Do you threaten while flat footed?

[Hypersmurf]

But if you start from the other interpretation, i.e. you threaten if you are armed, the IUS feat says that you threaten.

IUS states what it means to be armed. It says you are to considered to be armed - that is, you do not provoke AoOs and can take AoOs. It spells out just what being armed means in that context. And what it spells out doesn't include threatening an area.

-Hyp.

 

[Aaron]

IUS states what it means to be armed. It says you are to considered to be armed - that is, you do not provoke AoOs and can take AoOs. It spells out just what being armed means in that context. And what it spells out doesn't include threatening an area.

-Hyp.

But the combat chapter states:

Sometimes a character’s or creature’s unarmed attack counts as an armed attack. A monk, a character with the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, a spellcaster delivering a touch attack spell, and a creature with natural physical weapons all count as being armed.

This means that with IUS you are considered armed, in general, and thus you threaten.

 

[Hypersmurf]

This means that with IUS you are considered armed, in general, and thus you threaten.

With IUS, you are considered armed... and the feat tells us what that means.

-Hyp.

 

[Aaron]

With IUS, you are considered armed... and the feat tells us what that means.

-Hyp.

But the feat isn't the only place that regards the unarmed strike.

There are passages in the FAQ that clear that IUS unarmed strikes do threaten.

 

[Hypersmurf]

But the feat isn't the only place that regards the unarmed strike.

No, but it tells us what 'armed' means with respect to unarmed attacks.

There are passages in the FAQ that clear that IUS unarmed strikes do threaten.

Then either a/ the FAQ is making it up, or b/ 'can make AoOs' and 'threatens an area' are synonymous.

If a/, we can ignore it. If b/, then you don't threaten while flat-footed.

-Hyp.

 

[Aaron]

If a/, we can ignore it. If b/, then you don't threaten while flat-footed.

-Hyp.

But, if b) is true, do I threaten if I'm flat footed during my turn, when I can use my regular attacks?

 

[irdeggman]

But, if b) is true, do I threaten if I'm flat footed during my turn, when I can use my regular attacks?

If you are flat-footed then you are flat-footed. It is a condition, it should not matter how you got there. If flat-footed then all the applicable penalties and restrictions should apply.

{But this one has been the subject of a recent long, very long, discussion so let's try not to open that one up again here.}

Now since the definition of threaten includes an area into which you can make an attack. If you don't threaten then you can't make an attack, period.

PHB pg 314

threaten: To be able to attack in melee without moving from your current space. A creature typically threatens all squares within its natural reach, even when it is not its turn to take an action. For Medium or Small creature this usually includes all squares adjacent to its space. Larger creatures threaten more squares, while smaller creatures may not threaten any squares except their own.

If the equivalency of "b" is true then you don't threaten and thus can't make an attack.

 

[Aaron]

If the equivalency of "b" is true then you don't threaten and thus can't make an attack.

But in my turn I can make my regular attacks, so, even if I'm flat footed, I stil threaten.

 

[irdeggman]

But in my turn I can make my regular attacks, so, even if I'm flat footed, I stil threaten.

Then you are no longer stating that "b" is true.

You can not make an attack if you do not threaten.

 

[Aaron]

Then you are no longer stating that "b" is true.

You can not make an attack if you do not threaten.

It's not entirely true.

It's true only if it's not my turn.

Don't forget that the IUS feat isn't the primary source for "threatening".