Hold The Line + Reach = Two AoOs?

[kreynolds]

But drawing weapons and activating a wand doesn't provoke an AoO...

Oh...right...well, you get the point.

 

[Zaruthustran]

Re: Rule = 1 AOO per round for each foe

core rule.

The reason they came up with the 1 AOO per foe per round limit is to avoid infinite AOOs.

i.e.
Hero A is adjacent to Foe B. Both are holding longswords.

A attempts to drink a potion. Generates an AOO.
B uses his AOO to sunder A's potion. Generates an AOO.
A uses his AOO to disarm B's weapon. Generates an AOO.
B uses his AOO to grapple A. Generates an AOO.
And so on and so forth.

Tom

Well, even in that case, a character is limited to one AoO per round. Unless you have Combat Reflexes. But even then, a normal character only has around 5 or 6 AoOs in him. Not infinite.

Then again... this opens up strategic possibilities. If you want to sunder or disarm or cast in melee, DON'T get the very specifically limited Improved Sunder, Improved Disarm, or Combat Casting feats. Instead, take the Mobility feat. When you want to do your thing, first move through a square your foe threatens. You'll enjoy +4 to your AC. Now that he's blown his AoO on a difficult attack, feel free to sunder or disarm or grapple or cast--your choice--without fear.

-z

 

[Mahali]

Re: Rule = 1 AOO per round for each foe

The reason they came up with the 1 AOO per foe per round limit is to avoid infinite AOOs.

Tom

Actually it's because they forgot to change it. The game designers originally intended it to be a "per provocation" not 1 and only one.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Now, what about hydras, or Sean K Reynolds' two-headed mutant template?

The hydra can attack with all of its heads on a standard action, almost as if each head were a separate creature. If you were to provoke an AoO while threatened by eight snakes, all of them would get to make an attack; should each of an eight-headed hydra's heads get the same opportunity (given that the hydra can make 8 AoOs in a round), or is the hydra as a whole limited to one AoO per opponent per round?

The description of the Dual Reflexes (Ex) ability for the template states "The creature's two heads each control half of its limbs. This means that the creature acts as two creatures for the purposes of making attacks and attacks of opportunity." Same question - could it make two AoOs for a single opportunity?

-Hyp.