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View Full Version : Trade Blows + Evasive Reflexes [3.P]



ThiagoMartell
2012-10-01, 12:03 AM
The Soulknife blade skill Trade Blows allows you to make an attack of opportunity when you're attacked (this applies to Karmic Strike or Robilar's Gambit as well, but the question spring to mind while taking to a friend of mine who was wondering about which blade skill he should take next).
Combined with Sidestep (Miniature's Handbook) or Evasive Reflexes (ToB) + Press the Advantage stance (ToB) + a DC 40 Tumble check or Cyran Gliding Boots or Sparring Dummy of the Master, this means you will make 2 5-ft steps after being attacked (and each 5-ft step will count as 10-ft). So you move 20-ft out of the way, not taking any damage and ruining their full-attack. If you have Sidestep instead of Evasive Reflexes, you do that after dealing damage. Combat Slide helps triggering this in other situations.

That sounds like a pretty cool trick. Is there any hole in it that I'm not seeing? Is there any way to get extra 5-ft steps other than Elocater 7 (even though it's not needed with Sidestep, since it specifically does not spend your 5-ft step)?

Eldariel
2012-10-01, 12:36 AM
Well, you can certainly take multiple of these triggers. There's also Shifting Defense stance [Setting Sun] which does something similar tho that'd of course require Dual Stance from Mot9 to use with Press the Advantage. Also, Barbarian 11 or 12 gets effectively Robilar's in "Come and Get Me" too.

But yeah, this was a big deal in one ToB School duel, and in general one of the big problems with full attack-based melee in 3.5, and the perfect way to ruin the day of a Dragon, Marilith or Tarrasque for instance (or in general, the day of any creature relying on a large number of attacks, natural or otherwise).

ThiagoMartell
2012-10-01, 12:55 AM
It turns out the guy had misunderstood how IL worked, so he won't be able to do this combo, after all (at least not until he is a lot higher in level). That's a shame.

Eldariel
2012-10-01, 01:01 AM
It turns out the guy had misunderstood how IL worked, so he won't be able to do this combo, after all (at least not until he is a lot higher in level). That's a shame.

It's quite potent even without Press the Advantage, certainly. 10' or even 5' step will often foil entire full attack.