AoO's while flatfooted?

[Bibliophile]

Can you take an AoO while flatfooted? i.e.- on the surprise round of a battle, when you're the one surprised?

 

[Amal Shukup]

Can you take an AoO while flatfooted? i.e.- on the surprise round of a battle, when you're the one surprised?

Not generally.

However, if you have the Combat Reflexes feat, you can.

COMBAT REFLEXES [GENERAL]
Benefit: You may make a number of additional attacks of opportunity equal to your Dexterity bonus.

With this feat, you may also make attacks of opportunity while flat-footed.

Normal: A character without this feat can make only one attack of opportunity per round and can’t make attacks of opportunity while flat-footed.

A'Mal

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Nope.

My group keeps forgetting this fact. You are flatfooted at the beginning of an encounter until you get your first move. As a result at the start of a fight, those with a high initiative should move further into the area rather than stop at the first opponent and cut off access for the others.

 

[Jhulae]

Exactly as A'Mal said: Only if you have Combat Reflexes.

Of course, as soon as you get combat reflexes all the monsters suddenly avoid getting into positions where you can hit them with an AoO, even when you're surprised...

Not that my DM does that and I'm bitter or anything.

 

[Aristotle]

Already answered... No AoO when flat footed unless you have a feat, magic item, spell or whatever that specifically states that it allows such things. (and to the best of my knowledge the Combat Reflexes feat is the only such thing.)

I have a player that forgets this at every game session and then gets all angry with me when he declares an AoO and I inform him that he can't take one yet.

 

[Darklone]

Exactly as A'Mal said: Only if you have Combat Reflexes.

Of course, as soon as you get combat reflexes all the monsters suddenly avoid getting into positions where you can hit them with an AoO, even when you're surprised...

Not that my DM does that and I'm bitter or anything.

Tell your DM to join my club of "MWDMs".

Mook Wasting DM: Your players will love you.

(And don't tell them it will not help against the BBEGs!)