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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Legildur" data-source="post: 38162" data-attributes="member: 1258">Caliban wrote:------------------Total Defense is a Standard Action that you can take instead of the Standard Attack Action. Nowhere does it state that it prevents you from threatening an area, it just means you chose to focus on defense instead of offense for that round. When the Sage was asked, he pointed out that Total Defense doesn't prevent you from threatening an area, and advised that they be allowed, but with the same -4 pealty on your attack roll that Fighting Defensively would give. ------------------Finally, a reasonable explanation of the effects of Total Defense.  This issue (of threatening, AOOs and the associated attack penalty) has been bugging me for a while as it is a favourite tactic of my halfling Rogue.My halfling typically wears creatures down by the 'death of a thousand cuts' special ability (prerequisites of small size, low strength and tiny weapon).While he is devastating in a flank position against creatures susceptible to critical hits, he otherwise sucks in combat.  So rather than whittle away at some elemental or undead hulk for 1d4+1 damage per strike, he'll simply throw himself into the middle and go on the Total Defense and boost his AC by 6 points (5+ ranks of Tumble) to absorb attacks from opponents to help out the not-so-well protected fighters.Another use is to use it to boost AC while moving into a flank position - particularly while you wait for someone else to join you to form the flank.Using these sort of tactics, I can quite often get him through a 5 hour session of play without taking a combat hit (spells are another matter, and with a lousy Will save against cultists, it gets a little hairy at times).</blockquote>

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