Evasive Reflexes

[Demonic Doudou]

Hi,

Can you use the ability to 5 ft step multiple times in a round. Ex. If a creature provokes an AOO, you can take 5 ft step instead of attacking, but can you do that if you already did your free step in the same round?

Thanks!

 

[BlackSeed_Vash]

Short answer, no. If a 5ft step isn't going to be enough, you need to take a withdraw action. This unfortunately doesn't prevent AoOs from adjacent opponents with reach.

There is a psionic Prc that provides the player with 1 or 2 additional 5ft steps, but that is the only exception that I know of.

As for your example, I know of the feat that allows you to 5ft instead of attacking (though I can't remember if its 3.5 or Pathfinder) and it explicitly states that consumes your next move action (ie 5ft step or more).

 

[Grogg of the North]

Hi,

Can you use the ability to 5 ft step multiple times in a round. Ex. If a creature provokes an AOO, you can take 5 ft step instead of attacking, but can you do that if you already did your free step in the same round?

Thanks!

In the Magic Item Compendium there is a pair of boots (boots of side stepping I think) that allow you twice a day to take an extra five foot step in a round.

Another alternative would be to get a Monk's Training Dummy from the Arms and Equipment Guide. This lets you move 10' as a 5' step.

 

[Jackinthegreen]

For the feat to really be meaningful it would indeed need to allow taking more than a single 5 foot step in a round, especially since it might not be clear if taking a 5FS during your own turn prevents you from taking the 5FS instead of an AoO during the opponent's next turn, or if it's okay to take a 5FS on your turn, but if you take the 5FS instead of an AoO then you can't take the 5FS on your next turn.

To simplify things it's just easier to let a 5FS from that feat ignore the usual restrictions of only one 5FS a round.

 

[Empirate]

Since the wording is "When an opponent gives you a chance to make an attack of opportunity, you can instead immediately take a 5-foot step", I'd argue that you can use the feat as many times per round as you want. "A 5-foot-step", not "your 5-foot-step for the round, if you haven't yet used it" or something like that. In fact, using Evasive Reflexes doesn't even use up your AoO, so you can use it -infinity- times each round, so long as your opponents provoke.

 

[delericho]

Since the wording is "When an opponent gives you a chance to make an attack of opportunity, you can instead immediately take a 5-foot step", I'd argue that you can use the feat as many times per round as you want. "A 5-foot-step", not "your 5-foot-step for the round, if you haven't yet used it" or something like that. In fact, using Evasive Reflexes doesn't even use up your AoO, so you can use it -infinity- times each round, so long as your opponents provoke.

However, neither does the feat specify that it grants any exception to the normal rules for a five foot step: "You can’t take more than one 5-foot step in a round, and you can’t take a 5-foot step in the same round when you move any distance." It merely allows you to use it when it's not your turn.

(Having said that, given Bo9S's place as a testbed for 4e rules, I would agree it was probably the intention that it work as you suggest. Make of that what you will.)

 

[Empirate]

While I see your point, I still disagree, due to the general rule that specific trumps general.

Imagine this scenario: you have Evasive Reflexes and wield a weapon of some description. You're next to a guy who pulls out a potion and drinks it, entitling you to an AoO. "When an opponent gives you a chance to make an attack of opportunity, you can instead immediately take a 5-foot step" - so you do just that, and move 5 feet away from him. Still in the same round, the potion guy's Rogue buddy tries to tumble past you and fails his roll, entitling you to an AoO again (since you haven't used yours before).

Now normally, "You can’t take more than one 5-foot step in a round, and you can’t take a 5-foot step in the same round when you move any distance." That's the general rule, but your Evasive Reflexes feat adds a specific rule to the situation that is also in effect, namely the "When an opponent..." clause quoted above. And what do you know, now is just such an occasion! "An opponent" has indeed just "given you the chance to make an attack of opportunity"! So nothing stops you from "instead immediately taking a 5-foot-step"! If this keeps happening, you'll just keep on going forever.

Note that without this interpretation, Evasive Reflexes counterintuitively could only be used during rounds in which you don't move at all. Which would be silly in my book.



Tangent: for sanity's and balance's purposes, I'd probably rule that Evasive Reflexes uses up your attack of opportunity, even though it doesn't say so. But the feat specifically spells out that it can be taken together with Combat Reflexes, so that's quite possibly the designers' intent anyway.

 

[delericho]

While I see your point, I still disagree, due to the general rule that specific trumps general.

Imagine this scenario: you have Evasive Reflexes and wield a weapon of some description. You're next to a guy who pulls out a potion and drinks it, entitling you to an AoO. "When an opponent gives you a chance to make an attack of opportunity, you can instead immediately take a 5-foot step" - so you do just that, and move 5 feet away from him. Still in the same round, the potion guy's Rogue buddy tries to tumble past you and fails his roll, entitling you to an AoO again (since you haven't used yours before).

Now normally, "You can’t take more than one 5-foot step in a round, and you can’t take a 5-foot step in the same round when you move any distance." That's the general rule, but your Evasive Reflexes feat adds a specific rule to the situation that is also in effect, namely the "When an opponent..." clause quoted above. And what do you know, now is just such an occasion! "An opponent" has indeed just "given you the chance to make an attack of opportunity"! So nothing stops you from "instead immediately taking a 5-foot-step"! If this keeps happening, you'll just keep on going forever.

Note that without this interpretation, Evasive Reflexes counterintuitively could only be used during rounds in which you don't move at all. Which would be silly in my book.

Hmm...

Yes, I think I'll agree on that one.

Tangent: for sanity's and balance's purposes, I'd probably rule that Evasive Reflexes uses up your attack of opportunity, even though it doesn't say so. But the feat specifically spells out that it can be taken together with Combat Reflexes, so that's quite possibly the designers' intent anyway.

I wouldn't. However, I would rule that the number of such 5-foot steps in a round cannot exceed your base movement rate (that is, if you normally move 30ft, you get a maximum of 6 steps).

 

[Empirate]

Ohmigod, I convinced somebody on the Internet!

And I agree that limiting it to base move is another way of making this feat more sensible.