pawsplay said:
That's just completely horrible. I'm picturing a line of kobolds stopping a raging ogre barbarian in its tracks. That's not realistic at all. Realistically, you can try and sometimes get away with doing all kinds of things. If someone has a mega touch AC, you need to address the game reality that brought that about if it bothers you. Otherwise, they really do have that AC and really can dodge just about anything. Trying to create absolutes would just be kludging it, in every way a step back from AoOs.
A line of kobolds (and other small-sized creatures) currently do stop raging ogres (and other large-sized creatures), just by standing there. And that raging barbarian probably doesn't give a crap about any attacks of opportunity that prevent him from reaching that poor wizard, does he? That's a dead-end example that doesn't help your case.
There are plenty of alternatives that would better simulate a "zone of control". One would be to have movement through threatened squares cost double. Another would be some kind "interposing" rule where a character can ready an action to defend another character from an attacker.
Frankly, I only see the end-run around armed combatants being a problem if that combatant is just standing there doing nothing waiting to intercept someone. Once he's engaged with another enemy, why the heck shouldn't you be able to rush past him? He's got someone else to pay attention to. Hey, maybe he should suffer an AoO for trying to AoO you while ignoring his own playmate.
If we're going to start addressing what "game reality" brings about, then that's really where we can boil down where the problem with characters zooming all over the battlefield is.
First thing is that D&D is just not a deadly enough game for a cheap-shot attack to be a strong deterrent to doing something really effective (like alpha-striking a wizard before he can unleash a nasty party-rocking spell). Attacks of opportunity don't discourage tactics with solid payoffs, they discourage questionable tactics that involve a real risk of taking a hit for nothing and looking stupid for doing so (like, say, disarming or tripping). But we all like D&D barbarians to be really tough n' hardy with lots of hit points, so let's have no more talk of making combat deadlier.
The second thing is, D&D characters are afforded too much movement per round. That's what really allows for characters to do end-runs to the wizard during their turn, or other crazy crap like cutting down an opponent with a loaded crossbow who sees you coming from sixty feet away without him getting off a shot. Forget taking a cheap shot attack at somebody running past you. You should just be able to get in his way.
Personally, my dream version of D20 affords you one swift action and one standard action. Now, a character could do a bit more with that swift action that he currently can, like gaining a little movement or make a quick, sloppy attack. So, say, a character can move 10 feet as a swift action and 20 as a standard action. A character's slowed down enough to keep one round's worth of actions from whisking him around a battlefield.
