3.5 Pick up item question

[Firebeard]

Picking up an object causes an Attack of Opportunity.

But, do you have to be standing in the square to pick up the object? Could you, say 5' step out of the square you were in and lean over to pick up a dropped weapon without incurring the AoO?

[gbprime]

I think you just have to have the object within your reach. So for most people, an adjacent square should be fine. The SRD doesn't seem to say otherwise.

Good question, though.

[Coplantor]

Picking up an object causes an Attack of Opportunity.

But, do you have to be standing in the square to pick up the object? Could you, say 5' step out of the square you were in and lean over to pick up a dropped weapon without incurring the AoO?

Yes, you can take the 5 foot step and avoid the AoO, I think this is how we manage things in our table, also... your avatar is Axl Rose wearing adventuring gear?

[Grumman]

If I was the DM, I would not allow you to avoid an AoO in this manner. Trying to do this in real life would just force you to get even lower and still put a significant part of your body into the threatened square, making it even easier to hit you.

[Yora]

An object in an adjacent square is on average 1,5m away. Humans can't reach that far.

[Optimystik]

also... your avatar is Axl Rose wearing adventuring gear?

Looks more like Jack Sparrow (or some other swashbuckly pirate) to me.

If I was the DM, I would not allow you to avoid an AoO in this manner. Trying to do this in real life would just force you to get even lower and still put a significant part of your body into the threatened square, making it even easier to hit you.

Well if casters can do it...

An object in an adjacent square is on average 1,5m away. Humans can't reach that far.

But then, how do touch attacks work?

[Coplantor]

Looks more like Jack Sparrow (or some other swashbuckly pirate) to me.

If I squint a little, it looks like Sirius Black.

OK, maybe we can deafult on "Ask the DM how far into the adjacent square the object is"

[Grumman]

Well if casters can do it...

A caster steps backwards out of reach and stays there. That's completely different to what the OP is attempting, which requires that his upper body be within reach even if his feet aren't.

But then, how do touch attacks work?

When you're attacking with a weapon, touch attack or improved unarmed strike, you are presumably enough of an immediate threat that your opponent can't just line up a shot on the back of your head as you reach down to grab whatever it is.

[Hague]

I'd let people with the Quick Draw feat use it to do something along those lines.

[Optimystik]

I was playing Devil's Advocate really, I do think you shouldn't be allowed to avoid an AoO that way.

After all, if it wasn't possible to provoke from 5 ft. away, unarmed strikes without the feat wouldn't do so, but they do.

[Hague]

I'd allow a player to retrieve an item without provoking an AoO with a successful Sleight of Hand check as long as they had a weapon in their other hand that was capable of still threatening the opponent.

[gbprime]

An object in an adjacent square is on average 1,5m away. Humans can't reach that far.

the MECHANIC is reaching into an adjacent square after the 5 foot step. But the DESCRIPTION can be a bit different. Explain it as kicking the sword away from your enemy a bit, then darting over and picking it up from it's new location. Same rule, but makes sense when you describe it like that.

[Seffbasilisk]

I can see myself taking a step further away, then getting an item be more wary.

Mechanically, it makes sense, IRL it makes sense.

If need be, fluff it as reaching to draw it closer with a sword/stick/spear/whathaveyou.

It's when you disregard the person near it as a threat, that you'd get the AoO. If they're standing on top of it (it's in their square), then it makes sense you can't grab it without an AoO. If it's a few feet away, and you're not between them and it? Go for it.

[Another_Poet]

I think you just have to have the object within your reach. So for most people, an adjacent square should be fine. The SRD doesn't seem to say otherwise.

Good question, though.

Agreeified.

[Sc00by]

I think I'd argue that if the square with the fallen item in is threatened by an enemy then any attempt to recover said item from that square would produce an AoO regardless of where the recovery attempt was made from.

/2p

[ericgrau]

I think you'd reach into the square that has the item and thus incur the AoO anyway. Or else you'd have to actually be in the square, and still incur the AoO. Hand-waving it with fluff actions doesn't work IMO b/c those actions are more like move actions or standards than free actions done as part of your step. EDIT: But that's just common sense, I could see RAW saying otherwise.

[Curmudgeon]

Could you, say 5' step out of the square you were in and lean over to pick up a dropped weapon without incurring the AoO?

Yes, you could. Attacks of opportunity can only occur against creatures situated in threatened squares, and do not extend to those squares they reach into. DM allowance isn't required, because that's the rule.