D&D 3E/3.5 The 5-foot step in 3.5

[tennyson]

Hi Everyone,

I will be getting the 3.5 books in the mail any day now, but until then I decided to stop over my local Borders and flip through the PH.

Regarding the 5-foot step, it seems to have remained the same (allowing the character to step out of a threatened square as a free action and attack without drawing an attack of opportunity). This rule was never very popular in our games, and I was under the impression that it was going to be changed for 3.5. It dissapointed me to a certain degree, because that was one of the rules I had hoped that would be altered. As I said, I've only skimmed the combat rules, so I may be missing something.

What are the 3.5 rules for the 5-foot step, and how have they changed from 3.0 specifically?

Thanks!

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

5-foot steps have not changed.

Edit: Though a 5' step was never really a free action ... it was only immune from AoO's if that was your only movement in the round (and if you are still in a threatened area after the 5' step, you can still provoke an AoO).

The diagrams and explanations of the 5' step are clearer in 3.5, but the rules are the same.

 

[Mercule]

One thing that really helps to keep the 5' step under control is to use it very strictly by the rules. Specifically, that it must occur either during a full-round-attack or during the move equivalent action of the character's turn.

What this really means is that the character can't draw a weapon (move equiv), attack, and _then_ 5' step. Believe it or not, this little technicality has really toned down most of the annoyance of the 5' step in our game.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

What this really means is that the character can't draw a weapon (move equiv), attack, and _then_ 5' step. Believe it or not, this little technicality has really toned down most of the annoyance of the 5' step in our game.

Very good point -- though this may or may not be true in 3.5 depending upon how you read the rules.

Under Move actions: You can take the 5' step before, during, or after a move action.

Under full round actions: You can take a 5' step before, during, or after a full round action.

The rules don't say that you can take a 5' step before, during, or after a standard action -- though if you read the rules for a 5' step (page 144), you might certainly interpret the move above as legal, since they say "You can take a 5' step before, during, or after your other actions in the round" with the examples being draw weapon, 5' step, attack, and cast spell, 5' step, close door.

There's some room for rules lawyering there, I'd say.

 

[pingpong]

whats there to rules lawyer?

if you dont move any distance, you can take a 5-foot step (barring other restrictions like terrain)

then it says you can take the 5-foot move before, after, or during any other actions in your round.

it seems pretty explicit to me...

what am i missing?

 

[The Souljourner]

"he annoyance of the 5' step"?

What game are YOU playing? What's wrong with the 5' step? I've never heard anyone complain about it before!

Yeah, 5' step and cast a spell or 5' step and shoot an arrow are kind of annoying if you're fighting 1 on 1, but in a battle with more than one person to a side, it's really not a big deal if you manuever your guys correctly.

Just what, exactly, is your problem with the 5' step? You make it sound like it's on par with Telekinesis and a bag full of shuriken.

-The Souljourner

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

whats there to rules lawyer?

One could quibble that since it doesn't explicitly say that you can take a 5' step before or after a standard action (like it does with a move action or FRA), the rules lawyer could claim that these combinations aren't valid (using MEA to denote a move action that doesn't involve movement):

[MEA][SA][5']
[5'][SA][MEA]

where these combinations are:

[5'][MEA][SA]
[MEA][5'][SA]
[SA][5'][MEA]
[SA][MEA][5']
[5'][FRA]
[FRA][5']
[FR {5'}A]

I'm not saying I agree; I've just come across some extreme quibbling in my gaming career, and I can see where this might come up.

 

[Branduil]

Actually, the new rules specifically state that you can take a 5' step combined with a standard action and a non-movement MEA. The example it gives is a mage casting fireball(Standard action), taking a 5' step through a doorway, and closing the door(MEA).

 

[pingpong]

I'm not saying I agree; I've just come across some extreme quibbling in my gaming career, and I can see where this might come up.

ahh, i see now. yeah, i can see now how one could rules-lawyer it.