Players not taking AoO

[Sinjin the Rogue]

AoO

I'd say that as a DM, you could remind them of their negligence only after an encounter has been resolved. At that time, you would do it out of the kindness of your heart. I think I would tell them once or twice, but after that, they're on own.

Of course, I can think of one time that you may want to even coax a character into making an attack of opportunity. If a PC is invisible, and has decided not to attack in order to mainatin the invisibility, you might see if you can send a few bad guys past him, and hope that the PC might just forget for a moment that he is invisible and take that AoO. (Believe it or not, it works more often then you think, because the PC starts paying attanetion to what you are doing and to what his fellow players are doing, and he forgets that he is invisible.) As soon has he takes the AoO, he become visible, and he is surrounded by bad guys. OOPS!

 

[KnowTheToe]

As the DM, I would tell them because their characters would get the AoO. They are actively protecting the space around them and because the player is not paying attention does not change that.

The real question is, why are they not paying attention? There may be too much off topic discussion, distractions, confusion etc. that is what you have to discover. Good luck!

 

[ruleslawyer]

Oh, for heaven's sake.

As Shadeus said: the players are not the characters. It's pretty plain that an experienced combatant will see the opportunity for an AoO and take it by default; that's the definition of an AoO. Moreover, an AoO is something that is triggered automatically by certain actions of a PC's opponent. If the opponent commits the action, the AoO becomes available. Period. Players shouldn't have to be constantly asking the DM if they can take actions that, quite simply, are available to them by default. Finally, this isn't a competitive game between the players and DM; the DM is supposed to sketch out the gaming environment, not attempt to sneak details of that environment past the players.

 

[Sixchan]

Meh. The player's don't tell me if I forget an AoO, and I don't tell them. At least, not until after they can't take it. If both sides reminding each other is fair, so is not reminging the other side.

 

[gariig]

I tend to agree on reminding them for really unusual stuff. If suddenly someone decides to trip a PC for the first time in a campaign, tell them that's an AoO. However, the moving through threatened squares, that's a very obvious one and shouldn't be needed to be told to seasoned D&D players. IF they aren't sure of AoO have them read the back section of the newer PHBs and read chapter 8(the combat chapter).

Gariig

 

[Fenes 2]

I remind players - heck, I describe actions like "The guard turns and tries to run away. Roll for the AoO."

I am a big believer in the separation of PC and player knowledge - and that works both ways imho. Just as a PC would not know how to defeat a monster he has never heard of just because the player knows it a PC would not forget what he knows about combat, spellcasting and his skills just because the player does not know it.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

I'd remind them. If a DM didn't tell me I'd normally assume that the monster had some way to avoid the AoO, like he tumbled. Of course if the DM wants to set up some situaiton where I constantly am barraging him with questions to make sure I'm not missing out on some little tid-bit that's fine. I suspect though that the game would get really slow.

 

[Dagger75]

I don't try to hide the things from the PC's. I pick up the fig and walk it across the squares it walks threw. They fight creatures with reach, they all plan for ways to avoid attacks of opprotunity from that creature, but when I move my mini for that creature, I show the path. Sometimes they wait for it and do AoO. Sometimes they even say "Hey don't I get an AoO from that" and usally they do.

So what are players there for, for the DM to look at?
Do they have any responibility? Yes a new player playing in his 4th game I will tell them when to take AoO. These guys have been playing the game FOR 2+ YEARS!!!!!! One is a 21 Level Druid, the other is 21 Level Cleric, they now the spells well enough.
At what point do I stop holding the hands of the players? I have a lot more to keep track of now with all this Epic Level stuff.

 

[Jemal]

Simple solution - Tell your characters before you play "I'm not going to tell you when you get attacks of opportunity. IF you think you should be taking one, ask me 'do I get an AoO?'"

I'ld do that with mine, except ALL but 1 person in my game are rules lawyers (Shudder...) so if one of them forgets something the others instantly shout out "HEY YOU FORGOT THIS"

Anyways, I hope the solution I posted at the top helps.

 

[Shadeus]

If suddenly someone decides to trip a PC for the first time in a campaign, tell them that's an AoO.
Gariig

[ruleslawyer]
Making a trip attack does not invoke an AoO.
[/ruleslawyer]