Can you make an AoO if you're surprised?

[occam]

I checked the FAQ and didn't find an answer to this question. Some relevant snippets from the SRD:

Unaware Combatants
Combatants who are unaware at the start of battle don’t get to act in the surprise round.

...

Threatened Squares
You threaten all squares into which you can make a melee attack, even when it is not your action. Generally, that means everything in all squares adjacent to your space (including diagonally). An enemy that takes certain actions while in a threatened square provokes an attack of opportunity from you.

So you can make an AoO even if it's not your turn to take action, but you don't get to act if you're surprised. Which takes precedence?

As an aside, can you take an immediate action (e.g., cast feather fall) if you're surprised?

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Check out the rules on being Flat-Footed

Being surprised may or may not make you flat-footed... feats and class abilities can change this. But generally surprise = flat-footed = no AoO

Immediate Actions are not so restricted, so yes, if you are surprised and pushed off a cliff you can save your hide...

 

[Bad Paper]

So you can make an AoO even if it's not your turn to take action, but you don't get to act if you're surprised. Which takes precedence?

AFAIK, only Combat Reflexes will let you do it.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

What Primitive Screwhead said.

Generally speaking, Surprised characters are Flatfooted, and Flatfooted characters Threaten no squares, and you can only gain an AoO against someone in a square you Threaten. Therefore Surprised = no AoOs.

There are exception to the links in this logical chain, the Combat Reflexes feat being the most common example.

 

[occam]

Check out the rules on being Flat-Footed

Being surprised may or may not make you flat-footed... feats and class abilities can change this. But generally surprise = flat-footed = no AoO

Ah, that's what I was missing, thanks.

 

[frankthedm]

What Primitive Screwhead said.

Generally speaking, Surprised characters are Flatfooted, and Flatfooted characters Threaten no squares, and you can only gain an AoO against someone in a square you Threaten. Therefore Surprised = no AoOs.

There are exception to the links in this logical chain, the Combat Reflexes feat being the most common example.

Sadly, CR does not explicity say you threaten while flat footed. I am fairly darn confident thats how it is supposed to work, but d20 usually does not leave things up to logical conclusions.

COMBAT REFLEXES [GENERAL]
Benefit: You may make a number of additional attacks of opportunity equal to your Dexterity bonus.

With this feat, you may also make attacks of opportunity while flat-footed.

Normal: A character without this feat can make only one attack of opportunity per round and can’t make attacks of opportunity while flat-footed.

Special: The Combat Reflexes feat does not allow a rogue to use her opportunist ability more than once per round.

A fighter may select Combat Reflexes as one of his fighter bonus feats.

A monk may select Combat Reflexes as a bonus feat at 2nd level.

 

[Vysirez]

While that is true, the comment stating that you don't threaten while flat footed isnt supported in the linked text. Now it might be supported somewhere else, but in the links rules for Flat-footed in this thread there is nothing about that.

Flat-Footed

A character who has not yet acted during a combat is flat-footed, not yet reacting normally to the situation. A flat-footed character loses his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) and cannot make attacks of opportunity.

 

[Caliban]

Check out the rules on being Flat-Footed

Being surprised may or may not make you flat-footed... feats and class abilities can change this. But generally surprise = flat-footed = no AoO

You are always flat-footed until your first initiative count in the first round of combat (which may be the surprise round). Feats and class abilities can negate some of the effects of being flat-footed, but you would still be considered flat-footed for things specifically trigger off the flat-footed condition (of which there are very few, if any).

Immediate Actions are not so restricted, so yes, if you are surprised and pushed off a cliff you can save your hide...

You can't use immediate actions if you are flat-footed (see the very last sentence of the section you linked to). Technically, getting pushed off a cliff during combat before you have taken your first action prevents you from casting feather fall.

 

[Legildur]

Technically, getting pushed off a cliff during combat before you have taken your first action prevents you from casting feather fall.

Ooooh! That'd be a RBDM to enforce that rule!

 

[Caliban]

Ooooh! That'd be a RBDM to enforce that rule!

Yeah, I rule that the intent of the Feather Fall spell overrides the immediate action mechanic.