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View Full Version : Rules Q&A Swarmkeeper, does Swarm moving you provoke Attacks of Opportunity?



Nikushimi
2020-12-21, 05:18 AM
Hey, curious about a feature for the Swarmkeeper ranger.

You can, once per turn, cause your swarm to do something after you hit a creature.

One of those is

"You are moved by the swarm up to 5ft horizontally in any direction of your choice."

Now, it's not that great of a movement....cause you know, it's just 5ft and I honestly don't know when or how this could even be remotely be useful in combat, and I feel it should be the same as you moving the target of the attack 15ft, but I digress.

When this movement happens, let's say you're in melee, does it provoke an attack of opportunity since you're "technically" not using your movement speed?

I want to lean towards yes, but that's why I came here.

Appreciate the insight.

Mr A25
2020-12-21, 05:57 AM
Now the thought of the idea would surely be yes, with the swarm distracting the enemy so you can dart out of the way, and with it only being 5 feet, again you would think so as a free disengage.

However, I am pretty certain that other features that give movement will say if it still provokes an attack of opportunity. Off the top of my head I can't think what they are though.

Spirit of the rule I would allow it to avoid AoO but it may be down to DM interpretation.

Amnestic
2020-12-21, 05:59 AM
You also don’t provoke an opportunity Attack when you Teleport or when someone or something moves you without using your Movement, action, or Reaction.
-PHB on opportunity attacks.

Viewpoint 1: You are being moved as part of your action (the attack), therefore you provoke an OA.
Viewpoint 2: The swarm is moving you, and your action was only to attack, therefore you don't provoke.

I can see both sides, but I'm leaning very heavily on viewpoint 2, because of
a) the language on how they describe the swarm makes it want to be separate to you. It's not "the swarm helps you move", it's "the swarm moves you", and
b) at 5' movement its use for anything other than exiting melee range seem very limited, so I don't understand the intention of the option unless it's meant to be a pseudo-disengage.