Drinking Potions

[Majushi]

This feels like a silly question, but it came up in a game yesterday and we couldn't find anything answering it one way or the other in the PHB.

Does drinking a potion cause an attack of opportunity?

My thoughts: No, because the PHB says that Ranged, Area and Movement are the only that do.

DM's thoughts: Yes, because they should do.

What is the right answer, so we can know for next game?

 

[DracoSuave]

This feels like a silly question, but it came up in a game yesterday and we couldn't find anything answering it one way or the other in the PHB.

Does drinking a potion cause an attack of opportunity?

My thoughts: No, because the PHB says that Ranged, Area and Movement are the only that do.

DM's thoughts: Yes, because they should do.

What is the right answer, so we can know for next game?

Using a potion is neither a Ranged nor Area effect and therefore does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Specifically, it's Personal, and Personal powers do not provoke.

 

[Khime]

I had this same problem with First Aid. Kneeling down to revive a fallen companion with a First Aid check (or with Lay on Hands, or administering a potion) doesn't provoke? Seems odd.

I can only assume this is game mechanic/balance logic instead of simulationist logic.

 

[frankthedm]

Does drinking a potion cause an attack of opportunity?

My thoughts: No, because the PHB says that Ranged, Area and Movement are the only that do.

DM's thoughts: Yes, because they should do.

I agree with your DM's opinion. Drinking something ought to draw a free attack on the drinker. Sadly the rules for 4E, and WFRP, don't cause potion quaffers to drop their guard and draw OAs.

 

[Henry]

I can only assume this is game mechanic/balance logic instead of simulationist logic.

It's more likely a "simplify the game" logic, because one of the most common complaints on 3e forums across the 'net was that attacks of opportunity were too complicated to remember, because of all the rules and corner-cases. Getting up provokes, pulling a weapon doesn't. Drinking a potion provokes, dropping the bottle doesn't, etc. etc.

While a lot of the provocations were common sense logic to me, enough people expressed annoyance at the rules to where they simplified them dramatically. I don't think there were very many considerations of game balance in mind as to whether drinking a potion takes 1 second or 3, or whether it provokes or not - I personally think it was entirely criticism-driven.

 

[Syrsuro]

I had this same problem with First Aid. Kneeling down to revive a fallen companion with a First Aid check (or with Lay on Hands, or administering a potion) doesn't provoke? Seems odd.

I can only assume this is game mechanic/balance logic instead of simulationist logic.

Ditto for applying a potion to an unconscious party member. The rules specify that it is a standard action, but they do not mention an Opportunity Attack for the action either on page 255 or 290.

Although my expectation based on the prior version was that it should draw an Opportunity Attack, when it came up last week and I went to the book, as far as I could find it does not. (I ruled no Opportunity Attack at the time, with the option to change the ruling at a later date.)

Carl

 

[77IM]

I think the lack of OAs on miscellaneous actions is also meant to encourage you to take those actions during combat. In 3e, if you were in melee, your only real options were to hit somebody or withdraw. In 4e, you also have the option to heal your comrade, quaff a potion, disable a trap, switch weapons, etc., leading to more dynamic and interesting encounters (great, now I sound like the marketing guy).

-- 77IM

 

[AverageTable]

In 4th Edition the list of things that provoke opportunity attacks is extremely short.

Here is the list in its entirity. You provoke an opportunity attack by doing (and only by doing) one of the following:

1. Performing a "Ranged" attack.
2. Performing an "Area" attack.
3. Leaving a space adjacent to an enemy (or possibly a few squares away from the enemy if it has "Threatening Reach") unless you are "Shifting". Note that movement forced upon one creature by another (a "Push", "Pull", or "Slide") never provokes an opportunity attack.

That's it. By the standard rules, nothing else ever provokes an attack in 4th Edition under normal circumstances.

In 4th Edition a character can be surrounded by enemies while drinking a potion, eating an apple, standing up, sitting down, rummaging through his backpack, changing his clothes, writing a letter, and picking his nose, all without provoking a single attack. Obviously, some of these actions, such as changing his clothes, probably should provoke an attack and the DM would be well within his rights to declare that they do; but such a declaration would be an unofficial house rule.

 

[Mort_Q]

oops

 

[Mort_Q]

You provoke an opportunity attack by doing (and only by doing) one of the following:

1. Performing Using a "Ranged" attack power.
2. Performing Using an "Area" attack power.
3. Leaving a space adjacent to an enemy (or possibly a few squares away from the enemy if it has "Threatening Reach") unless you are "Shifting". Note that movement forced upon one creature by another (a "Push", "Pull", or "Slide") never provokes an opportunity attack.

Fixed. Or not. Depends how and where you read the rules.