Attacks of Opportunity and Trip and Fun

[Mouseferatu]

Well, it depends.

If someone's already started standing from prone, are they still prone?

Yep. The attack "resolves" before the action--standing from prone--does so. Since the game doesn't have a state for "partly prone," it's a binary situation, A or B. Since they have not yet completed the action to become A, they are still B.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Yep. The attack "resolves" before the action--standing from prone--does so. Since the game doesn't have a state for "partly prone," it's a binary situation, A or B. Since they have not yet completed the action to become A, they are still B.

It does have a state for "in the process of casting a spell", though, which is where the mechanical difference between 'occurs before' and 'resolves before' becomes crucial.

-Hyp.

 

[Darklone]

Trippers.

 

[Mouseferatu]

It does have a state for "in the process of casting a spell", though, which is where the mechanical difference between 'occurs before' and 'resolves before' becomes crucial.

Indeed it does. But since that's not what the OP asked about, and is not the situation being discussed, I feel no need to delve into it any more deeply.

 

[Kahlenar]

Well, thank you all for the replies, it seems that I can hit them before they stand up, but they get to stand up anyway, though it seems that I should be able to trip them again logically, however, this would likely have to be a readied action to trip them as soon as they are standing again. Really turns out to the same amount of attacks until level 6, but as a spiked chain fighter the power comes from AOOs. Well, this should be fun, thanks.

 

[sirwmholder]

Well, thank you all for the replies, it seems that I can hit them before they stand up, but they get to stand up anyway, though it seems that I should be able to trip them again logically, however, this would likely have to be a readied action to trip them as soon as they are standing again. Really turns out to the same amount of attacks until level 6, but as a spiked chain fighter the power comes from AOOs. Well, this should be fun, thanks.

Even though you can't trip them again you could disarm them... when they try to pick up their weapon and provoke an AoO... trip 'em and get your free attack again... add in a sunder either to their armor or their weapon to really give them cause to moan.

Hope this helps,
William Holder

 

[Hypersmurf]

add in a sunder either to their armor or their weapon to really give them cause to moan.

Note that armor cannot be sundered; note also that the Sunder action does not carry footnote 7 on Table 8-2, which denotes what can be performed as an AoO.

-Hyp.

 

[RigaMortus2]

If you want to "crash the game" and cause an infinite loop, you could use Imp Trip on an AoO, then the free melee attack you get from Imp Trip, use that as a Trip as well, which then triggers another free melee attack, which allows for Trip again, and so on

 

[nute]

Well, it depends.

If someone's already started standing from prone, are they still prone?

-Hyp.

At the point where an AoO would be triggered, for mechanical purposes yes. By the nature of an AoO, your opponent is in a vulnerable state. Standing up from the prone usually has the target with one or both knees tucked under them, arms out, balance constantly shifting as they stand - VERY hard to defend from that position, hence the -4 AC still being in effect.

Since it does not state that a successful AoO interrupts the action of standing up from the prone (I believe I remember this correctly. If I don't, chime in and correct me), the action goes like:

Bob the Trip Monkey successfully trips Dave the Peasant.
Dave tries to stand up from the prone, incurring an AoO from Bob.
Bob whacks Dave on the back of the head with his club WHILE Dave is getting up, and still suffering the penalties for being prone since he has not finished his "stand up from prone" action.
Dave finishes the action of getting up, now with a knot on his noggin.