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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DM_Blake" data-source="post: 3950058" data-attributes="member: 57267">I'm not sure this works. It creates new wacky scenarios.An orc is attacking a wizard, and the wizard's figter ally wants to prevent the orc from killing the wizard. All the fighter has to do is run past the orc to hit him from behind with flanking. That +2 on the attack roll helps insure that the fighter will take out the orc. Of course, the orc doesn't want this to happen. In your suggested early attack opportunity (EAO), the orc now has to decide: should I attack that heavily armored fighter as he runs past me, probably miss him with all that armor or only wound him with all his HP if I even hit him, or shold I let him get behind me and soak up his attack and hope I'm still alive to kill this wizard. Essentially, clever players will figure out very quickly how to use the heavily armrored guys to suck up attacks that could have been used against the weaker party members. Heck, toss some Mobility on the fighters and really let them draw all the fire.That fighter knows that either the orc will waste his precious 1 attack by taking his EAO, which will save the wizard, or the orc will choose not to take the EAO so he can attack the wizard later, wh ich allows the fighter to get into perfect position to maximize his combat advantage. It's all win-win for the fighter. There is no lose outcome.With the current AoO system, that orc will always attack because the orc doesn't have to give up his swing at the wizard in order to swing at the fighter. In the AoO system, if the fighter wanted to use that strategy, he has to consider that both characters might get hit and take damage, which would result in more cleric resources being used. If resource management is a factor, maybe the fighter would choose a less "draw the fire" solution. Now at least there is a possible lose outcome, so maybe it's not the automatic win-win strategy.Another scenairo that could easily be abused is if someone is clearly not as threatening as one of his allies, he can freely do whatever he wants in combat, provoke a dozen EAOs if he wants to, because he knows the enemy won't give up a chance to eliminate the threatening ally to use those EAOs against him.I guess what I'm saying is that a D&D combat system that lets a combatant dictate how the enemy can use his limited number of attacks is easy to manipulate. But if the system punishes poor combat decisions without using the limited attacks of the combatants, then bad combat decisions always have consequences.</blockquote>

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