Rogue's Opportunist Special Ability

[pbd]

Can this ability be used with a ranged attack (ie. bow) against an opponent in melee with an ally? Basically, can my archer rogue use this to shoot an arrow, assuming the archer is not engaged in melee, at an opponent the fighter is in melee with?

 

[Storm Raven]

Can this ability be used with a ranged attack (ie. bow) against an opponent in melee with an ally? Basically, can my archer rogue use this to shoot an arrow, assuming the archer is not engaged in melee, at an opponent the fighter is in melee with?

You cannot make AoOs with ranged weapons, so no.

 

[DanMcS]

No. It's an attack of opportunity.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Interesting question.

For reference:

Opportunist (Ex): Once per round, the rogue can make an attack of opportunity against an opponent who has just been struck for damage in melee by another character. This attack counts as the rogue’s attack of opportunity for that round. Even a rogue with the Combat Reflexes feat can’t use the opportunist ability more than once per round.

Now, the reason you cannot, generally speaking, make an AoO with a ranged weapon is because you do not threaten with a ranged weapon. In other words, it is not a limitation of the weapon, it's a limitation of you.

Note that the Opportunist special ability has some odd wording. Specifically, it requires that the opponent be struck for damage in melee. It does not require that the rogue actually be in melee with the opponent.

Note that this means that a rogue cannot use his Opportunist ability in a standard bar-brawl (where no one threatens anyone, and therefore no one is technically in melee).

Huh.

I'd say you've got a leg to stand on.

 

[Scharlata]

No. It's an attack of opportunity.

Maybe you can use the spell Arrow Mind from Complete Adventurer [p. 143] [Ranger 1, Sorcerer/Wizard 1] as an immediate action, which allows just that: to make AoOs with a [insert type] bow.

But remember that shooting into melee has its own drawbacks.

Kind regards

 

[Storm Raven]

Now, the reason you cannot, generally speaking, make an AoO with a ranged weapon is because you do not threaten with a ranged weapon. In other words, it is not a limitation of the weapon, it's a limitation of you.

Actually, it's a limitation on the attack of opportunity. Fromt he SRD:

An attack of opportunity is a single melee attack, and you can only make one per round. You don’t have to make an attack of opportunity if you don’t want to.

AoOs have to be melee attacks.

 

[the Jester]

AoOs have to be melee attacks.

...barring spells, feats or abilities to the contrary, of course (arrow mind, I'm looking at you!)

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

...barring spells, feats or abilities to the contrary, of course (arrow mind, I'm looking at you!)

Right. And therefore, is Opportunist one of those abilities?

I'm pretty sure it isn't supposed to be, which is why the OP only has a single leg to stand on ...

 

[domino]

If you have the class ability that allows you to threaten with a bow, and thus, allows you to make AoO with one, could you then make a ranged attack of opportunity using the Opportunist ability, if you also had it? Obviously, you can take AoO with the bow, so do they work together?

 

[Storm Raven]

Right. And therefore, is Opportunist one of those abilities?

I'm pretty sure it isn't supposed to be, which is why the OP only has a single leg to stand on ...

No, the opportunist feat is pretty clear on what it allows, and it allows an AoO. If you have one of the various other abilities that allow you to circumvent the normal AoO limitations then you might be able to use those, but by itself, the opportunist ability doesn't do that.