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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Man in the Funny Hat" data-source="post: 2778647" data-attributes="member: 32740">But that of course assumes that a PC never provides a defense against an ally.  The game, however, assumes that if an ally who is standing on one side of you, for whatever reason, should suddenly turn on you and attack that your defenses would be the same as for the enemy on the other side.  The argument is that the option to CDG would come only when, despite good sense and the effortless ability to do so, a character chooses to deliberately abandon defense against one opponent.  The opposing supposition being presented is that abandoning defense against one opponent should afford you an increased ability to defend against another opponent or at least negate their advantages.  However, the assumption already in place is that your ability to defend at least minimally against ALL opponents, no matter where they are or who they are, is not affected by how many opponents you face.Let me put it this way: I can be surrounded by 8 kobolds and I can still defend against all of them just as easily as only one of them.  They have their chances of successful ATTACK improved by their positions on opposite sides of me - but my given level of defense is NOT AFFECTED.  If I have a fighter with a BAB of +5, that fighter goes up a level and his BAB becomes +6 my attack has improved - but that Mimic will still have an AC of 15, it's defensive ability is unchanged.  My improved advantage certainly hasn't actually DECREASED his defenses.  If my fighter gets a +2 circumstance modifier to hit it does not decrease a kobolds AC of 15 - its defenses remain the same.  If my fighter is flanked by an Ogre and a Kobold then they get a bonus to their attack rolls - but my ability to defend against them both is unchanged compared to if there were only the Ogre.  I don't therefore see how ignoring the Kobold, is supposed to prevent both the kobold and the Ogre from gaining an advantage over me, much less specifically negate the Ogres advantage, much less IMPROVE my defenses against anyone.  Nor does it in any way alter my ability to attack in return.When you are flanked by two opponents they have an increased advantage against you.  Period.  You can't make that advantage go away by simply pretending it isn't there.  The ONLY thing you can accomplish by doing so is to place yourself at an even greater risk - but the entire time you face flanking opponents your capacity for defending yourself to the best of your ability has never been affected.  An increase to their attack roll is NOT the same as a reduction of your defenses.The idea of, "I want to lower my defenses against the kobold so that the kobold and ogre will no longer have an advantage for being on opposite sides of me," just has no logic to it because it cannot alter the fact that they ARE on opposite sides of you and that DOES give them an advantage.  Negating that advantage just cannot be done by lowering your defenses/ignoring one opponent.</blockquote>

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