robilar's Gambit, and with Mage Slayer feat (which defeats defensive casting) and a few other more obscure methods. This is a particularly useful tactic if you have high Dexterity, Combat Reflexes, and a large amount of bigger reach and/or size (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7081777).

You should also note that your AoO can be any type of melee attack, including a Trip, Grapple, Disarm, or Sunder attack. Trip and Grapple are great at stopping enemy movement (and often preventing them from attacking you, depending on the situation), and Sunder can be used to target a caster's holy symbol or spell component pouch.

If your DM is fond of using AoO against you, then consider playing a psionic class, Binder, Totemist, or Incarnate, and invest in Tumble (even if it's cross class, all Skills are fairly easy to boost by mid levels).

[Keneth]

I'm gonna hijack this thread for a quick question of my own.

Let's say one character moves through another's threatened area, provoking his attack of opportunity. He decides to use that AoO to try and trip him, provoking the attack from the moving character since he doesn't have improved trip. That character also decides to use that opportunity to attack him back. Assuming the trip attack misses, can the moving character keep moving after his own AoO? You could write it up as a quick strike while passing but it just seems a little unlikely unless the character has a feat like spring attack or something similar.

[Ashtagon]

I'm gonna hijack this thread for a quick question of my own.

Let's say one character moves through another's threatened area, provoking his attack of opportunity. He decides to use that AoO to try and trip him, provoking the attack from the moving character since he doesn't have improved trip. That character also decides to use that opportunity to attack him back. Assuming the trip attack misses, can the moving character keep moving after his own AoO? You could write it up as a quick strike while passing but it just seems a little unlikely unless the character has a feat like spring attack or something similar.

This can't happen. An attack of opportunity can only ever be a simple melee attack. Not a trip or anything else (except for some really obscure homebrew stuff of course).

Generally speaking, unless an aoo physically stops the original action (downing him is the most common way this might happen), the original action will occur. An aoo could force a Concentration check if the original agent was casting a spell or otherwise required concentration.

[Cog]

This can't happen. An attack of opportunity can only ever be a simple melee attack. Not a trip or anything else (except for some really obscure homebrew stuff of course).
If you've got a rules quote to back that up, please do provide it.

[Douglas]

This can't happen. An attack of opportunity can only ever be a simple melee attack. Not a trip or anything else (except for some really obscure homebrew stuff of course).
And that's where you're wrong. Trip (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/specialAttacks.htm#trip), grapple (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/specialAttacks.htm#grapple), sunder (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/specialAttacks.htm#sunder), disarm (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/specialAttacks.htm#disarm), and in general anything that can be done "as a melee attack" or similar wording (note: "as a standard action" or similar wording prevents use as an AoO) can be done as an AoO. See this article (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20041102a) for some support of this.

Edit:

I'm gonna hijack this thread for a quick question of my own.

Let's say one character moves through another's threatened area, provoking his attack of opportunity. He decides to use that AoO to try and trip him, provoking the attack from the moving character since he doesn't have improved trip. That character also decides to use that opportunity to attack him back. Assuming the trip attack misses, can the moving character keep moving after his own AoO? You could write it up as a quick strike while passing but it just seems a little unlikely unless the character has a feat like spring attack or something similar.
Yes, the moving character can continue his move after the exchange of AoOs.