more than one dodge buddy?

[duhtroll]

Hi all -

I have been looking around and I think the answer to this question is "no," but it can't hurt to ask in case someone has seen this ability somewhere I might have missed.

Is there a feat or class ability somewhere in any of the 3.x books or Dragons, etc. that allows a PC to dodge more than one foe in a round?

Thanks!

 

[Thanee]

Combat Expertise?

Bye
Thanee

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

The most common house rule I've ever seen is, "The Dodge feat provides a +1 Dodge bonus to your AC against all foes."

 

[shilsen]

Combat Expertise?

Bye
Thanee

Don't forget Mobility

More seriously, I haven't heard about such a feat. It is, however, a fairly common house rule to let the +1 bonus from Dodge apply against all enemies. I use it too and haven't found it to be at all unbalancing, and removing the bookkeeping of tracking whom the bonus applies against is definitely a bonus.

 

[FEADIN]

The swashbuckler in the complete warrior handbook has an ability which is a dodge bonus vs all opponents I think.

 

[Storyteller01]

The Ninja from Rokugan has it built in as a progressive class feature. You can take the earned bonus and apply it to a combination of opponents (+5 against one target, +1 agaunst 5 targets, etc). The bonus from the dodge feat stacks with this ability. Gets pretty nasty when you use Defensive Throw.

OGL source: The Quint. Barbarian has a feat that adds a +1 dodge bonus to AC. It uses Dodge as a prereq (the bonuses do not stack).

 

[duhtroll]

I am talking about those who have defensive throw and/or elusive target. Both of those allow extra attacks on foes who miss you, but that's only against the foe you designate as being your dodge buddy.

So this would be the one designee. I want to know if there is ever a way they can exploit this to use defensive throw to charge through 5 opponents (who all miss) so they get free trip attacks. Then if they hit you can have karmic strike and hit them anyway.

-A

 

[elrobey]

You can take the Dodge feat more than once, and thus use it more than once in a round.

 

[Thanee]

You can take the Dodge feat more than once, and thus use it more than once in a round.

This is wrong. You can only take feats multiple times, if they specifically say so.

Bye
Thanee

 

[elrobey]

Thanee, you may be right, but I don't think it's clear-cut.

From the SRD, under general rules for feats:

"If a character has the same feat more than once, its benefits do not stack unless indicated otherwise in the description."

From the SRD, under the Dodge feat:

"... dodge bonuses stack with each other, unlike most other types of bonuses."

The benefit of the Dodge feat is to provide a dodge bonus. That benefit does not stack unless indicated otherwise in the description. But in this case, the description *does* indicate that the benefit stacks.

Now, I will grant you that for most feats that stack, the SRD is more clear, typically using language like "You can gain X multiple times. Its effects stack."

Meanwhile, the SRD also provides, for some feats, language like "You can gain Y multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take Y, it applies to a different Z."

YMMV, but I think the SRD has several reasonable interpretations:

1. You can take Dodge multiple times. Its effects stack, in that you designate one opponent only, and receive a dodge bonus of +1 per Dodge feat against that opponent.

2. You can take Dodge multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take Dodge, it applies to a different opponent.

3. You can take Dodge multiple times. Its effects stack, in that you may designate any number of opponents and allocate each +1 dodge bonus from each feat against the opponent(s) as you see fit.

4. You can't take Dodge more than once.

Personally, my interpretation is #3. You can go with 4 if you like, and we can agree to disagree. I don't think either interpretation is more defensible, purely as a matter of interpretation; it comes down to preference.