Awesome blow and AoOs

[Liminal Syzygy]

Can a creature with the Awesome Blow feat choose to knock the target through it's own threatened area thus creating an AoO opportunity for itself?

Text of Awesome blow is as follows:

AWESOME BLOW [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Prerequisites: Str 25, Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, size Large or larger.
Benefit: As a standard action, the creature may choose to subtract 4 from its melee attack roll and deliver an awesome blow. If the creature hits a corporeal opponent smaller than itself with an awesome blow, its opponent must succeed on a Reflex save (DC = damage dealt) or be knocked flying 10 feet in a direction of the attacking creature’s choice and fall prone. The attacking creature can only push the opponent in a straight line, and the opponent can’t move closer to the attacking creature than the square it started in. If an obstacle prevents the completion of the opponent’s move, the opponent and the obstacle each take 1d6 points of damage, and the opponent stops in the space adjacent to the obstacle.

Second question, if it is legal, is it too cheesy?

This came up in tonights game... or at least I thought of the possibility in a fight with an elder xorn. I decided not to do it, but still wanted to ask about the possibilities.

If possible, this could really set up some nasty combo hits, ping ponging a character around.

1. Elder Xorn 1 (substitute Elder Earth Elemental to taste) holds it's action.
2. Elder Xorn 2 whacks a PC with awesome blow, knocking it through both it's own and Elder Xorn 2's threatened area.
3. Elder Xorn 2 takes an AoO on the PC.
4. Elder Xorn 1 takes an AoO on the PC.
5. Elder Xorn 1 takes his move at this point, unloading a full attack action (probably with power attack) on the now prone PC.

 

[Camarath]

As far as I can see nothing in the feat prevents the creature using the feat from getting a movement based AoO due to the results of the Awesome Blow action.

If you wished you could consider the pushing of the opponent to be a Bull Rush which would mean that the attacker would not get an AoO. But the feat does not say that it includes a Bull Rush, even thought Improved Bull Rush is a prerequisite, so that would be a house rule.

 

[Shazman]

As a DM, I'd probably not let the feat work this way. It may be technically possible, but it seems too much to me. Plus, if I were the player you just beat down the way you described, I probably wouldn't be too happy.

 

[Piratecat]

Cordo, where's that feat from?

 

[Camarath]

Cordo, where's that feat from?

It is one of the feats in the 3.5 MM. It can also be found in the 3.5 SRD under Monster Feats .

 

[Endur]

Can a creature with the Awesome Blow feat choose to knock the target through it's own threatened area thus creating an AoO opportunity for itself?

No. You don't get an AOO for knocking someone through your own threatened area.

Second question, if it is legal, is it too cheesy?

You already know the answer to this question. Anything that you think might be cheesy, is cheesy.

Now, what is not cheesy, would be equipping two huge giants with a high dex, huge tennis rackets, the awesome blow and combat reflexes feats, and watching them play tennis with a pc as the ball. Whacking the PC back and forth over a net.

Playing tennis with a PC as the ball is NOT CHEESY.

Granted, a tennis racket probably only inflicts subdual damage.

 

[Camarath]

No. You don't get an AOO for knocking someone through your own threatened area.

Why do you believe that you don't get an AoO for knocking someone through your own threatened area when you use the Awesome Blow feat?

 

[jgsugden]

No. You don't get an AOO for knocking someone through your own threatened area.

Saying it does not make it so. Where in the rules for AoOs, movement or Awesome Blow does it indicate that the movement created by Awesome Blow is treated differently than other movement for purposes of AoOs?

Now, what is not cheesy, would be equipping two huge giants with a high dex, huge tennis rackets, the awesome blow and combat reflexes feats, and watching them play tennis with a pc as the ball. Whacking the PC back and forth over a net.

Awesome blow requires a standard action. It can not be used on an AoO.

 

[Piratecat]

It is one of the feats in the 3.5 MM. It can also be found in the 3.5 SRD under Monster Feats .

Thanks, I had missed that. Looks like I have a new trick in my repertoire for an upcoming game.

 

[jgsugden]

Thanks, I had missed that. Looks like I have a new trick in my repertoire for an upcoming game.

Awesome Blow is a nice feat for monsters that have abilities that depend upon location, such as cloudkill, blade barrier, wall of fire or other similar spells/spell-like abilities.

One thing to note about this feat: It moves you 10' feet away, so unless you're using the OA tumble rules that allow a 10' adjustment by making an insane tumble check, a successful awesome blow will usually prevent your foe from getting a full attack on you.

Huge and better earth elementals have this feat. Considering that they only get 2 attacks, giving up one attack (because it is a standard actionto use the feat) to move an opponent around can be quite a useful tactic. I have a BBEG druid that summons huge or greater earth elementals and then uses them to 'reorganize' the party and place them in optimal locations for his spells. Having a huge elemental pop out of a mountain side and awesome blow the fighter that is climbing the cliff can be very effective. \

I also rememeber one incident where the awesome blow was used to move an *ally* into position so that the ally could get a full attack on the BBEG. Taking 20 points of damage is sometimes worth the price of being moved 10'.

Some locations where this feat is very useful: On a ship, on a bridge, near trapped areas (pits, etc ...)