Slow spell vs. Combat Reflexes

[Kalendraf]

During last nights session, this was another topic that came up. Suppose a character or creature has Combat Reflexes, but is affected by the Slow spell.

Slow Spell Affect:
An affected creature moves and attacks at a drastically slowed rate. A slowed creature can take only a single move action or standard action each turn, but not both (nor may it take full-round actions). Additionally, it takes a –1 penalty on attack rolls, AC, and Reflex saves. A slowed creature moves at half its normal speed (round down to the next 5-foot increment), which affects the creature's jumping distance as normal for decreased speed.

COMBAT REFLEXES [GENERAL]
Benefit: You may make a number of additional attacks of opportunity equal to your Dexterity bonus.
With this feat, you may also make attacks of opportunity while flat-footed.
Normal: A character without this feat can make only one attack of opportunity per round and can't make attacks of opportunity while flat-footed.
Special: The Combat Reflexes feat does not allow a rogue to use her opportunist ability more than once per round.
A fighter may select Combat Reflexes as one of his fighter bonus feats.
A monk may select Combat Reflexes as a bonus feat at 2nd level.

I was unable to find anything anywhere that mentions how Slow affects the number of AoO's allowed by Combat Reflexes. However, one of my players was insisting that there is (or should be) some kind of rule for it. Did I miss something?

 

[Jdvn1]

Slow doesn't affect the number of AoO's. Whether or not there should be is a GM call.

 

[irdeggman]

Slow Spell shouldn't affect the number of AoO a character canmake. This is becasue AoO occur outside of a character's normal actions. In effect they are free/bonus actions. The attackpenalty imposed by Slow does however affect every attack the character makes, so they are all at -1.

A character is entitled to single AoO per round. Combat reflexes allows a character to make additional AoO up to his Dex bonus. A character can make a single AoO on an opponent per opportunity. What this means is that certain things instigate AoO, likemoving or casting a spell. Say a foe is in a square threatened by a slowed character with combat reflexes (and at a +2 Dex mod). On the foe's turn he casts a spell and then moves (didn't say he was smart). Both action draw AoO. The slowed character can take an AoO when the foe starts to cast the spell (possibly disrupting the casting). The slowed character can take an additional AoO against the character when he leaves the threatened square. If the slowed character didn't have combat reflexes he could take 1 AoO during either the casting or movement but not both.

One of the differences is that the AoO is an opportunist attack and not a ful attack. While a character can only make a single normal attack unless he does a full attackaction this does not apply to the extra attack provided by the opportunity given which promoted the AoO - hence the opportunity portion of the phrase.

 

[Ferox4]

Technically, jvdn1 & irdeggmon are both correct. Slow does not prevent a PC w/ Combat Reflexes from taking all his AoOs.

Whether or not there should be is a GM call.

However, it seems counter-intuitive to me that said PC would get to take all of his AoOs. I would rule that the PC could not take any AoOs, or possibly just one. But hey, that's just me.

 

[robberbaron]

I'd probably rule that they cold take half (round down) the AoOs they would otherwise get.