AoOs. when do they reset?

[Negative Zero]

from the SRD:

An attack of opportunity is a single melee attack, and a character can only make one per round.

when exactly does this round start (and consequently end)? is it determined by the highest (and lowest initiative score?) or the specific character's initiative? or perhaps the initiative count when the attack happened?

~NegZ

 

[AuraSeer]

AFAIK the rules don't define whether the "AoO round" starts at each character's initiative, or all at once for everybody. It doesn't make much difference; no one will get more AoOs than he's entitled to in any case. Just pick one method and stick with it.

Resetting at each character's initiative is probably more realistic, since the PCs don't actually have the concept of a new round starting. It would also fit well at the beginning of combat, because a character's AoO counter would start at the same time he became un-flat-footed.

The bookkeeping is easier if you reset everyone at the beginning of the round, though. That's what we do IMC, mainly because we don't want to be bothered remembering the initiative count of every AoO from our (large) party plus their cohorts, mounts, familiars, and assorted summoned beasties.

 

[Dr_Rictus]

If it reset on the character's initiative, it could happen twice in the same round. "Once per round" necessarily implies that it resets when you go to a different round.

That said, I don't see the harm in doing it the other way, either.

 

[Negative Zero]

well, i think that it should reset on the character's initiative count, otherwise they could get two AoOs between actions.

PC goes at 12
E1 goes at 18
E2 goes at 9

at 12, PC attacks; at 9, E2 provokes an AoO and PC atkes it. the round ends, and E1 prokokes an AoO. PC gets another. ... altho, now that i think about it, that'd mean he couldn't get another that round so theoretically, it would cancel out.

i was really looking to see if the was an official answer.

~NegZ

 

[dcollins]

I'd be confident in saying that the AOOs reset on the individual character's initiative. Among other things, this means that attack options that modify your bonuses until the next action (Power Attack, Expertise) are in effect for exactly one cycle of the character's AOOs.

Re: Dr. Rictus' statement, the rules specifically say this:

For almost all purposes, there is no relevance to the end of a round or the beginning of a round. The term "round"... usually means a span of time from one round to the same initiative number (initiative count) in the next round. (PHB p. 121)

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

What dcollins said.

Lacking Combat Reflexes, you can't take an AoO when flatfooted, so if your AoO window runs from your first initiative count in the first round to your next initiative, you'll be getting full rounds of availability (instead of less-than-a-round, followed by full rounds).

I think, though, that you could play it either way in game, and so long as you're consistent it would average out in the end.