Attack of opportunity feats [3.5]

[rezplz]

So I decided to make a knight character that focuses on getting a lot of attacks of opportunity, and I wanted to make sure that there were no important feats that I was forgetting.

The obvious one is combat reflexes. I'll probably go with exotic weapon proficiency (spiked chain) as well. The spiked chain, combined with bulwark of defense, SHOULD make it so that enemies can't just five-foot step up to me to avoid an attack of opportunity.

Then there's Karmic Strike, but that has some unfortunate prerequisites - Combat Expertise and dodge. Which requires 13 INT, and I'm gonna be MAD enough as it is. I might skip out on this, and rely on attacks of opportunity from movement.

Of course, there's also Robilar's Gambit, which is better, but I can't get that one until level 12.


I think there's some feat somewhere which gives you only one attack in a round, but doubles the damage, attacks of opportunity included? Dunno what its called, or what book its from though.


As far as abilities go, it's 28 point buy so I was thinking
STR 14
DEX 14
CON 13
INT 13
WIS 8
CHA 14.

Or if I don't go for karmic strike, DEX would be 16, CON would be 14, and INT would go down to 8. Is there any way I could make these ability scores more optimal?

And I probably won't use every idea out there, since my group isn't the most optimized, but I just want to know what all of my options are as far as attacks of opportunity go.

[Temotei]

What sources are allowed? I know there are feats that allow two or three attacks on a given opportunity. You might want to look at those. I'm forgetting where they are right now, but my guess would be either Complete Warrior or PHBII.

[rezplz]

Core and complete series. It may be possible, if a bit difficult, to get the group to let in other stuff since we're not too familiar with non-core.

[Draz74]

Then there's Karmic Strike, but that has some unfortunate prerequisites - Combat Expertise and dodge. Which requires 13 INT, and I'm gonna be MAD enough as it is. I might skip out on this, and rely on attacks of opportunity from movement.

Of course, there's also Robilar's Gambit, which is better, but I can't get that one until level 12.

Yeah, I'd wait for Robilar's rather than take all the prereqs for Karmic.

I think there's some feat somewhere which gives you only one attack in a round, but doubles the damage, attacks of opportunity included? Dunno what its called, or what book its from though.

I think you're thinking of a Fighter Alternate Class Feature from the PHB2. It requires quite a few Fighter levels, IIRC.

Otherwise, looks reasonably good. The two main "classic" feats you're missing are:

• Hold the Line
• Stand Still

... though personally, I'm not a big fan of either one. Especially Hold the Line, since my DMs rarely remember to have monsters Charge.

Of course, Spiked Chain & AoO-based tanks are often also "lockdown" builds, which would require picking up Improved Trip and so forth. But it sounds like that's not quite what you're going for.

[rezplz]

Only problem with waiting for Robilar's though, is that we're starting at 5th level and may not ever make it to 12th.

Hold the line looks really good, but it's a divine feat, right? I was reading the fluff and it's apparently a feat dieties can take or something. While I don't think it's a broken feat or anything, or even super-powerful, I'm not sure if I'm technically allowed to take it. But if I can that might make it so that I don't need to worry about the spiked chain, since that weapon has a reputation for cheesiness.

But yeah, I'm not really going for a lockdown build. Depending on how I arrange my ability scores I might be able to fit it in eventually, but I guess I'm more focused on tanking and damage.

[Mongoose87]

What sources are allowed? I know there are feats that allow two or three attacks on a given opportunity. You might want to look at those. I'm forgetting where they are right now, but my guess would be either Complete Warrior or PHBII.

They're from Dragon magazine, those feats.

[Thurbane]

Not in the listed materials, but: Deft Opportunist (Miniatures Handbook). Gives a +4 bonus to hit with AoO.

They're from Dragon magazine, those feats.

Also in Miniatures Handbook: Double Hit.

[Draz74]

Hold the line looks really good, but it's a divine feat, right? I was reading the fluff and it's apparently a feat dieties can take or something. While I don't think it's a broken feat or anything, or even super-powerful, I'm not sure if I'm technically allowed to take it.

Nah. The feat title says Hold the Line [General]. That means it's for anyone.

Even if it said [Divine], that would just mean you have to have Turn/Rebuke Undead in order to take the feat.

It's (unfortunately, confusingly) in the Divine section of the SRD just because it happens to come from the 3.0 splatbook Deities and Demigods. But it's totally a Player Character feat.

I'd still take the Spiked Chain though, as far as mechanical effectiveness is concerned. But if the Chain bothers you, cheese-wise, you can also get by with a Reach weapon and Spiked Armor.

[rezplz]

Nah. The feat title says Hold the Line [General]. That means it's for anyone.

Even if it said [Divine], that would just mean you have to have Turn/Rebuke Undead in order to take the feat.

It's (unfortunately, confusingly) in the Divine section of the SRD just because it happens to come from the 3.0 splatbook Deities and Demigods. But it's totally a Player Character feat.

I'd still take the Spiked Chain though, as far as mechanical effectiveness is concerned. But if the Chain bothers you, cheese-wise, you can also get by with a Reach weapon and Spiked Armor.

Ahh, okay. Thanks for clearing that up.

Hm, spiked armor counts as a light weapon right? I think I remember hearing somewhere that you can't power attack with light weapons, which makes me sad.

I was thinking of going with spiked chain anyway, and reflavoring it as a really good polearm, but changing nothing mechanically. That would fit the image of a knight better anyway, I think.


Edit: If I have hold the line and a spiked chain, and someone charges me, I'd still only get one attack of opportunity, right? Something about people only provoking only one attack of opportunity for movement, no matter how many squares they move into/out of.

[Draz74]

]Hm, spiked armor counts as a light weapon right? I think I remember hearing somewhere that you can't power attack with light weapons, which makes me sad.

Yeah, this is a problem. But hopefully, you'll usually be able to use your polearm, possibly by taking a 5-foot step first. The spiked armor is only for emergencies where you're backed into a corner or something.

I was thinking of going with spiked chain anyway, and reflavoring it as a really good polearm, but changing nothing mechanically. That would fit the image of a knight better anyway, I think.

That works too, of course.

Edit: If I have hold the line and a spiked chain, and someone charges me, I'd still only get one attack of opportunity, right? Something about people only provoking only one attack of opportunity for movement, no matter how many squares they move into/out of.

No, you'd get two attacks of opportunity, because the one provoked by Hold the Line isn't provoked "for movement." It's a separate source of an AoO.

[rezplz]

Okay, cool. So I think I have all the feats I need. I have another question though.

Can you five-foot step out of a square that is considered difficult terrain? I know you can't five-foot step into such a square, but I'm not sure about stepping out. I ask because I don't want people to be able to just five-foot step in and attack me to avoid an attack of opportunity when I'm using a normal reach weapon. - But I suppose the armor spikes could help with that? If they did help count adjacent squares as threatened, and someone tried stepping in, would I be able to take my attack of opportunity with my reach weapon, or would it have to be with the armor spikes?

[Temotei]

Dragon magazine and Miniatures Handbook? Huh. I could swear I saw them somewhere else.

Oh. I looked at them on Forgotten Realms Helps.

[Krazddndfreek]

Deft opportunitist is in complete adventurer as well. I'll list all the core + Complete AoO feats that you haven't listed already:

Close-Quarters Fighting (CWar): AoO against grapples against creatures with Improved Grapple capabilities.

Defensive Sweep (PHB2): Attack a foe who hasn't moved this round. Bab +15 req though.

Defensive Throw (CWar): Trip AoO against foe that misses you. Has some crappy feat reqs though, including Imp. unarmed strike.

Expert Tactician (CAdv): You and allies get +2 to attack and damage vs. foe you AoO'd for one round.

Hindering Opportunitist (PHB2): Use "aid another" instead of making an AoO. Probably not useful, still, decided to list it.

Those are all the completes, but there are more from other books. And a lot more from dragon magazine. Crystal Keep is a valuable resource. AoO feats are on page 37.

[Kaiyanwang]

Not in the listed materials, but: Deft Opportunist (Miniatures Handbook). Gives a +4 bonus to hit with AoO.

Also in Miniatures Handbook: Double Hit.

Yeah, double hit (for TWF and S&B) is from MH.

Improved and greater Combat Reflexes are from Dragon magazine (allowing for each chance a second and a third AOO, with -5 and -10 to hit).

Please note that each additional AOO, excluding the one from Double Hit, "consume" an additional dexteriti modifier (so, if you have dex 14, +2 bonus, don't take GCR).

Moreover, is better focus on chances of triggering the AOO + infilct a condition. examples:

Fighter with morning star, three mountains, robilar + karmik: each time you hit him, he has two chances of nauseating you and a 10% per hit to stun you

Psywarrior with reach weapon, tripping everybody does something near him

Rogue with kusari gama and few ACF and ambush feats: each time the enemy is exposed to SA and trigger AOOs, staggering strike, harmstring, and so on.

BTW in gestalt, with psywarrior and or fighter in one side, you have a blast with these things.

Hold the line: in my opinion, is good with the Knight, beacuse the class is intended to avod enemies "go around you". So they could be lead to think that YOU are the target to charge, and so on.

Take a look on Close Combat Fighting, if a big enemy is p**off could decide to grapple you.

Consider Flaws to rebalance your lack of feats.