Threatened squares and weapons in hand

[Zaruthustran]

I can’t find the reference for not threatening adjacent squares with ranged/projectile weapons. I’m sure it is there, but it is not easy to find in the SRD, at least for me.
To bring the sling into it, nothing prevents a loaded sling from being used as a melee rather than range weapon. Again, seems threatening to me.

Your "use a longbow as a club" and "use a loaded sling as a sap" ideas are neat. But they're not in the rules, and this is the rules forum. Therefore, I'll stick to your original questions, and answer with the rules and the rules alone.

Threatened Squares: You threaten all squares into which you can make a melee attack, even when it is not your action. Generally, that means everything in all squares adjacent to your space (including diagonally). An enemy that takes certain actions while in a threatened square provokes an attack of opportunity from you. If you’re unarmed, you don’t normally threaten any squares and thus can’t make attacks of opportunity.

do people interpret “can make a melee attack” as the character brandishing a melee weapon?

“can make a melee attack” simply means that the character, at the time of the action that caused the AoO, can make a melee attack into the square in question.

That's pretty clear.

Examples:
If you're a Medium size creature with a longsword you threaten all adjacent squares because you can make a melee attack into all adjacent squares.

If you're a Medium size creature wielding a longbow and wearing armor with armor spikes (not spiked gauntlets) you threaten all adjacent squares because you can make a melee attack with armor spikes.

If you're a Medium size creature wielding a longbow you do not threaten any adjacent squares because you cannot make a melee attack with a longbow.

I guess you could argue with your DM that the thin, flexible, light wood of a bow could be used as a weapon (maybe for 1 point of damage and no Str bonus?). That's a judgement call for the DM to make, under the Improvised Weapons rule on page 113. I think you'd have better luck using a crossbow as a club; a bow is too thin to be an effective melee bludgeoning weapon, and if you stabbed someone with it it'd just bend--that's what bows are designed to do, after all. But the rules leave improvised weapons up to the individual DM.

But do note that using a longbow as a melee weapon means that you're NOT using it as a ranged weapon. You'd have to change your grip at the very least. And that should take a free action at the least. Alas, the rules aren't explicitly there.

Or would it be enough to be armed and evidently hostile? Given that an opponent might conceivable draw a weapon and strike at any moment. Or is that “unarmed” as well?

Being hostile is not enough. If you are not armed (and you don't have Improved Unarmed Strike) then you don't threaten. Quick Draw doesn't help at all. Here's a test: ask the question "Can the character, at the time of the action that potentially provokes the AoO, make a melee attack into the square in question?" If the answer is "yes" then you threaten. If the answer is not "yes" then you do not threaten. Note that "Well, if he drew a weapon with Quick Draw..." is not "yes."

"Armed" is clearly not the same as "able to become armed very quickly."

Example:
DM: The orc runs between the two of you, potentially drawing an AoO.
Player1: I have my sword out, so I take that AoO.
DM: Okay. Player2?
Player2: My sword is in my sheath. So first I take a Free Action to Quick Draw my sword, then--
DM: Nope. There's no "first" or "then." Can you make a melee attack--right now--without first taking some other sort of action?
Player2: Er, no.
DM: Well, then no AoO for you.

Why not allow free action as part of an AoO? The rules simply don't allow for it. And, what's more, it opens up for abuse. Here's another example:

DM: The orc runs between the two of you. AoOs?
Player1: I have my sword out, so I take my AoO. And as a free action I cast a quickened Prayer spell.
Player2: I don't have my sword out. So I take a free action to quickdraw my greatsword, swing at him--
Player1: Don't forget the bonus from my Prayer!
Player2: Oh yeah, I swing with the bonus from the quickened Prayer, then after I swing I take a free action to drop the sword, then as a free action I quickdraw my longspear from my Quiver of Ehlonna so that he'll provoke another AoO as he continues past me.
DM: You guys suck.

-do characters wielding bows threaten adjacent squares with that weapon (for the purpose of taking an AOO)?

Let's find out. The SRD says "You threaten all squares into which you can make a melee attack." On page 112 of the PHB it says "Ranged weapons are thrown weapons or projectile weapons that are not effective in melee." A bow is a projectile weapon. A bow is not effective in melee. You cannot make a melee atack with a bow. So, you do not threaten adjacent squares--for the purpose of taking an AOO, or for any other purpose.

If not, does holding a bow preclude the possibility of making a melee attack and hence threatening a square, for the purpose of providing flanking, for example?

No, holding a bow does not preclude the possibility of making a melee attack and hence threatening a square. While it's true that "you need at least two hands to use a bow, regardless of its size", you can threaten with other weapons that are not worn or carried in your hands. Example: armor spikes (knee spike, foot spike, shoulder spike, whatever) or unarmed strike (head butt, kick, knee, whatever).

Hope that helps!

-z

 

[Zaruthustran]

I'm talking about using quick draw to draw a dagger or sword at the end of your round (after you've taking all your bow shots). Since you are now holding a melee weapon, you can take AoOs as normal. Then, as a free action at the beginning of your next round, drop the dagger and begin firing your bow. You drop one dagger per round but its no problem to carry a dozen or so.

Since you can draw an arrow as a free action now (3.0 was unclear on this point), this should also work with arrows as an improvised melee weapon. Sure, you have both hands full, but you can always drop the arrow as a free action so you haven't really lost anything (except the time it takes to pick up all the arrows you've tossed about).
Aaron

This is a clever idea. An idea that's a an abusive rules exploit, but a clever idea nonetheless.

-z

 

[youspoonybard]

How about a medium character holding a small longspear and a 1-h weapon? You'd have -4 to all attacks, but you would threaten since you can use your spear 1-h, but it still has reach...

Although it would just be easier to pick up EWP: Spiked Chain : P.

 

[kreynolds]

This is a clever idea. An idea that's a an abusive rules exploit, but a clever idea nonetheless.

I don't think its abusive...unless the player keeps 50 daggers on them for this very purpose.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I posted something similar a while back (Bow with spiked gauntlets) and everyone told me I couldn't do it. Even sent an email to the Sage / Customer Service, and they told me I couldn't.

I certainly didn't.

The bow/spiked gauntlet scenario is identical to the longspear/spiked gauntlet scenario presented in the FAQ, starring Gruntharg the half-orc barbarian.

Do a search in the Main (3E) FAQ on Gruntharg, and see what I mean.

-Hyp.

 

[Zaruthustran]

How about a medium character holding a small longspear and a 1-h weapon? You'd have -4 to all attacks, but you would threaten since you can use your spear 1-h, but it still has reach...

Wow. This is brilliant. It'd be like a really long rapier. Which I guess makes it an estoc.

But I'd ditch the second hand weapon, and instead wear armor spikes and a large shield. You'd threaten all squares up to 10' away and get a +2 shield bonus and it wouldn't take a feat. Much better than spiked chain. And remember that the additional -2 TWF penalty would only come into play when you did a full attack that used more than the one weapon.

So a half-orc cleric of Gruumsh with Weapon Focus: Longspear would effectively nullify the -2 penalty for size difference (+1 from Str bonus, +1 from WF).

Scary!

-z

 

[Zaruthustran]

If I had had Reach I would have been able to kill this double post before it made it to the boards.

 

[Hypersmurf]

But I'd ditch the second hand weapon, and instead wear armor spikes and a large shield. You'd threaten all squares up to 10' away and get a +2 shield bonus and it wouldn't take a feat. Much better than spiked chain. And remember that the additional -2 TWF penalty would only come into play when you did a full attack that used more than the one weapon.

For the cost of a feat, of course, you can up your damage from 1d6 (Small longspear) to 1d10 (Monkey-Gripped Glaive).

-Hyp.

 

[Magic Slim]

I certainly didn't.

The bow/spiked gauntlet scenario is identical to the longspear/spiked gauntlet scenario presented in the FAQ, starring Gruntharg the half-orc barbarian.

Do a search in the Main (3E) FAQ on Gruntharg, and see what I mean.

-Hyp.

Indeed you didn't

Of course, the bowman has the "free action to stop using the bow at the end of each turn, free action to start using the bow at the beginning of each turn" option, following the longspear example in the FAQ... which makes sense for anyone except an OotBI with the "Free Shot" ability.

-Hyp.

Seems I was remembering my previous post wrong. I had mixed a buckler (used for defense) in all of this. That's where the heat was coming from...

Slim

 

[youspoonybard]

Alternatively, you could take a level of monk. Take a second, too, because it's good!

Since a monk can use unarmed strike even when their hands are full, you have 1d6, threaten the 5', even when holding a longspear/etc.

Hmmm...the more I think about it, the more I like Monk2/FtrX...

Edit: It looks like you'd get full str on the unarmed strike, too...