Flanking and Threatening an Opponent?

[Legildur]

Say we have a rogue that is flanking a creature that has damage reduction, and there is no way in the 9 hells that the rogue could ever overcome the DR.

Does the rogue in fact still threaten the creature and hence does it set up a flank for the other character?

 

[Hypersmurf]

Say we have a rogue that is flanking a creature that has damage reduction, and there is no way in the 9 hells that the rogue could ever overcome the DR.

Does the rogue in fact still threaten the creature and hence does it set up a flank for the other character?

Yes.

-Hyp.

 

[Stalker0]

Say we have a rogue that is flanking a creature that has damage reduction, and there is no way in the 9 hells that the rogue could ever overcome the DR.

Does the rogue in fact still threaten the creature and hence does it set up a flank for the other character?

I have a house rule that a player can consciously ignore a flanking opponent, but they're ignored opponent is then treated as invisible, and the PC is assumed to have a -5 dex against that opponent

 

[two]

Exploit the threaten an area rules

Yes, as noted above.

You can also exploit the rather badly written "threaten an area" rules (which cause flanking) by threatening an area when invisible (but not attacking).

Meaning, you don't have to attack to causing flanking, in fact, strictly according to the rules, you can create flanking while silenced and invisible (if you have a weapon out that threatens the enemy).

Threatening an area does NOT have anything to do with the enemy knowing that something is there... this is the weak rules (as written) part.

Thus, a rogue could get a companion/cohort/etc. whatever that as a standard practice goes invisible at the start of combat and roams around the battlefield never attacking but creating flanking opportunities left and right. Just make sure they can threaten an area, that's the only requirement.

Yes, it's pretty silly, and calls for a house rule at some point, probably, unless you want to allow the enemy to be distracted by something it knows nothing about (i.e. a silenced, invisible, non-attacking but threatening an area ally of the rogue).

 

[Hypersmurf]

Re: Re: Flanking and Threatening an Opponent?

I have a house rule that a player can consciously ignore a flanking opponent, but they're ignored opponent is then treated as invisible...

Can they provoke AoOs?

-Hyp.

 

[Drawmack]

Threatening and flanking have only to do with position not with ability to deal damage. Though threatening does have to do with the weapon you're using.