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shadow_archmagi
2008-02-04, 07:33 PM
So, as a newb DM, I've run about five combat encounters total.

Arguments over movement are particularly fierce and common about AoO. So, allow me to simply see if I've FINALLY got this clear.

On a normal turn, I can take a move action and move my base movement speed. I will provoke an attack of opportunity from anyone and everyone whose melee range (5 feet unless otherwise stated on the weapon) I cross. Ranged fighters, such as those armed with bows or throwing knives, get no such attack. I can avoid being attacked if I take a tumble check, or if I forfit all other movement to simply take a five foot step. I can also avoid it if I charge.


Correct?


Are there any other random combat rules? Also, does JUMPING provoke an attack of opportunity? That is, if my NPC is surrounded, and he think's he's going to leap to safety and cling to the chandelier, does he get slaughtered or does he flee properly?

Theli
2008-02-04, 07:41 PM
You can also "Withdraw" as a full round action. This causes your first square to not be considered threatened.

Yes, jumping will provoke just like any other movement. (If you can even make that jump. Jumping without the running start is very difficult.) However, the withdraw action will allow that character to make their escape, if s/he/it is really capable of doing so.


Also, normally when tumbling you have to move half your speed. You can do an accelerated tumble that causes a -10 penalty to move the full speed.

tyckspoon
2008-02-04, 07:54 PM
Most throwing weapons (daggers, hand axes, sais, not the javelin) also function as melee weapons. Assuming you were thinking of daggers when you said throwing knives, that person is capable of making melee attacks and can make attacks of opportunity. Charging does not negate attacks of opportunity; you still draw attacks for moving through threatened areas. However, if you have the same or longer reach as your target, you will usually not draw an attack from your target- you're only moving into his threatened space, and the Attack of Opportunity is triggered by moving *out* of threatened spaces.

Tokiko Mima
2008-02-05, 12:29 AM
So, as a newb DM, I've run about five combat encounters total.

Arguments over movement are particularly fierce and common about AoO. So, allow me to simply see if I've FINALLY got this clear.

On a normal turn, I can take a move action and move my base movement speed. I will provoke an attack of opportunity from anyone and everyone whose melee range (5 feet unless otherwise stated on the weapon) I cross. Ranged fighters, such as those armed with bows or throwing knives, get no such attack. I can avoid being attacked if I take a tumble check, or if I forfit all other movement to simply take a five foot step. I can also avoid it if I charge.


Correct?

As another poster pointed out, you provoke an AoO for leaving a threatened area, not for entering one. The reason you might see someone charging taking an AoO is because the defender has a reach weapon (like a longspear) and theatens an area large enough to require the charger to move through and out past the threatened area in order to reach the defender. This is a good reason to take and use Improved Trip and a Guisarme, by the way, if you expect to be charged.

You provoke an AoO due to movement only once a round per individual character/NPC/Monster. So if you have a monster with a huge threatened area, (say a Collassal Dragon) leaving that area only gives the dragon a single AoO on you in that one round, even if it has Combat Reflexes.

A lot of monsters (and PC's!) don't take the Combat Reflexes Feat, and only get to make a single AoO in a given round. Playing a Paladin once in a low level party, I found one of the more useful things I could do with my very high AC was to actually try to provoke AoO's from foes, allowing my much less armored teammates a combat round to move in and take their positions unmolested.

Ranged (usually bow or crossbow) wielding attackers sometimes don't provoke an AoO for leaving their squares. This is not because they are "ranged," but rather because their weapons (bows and crossbows) don't create a threatened area around them like melee weapons almost always do. Smart bow fighters will be clever about this, however, and do nasty things like get spiked armor that they can use to gain AoO's on you when you're careless.


Are there any other random combat rules? Also, does JUMPING provoke an attack of opportunity? That is, if my NPC is surrounded, and he think's he's going to leap to safety and cling to the chandelier, does he get slaughtered or does he flee properly?

If he leaves a threatened area without using a Withdraw action, or a 5-foot step, then he provokes an AoO. If by "leaping" you mean Tumbling, however, then if he makes his Tumble DC then he can avoid taking an AoO as well. The Jump skill by itself does nothing to stop AoO's.