Evasive Reflexes: what do you think about it?

[Egres]

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20060706a

EVASIVE REFLEXES

When an opponent gives you an opening in combat, you know exactly what to do: slip away.

Prerequisite: Dex 13

Benefit: When an opponent gives you a chance to make an attack of opportunity, you can instead immediately take a 5-foot step.

Special: Evasive Reflexes can be used in place of Combat Reflexes to qualify for a feat, prestige class, or other special ability. You can take both this feat and Combat Reflexes.

This feat basically reproduces the well known Sidestep from the Miniatures Handbook.
(aside from the easier to get prerequisites, if compared to SS that requires Dex 15, Dodge, Mobility and Tumble 8 ranks, and the fact that ER doesn't allow you to take the AoO and then make the 5ft step)

One of the most obvious way of using this feat is in combo with the Karmic Strike feat.

Would you allow it in your game, and why?

 

[brehobit]

I'd allow it. I think it is actually fairly weak. Why would I prefer a 5' step over an attack? I suppose casters will like it a lot....

Still, it seems reasonable.

 

[hong]

... why the combo with Karmic Strike?

 

[Egres]

... why the combo with Karmic Strike?

Bob makes a full attack against John and a 5ft step behind.

John makes a 5ft step and starts a full attack against Bob.

Thanks to Karmic Strike, Bob obtains an AoO after the succesful first of John's attacks.

Bob uses Evasive Reflexes to get a 5ft step behind.

John can't complete his full attack.

Add a reach weapon to the combo, and you're done.

 

[Lordgrae]

I enjoy feats that actually let you do stuff or kinda warp how the rules work. (as opposed to passive bonuses) Broken combos aside I thought it was an interesting feat.

Grae

 

[hong]

Bob makes a full attack against John and a 5ft step behind.

John makes a 5ft step and starts a full attack against Bob.

Thanks to Karmic Strike, Bob obtains an AoO after the succesful first of John's attacks.

Bob uses Evasive Reflexes to get a 5ft step behind.

John can't complete his full attack.

Add a reach weapon to the combo, and you're done.

I don't think that's too bad, but then I'm a fan of Spring Attack. John shouldn't be letting Bob get that full attack on him in the first place.

 

[MarkB]

Special: Evasive Reflexes can be used in place of Combat Reflexes to qualify for a feat, prestige class, or other special ability. You can take both this feat and Combat Reflexes.

This is the only part of the feat I don't like. Feats or class features that substitute for other feats are generally very similar in nature, and whilst both this feat and Combat Reflexes involve AoOs, I don't see enough similarities to allow them to substitute as prerequisites.

 

[MarkB]

Bob makes a full attack against John and a 5ft step behind.

John makes a 5ft step and starts a full attack against Bob.

Thanks to Karmic Strike, Bob obtains an AoO after the succesful first of John's attacks.

Bob uses Evasive Reflexes to get a 5ft step behind.

John can't complete his full attack.

Add a reach weapon to the combo, and you're done.

One way to balance this would be to use the same principle as for immediate action. If you take an immediate action on someone else's turn, it counts as using up your swift action for your next turn.

If the feat limited the user to one 5-foot step, which then prevented them from taking a 5-foot step as part of their next action, the synergy with Karmic Strike would be reduced - though it might weaken the feat too much overall.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Bob makes a full attack against John and a 5ft step behind.

John makes a 5ft step and starts a full attack against Bob.

Thanks to Karmic Strike, Bob obtains an AoO after the succesful first of John's attacks.

Bob uses Evasive Reflexes to get a 5ft step behind.

John can't complete his full attack.

Add a reach weapon to the combo, and you're done.

Is there something about this feat or karmic strike that alleviates the limitations on the 5ft-step rule? You still can't take more than 5ft-step per round and not when you've moved, right? I don't have access to Karmic Strike, so I don't know.

 

[Egres]

Is there something about this feat or karmic strike that alleviates the limitations on the 5ft-step rule? You still can't take more than 5ft-step per round and not when you've moved, right? I don't have access to Karmic Strike, so I don't know.

Evasive Reflexes has nothing to do with your regular 5ft step.

Note that there isn't a "Normal" section that states:"normally you can't take more than one 5ft step each round."