Updated on November 17, 2000 Movement & Attacks of Opportunity New: WotC has posted a two-page PDF file (332kb) illustrating several AoO principles. This article originally appeared in Dragon Magazine and was written by Jonathan Tweet. Download it here. One of the hardest concepts to grasp in the new D&D combat rules is that some kinds of movement draw attacks of opportunity and some don't. The illustrations below should give you a good idea of what kinds of moves your character can safely make. Please refer to p. 122 of the PHB for more information about Attacks of Opportunity. Important Official Correction Typical Situation Flanked and Trying to Escape Big Opponents with Reach Important Official Correction: This is an official piece of errata for the 1st printing of the Player's Handbook: On p. 122 of the PHB, the following sentences need a word replaced: "If all you do is move (not run) during your turn, the space that you start out in is not considered threatened, and therefore enemies do not get attacks of opportunity against you when you move from that space. If you move into another threatened space, enemies do get attacks of opportunity for your leaving the first second threatened space." Sean Reynolds' explanation: In other words, leaving that first threatened space is safe if all you do is move, but it doesn't make any later threatened spaces that round safe that weren't safe already. Typical Situation: In the first examples, we have a Bard with a longsword and an orc with a battle axe. Neither has any feats related to attacks of opportunity. The Move: The bard moves from G2 to D3 and attacks the orc. Attack of Opportunity? No. Reason: "If you move within or out of a threatened area, you usually provoke an attack of opportunity." The bard is not moving within or out of a threatened area. He's moving into one. Moving into a threatened area doesn't in itself draw an attack of opportunity. The Move: The bard moves from G2 to B3, passing through D3 and C3 to do so. Attack of Opportunity? Yes, when the bard moves from D3 to C3. Reason: The bard is moving within a threatened area. Moving into D3 doesn't provoke it. It's leaving D3 to go to C3 that provokes it. C3 to B3 is essentially the same problem, but the orc is only allowed one AoO per round. Even if the orc had Combat Reflexes, he can still only take one AoO per opponent per round. The Move: The bard takes a 5' step in any direction; this is his only move for the round (though he could take an action). Attack of Opportunity? No. Reason: "...if your entire move for the round is 5 feet (a 5-foot step), enemies do not get attacks of opportunity for your moving." He could take an action as well; that action may or may not provoke an attack of opportunity (see the lists of actions in combat to determine). The Move: The bard moves from D3 out of the threatened area without passing through any other threatened squares. Attack of Opportunity? Depends... If the bard is Running (moving x4 speed), then yes. If the bard takes any other action this round (such as attacking), then yes. If the bard only moves (but doesn't run), then no. Reason: "If all you do is move (not run) during your turn, the space that you start out in is not considered threatened, and therefore enemies do not get attacks of opportunity against you when you move from that space." Strategies: That 5' step is your friend. You can use it to step out of a threatened area safely and still take another action; and because you're not threatened any more you can do things that normally draw AoOs like cast a spell or fire a missile weapon. Of course, next round that orc can take a 5' step and whack you again. Even worse, once your opponent sees you do that one time, he will get the hint and instead of just letting you take that 5' step and cast, he'll Ready an Attack action -- which can include a 5' step if desired (see p. 127, "Partial Actions," last sentence of 2nd paragraph). So you may only get away with this trick once or twice before your opponent catches on! Flanked and Trying to Escape: This next example shows the difficulty of escaping a flanking situation. Same bard, add an orc. The Move: The bard is flanked by two orcs and so stands in two overlapping threatened areas. He moves from C4 to G4 without attacking or taking any other action, and doesn't run. Attack of Opportunity? Yes, as he leaves D4 he draws Attacks of Opportunity from both orcs! Reason: Moving within a threatened area. "If all you do is move (not run) during your turn, the space that you start out in is not considered threatened, and therefore enemies do not get attacks of opportunity against you when you move from that space. If you move into another threatened space, enemies do get attacks of opportunity for your leaving the second* threatened space." Moving without attacking means that C4 is not considered threatened, but no such luck with D4. However, there is a way to reduce the hazard, as shown below... *See important note above about the corrected wording of this sentence. The Move: The bard is flanked by two orcs and so stands in two overlapping threatened areas. He moves from C4 to F1 without attacking or taking any other action, and doesn't run. Attack of Opportunity? Yes, as he leaves D3 he draws Attacks of Opportunity from just the "green" orc. Reason: Moving within a threatened area, same as above. Moving without attacking means that C4 is not considered threatened, but no such luck with D3. This diagonal move makes it possible for the bard to safely step out of the "orange" orc's threatened area, leaving him only the "green" one to whack at him. Strategies: Obviously, use that diagonal move to reduce the number of AoOs against you. Also try to avoid being flanked. Big Opponents with Reach: In the final examples, we have the same Bard, but he's facing an Ogre wielding a huge greatclub. Ogres have a natural Reach of 10'; "... a creature with greater than natural reach (more than 5 feet) can still strike creatures next to it." (PHB p. 132). The Move: The bard moves from G2 to E4. He stops just inside the ogre's reach. Attack of Opportunity? No. Reason: Moving into a threatened area doesn't provoke an Attack of Opportunity. The Move: The bard moves from G2 to D3 to attack the ogre. Attack of Opportunity? Yes, as he moves from E3 to D3. Reason: This counts as moving within a threatened area; that move from E3 to D3 is a move from one threatened square to another. The Move: The bard takes a 5' step but no other move. Attack of Opportunity? No. Reason: "...if your entire move for the round is 5 feet (a 5-foot step), enemies do not get attacks of opportunity for your moving." He could take an action as well; that action may or may not provoke an attack of opportunity (see the lists of actions in combat to determine). The Move: The bard moves from D3 away from the ogre and does not take any other actions. He doesn't run. Attack of Opportunity? Yes. Reason:"If all you do is move (not run) during your turn, the space that you start out in is not considered threatened, and therefore enemies do not get attacks of opportunity against you when you move from that space. If you move into another threatened space, enemies do get attacks of opportunity for your leaving the second* threatened space." So D3 (his starting square) is not considered threatened. However, when he moves from E3 to F3, that's when the AoO occurs, because he's moving out of a threatened area. *See important note above about the corrected wording of this sentence. Strategies: To make it a fairer fight, approach with your own Reach weapon, then stop just inside the threatened area and proceed to make normal attacks. Or stay outside of the threatened area altogether and rely on missile weapons and spells. Dungeons & Dragons, D&D 3E and AD&D are all property of Wizards of the Coast.