Opportunity attacks vs. invisible enemies?

[Zerakon]

I'm curious to know if there's rules that should inform how I adjudicate attacks vs. invisible enemies. I've read the sections of the PHB on invisible and opportunity attacks but I might have missed something, and certainly might have missed an official ruling elsewhere.

Examples (assuming the PC cannot see invisible creatures):

1) A visible creature begins his turn adjacent to a PC. It first uses an action to turn invisible. Then it moves away. Does the PC get an opportunity attack? Is there some perception vs. stealth roll that needs to happen for the OA to occur? Or do you automatically receive the OA but at -5 for total concealment?

2) A visible creature begins his turn a few squares away from a PC. It first uses an action to turn invisible. Then it moves past (and adjacent to) the PC. Does the PC get an opportunity attack? Is there some perception vs. stealth roll that needs to be successful for the OA to occur?

 

[Oompa]

Page 281:

Invisible Creatures and Stealth: If an invisible creature is hidden from you (“Stealth,” page 188), you can neither hear nor see it, and you have to guess what space it occupies. If an invisible creature is not hidden from you, you can hear it or sense some other sign of its presence and therefore know what space it occupies, although you still can’t see it.

So simply said..

If an invisible creature has not made a stealth check, you know in which square it is when it moves near you.. So you can get OA only with a penalty

On your turn, you can make a Perception check as a minor action (page 186) to try to determine the location of an invisible creature that is hidden from you.

So conclusion, if an invisible creature is not hidden, you sense it's location, but can't see it. If a invisible creature is hidden, you have no clue where it is so it can sneak past you if it has a greater stealth check than your passive..

 

[DracoSuave]

It's easy.

You only get opportunity attacks against creatures you can see.

 

[Zerakon]

After looking again at the rules on pg 290 of PHB, I definitely agree with Draco and disagree with Oompa. What I missed earlier was the phrase "and you can see your enemy" at the end of the "Able to Attack" bullet.

 

[chitzk0i]

Check the updated rules as reprinted in the PHB2. They make it clear that you could make an OA (at -5 for total concealment) against an invisible creature that hasn't made a stealth check.

 

[abyssaldeath]

chitzk0i, those are the rules for targeting what you can't see(general rule). OA's have their own rules and the rules for OA's say that you need to see the target(specific rule).

 

[Regicide]

Check the updated rules as reprinted in the PHB2. They make it clear that you could make an OA (at -5 for total concealment) against an invisible creature that hasn't made a stealth check.

I don't see anything overriding the requirement in OA of being able to see the target, nor do I see the -5 rule.

 

[Tellerve]

If someone is invisible but hasn't made a successful stealth check against you then while you can't "see" him you know he is present and in which square (maybe his body pushes some of the leaves away from him in the forest, or his boots displaces water in a creek, or you see his footprints, or the dust roils about his invisible form). However, he still has total concealment, hence the -5 to your attack. So there's your rules, nice and easy and just how the Errata had them.

 

[Mort_Q]

Even if you are aware of an invisible enemy, you still can't see it. The rules of OAs clearly state that you can not make and opportunity attack if you can not see the enemy.

You can still attack the enemy, on your own turn, if you spend a minor action to perform a perception check... etc.

 

[webrunner]

Even if you are aware of an invisible enemy, you still can't see it. The rules of OAs clearly state that you can not make and opportunity attack if you can not see the enemy.

You can still attack the enemy, on your own turn, if you spend a minor action to perform a perception check... etc.

Just a note: you dont need to do the perception check to attack an enemy who didn't use stealth, even if they are invisible. The perception check just lets you find the square, but without a stealth (or with a failed stealth) you already know the square.