Quick AoO question

Xarlen

First Post
If I move thirty feet and attack someone, do I not draw an AoO? Just like moving 30ft away from someone.

I thought the only ways you could close in for an attack is via a charge, or taking a 5' step in.
 
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Only if the have reach. AOO's based on movement occur when you move OUT of a threatened square. If you run up to a Longsword weilding guard and attack, no attack of opportunit. Now, run up to the same guard with a Long spear (10' reach), and yes, an AOO as you move from 10' to 5' away from him.
 

Unless you were in a threatened area before.

If you move away from creature X threathing you and go attack creature Y, you get an AoO from both. If you just move to and attack Y, then no AoO.
 
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Like Bastoche said.

If all you do is move then the square you start out in isn't considered threatened. If, then you move and attack, the first square is threatened, and you suffer an AoO for moving out of the threatened square.

If the person you are moving towards doesn't have reach, then you won't suffer an AoO from them as you don't enter a threatened square until you arrive in the square in front of him (thus, no movement through a threat zone).

IceBear
 

You draw AOOs in two ways:

1. Movement: By moving *out* of (leaving) a threatened square, you provoke an AOO

2. Action: Some actions inherently are more risky and "lower your guard". For example, casting a spell, sundering, beginning a grapple, or firing a bow (there are many other examples) in an area that is threatened by an enemy, you provoke an AOO.


Exceptions:

1. If your only movement for the round is a 5 ft step, you do not draw attacks of opportunity due to movement.

2. If all you do during your turn is move, enemies do not get an AOO against you when you leave the square *you started at*. If you leave another threatened square during your turn (besides the one you started at), you still provoke an AOO. (This represents a "fighting withdrawal" where you are carefully backing away from an enemy.)

3. Creatures that have 50% cover or better generally do not provoke AOOs.

4. Some feats can negate AOOs that you would normally provoke or can give you an AOO in a situation where you normally wouldn't be allowed one. For example, Spring Attack denies the defender AOOs against your movement when you use the feat, and Hold the Line gives you an AOO against a charging opponent (where you normally wouldn't get one).

Unless you have the Combat Reflexes feat, you get only one AOO per round.


So, in your example, as Aliensex pointed out, just closing with and attacking an enemy who has a normal (5 ft reach) weapon does not provoke an AOO because you do not leave a threatened square.

If an enemy has a reach weapon like a longspear, he threatens at a distance of 10 ft, so if you move into his range (at 10 ft) and then move another square to close to within normal melee range (at 5 ft), you provoke an AOO because you left the square he threatened 10 ft away.
 
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Bastoche said:
Unless you were in a threatened area before.

If you move away from creature X threathing you and go attack creature Y, you get an AoO from both. If you just move to and attack Y, then no AoO.

Uh. That is if Y was threatning you AND you moved more than 5', right? Lets say i'm between 2 longsword-wielding orcs, that are 10' apart. I move from besides 1 orc to besides the other (5'-step) and attack the latter. I don't think i'd draw any attacks of opportunity:

XM>Y

X: 1st orc
M: Me, Maitre D
>: 5' step
Y: 2nd orc

If the orcs were further apart, and I went from 1 to the other, i'd only draw an AoO from orc X, right?:

XM>>Y

Maitre D, kinda worried that, what, 2,5 years after the books have come out, the issue of AoO's isnt resolved :0)
 



Maitre, you are correct.

Making only a single 5 ft step in a round does not draw AOOs given due to movement.

In your second example where the orcs are farther apart, you only draw an AOO from Orc X (assuming you attack Orc Y).

Note that if you move in the way you described and do NOT attack Orc Y, you do not draw an AOO at all even though you are closing with Orc Y -- in this case you are considered to be performing a "fighting withdrawal" away from X.
 
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jlhorner1974 said:
Maitre, you are correct.

Making only a single 5 ft step in a round does not draw AOOs given due to movement.

In your second example where the orcs are farther apart, you only draw an AOO from Orc X (assuming you attack Orc Y).

Note that if you move in the way you described and do NOT attack Orc Y, you do not draw an AOO at all even though you are closing with Orc Y -- in this case you are considered to be performing a "fighting withdrawal" away from X.

I'm not sure about that. I think you would draw an AoO from both. But I'm not so sure.
 

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