Protecting dying ally

[anon]

A couple of questions came up in our last session. I've looked for answers but nothing was clear cut to me, so I'm appealing to the wisdom of the masses.

We had a PC fall (he was techincally "dying", ie less than 0 HPs) and another party member moved to stand over him to try to protect him since the enemy was threatening to hit him again if we didn't withdraw.

Here are my questions:

1) can the enemies target the downed PC?

2) what bonus(es), if any, is the downed PC given for having an active protector standing over him?

3) if a third ally attempts to drag the body out of combat from behind the front line (where the fallen PC remains) would adjacent enemies get attacks of opportunity on the fallen PC as he leaves the square they threatened (rememberibg that he may have soft cover from his ally standing over him)?

Opinions are welcomed; rules references are even better.

Thanks.

 

[kitcik]

A couple of questions came up in our last session. I've looked for answers but nothing was clear cut to me, so I'm appealing to the wisdom of the masses.

We had a PC fall (he was techincally "dying", ie less than 0 HPs) and another party member moved to stand over him to try to protect him since the enemy was threatening to hit him again if we didn't withdraw.

Here are my questions:

1) can the enemies target the downed PC?

2) what bonus(es), if any, is the downed PC given for having an active protector standing over him?

3) if a third ally attempts to drag the body out of combat from behind the front line (where the fallen PC remains) would adjacent enemies get attacks of opportunity on the fallen PC as he leaves the square they threatened (rememberibg that he may have soft cover from his ally standing over him)?

Opinions are welcomed; rules references are even better.

Thanks.

1) Yes.
2) You can stand in the same square as a prone ally, so I think that would provide partial cover (+4 AC vs. ranged) & concealment (20% miss chance). Furthermore, a coup-de-gras attempt provokes an AoO.
3) I would say no as there is still a foe (the fallen PC's ally) in the square he is leaving from. However, reach or other threatened squares may provide an AoO.

 

[frankthedm]

1) can the enemies target the downed PC?

2) what bonus(es), if any, is the downed PC given for having an active protector standing over him?

3) if a third ally attempts to drag the body out of combat from behind the front line (where the fallen PC remains) would adjacent enemies get attacks of opportunity on the fallen PC as he leaves the square they threatened (rememberibg that he may have soft cover from his ally standing over him)?

Opinions are welcomed; rules references are even better.

1: Yes.
2: Aid another action covers this, which would provide +2 AC against ONE attacker.. If the defender wants to get in the way and provide cover, suffering -4 to AC to grant half cover to the helpless ally sounds reasonable. Don't forget prone and helpless makes someone 9 points easier to hit.