Slow spell and attacks of opportunity

[Trainz]

Something came up last night.

My player has a spiked chain wielding minotaur with the proper classes and feats. Without going into details, he can make 4 attacks per round with a 20' reach and 5 attacks of opportunity.

Last night, an enemy sorceror successfully cast a Slow spell on him. While he was thus only allowed one attack per round on his action, I didn't know how to adjucate his AoO. Critters kept coming at him, thus entering his threatened squares, which he would trip, drop on the ground, and follow-up with an attack, a few times during the round.

This didn't feel like a slowed critter to me.

Please tell me I missed something in the rules, that this situation is covered.

Thanks !

 

[Fester]

I'm not sure there is any official ruling on this. You could argue that since the spell descriptor states that a "slowed creature can take only a single move action or standard action each turn", that they could not make AoOs (and yes, I realize it says turn and not round). Personally, I'd have probably allowed them 1 AoO per round and that's it.

 

[Crothian]

AoO do not matter on if the player is slowed, hasted, or normal. All that matters is that he threatens an area. So, slow does not effect AoO.

 

[shilsen]

What the World's Worst Lurker said. By the RAW, a character with 18 Dex and Combat Reflexes can make up to 5 AoOs in a round whether slowed or not.

 

[Liquidsabre]

Shouldn't mooks at that high enough level by experienced enough to minimize all the AoO goodness?

Standard Action: Full Defense
Move Action: Movement up to Minotaur

At the very least...

 

[Plane Sailing]

Similarly slow doesn't do much to stop the reaping great cleaver of doom style characters do, since they can keep on great cleaving while targets are in reach.

 

[Trainz]

Shouldn't mooks at that high enough level by experienced enough to minimize all the AoO goodness?

Standard Action: Full Defense
Move Action: Movement up to Minotaur

At the very least...

Yes, of course, but what he does with his AoO is a trip (melee TOUCH attack). That +4 to AC doesn't help much. He has the improved trip, so he gets a free melee attack (except that the critter is now prone). Next round, mook stands up, *WHACK*, AoO from minotaur. Trip, prone again, followed by free melee attack.

It gets ugly, you see...

 

[Liquidsabre]

I DM a spiked chain wielder myself here's some of the things I have experienced mooks do:

*Ranged attacks are good.
*If they gotta go in, best to do so at full defense (better than nothing), an even better way is to combat expertise full and fight defensively then go in (make no attacks).
*Cover is your friend, best to have the mooks run in behind each other, if one is still standing have the others come in behind them for cover so they don't suffer any AoOs. Plus the reach-guys allies tend to get in the way in combat sometimes, use them for cover as well. (note: Tower shields provide cover )
*Readied sunders or disarms are great, lot's of mooks? Have them assist each other in the effort.
*Bard, Monk, Rogue, & Swashbuckler NPCs tumble your hearts out.
*Casters on the defensive no problem.

I thought the cleave/AoO comparison rather apt. despite being slowed.

Oh and check out the trip threads, many folk don't allow the whole AoO trip back down again interpretation.

 

[hong]

As a house rule, it might be a good idea to change slow so that it gives a hefty penalty to attacks and AC instead of what it does now. Messing around with the action system (like the 3.0 haste did) is just asking for strange side-effects to pop up.

 

[Darklone]

Minotaur tripper.... where do you buy your brains ?