Robilar's gambit + shifting defence(AKA Face-smackin)

[Rickshaw]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but combined with a reach weapon, say...spiked chain (those are always fun, right?) this lets you hit them instead of them hitting you...every time they try.

robilar's gambit lets you make an attack after they do.
shifting defence lets you take a 5ft step as an immediate action, but they still take their attack.
spiked chain lets you hit them from 10ft away.

what if we toss on some pathfinder stuff, like the fancy-pants panther parry line that lets you hit people for taking an attack of opportunity.

walk past someone, nonchalantly whack them with a spiked chain for swinging a sword at you, then take a 5ft step back and hit them again:smallbiggrin:

hopefully I'm reading all this right, because this looks like fun! why even wear armor?

[Urpriest]

One issue is the 1/round limit on immediate actions.

[Rickshaw]

dont marshals have something that grant extra actions? or facotums?

[Urpriest]

dont marshals have something that grant extra actions? or facotums?

Marshals get move actions and Factotums get standard. For immediate you'd probably need Ruby Knight Vindictor.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

One issue is the 1/round limit on immediate actions.

"When you are in this stance, you can make an immediate 5-foot step each time an opponent attacks you. Moving in this manner consumes one of your attacks of opportunity in the current round. You cannot move in this manner if you have no attacks of opportunity remaining."

It does not say you must spend an immediate action to make each step, it just states that you can do so immediately. There's quite a big difference there. The ability says that as long as you have AoOs remaining, you can keep activating this to make additional 5-foot steps, which means it can be used multiple times in a given round if you would be allowed to take multiple AoOs per round. Compare it to the feat Evasive Reflexes in that same book, which allows you to make a 5-foot step instead of taking an AoO.


Regarding this combination, I don't think it would work. Robilar's Gambit gives you an AoO after your opponent's attack is resolved. If you use Shifting Defense to move out of their reach, they're now swinging into an empty square instead of making an attack against you. Robilar's Gambit won't give you an AoO unless they attack your character, making an attack into an empty square you were just occupying doesn't count.

[Curmudgeon]

It does not say you must spend an immediate action to make each step, it just states that you can do so immediately.
Also note that a 5' adjustment is officially "no action" (Rules Compendium, page 8) and thus to change it to any kind of action (immediate or otherwise) would require some very explicit language in the rules, which Biffoniacus_Furiou correctly points out is just not there.

[Rickshaw]

what about panther parry then? your attack is resolved first!

[Metahuman1]

I do believe that as long as the DM is ok with you mixing Pathfinder and D&D 3.5 material to get shifting defense and the Parry line, that that would work. Hmm, you know, add in being a large creature and maybe something like Aberrant reach and a super high dex mod, maybe a way to get more then 5ft of movement out of the 5ft step maneuver (I know a jacked up tumble check can get it up to 10ft, does anyone know if there's a stance or an item or a soul meld or something in either 3.5 or pathfinder that would add more?) and you'd be in a position to keep anything form getting a clean shot in on you, and you could be sure to not only take a parting shot while you got clear, you could also make sure to get them on your turn, and again on there turn when they try to move again!