Official Kulan Q&A Thread

[Knightfall]

Saving these old Rules of the Game articles here:

Rules of the Game: All About Attacks of Opportunity (Part One)

Rules of the Game: All About Attacks of Opportunity (Part One)

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Rules of the Game: All About Attacks of Opportunity (Part Two)

Rules of the Game: All About Attacks of Opportunity (Part Two)

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[Knightfall]

@Tellerian Hawke,

Hmm, I think the way I've been doing it all these years is wrong.

Actions that Provoke Attacks of Opportunity
An action's description tells you whether it provokes an attack of opportunity. Table 8-2 in the Player's Handbook summarizes actions available to you in combat and notes which ones provoke attacks of opportunity.

The move and run actions are worth a special note. According to Table 8-2, both these actions provoke attacks of opportunity; however, the basic rule for movement and attacks of opportunity still applies. When you move from one square to another in combat, you provoke an attack of opportunity when you leave a threatened square -- not when you enter a threatened square.
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Getting Out of Harm's Way
You can leave a threatened square without provoking an attack of opportunity.

Taking a 5-foot Step: If you leave a threatened square by taking a 5-foot step, your movement doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity from any foe that threatens that square. Remember, however, that you can take a 5-foot step only if you don't perform any other movement during your turn (see page 144 in the Player's Handbook).

The Withdraw Action: You can use the withdraw action (see page 143 in the Player's Handbook) to leave one threatened square without provoking attacks of opportunity (that square doesn't count as a threatened square). You can move up to twice your speed when withdrawing, but you're safe only from attacks of opportunity you'd provoke when leaving your first square. Foes you can't see (or discern through blindsight) can make attacks of opportunity against you even when you leave that first square.

The withdraw action is a full-round action, so you can't take other actions if you withdraw during your turn.

It's interesting that the article doesn't mention the option to Withdraw when a character is limited to less than a full-round action. For me, that's something the article should have clarified. Oh well, spilt milk and all that.

All this means that I've been having bad guys and the other NPCs moving around in combat against and with the PCs without using all the proper AoOs available to them.

So, either Angus should get an AoO or the cultist can only move away 5 feet after attacking the centaur. Well, that's not what I did, so I'm going to have to allow the AoO. The cultist chose to attack and then chose to run away. No backpedaling by me on his actions.

 

[Knightfall]

Also note the unofficial rules on reach weapons... those should end our conundrum with Angus and his lance.

A Pair of Completely Unofficial Rules
I was talking to Andy Collins, senior RPG designer at Wizards of the Coast, about threatened areas and attacks of opportunity not long ago, and the two of us cooked up two rules we're going to try out in our own games.

Tiny Creatures with Reach Weapons
As noted earlier, using a reach weapon doubles your natural reach. If your natural reach is 0, your reach is still 0 when you wield a reach weapon. As a variant, allow Tiny creatures a reach of 5 feet when they use reach weapons.

Using Reach Weapons up Close
Normally, when you wield a reach weapon, the area you threaten forms a hollow ring. You threaten a band of squares away from you, but not the band of squares right next to you. This is the game's way of representing the weapon's physical limits. If the business end of the weapon is at the end of a pole more than 5 feet from you, it's pretty hard to bring that end to bear against a foe right next to you.

Most reach weapons have fairly sturdy shafts, however, and there's no reason why you couldn't use the shaft to clobber someone. Likewise, there's no reason why you couldn't shorten your grip on the weapon so that the business end doesn't stick out so far. To represent these possibilities, you can allow a character to use a reach weapon to attack foes within his natural reach, but with a -4 penalty on attack and damage rolls. The penalties simulate all the difficulties the character has when employing the weapon in this fashion, such as striking with the shaft or messing up the weapon's usual leverage and balance.

 

[Knightfall]

Saving this link here for my use...

Redirecting…

 

[Knightfall]

ALL ABOUT MOVEMENT
Part One

Rules of the Game: All About Movement (Part One)

Rules of the Game: All About Movement (Part One)

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Part Two

Rules of the Game: All About Movement (Part Two)

Rules of the Game: All About Movement (Part Two)

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Part Three

Rules of the Game: All About Movement (Part Three)

Rules of the Game: All About Movement (Part Three)

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Part Four

Rules of the Game: All About Movement (Part Four)

Rules of the Game: All About Movement (Part Four)

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Part Five

Rules of the Game: All About Movement (Part Five)

Rules of the Game: All About Movement (Part Five)

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Part Six

Rules of the Game: All About Movement (Part Six)

Rules of the Game: All About Movement (Part Six)

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Part Seven

Rules of the Game: All About Movement (Part Seven)

Rules of the Game: All About Movement (Part Seven)

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[Knightfall]

When Moving Isn't a Move Action
Several actions fit our definition of "movement" but are not move actions. Unless noted otherwise, you can't also take a 5-foot step during a turn when you use one of these actions...

Withdraw: As a full-round action you can move up to double your speed; you can move in any direction you normally could move (including toward an enemy), and the first square you leave is not considered threatened. If you leave any additional threatened squares, however, you provoke attacks of opportunity normally. When withdrawing, you must use a mode of movement for which you have a speed rating (see next section). Withdrawing is a full-round action no matter how far you choose to move. You can't do anything else (except take free actions) during the turn when you withdraw.

If you're limited to only a standard action during your turn, you can withdraw as a standard action, moving up to your speed. If you're capable of using a full-round action, you must use a full-round action to withdraw.

I pretty sure the underlined part of this description is where my confusion came from regarding moving and AoO. Likely I'd seen it before and my mind expanded it to the idea that the first square a character moves isn't considered threatened for AoOs.

 

[Knightfall]

For @JustinCase...

Wild Shape
This class feature works like the polymorph spell, except that wildshape is a supernatural ability that works only for the druid using it. It cannot be shared with the druid's animal companion (or other creature with the share spells quality) because it's a supernatural ability.

The duration is 1 hour per druid level or until the druid resumes her normal form. Changing form (to animal or back) is a standard action and doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity.

At 11th level and below, the druid can assume only animal forms; the size of the animal form to be assumed depends on the druid's level, as noted in the druid class description. Since the power duplicates the polymorph spell, the druid gains the assumed form's extraordinary special attacks, but not its extraordinary special qualities. For example, a druid wildshaped into a wolf gains the wolf's trip attack but not its scent ability. The druid's level determines what size animal form the druid can assume.

At 12th level and above, a druid can assume plant forms of the same sizes as the animal forms the druid can assume.

At 16th level and above, a druid can assume elemental forms, with the druid's level limiting the size as noted in the druid class description. A druid that takes elemental form retains her own creature type, but gains all the elemental's extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like abilities (both special attacks and special qualities), and also gains the elemental's feats. Since the druid does not gain the features and traits of the elemental type, the druid does not gain the elemental's immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, and stunning. The druid also does not gain immunity to critical hits or flanking. On the bright side, the druid retains the ability to be raised or resurrected, provided that the druid could be raised or resurrected in the first place.

Alternate Form
This supernatural special quality works much like the polymorph spell; here's an overview, with the differences between the alternate form ability and the polymorph spell called out.

• Unlike polymorph, the creature is limited to the assumed forms specified in the creature's description.
• Unlike polymorph, the creature retains the type and subtype of its original form. It gains the size of its new form.
• The creature loses the natural weapons, natural armor, movement modes, and extraordinary special attacks of its original form. The creature gains the natural weapons, natural armor, movement modes, and extraordinary special attacks of its new form.
• Unlike polymorph, the creature retains the special qualities of its original form. It does not gain any special qualities of its new form.
• The creature retains the spell-like abilities and supernatural attacks of its old form (except for breath weapons and gaze attacks). It does not gain the spell-like abilities or supernatural attacks of its new form.
• The creature gains the physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution) of its new form. It retains the mental ability scores (Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma) of its original form.
• Unlike polymorph, the creature retains its hit points and save bonuses, although its save modifiers may change due to a change in ability scores.
• Unlike polymorph, the creature does not regain any lost hit points from changing form.
• The creature retains any spellcasting ability it had in its original form, although it must be able to speak intelligibly to cast spells with verbal components and it must have humanlike hands to cast spells with somatic components.

I don't think the underlined one is right, but I'm going to have to check the errata and FAQ.

 

[Knightfall]

Wild Shape
Player’s Handbook, page 37
Replace sentence 3 of this class feature with the following text:

• This ability functions like the alternate form special ability (see the Monster Manual), except as noted here.
• Add the following sentence to the end of paragraph 1: Each time you use wild shape, you regain lost hit points as if you had rested for a night.
• Add this new paragraph after the current paragraph 1: Any gear worn or carried by the druid melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. When the druid reverts to her true form, any objects previously melded into the new form reappear in the same location on her body that they previously occupied and are once again functional. Any new items worn in the assumed form fall off and land at the druid's feet.

There we go.

 

[JustinCase]

Phew! I knew it’s in the SRD, so good to see it confirmed. Although actually I didn’t even know using Wild Shape heals, I only discovered it when looking up the details a few days ago.