Close Quarters Combat in action

[Voadam]

OK, I've got an NPC fighter with Close Quarters Combat from Complete Warrior being attacked by a druidic dire bear with improved grab.

Unfortunately I don't have my CW with me and I'm not sure of the exact wording or implementation of the feat.

He gets an AoO against IG attacks and adds the damage inflicted to his resist grapple roll. That much I remember.

However
1) Does the AoO strike if succesful prevent the claw attempt the same way the normal grapple reach is stopped by damage?
2) Does a miss with an IG claw provoke an AoO?
3) Is it just the IG that is stopped and not the claw damage?
4) What if the strike drops the bear to negatives, does the claw still do damage to the NPC?

 

[Infiniti2000]

1. No, that's why the damage is added to the resist grapple check.
2. No.
3. Yes. You still get claw damage.
4. Yes.

Bonus
5. Are you using the wildshape errata?

 

[Festivus]

I thought improved grapple did not provoke an AOO. Does close quarters combat negate this? I don't have CW personally and more of a curiosity for myself.

 

[Arnwyn]

I thought improved grapple did not provoke an AOO. Does close quarters combat negate this?

Yes.

Close Quarters Combat is one of those "escalating" feats. Grapple causes an AoO. Improved Grapple negates that. But then Close Quarters Combat comes out and negates Improved Grapple.

So now we need an Improved Improved Grapple.

 

[Seeten]

Close Quarters Combat is boss. My Barbarians and Fighters(and even my newest Paladin) always take this.

Our DM has a huge hard-on for monsters with improved grapple. Without CQB, I spend all my time killing stuff with my dagger, instead of my battleaxe.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Of course, it works on a dire bear (5' reach), but watch out for the nasty monsters with reach grappling from outside your threatened area. No AoO for you!

-Hyp.

 

[Seeten]

Wait, how do they grapple you if they cannot touch you, Hypersmurf.

If their tentacles can touch you, you can chop the holy heck out of their tentacles. AoO pls.

 

[shilsen]

Wait, how do they grapple you if they cannot touch you, Hypersmurf.

If their tentacles can touch you, you can chop the holy heck out of their tentacles. AoO pls.

You only get AoOs on creatures that are in your threatened area. That's one of the big benefits of reach - being able to do things that would normally draw an AoO without doing so.

 

[Seeten]

You only get AoOs on creatures that are in your threatened area. That's one of the big benefits of reach - being able to do things that would normally draw an AoO without doing so.

Well aren't I glad my barbarian is a level 4 warshaper then!

That seems silly, dealing damage to the grappling appendages seems to be what the feat is about. I'll consider a houserule, or a rewording on the feat if I ever DM 3.5, I think.

 

[Hypersmurf]

That seems silly, dealing damage to the grappling appendages seems to be what the feat is about. I'll consider a houserule, or a rewording on the feat if I ever DM 3.5, I think.

The Sage suggests one in the Main FAQ:
If an enemy makes an attack against me that would
provoke an attack of opportunity (such as a disarm or
grapple attempt), do I get the attack of opportunity if I
can’t reach him? Would the Close-Quarters Fighting feat
help at all?

Strictly speaking, if you don’t threaten an enemy, you can’t
make attacks of opportunity against that enemy. Thus, if an
ogre tried to sunder your elf’s longsword from 10 feet away,
you wouldn’t get an attack of opportunity against the ogre
(since an elf wielding a longsword doesn’t threaten an enemy
10 feet away). This is true even if the ogre is reaching out with
his hand, such as when trying to grapple you.

Even the Close-Quarters Fighting feat doesn’t help, since
that feat applies only when the attack of opportunity against a
grappling foe normally would be denied by “a feat or special
ability that would normally bypass the attack” and lists
Improved Grapple and improved grab as examples.

If, as DM, this bothers your sensibilities and you and your
players are willing to bend the letter of the rules a bit, consider
the following house rule that the Sage has used in his games in
the past: If a foe would provoke an attack of opportunity with
any action that brings him (or something he holds) into contact
with you or your space, you may make an attack of opportunity
against the foe (or the object he holds, if that’s what’s
contacting you). This means that an ogre trying to initiate a
grapple would provoke an attack of opportunity that you could
make against the ogre (since his hand and arm are clearly
coming within your reach to grab you), while the same ogre
trying to sunder your weapon with his greatclub would provoke
an attack of opportunity that you could make only against the
greatclub (that is, with a disarm or sunder attempt).

-Hyp.