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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ridley's Cohort" data-source="post: 2483255" data-attributes="member: 545">In an abstract system anything can be justified to make sense...or not make sense.  It is only a question of how much effort you are willing to put into the rationalization.Mechanically speaking it is six or one, half dozen of the other.My personal opinion is that AoO+Cleave does not fit well within the overall context of D&D combat.  In D&D, an AoO is about the biggest tactical penalty we normally see imposed, and it is reserved for the most blantantly reckless actions.Given that D&D imposes minscule penalties for being simultaneously attacked from all directions, it feels wrong to me to inject this large penalty based on what happened to some other combatant who may be "nearby" by some arbitrary definition of near.Let's put this in context in typical situations a PC faces.  On one hand being totally surrounded is a tiny little +2 Flanking bonus to your enemies' attack.  That is a pretty small inconvenience unless you are being swarmed by Rogues.  On the other hand, someone 15' feet attempts to run away and your PC takes an AoO because of that.That looks out of whack to me.</blockquote>