movement in combat

[Moff_Tarkin]

The rules for movement in combat are simple enough to me, but let me make sure I got it right. If the only movement is a 5ft. step you don’t get attacked for moving, and if all you do is move then the 5 ft. square you start from is not threatened.

Well our DM sees it as this. If all you do for the entire round is take a 5 ft. step then you don’t provoke an attack. If you take a more then a 5 foot step or any other action after the 5ft step you provoke an attack of opportunity. So there is no withdraw and archers/casters cant move back 5 feet to cast/shoot without and AoO.

Now we play with a LOT of house rules. Which doesn’t bother me. I accept the DMs right to change anything he wants, I would even accept if he wanted to house rule the movement rules to what he is using. The reason I must speak up is because he claims his movement rules are by the book. When someone bought it up he said that he has had to look them up multiple times and refuses to look it up again.

I hope that we can convince him he is doing things wrong so that he will either do it right or make his rules an official house rule and not claim them to be by the book. So maybe if I get enough replies from people I can direct him to this post. If one or two people say your wrong then it’s easy to dismiss. But when 50 say your wrong it becomes harder to ignore.

 

[irdeggman]

Are you playing 3.0 or 3.5?

It can make a difference.

There was no "withdraw" action in 3.0, where in 3.5 it is a specific action.

There is a difference between a "move action" and "movement". Sometimes people get confused over the two.

Using 3.5 rules (from the SRD){with PHB reference page numbers in brackets}:

{PHB pg 135 and 137}

Provoking an Attack of Opportunity: Two kinds of actions can provoke attacks of opportunity: moving out of a threatened square and performing an action within a threatened square.

Moving: Moving out of a threatened square usually provokes an attack of opportunity from the threatening opponent. There are two common methods of avoiding such an attack—the 5-foot-step and the withdraw action (see below).

Performing a Distracting Act: Some actions, when performed in a threatened square, provoke attacks of opportunity as you divert your attention from the battle. Table: Actions in Combat notes many of the actions that provoke attacks of opportunity.

Remember that even actions that normally provoke attacks of opportunity may have exceptions to this rule.

{PHB pg 144}

Take 5-Foot Step
You can move 5 feet in any round when you don’t perform any other kind of movement. Taking this 5-foot step never provokes an attack of opportunity. You can’t take more than one 5-foot step in a round, and you can’t take a 5-foot step in the same round when you move any distance.

You can take a 5-foot step before, during, or after your other actions in the round.
You can only take a 5-foot-step if your movement isn’t hampered by difficult terrain or darkness. Any creature with a speed of 5 feet or less can’t take a 5-foot step, since moving even 5 feet requires a move action for such a slow creature.

You may not take a 5-foot step using a form of movement for which you do not have a listed speed.

{PHB pg 143}

Withdraw
Withdrawing from melee combat is a full-round action. When you withdraw, you can move up to double your speed. The square you start out in is not considered threatened by any opponent you can see, and therefore visible enemies do not get attacks of opportunity against you when you move from that square. (Invisible enemies still get attacks of opportunity against you, and you can’t withdraw from combat if you’re blinded.) You can’t take a 5-foot step during the same round in which you withdraw.

If, during the process of withdrawing, you move out of a threatened square (other than the one you started in), enemies get attacks of opportunity as normal.

You may not withdraw using a form of movement for which you don’t have a listed speed.
Note that despite the name of this action, you don’t actually have to leave combat entirely.

 

[Moff_Tarkin]

we are playing 3.0, I didnt know there was no withdraw. As far as I recall the book did say if all you do is move then you dont provoke an attack for the square you started in. I know thats in 3.5, I just thought i remembered it in 3.0 as well.

But I know the way he is doing the 5 ft step must be wrong. I'm sure I can take a 5-foot step (that being my ONLY movement) and then cast a spell, shoot an arrow, or drink a potion without getting attacked. (unless of course the square I am in now is also threatened, but thats like, Duh)

Basically, people in our game are taking a 5 foot step has their entire round. No casting, no attacking, no other action whatsoever. A 5 foot step is supposed to be pratically free in many situations, and people are taking a 5-foot step as a full round action to keep from being attacked for moving that 5 feet.

 

[SlagMortar]

Page 122 of the 3.0 player's handbook says very clearly "if your entire move for the round is 5 feet (a 5-foot step), enemies do not get attacks of opportunity for moving". Edit: In this context, "move" means moving your character around the battle field. It is not using the word like when someone says, "Your move," in chess. I imagine this is where the confusion comes in.

If he's worried about casters stepping 5 feet away and then casting, let him know that he can ready a trip attack for when the caster starts to step away. The trip prevents the 5 foot step from taking place because the caster will be prone and cannot take a 5 foot step while prone.

 

[Sithobi1]

Or you could just ready an action to attack the caster when he/she tries to cast a spell. As long as you haven't moved in the preceding round, you can take a 5ft step as part of a readied action...

 

[SlagMortar]

Actually, I was just looking for that in the 3.0 book and did not see it. I don't think you can take a 5 foot step as part of a ready action in 3.0. You can in 3.5.

 

[irdeggman]

Even in 3.0 there is a difference between move-equivalent and movement.



PHB pg 122

Provoking an Attack of Opportunity: If you move within or out of a threatened area, you usually provoke an attack of opportunity. If all you do is move (not run) during your turn, the space that you start out in is not considered threatened, and therefore enemies do not get attacks of opportunity against you when you move from that space. If you move into another threatened space, enemies do get attacks of opportunity for your leaving the second threatened space. In addition, if your entire move for the round is 5 feet (a 5-foot step), enemies do not get attacks of opportunity for your moving.

PHB pg 121

Move-Equivalent Action:
Move-equivalent actions take the place of movement in a standard action or take the place of an entire partial action.
Taking such an action counts as moving your speed. For instance, Tordek can use the attack action to move 15 feet and attack once, or to stand up from prone (a move-equivalent action) and attack once. He could also use the double move action to stand up from prone and move 15 feet. He could even use a double move action to stand up from prone and retrieve a stored item (both move-equivalent actions).
If you move no actual distance in a round (commonly because you have swapped your move for one or more move-equivalent actions), you can take one 5-foot step either before, during, or after the action. For example, if Tordek is on the ground, he can stand up (a move equivalent action), move 5 feet (his 5-foot step), and attack.

Check the 3.0 FAQ (pg 38):

How can I get away from someone without them getting an attack of opportunity against me?
Once you factor in the effects of skills and spells, the game offers a plethora of ways to escape unharmed. Even if you don’t have a spell or skill to get you out of trouble, you can disengage from an opponent and not receive an opportunity attack just by moving. If all you do during your turn is move (not run), the first 5-foot square you leave is not considered threatened and nobody can get an attack of opportunity against you. If you later move through another threatened area, however, you are subject to attacks of opportunity. (If your opponent has reach, forget about getting away without drawing an attack of opportunity.) Even if you take advantage of this rule, you’ll need to have a better movement rate than your opponent or move someplace where your opponent can’t follow to get clean away.

(and Pg 39)

Does moving away from an opponent who threatens you (which is a move action) to load a crossbow (which is a move-equivalent action) provoke an attack of opportunity (assuming you complete your initial move action in a space that isn’t threatened)? I realize the act of loading a light crossbow alone provokes an attack of opportunity (assuming someone threatens the loader). I would think that if a character moves away from a threatened area to load a crossbow, that character would be taking a double move action and not take an attack of opportunity.
In this case, you do indeed provoke an attack of opportunity when you leave the first threatened space if you move more than 5 feet. Taking a move plus a move-equivalent action is not a double move action; a double move action is moving twice your speed. Move-equivalent actions are so named not because they’re exactly the same as moving, but because you can perform them and still do something that you normally would combine with a move, such as firing the crossbow you have just reloaded.

Just a warning though, if you DM changes his mind and starts using the 5 ft step the way it was written, that means the "bad guys" will use the same tactics.