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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Janx" data-source="post: 2526595" data-attributes="member: 8835">AoO models an important aspect in combat, doing a risky move that might make you vulnerable.2nd Ed had in the sense that most GMs let you take a free shot at someone who turned and ran away (which is the crux of what AoO is about).  From there, the idea was expanded upon for other actions.The core idea is centered around movement.  Moving past the enemy means you might get hit.  Without the AoO rules, a fast opponent could move past a defender and the defender would never get a swing at him.  This made no sense (we're not talking the Flash here, just somebody with 4 squares of movement).  AoO is a pretty good solution to the moving past or away from scenario.We can also reuse the AoO rules for other actions that might entail getting hit.  What its trying to do is introduce risk and benefit.  The fighter will decide if trying to trip the opponent is worth the risk of getting hit himself.  That's a neat concept, but could have been modeled as an AC penalty instead.Personally, I don't find the AoO rules hard to abjudicate.  They're pretty simple once you see what triggers them.  What I find annoying is the chess like strategies that come up to avoid triggering them.  The figure movements seem less natural on the board.  I think most players are risk averse (at least in not taking on more risk/hits than the basic rules allow).  Something in the combat rules makes getting hit by an AoO bad, worse than whatever action the player might otherwise have taken without it.  Perhaps if AoO's were less effective or less likely to hit, players would risk triggering more of them (and thus try more interesting moves).  Or if the GM enforced shortest path movement (straightish lines to the figure's end position, rather than wide circles around to avoid an AoO).  Personally, I'd try a -2 or -5 to-hit modifier for AoOs, making them less likely to hit.  This would increase the likelyhood that somebody would take the chance of getting hit by an AoO, and thus try the riskier (and more fun) actions.Janx</blockquote>

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