Opportunity Attacks Clarification...

[Zinegata]

I'm not sure if it's been brought up before, but I noticed something in DM's handout ( http://www.enworld.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=32942 ) for the DDXP regarding Opportunity Attacks. I've marked the relevant lines in bold:

"You can only take one opportunity action on each combatant's turn (if available)."

If I'm reading this right, doesn't this mean that everyone actually has the equivalent of unlimited Combat Reflexes? And a warrior/fighter who has managed to get himself adjacent to a bunch of ranged attacker/casters is a VERY big threat indeed, since he can opportunity attack all of them as they try to move out or use their abilities?

 

[leifthelucky]

I believe he gets an opportunity attack on all and any who use a ranged or area spell, yes, but they could simply shift away, then cast; he could attack one with his Immediate Combat Challenge ability, but not stop his target from moving, since it is not an opportunity attack.

 

[Zinegata]

I believe he gets an opportunity attack on all and any who use a ranged or area spell, yes, but they could simply shift away, then cast; he could attack one with his Immediate Combat Challenge ability, but not stop his target from moving, since it is not an opportunity attack.

Ah, right, I forgot about the five foo... I mean, shift .

Still, interesting how OA's are now basically unlimited.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Ah, right, I forgot about the five foo... I mean, shift .

Still, interesting how OA's are now basically unlimited.

Well, not quite. Limited to one per foe per round.

It's much less of a limit than it used to be, but there are still situations where it's an important distinction.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

The pregen fighter appears to have an ability to smack foes who even just SHIFT, far or less the OA he gets for them running away...

 

[ZombieRoboNinja]

The pregen fighter appears to have an ability to smack foes who even just SHIFT, far or less the OA he gets for them running away...

But it's important to remember that this free attack is NOT technically an OA, because when the fighter DOES get an OA and hits, another of his class abilities stops the target from moving.

 

[dm4hire]

The fighter's ability against shifting requires the target shift before she can make the attack, shifting in itself does not provoke an OA so they can't be used together. It keeps the opposition from trying to flank so someone else can get a better shot in or to stop someone from shifting past to get to someone behind the fighter, i.e. the wizard.

 

[Hypersmurf]

The fighter's ability against shifting requires the target shift before she can make the attack...

That depends on whether the Combat Challenge immediate action is an Interrupt or a Reaction, doesn't it? If it's an Interrupt, you hit them after they decide to shift, but before the shift resolves. If it's a Reaction, you hit them after they shift... assuming you can still reach them.

I'm assuming it's an Interrupt for now, unless anyone's heard otherwise.

-Hyp.

 

[dm4hire]

Shift: Move 1 square without provoking opportunity attacks. You can't normally shift into difficult terrain.

Combat Challenge (when an adjacent enemy shifts, make an immediate melee attack against them).

Basically you attack either before they take their action after shifting, or after they do their action and are attempting to move away via shift. The shift still happens, you just get a shot at them when normally you wouldn't.

 

[Ximenes088]

I read it as an interrupt. There's not a whole lot of point in being able to cuff someone after they've already moved, and more importantly, it leaves the fighter with no "stick" to him. The way I read the ability combination it amounts to...

A) If an adjacent enemy moves, get an OA before they move. (Standard situation in which everyone gets an OA).

B) If an adjacent enemy shifts, get an OA before they move. (A special ability of fighters.)

C) If you hit a moving enemy with an OA, they stop. (A special ability of fighters.)

Under this interpretation, if you get next to a fighter, you're going to _stay_ next to a fighter unless you spend your entire turn just trying to get away. A determined enemy can always get away by making a move action to try and get clear, risking the sticky-hit, and then using a standard action to move again if they get stuck. Because the fighter can only make one OA on an enemy per enemy's turn, the second move goes unopposed.

I may well be off on this exegesis, but it seems to me to be the best way to give the fighter the stickiness that is his entire point as a defender.