AoO on a AoO?

[Li Shenron]

That could be an adventure hook: a greater celestial and a greater fiend are stuck in an eternal battle in an AoO loop of sundering each other's weapon, and it's up to the PCs to get them unstuck. Only that the PCs never get to act because the initiative is always at the same count

 

[Sejs]

That could be an adventure hook: a greater celestial and a greater fiend are stuck in an eternal battle in an AoO loop of sundering each other's weapon, and it's up to the PCs to get them unstuck. Only that the PCs never get to act because the initiative is always at the same count

Wait! Take it one step further! Because their eternal struggle all takes place on the same initiative, and has been ongoing since shortly after the Birth of All That Is, their battle is in fact the lynch-pin that is the Anchor Of Time.

Their never-ending battle is infact the Zero Point from which all time proceedes in reference from! The two are perfectly matched, neither unable to gain the upper hand, but should they be shifted out of confluence then Time itself would be begin to unravel! In your face, causality!




... and then have some bad guys who want to go and screw with this ancient balance so they can... I dunno, take over time and reshape all that has ever happened in whatever way they see fit or something. You know, standard villain stuff.

 

[green slime]

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

-Hyp.

Yes indeed. You gotta hope that they have high AC's...

 

[Gez]

My answer: NO. AoO are free actions, and free actions NEVER PROVOKE ATTACKS OF OPPORTUNITIES because the opening in the defenses is too short to be exploited.

 

[Li Shenron]

My answer: NO. AoO are free actions, and free actions NEVER PROVOKE ATTACKS OF OPPORTUNITIES because the opening in the defenses is too short to be exploited.

Back to game issues, I would prefer not to allow the use of an action as AoO if that action would provoke an AoO itself. Clearly a HR, and I haven't really used it.

 

[Hypersmurf]

AoO are free actions...

No, they aren't. They're not actions at all...

... and free actions NEVER PROVOKE ATTACKS OF OPPORTUNITIES because the opening in the defenses is too short to be exploited.

Explain Rapid Reload.

-Hyp.

 

[The Baron]

Oh, and they would both die or at least have their arms fly off their bodies, from having to move faster than their bodies could support.

I know this is delayed, but... HA!

Funniest post I've read in a while.

 

[Silverglass]

The way that I've always ruled it is that as soon as the one person chooses to take their AoO as something that doesn't provoke it resolves and the rest of the chain disappears because they never actually performed a provoking action, the other person then completes their last declared provoking action and that is the end of it as that person has completed their action and the first person isn't provoking any more.

 

[tensen]

My DM mode on.... an action that would provoke an attack of opportunity isn't a threatening action, therefore the character wouldn't have gotten to use the AoO.

This isn't directly stated but.. it does stated that you provoke an AoO because you are letting you guard down... and if you are letting your guard down.. how are you threatening?

This means that you can't trip, sunder, disarm... etc.. unless you have the improved feats... in which case they aren't provoking an attack of opportunity back.

However, I do believe that WOTC created a counterattack feat that allows an AoO everytime one is made against you.. so theoretically someone could have that and the feat that allows infinite AoO... in which case, the combat ends in a round. Pretty much what you'd expect from true masters of their art.

 

[Hypersmurf]

This isn't directly stated but.. it does stated that you provoke an AoO because you are letting you guard down... and if you are letting your guard down.. how are you threatening?

A lapse in your defense doesn't automatically dictate a lapse in your offense.

-Hyp.