involuntary movement and AoO

[Voadam]

Does involuntary movement in a threatened space provoke an AoO?

It is not a five foot step or a withdraw action.

The specific situation for me is my Eldritch knight with winged boots has just dispelled the air walk of a dwarven cleric fighter, dropping him lightly to the ground. My EK has a thunderlance going (from either FR or Magic of Faerun, I forget) and threatens out to 20 feet.

So does dropping the dwarf down 15 feet provoke an AoO?

 

[Rel]

Does involuntary movement in a threatened space provoke an AoO?

I believe the answer is "yes". The typical example of this is when a character threatens a bad guy and another character Bull Rushes the bad guy. Even if the bad guy only moves 5 feet, it wasn't a 5 foot step and so it provokes an AoO.

Your example of the falling Dwarf should do the same.

 

[Shallown]

This exact question came up in my Sunday game and using the precident set by bullrush I allowed AofO on those involuntarily moving. I seemed to remember a note in telekinesis saying the same thing but don't have my books to check on it.

later

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

By the letter of the rules I would say the involuntary movement always provokes an AoO.

Not long ago we had an interesting debate regarding fighting in a room with a conveyor belt contraption, and who would provoke an AoO. Interesting arguments can be made in all kinds of weird directions.

My personal opinion is that you should NOT provoke an AoO when being moved in a gentle, controlled, smooth manner -- contrary to the rules. I would be inclined to give the dwarven cleric a Balance check to avoid the AoO. YMMV.

 

[Norfleet]

Not long ago we had an interesting debate regarding fighting in a room with a conveyor belt contraption, and who would provoke an AoO. Interesting arguments can be made in all kinds of weird directions.

My personal opinion is that you should NOT provoke an AoO when being moved in a gentle, controlled, smooth manner -- contrary to the rules. I would be inclined to give the dwarven cleric a Balance check to avoid the AoO. YMMV.

I think I remember starting that debate, heh. The joys of relative motion with AoOs. Floating lightly to the ground is a rather gentle, controlled, and smooth manner. Plummetting to the ground under the influence of gravity is not. Then again, speaking from experience, if somebody plummets out of the sky onto you, "entering your square" in the process, this is generally not something that would, realistically, be counted as an opening. The motion in this case tends to be TOO rapid, and coming from a direction which is generally considered awkward for the typical human.

3/3.5E, of course, doesn't have facing, even in cases where facing would seem to be in some ways implicit: While people in a fight may be able to easily rotate about and face in nearly any direction on fairly short notice, "up" is generally not one of those directions unless there is reason to be facing that way. That's part of the innate appeal and effectiveness of DEATH FROM ABOVE.