[Bo9S] Evasive Reflexes

[Imre]

Considering your allies opponents simply for the sake of AoO's is completely foolish.

There are two good uses of this feat that I've come up with:

1) It's very good for characters with a reach weapon, particularly the guisarme. Once you've tripped someone, you can use the AoO they provoke by standing to take a 5 back so they can't simply take a 5 themselves and attack. Instead, they have to move and provoke another AoO...which this time you can use to trip them again.

2) Take this feat and ten levels of the Dragon Descendant PrC from 'Dragon Magic'. The PrC makes it so that every attack against you provokes an AoO. As long as you get your Dex high enough, you'll be more or less immune to melee attacks.

The first build is useful and makes reach weapons much more viable while the second one is completely broken.

 

[hong]

I think this doesn't work. You cannot overrun someone and charge into someone else. The overrun is your attack for the round, so if you overrun an ally and he moves out of the way, you pretty much end up just moving through your ally.

? Overrun step 2, PHB p.157: "The defender has the option to simply avoid you. If he avoids you, he doesn't suffer any ill effect. If you were attempting the overrun as part of a charge, you may keep moving. (You can always move through a square occupied by someone who lets you by.) In either case, the overrun attempt doesn't count against your actions this round"

 

[blargney the second]

The errata made it so you can't overrun as part of a charge.
-blarg

 

[Rystil Arden]

As Egres mentioned, this feat combined with Robilar's Gambit basically means that nothing can ever attack you twice in melee unless it has reach (assuming you take a 5-foot step yourself so they don't start adjacent to you).

 

[Nail]

Robilar's gambit + Evasive Reflexes = "nothing can ever attack you twice in melee"?

If the opponent charges: One attack, you gain an AoO, so you step back 5 ft. Downside is you don't get to attack on your turn without 5-ft stepping back again.

If the opponent starts adjacent: One attack, you gain an AoO, so you 5-ft step back. The opponent then takes a 5-ft step toward you and smacks you again, which provokes another AoO, which you use to 5-ft step back......that sounds like 2 attacks per round from the opponent.

This doesn't seem like a nasty combo, actually.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Robilar's gambit + Evasive Reflexes = "nothing can ever attack you twice in melee"?

If the opponent charges: One attack, you gain an AoO, so you step back 5 ft. Downside is you don't get to attack on your turn without 5-ft stepping back again.

If the opponent starts adjacent: One attack, you gain an AoO, so you 5-ft step back. The opponent then takes a 5-ft step toward you and smacks you again, which provokes another AoO, which you use to 5-ft step back......that sounds like 2 attacks per round from the opponent.

This doesn't seem like a nasty combo, actually.

You did see the parenthetical clause right after the bit you paraphrased that said (assuming you take a 5-foot step yourself so they don't start adjacent to you), right? Because that is how you prevent their five-foot step and second attack

 

[Nail]

Ah. Your parenthetical note!

...you had me scouring the PH II (p. 82) just now.....

Tell me: describe how you seeing this work in combat. I'm interested.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Ah. Your parenthetical note!

...you had me scouring the PH II (p. 82) just now.....

Tell me: describe how you seeing this work in combat. I'm interested.

Anyone using this build either doesn't want to be in melee at all OR (fairlylikely since they have to have Combat Reflexes earlier on in their adventuring career) they've got some sort of reach weapon.

For the reacher: If your opponent gets next to you, take a 5-foot step on your turn to go one space away and then smash your opponent up with your full attack (which must have at least 3 attacks because you qualified for Robilar's Gambit). On your opponent's turn if she wants to chase you, she has to take a 5-foot step and try to full attack. On the first attack, you get an AoO and turn that into a 5-foot step and leave. She then doesn't get to try to attack you again (unless she has reach of her own, as mentioned, which only gives her one attack against you per square of reach she has).

Also, a special note for the Reacher and the Charge--you're in a great deal of luck here, actually, because you don't even need Robilar's Gambit to be immune to all charge attacks--just the Bo9S feat and a reach weapon with greater reach than your enemy. How? Well, she provokes an AoO on the charge, and you use it to sidestep--she can no longer attack you because you aren't in a straight line

For the melee avoider--you always take a 5-foot step on your own turn to be one square away from the opponent you're avoiding. Otherwise, same as above without the reach attacks.

 

[Nail]

Oh wow--I just checked the feat too and it reminded me that you actually get to take the AoO (or the 5-foot step) BEFORE they attack!.

Uhm.....I don't think so:

"Resolve your AoO after your foe's attack."

 

[Rystil Arden]

Uhm.....I don't think so:

"Resolve your AoO after your foe's attack."

Ah, you're right--I knew that's what it said originally, I just read it wrong a moment ago (I was looking at the 'normal' clause

This brings me back to my original statement that they get one try against you (or 0 in the case of a charge, no thanks to Robilar's Gambit)