Initiative and Opportunity Attacks

[Infiniti2000]

Thank you for the info, but I did see that and did not find it clear on the specifics of OAs outside of a surprise round. The bolded part quoted specifically calls out the end of being surprised, but that does not address OAs before one has acted for the first time.

First, Saeviomagy was not being passive aggressive he was being facetious. See the smiley? Secondly, Jack99 answered your question with a rules quote. Be careful, however, not to fall into the halting problem trap. If there's no rule granting you something doesn't mean that you are allowed that something if there's also no rule disallowing it. As an analogy, consider that nothing says that you are due an orange soda prior to your first action. But, do you really think you get one? So, as Saeviomagy points out, nothing says you don't get the OA so therefore things function as normal (default setting as Jack99 points out). Besides certain conditions, the only thing about rounds that disallows OA's is the surprise round.

 

[the Jester]

No such rule. Having it would be yet another "fiddly bit"- and for what? There's no payoff.

 

[Piratecat]

This was partially my question - it came up in our Merchant Prince game last night where someone thought they remembered such a rule but we couldn't find it quickly. As a result, I ruled (correctly, it turns out) and we moved on, planning to check later.

Whoo hoo! I got a rules question right! (jumps up and down)

 

[Infiniti2000]

Whoo hoo! I got a rules question right! (jumps up and down)

Even a broken clock is right twice a day. You simply picked the right time of day to make your ruling.

 

[Saeviomagy]

Not sure why the passive aggressive attitude since the correct answer to a question of "if there is a rule" would be "No there is not."

As infiniti2000 said, I was being facetious: no hostile intent was present.

Also

!

 

[Blood Jester]

First, Saeviomagy was not being passive aggressive he was being facetious. See the smiley? Secondly, Jack99 answered your question with a rules quote. Be careful, however, not to fall into the halting problem trap. If there's no rule granting you something doesn't mean that you are allowed that something if there's also no rule disallowing it. As an analogy, consider that nothing says that you are due an orange soda prior to your first action. But, do you really think you get one? So, as Saeviomagy points out, nothing says you don't get the OA so therefore things function as normal (default setting as Jack99 points out). Besides certain conditions, the only thing about rounds that disallows OA's is the surprise round.

So to clarify...

I do not have all three PHBs, the DMG, and various splat books memorized, I haven't had the time to do so like I did in 3e.

So I was asking if there was a rule regarding that particular situation, with the hope that someone either knew of one, of knew there was not.

An answer such as "There is no such rule." would suffice.

I asked for page numbers so that, if it existed I had the actual rule to discuss with my DM, since I don't think "Someone on EN World said so." is a good enough standard to ask your DM to go by.

Saying "I suppose I could show you where it isn't? Every page of all the rulebooks released to date " is just being a putz, emoticons don't negate what you write.

If you walked up to me on the street and said "Is the a pay phone near here you could point me to?"

Which response would be appropriate if there were none:

"Sorry, there are none around here."

-or-

"Should I point out every street corner that doesn't have one in the whole city? "

 

[DracoSuave]

To be fair, there are people who expect every single -nonexception- to a rule be codified.

So, taking OAs as an example, you can't use them against someone shifting. There are people who would then say 'Well, can you use them against someone flying?' 'Of course.' 'Show me the rule!' and don't actually accept the absence of an exception as sufficient.

Enough of that... and you can get a bit defensive when rules questions are being answered.

 

[Jhaelen]

So, taking OAs as an example, you can't use them against someone shifting. There are people who would then say 'Well, can you use them against someone flying?' 'Of course.' 'Show me the rule!' and don't actually accept the absence of an exception as sufficient.

Indeed. I still remember the discussion about what 'dead' actually means since it's not defined in the glossary...

"There's no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we're the imagination of ourselves."

 

[Saeviomagy]

If you walked up to me on the street and said "Is the a pay phone near here you could point me to?"

Which response would be appropriate if there were none:

"Sorry, there are none around here."

-or-

"Should I point out every street corner that doesn't have one in the whole city? "

Ah, but this is a different situation. With a pay phone, there either IS a pay phone, or there isn't.

With a ruling, there may be a rule that specifically allows an action or a rule that specifically denies it OR no rule that does either, merely leaving you to make an assumption based on other rules.

Normally I would have pointed you towards those rules that form that assumption, but you said you weren't interested in them.

Anyhow, aren't we all friends here? I was just trying to score a bonus internet!