Melee: No way out?

[Ashrem Bayle]

Moving Provokes: If an enemy leaves a square adjacent to you, you can make an opportunity attack against that enemy. However, you can’t make one if the enemy shifts or teleports or is forced to move away by a pull, a push, or a slide.

Seems pretty straight forward, but I'll ask this anyway.

Other than shifting, is there any way to withdraw from melee combat without provoking an OA?

If you shift, the enemy can just shift into melee range again on his turn. So it seems like your best bet to put some distance between you and the enemy is to use a standard action for Total Defense (for the +2 to Defenses), then Move away, hoping he'll miss.

 

[hailstop]

Moving Provokes: If an enemy leaves a square adjacent to you, you can make an opportunity attack against that enemy. However, you can’t make one if the enemy shifts or teleports or is forced to move away by a pull, a push, or a slide.

Seems pretty straight forward, but I'll ask this anyway.

Other than shifting, is there any way to withdraw from melee combat without provoking an OA?

If you shift, the enemy can just shift into melee range again on his turn. So it seems like your best bet to put some distance between you and the enemy is to use a standard action for Total Defense (for the +2 to Defenses), then Move away, hoping he'll miss.

Use your Move action to shift away, then convert your Standard action to a Move action and move away.

 

[Thanee]

Some classes have powers that help with that.

And you can always take two move actions instead of standard+move, so shift first then walk or run away.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

Well duh. Didn't even think of the double move option.
Thanks!

 

[neobolts]

Moving Provokes: If an enemy leaves a square adjacent to you, you can make an opportunity attack against that enemy. However, you can’t make one if the enemy shifts or teleports or is forced to move away by a pull, a push, or a slide.

Seems pretty straight forward, but I'll ask this anyway.

Other than shifting, is there any way to withdraw from melee combat without provoking an OA?

If you shift, the enemy can just shift into melee range again on his turn. So it seems like your best bet to put some distance between you and the enemy is to use a standard action for Total Defense (for the +2 to Defenses), then Move away, hoping he'll miss.

If you want to get some distance: You can shift as a move action and then use your standard action to take a normal or run move. (see Substitute Actions, PH p269)

edit: Doh! totally beaten to the punch. That's what I get for looking up the page number.

 

[Particle_Man]

Teleport.

Have a buddy "force move" you with a push or pull or slide.

Have a beefy buddy grapple you and move away with you. Beefy buddy takes an OA but you don't.

 

[Yaezakura]

Well, it's supposed to be difficult to withdrawal from melee. Otherwise no one would specialize in melee combat.

Also, even using Total Defense + Move, unless you have a faster speed than the enemy, he'll simply close in on you again and again when his turn comes out. But this is where party mechanics come into play. If you don't want to be in melee, have a melee-oriented party member keep the enemy melee fighters occupied so you don't have to deal with it.

 

[James McMurray]

Depending on the situation, a straight up double run (for Speed x 2 + 4) might not be a bad idea. Unless the OA is going to drop you, taking that risk to get out of the other guy's retaliation range might be the best option available.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

Well, it's supposed to be difficult to withdrawal from melee. Otherwise no one would specialize in melee combat.

Well yeah, I know it is supposed to be hard to get out of melee. I just wanted clarification on how it was done using standard maneuvers available to everyone (no powers).

 

[Storminator]

Depending on the situation, a straight up double run (for Speed x 2 + 4) might not be a bad idea. Unless the OA is going to drop you, taking that risk to get out of the other guy's retaliation range might be the best option available.

Unless that OA is going to freeze you in place...

PS