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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hypersmurf" data-source="post: 2774483" data-attributes="member: 1656">The question in many ways hinges on whether one adopts Skip Williams' rule about invisible creatures being unable to provide a flanking bonus for an ally, or not.As written in the PHB:A fighter in full plate armour is unconscious on the floor.  His AC against a melee attack is 5: 10 base, +8 (armor), -5 (Dex of 0), -4 (helpless), -4 (prone).A commoner with a club goes to hit him (not a CDG).  He needs to roll a 5.If another commoner with a club stands on the other side, waiting for his own turn to hit the fighter, the first commoner only needs to roll a 3."When making a melee attack, you get a +2 flanking bonus if your opponent is threatened by a character or creature friendly to you on the opponent’s opposite border or opposite corner."Since the commoners fulfil all of the conditions for flanking even though the fighter is unconscious, it's clear that a conscious fighter who chooses to ignore someone is still unable to prevent flanking.  They still flank when he's oblivious to everything, so they will flank when he's trying to be deliberately oblivious to one of them.-----Using Skip Williams' rule:A ranger and a rogue stand on opposite sides of a fighter.  The rogue can sneak attack; his ally (the ranger) means he is flanking the fighter.The ranger activates his ring of invisibility.  The rogue can no longer sneak attack; his ally (the ranger), being invisible, is unable to provide the benefits of flanking to the rogue.Figuring this out, the ranger deactivates the ring.If the fighter is able to treat the ranger as invisible, he will once again deny the rogue flanking.  To this end, he makes the assumption that the ranger is really a disguised medusa.An opponent can shut his eyes, turn his back on the creature, or wear a blindfold. In these cases, the opponent does not need to make a saving throw. The creature with the gaze attack gains total concealment relative to the opponent.By turning his back on the ranger-who-might-be-a-medusa, the fighter grants the ranger total concealment.  The fighter can no longer see the ranger; he loses his Dex bonus to AC and cannot make AoOs where the ranger is concerned.  The ranger-who-might-be-a-medusa, under Skip's ruling, is no longer able to grant the rogue the benefits of flanking; the rogue can no longer sneak attack.-Hyp.</blockquote>

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