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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Storm Raven" data-source="post: 2773962" data-attributes="member: 307">Nope. That's the difference between an enemy and an ally. If you cannot even figure out that distinction, then you are destined to never be able to understand the rules.You do not lose your shield modifier to Dexterity when you are flat-footed. And you are correct - your Dexterity bonus is set to 0. However, you miss my point, if you were truly unable to react to anything your opponent did when you were flat-footed then your Dexterity itself would be treated as if it were 0 - just as it is when you are helpless, and you would have a -5 penalty to your AC as a result of your inability to react at all.This is, however, clearly not the case when you are flat-footed. You simply lose the benefits of a high Dexterity when you are flat-footed (and may be sneak attacked). This implies some level of responsiveness to the attacks, one which is certainly higher than if one were to be actively ignoring an opponent.I'm not confusing them. They are simply the same condition. A flat-footed creature retains some ability to react. A creature completely unable to react does not.No, it isn't. Because if it was, then your Dexterity would be 0 when you are flat-footed. Your Dexterity modifier would be -5, not merely 0. Basically, your argument holds no water, because you forget that a flat-footed opponent still retains some ability to react, wheras an opponent who completely ignores you cannot - otherwise he would be distracted and your ally would gain a flanking bonus.Either you are paying enough attention to an enemy to react to him, even minimally, and thus both flanking enemies gain a flanking bonus, or you are not, and you are completly unable to react to anything your enemy does, and thus you are helpless with respect to that enemy. You cannot have it both ways. You are trying to meta-game the system by retaining a defense against an enemy but not suffering the negative consequences of having that defense. That is a dishonest position to take.</blockquote>

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