AoO on a AoO?

AoO

OK, correct me if I'm worng, but this feat says nothing about allowing more than one AoO against the same opponent. You may have infinite AoO's, but each one SHOULD still have to be against a different opponent, thus two epic people in a one-on-one brawl could still only get one AoO per round.
 

log in or register to remove this ad

How would the proposed infinite loop go, anyway?

I'm assuming the available attack options that also provoke AoOs are:
  • Bull rush,
  • Disarm,
  • Grapple,
  • Sunder,
  • Trip, and
  • Unarmed attack.
Did I miss any?

The unarmed attack can't be done in a infinite loop, as you don't get to take AoOs if unarmed. And, as for the others, I'm not sure I'd allow a PC to do any of them more than once in a long chain of AoOs.......

Let's say you have 2 Epic rapier weilding fighters, both of which have the Imp. Combat Reflexes Feat, and neither has Imp. Disarm.

Would you allow an infinite "attack action: disarm" chain? What rules could we use to cut that chain.......
 

HeyLookItsMe said:
OK, correct me if I'm worng, but this feat says nothing about allowing more than one AoO against the same opponent. You may have infinite AoO's, but each one SHOULD still have to be against a different opponent, thus two epic people in a one-on-one brawl could still only get one AoO per round.
Nope. Sorry!

SRD_3.5 said:
Combat Reflexes and Additional Attacks of Opportunity: If you have the Combat Reflexes feat you can add your Dexterity modifier to the number of attacks of opportunity you can make in a round. This feat does not let you make more than one attack for a given opportunity, but if the same opponent provokes two attacks of opportunity from you, you could make two separate attacks of opportunity (since each one represents a different opportunity). Moving out of more than one square threatened by the same opponent in the same round doesn’t count as more than one opportunity for that opponent. All these attacks are at your full normal attack bonus.
 
Last edited:

HeyLookItsMe said:
OK, correct me if I'm worng
You're wrong. ;)
In 3.5, the limitation on Combat Reflexes is one AoO per opportunity-- not per opponent. If somebody takes two actions that provoke (say, moving through a space you threaten with reach, then attempting a grapple), you get to attack twice. If he manages to take three or four or twenty separate actions that provoke, you can still attack once for each, assuming you have enouhg AoOs to go around.
 

Nail said:
Would you allow an infinite "attack action: disarm" chain? What rules could we use to cut that chain.......
Well, this is only an academic problem.

I can't imagine a couple of guys starting an infinite serie of AoO, where the others just stay there waiting for their turn. :D
 
Last edited:


Nail said:
So: where in the FAQ(s) does it say you can't take an AoO off another's AoO?

There's no such rule.

The Improved Combat Reflexes, Infinite Disarm chain is theoretically possible, and until one or the other declares something other than a Disarm as their AoO, the chain won't be broken. (And no outside interference, either, since the entire chain takes place during the original provoker's action, before anyone else can act.)

A more amusing thought experiment involves two opponents with ICR, Karmic Strike, and the Double Hit feat from the MiniHB...

-Hyp.
 

The custserv answer sounds like a magic card resolution sequence. Unfortunately, I think that is probably they best they can do for a theoretically open-ended question.

I would say just apply a little bit of consistent logic. When neither opponent chooses to use their AOO with an action that does not draw another AOO, I would probably get tired of it and move to the next initiative order, ruling that the two combatants had drawn themselves to an impasse. Thye are both so good that they fought each other to such a standstill that neither of them achieved anything useful.

I can see where people might get a little upset about that, but I can see two opponents drawing to that conclusion.

Or you could rule it that if you are attempting an action that draws an AOO, and somebody responds with an action that draws an AOO, you cannot respond because you are already engaged in that action.

So somebody tries a disarm and draws an AOO, their adversary responds with a sunder, the first person cannot respond to that AOO because they are already commited to the action. However, an ally certainly could.

Again, I can see some whining coming from that type of decision. But the game is supposed to be fun and it isn't fun when you spend half an hour resolving the stacked AOO's between two opponents before you move to the *real* action for the character so you can finally move to the next person in the initiative sequence.
 



Remove ads

Top