D&D 5E Opportunity Attack around a Corner: Yes or No?

[jayoungr]

So what I'm hearing here is that I am indeed in the minority on this, and pretty much everyone agrees with my players.

Okay, I accept that. I still think this is cheesy, but I accept that I'm the odd one out. This is what I wanted to know.

Oh, and as for having the orc move through his buddy's square, yes, that would be an option in this specific case, but there will be times when it's not possible, so it's still good to know how to handle those situations in future.

 

[iserith]

First off, the image I posted is a mock-up to show the issue. In the actual game, there were more PCs around.

Second, thinking about it further, I think what bothers me here is the line of sight. It doesn't seem like Grimmwald should be able to see around the corner well enough to make the split-second reaction needed for an opportunity attack.

I think in a situation like this it's helpful to put the rules first and the fiction last since ostensibly it's more about using the grid as a framework to run a fair and consistent tactical game. The rules in this case say that Grimmwald can see the orc sufficiently in order to make an opportunity attack. Now justify that in the fiction however you like. Having said that, as long as you establish the house rule up front that you don't get OA's around hard corners like this and the players buy in, carry on. I think with rules and rulings it's really about consistency so players can make informed decisions.

 

[jayoungr]

The rules in the PHB only applies to movement, not attacks.

The corner rule only applies to Movement. RAW is clear. I believe the Spirit of the rules it only applies to movement. If they had intended for the "not moving through hard corners" rule to apply to other things like AOO then they would have said so.

As a side question, would you say that RAW allows Grimmwald to move into the square with the dot? How do you interpret "crossing the corner of a wall"?

Having said that, as long as you establish the house rule up front that you don't get OA's around hard corners like this and the players buy in, carry on. I think with rules and rulings it's really about consistency so players can make informed decisions.

Yeah, I don't think I'd be getting player buy-in on that. In a sense, I'm a little relieved to be told that the rest of you see it their way, because it's easier for me to just give in than to be the meanie who makes them play in a way they don't like.

 

[iserith]

As a side question, would you say that RAW allows Grimmwald to move into the square with the dot? How do you interpret "crossing the corner of a wall"?

No, he can't do it. The rules means no clipping the corner of a space where an obstacle fills up the space. It effectively takes 2 squares of movement instead of one to end up in that space. If that wall was instead a small tree that doesn't fill up the space, then no problem - it costs just the 1 square of movement (unless the DM says the small tree is difficult terrain).

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I think in a situation like this it's helpful to put the rules first and the fiction last since ostensibly it's more about using the grid as a framework to run a fair and consistent tactical game.

What's the ostensibly referring to here? Who is ostenting that?

 

[NotAYakk]

So going pure grid, where you assume walls align with it, Grimmwald has line of sight to the blue dot square, so can attack.

They cannot move into it.

As for cover, let's pretend Grim is attacking the orc in the hand drawn red box.

Clearly that orc is attacking Grim with cover (see the green arrow). Does the orc have cover from Grim? That is the "along the wall" rule; does is a line going down a wall's edge blocked at all, or not?

If you take away the grid (as is reasonable!), then the pillar at the corner means Grim cannot shoot down to the red box orc without cover; the pillar blocks all of Grimm's corners from seeing the red box orc's right side. The same would hold of the blue dot orc. If not, then the blue dot orc has cover.

I find the red box orc is easier to think about, and using the same rules for the cover of the orc is reasonable.

Note that if the red box orc had cover from grim, so would grim have from the blue dot orc, and the blue dot orc from grim.

 

[aco175]

I like the way 5e just gives advantage/disadvantage. In this circumstance, If Grimwald gets an AOO it is at disadvantage. Same at if the orc stopped one square up in the blue dot square and Grimwald wanted to attack from around the corner, he would get disadvantage as well. Simple. I also agree with @ECMO3 above with why is he not just moving through his friends space and avoiding the whole thing.

I do not allow moving through the corner. Sometimes there may be a statue or chasm and the square is not really filled and I may allow something. I may allow this, but not actual walls.

 

[tommybahama]

Second, thinking about it further, I think what bothers me here is the line of sight. It doesn't seem like Grimmwald should be able to see around the corner well enough to make the split-second reaction needed for an opportunity attack.

Sometimes it's best to step away from the VTT. Go stand next to a corner about 2.5 feet away. You can clearly see almost all of the space around the corner without even shifting your body. At most shifting your head is all that is required to see around it.

It's only if you hug the wall that your vision is blocked.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I like the way 5e just gives advantage/disadvantage. In this circumstance, If Grimwald gets an AOO it is at disadvantage. Same at if the orc stopped one square up in the blue dot square and Grimwald wanted to attack from around the corner, he would get disadvantage as well. Simple. I also agree with @ECMO3 above with why is he not just moving through his friends space and avoiding the whole thing.

Errrrrr... hate to break it to you but 5E provides an example very similar this as the example for half cover IIRC, and 5E doesn't just give advantage/disadvantage, cover modifiers are on top of that.

Combat

D&D Beyond - Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition Tools, Rules, Races, Classes, Items, Spells, Monsters, and More

www.dndbeyond.com

 

[Stormonu]

I think the key word to keep in mind is “opportunity”. It isn’t an automatic success, it is an opportunity for Grimmwald to take a swing at the orc as it moves past. I see nothing cheesy about that.