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<blockquote data-quote="Grayswandir" data-source="post: 7482" data-attributes="member: 585">Hmm.&nbsp; I had thought the general ruling was that you can't make an attack of opportunity with an attack that would normally draw an attack of opportunity, but looking in the book I can't find that rule.&nbsp; I do recall now that bows have a special rule claiming that you do not threaten the 5 ft around you with a bow, but I can't think of a similar rule for unarmed strikes.Thus, I'll have to resort to some fine-detail reading.&nbsp; The Attacks of Opportunity section on page 122 of the PHB states &quot;you threaten the area into which you can make a melee attack&quot;.&nbsp; Then Table 8-1 and the Attack section on pages 122-123 both distinguish between three types of attacks:&nbsp; melee attacks, ranged attacks, and unarmed attacks.&nbsp; Therefore I must conclude that an unarmed attack does not (normally) count as a melee (armed) attack and so you cannot threaten the 5 ft around you when unarmed.The Unarmed Attacks section on page 140 goes on to explain that making an unarmed strike normally provokes an attack of opportunity from the creature you strike.&nbsp; The book then notes that monks, characters with the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, spellcasters using a touch spell, and creatures attacking with natural weapons all count as &quot;armed&quot; when making unarmed strikes, and thus do not provoke attacks of opportunity from the creatures they attack.&nbsp; Furthermore, they can make attacks of opportunity with their unarmed strike against creatures who attempt unarmed strikes against them.&nbsp; The text does not there mention any ability or disability of such characters to make other (normal) attacks of opportunity.So, all in all, I still contend that unarmed characters can make unarmed attacks of opportunity if and only if they possess the Improved Unarmed Strike feat or the use thereof (in the case of a Monk).&nbsp; But I acknowledge that the rules are not unambiguous in this case.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Grayswandir, post: 7482, member: 585"] Hmm. I had thought the general ruling was that you can't make an attack of opportunity with an attack that would normally draw an attack of opportunity, but looking in the book I can't find that rule. I do recall now that bows have a special rule claiming that you do not threaten the 5 ft around you with a bow, but I can't think of a similar rule for unarmed strikes. Thus, I'll have to resort to some fine-detail reading. The Attacks of Opportunity section on page 122 of the PHB states "you threaten the area into which you can make a melee attack". Then Table 8-1 and the Attack section on pages 122-123 both distinguish between three types of attacks: melee attacks, ranged attacks, and unarmed attacks. Therefore I must conclude that an unarmed attack does not (normally) count as a melee (armed) attack and so you cannot threaten the 5 ft around you when unarmed. The Unarmed Attacks section on page 140 goes on to explain that making an unarmed strike normally provokes an attack of opportunity from the creature you strike. The book then notes that monks, characters with the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, spellcasters using a touch spell, and creatures attacking with natural weapons all count as "armed" when making unarmed strikes, and thus do not provoke attacks of opportunity from the creatures they attack. Furthermore, they can make attacks of opportunity with their unarmed strike against creatures who attempt unarmed strikes against them. The text does not there mention any ability or disability of such characters to make other (normal) attacks of opportunity. So, all in all, I still contend that unarmed characters can make unarmed attacks of opportunity if and only if they possess the Improved Unarmed Strike feat or the use thereof (in the case of a Monk). But I acknowledge that the rules are not unambiguous in this case. [/QUOTE]

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