Improved Trip, Reach weapons and threatening AoOs: Does this work?

[Dross]

Does someone with Improved Trip wielding a reach weapon threaten the 5 foot squares surrounding him by RAW?

He can potentially TRIP the foe (you do not need to use your hands on the trip as the unarmed attack you make can be with feet etc) as his AoO, probably the only thing that he can do.

This would seem to work by RAW, but.........?

 

[nittanytbone]

You can only make an AoO if you threaten the square.

With the reach weapon, you do NOT threaten the adjacent square. With your unarmed attacks, you do NOT threaten the adjacent square.

To threaten nearby while wielding a reach weapon, you need one of the following:
-Improved Unarmed Strike (monks anyone?)
-Spiked Gauntlet
-Armor Spikes

You could also try to convince your GM that the haft of the reach weapon is an improvised bludgeoning weapon for 1d6 damage like a staff, and thus threatens, albeit at -4 to hit.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Does someone with Improved Trip wielding a reach weapon threaten the 5 foot squares surrounding him by RAW?

Does someone without Improved Trip wielding a reach weapon threaten the 5 foot squares surrounding him? If I'm wielding a glaive, and the kobold adjacent to me drinks a potion, can I kick him?

What if I'm wielding a shortsword instead? I can certainly stab the kobold - I threaten the square he is in - but can I punch him?

Grapple is a special attack that can be taken on an AoO. If I'm unarmed, can I grapple the kobold? If I'm wielding a shortsword, can I grapple the kobold?

-Hyp.

 

[Dross]

So people do not think the ability to do a trip attack grants the ability to threaten the sourrounding squares.

Fair enough.

 

[Hypersmurf]

So people do not think the ability to do a trip attack grants the ability to threaten the sourrounding squares.

Actually, my answer was more in the form of "If you allow X, Y, and Z, you'd presumably allow the Trip on an AoO; if you don't, you presumably wouldn't".

-Hyp.

 

[Thurbane]

Would the Short Haft feat be of any help?

 

[Dross]

Would the Short Haft feat be of any help?

It was more of a random thought (too random as it turns out )

Short haft isn't from an accepted source, which was why I asked using that particular example.

 

[Dross]

Actually, my answer was more in the form of "If you allow X, Y, and Z, you'd presumably allow the Trip on an AoO; if you don't, you presumably wouldn't".

-Hyp.

It's a "I don't know" from this end. My first thoughts would be that you need to use something that you threaten with for the AoO, but the origianl Q seemed a doable thing.

 

[MarkB]

Does someone with Improved Trip wielding a reach weapon threaten the 5 foot squares surrounding him by RAW?

He can potentially TRIP the foe (you do not need to use your hands on the trip as the unarmed attack you make can be with feet etc) as his AoO, probably the only thing that he can do.

This would seem to work by RAW, but.........?

...but such an attack would still be using your bare hands, which don't threaten adjacent squares unless you have Improved Unarmed Strike, which you don't have. So yes, you could make such an attack as one of your normal attacks, but you don't threaten such attacks as AoOs.