Opportunity Attack help.

blazinghell · Jun 12, 2010

Hello all, I am new here. I just got started playing DnD again after some years ago playing on 1e. I am having a hard time finding any additional information on when opportunity attacks happen. The PHB only states when the target leaves a square adjacent to him. I never says if they have to leave there threat box entirety of if you move more then one space in front of them, but never leave there threat box(ala walk around to flank them perhaps).
Me and my current DM disagree on what it means, I say you just have to leave a square thats is adjacent to them, not there threat box around them ( ala walking 2 squares around them would provoke an attack), but my DM says that it only happens when you walk away from the target (ala leaving there threat box entirely).
Thanks for you help.

abyssaldeath · Jun 12, 2010

There is no "threat box". Your DM can't just make up a term and expect it to apply to the game. OA's work exactly like it is stated. When you leave a square adjacent the enemy gets to make an OA. It's a yes or no type of thing. Did you leave an adjacent square? Yes, then you provoked an OA. Now if you shift, and there are many powers that let you shift multiple squares, you do not provoke an OA.

blazinghell · Jun 12, 2010

We just use the term "threat box" to mean a characters melee attack range. so basically i'm asking, if you walk two squares in front of an enemy, but don't leave its melee attack range, do you provoke an OA.
Thanks for the help.

vic20 · Jun 12, 2010

You just need to meet the criteria for provoking. If you are standing in a square that is threatened, and you move, you provoke. It doesn't matter how many squares, or which squares you move INTO; only thing that matters is that you left a threatened square.

abyssaldeath · Jun 12, 2010

blazinghell said:
We just use the term "threat box" to mean a characters melee attack range. so basically i'm asking, if you walk two squares in front of an enemy, but don't leave its melee attack range, do you provoke an OA.
Thanks for the help.

Sorry, I spend a lot of time on the boards some people have a tendency to make up terms that don't exist and wonder why things don't work the way they think they do.

Yes, you will provoke. Each square of movement is counted separately.

If it didn't work that way the power below would be next to useless.

Martial Power said:
Pass Forward Fighter Utility 2
With perfect timing, you slip by your foe without dropping your
guard.
At-Will ✦ Martial
Move Action Personal
Effect: You pick an adjacent enemy and move up to your
speed. As long as you end this movement in a square
adjacent to that enemy, your movement does not
provoke opportunity attacks from that enemy.

DracoSuave · Jun 12, 2010

Also, reach does not affect the size of your threat box (I kinda like this term for the 3rd edition game I'm in. I play a knight, wherein my threat box is filled with difficult terrain and a lack of five foot shifting) unless you have threatening reach.

PCs rarely get that cool stuff, but some monsters have it.