Was this "legal"?

[Hypersmurf]

I thought Combat Expertise overrode the rules for fighting defensively, so you can't do both.

If you check the PHB (rather than the SRD), you'll find that in the description of fighting defensively, it explicitly states that the bonus stacks with Combat Expertise. You can definitely do both.

You can't, however, use Combat Expertise in the situation described by the original poster, unless there is an enemy who you threaten or who threatens you. If the enemy was five feet away from your greatsword - no problem. If the enemy was twenty feet away, and happened to be a longspear-wielding ogre, no problem. If the enemy was twenty feet away and armed with a longbow, no Combat Expertise.

Why? Because you can only use Combat Expertise when you take the attack action or full attack action in melee combat. And from the SRD: "Two characters are engaged in melee if they are enemies of each other and either threatens the other."

(The original post states the character was "in combat", so in all likelihood it was legal, but not necessarily, if he wasn't in melee combat.)

-Hyp.

 

[Caeleddin]

CE and FD stack. It is specifically stated. PA and CE, on the other hand.....

 

[Hypersmurf]

PA and CE, on the other hand.....

There's nothing to stop you, unless you're raging.

-Hyp.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

CE and FD stack. It is specifically stated. PA and CE, on the other hand.....

Also stack.

 

[RigaMortus]

(The original post states the character was "in combat", so in all likelihood it was legal, but not necessarily, if he wasn't in melee combat.)

Coincidentally, I was. There was a BBEG behind me within melee range, and I wanted to get away from him. The other area was block by a wall of ice that I wanted to hack through (damn Bone Devils).

There's nothing to stop you, unless you're raging.

-Hyp.

LOL... opps... I was raging... Well, good to know for next time I guess.

 

[Hypersmurf]

LOL... opps... I was raging... Well, good to know for next time I guess.

Ah.

While raging, a barbarian cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can he cast spells or activate magic items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as a wand), or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function. He can use any feat he has except Combat Expertise, item creation feats, and metamagic feats.

-Hyp.

 

[Hypersmurf]

What's the AC of a door? 10 (base) + (-5) (Dex of 0) = 5?

3.

Armor Class: Objects are easier to hit than creatures because they usually don’t move, but many are tough enough to shrug off some damage from each blow. An object’s Armor Class is equal to 10 + its size modifier + its Dexterity modifier. An inanimate object has not only a Dexterity of 0 (–5 penalty to AC), but also an additional –2 penalty to its AC. Furthermore, if you take a full-round action to line up a shot, you get an automatic hit with a melee weapon and a +5 bonus on attack rolls with a ranged weapon.

10 (base) +0 (size, assuming a Medium door) -5 (Dex) -2 (inanimate object) = 3.

-Hyp.

 

[Saeviomagy]

3.

Armor Class: Objects are easier to hit than creatures because they usually don’t move, but many are tough enough to shrug off some damage from each blow. An object’s Armor Class is equal to 10 + its size modifier + its Dexterity modifier. An inanimate object has not only a Dexterity of 0 (–5 penalty to AC), but also an additional –2 penalty to its AC. Furthermore, if you take a full-round action to line up a shot, you get an automatic hit with a melee weapon and a +5 bonus on attack rolls with a ranged weapon.

10 (base) +0 (size, assuming a Medium door) -5 (Dex) -2 (inanimate object) = 3.

-Hyp.

Now here's a question:

Is the full-round action to line up the shot in the same round as the attack, or is it in the preceding round?

 

[Caeleddin]

Isn't Full Round Action = Standard Action + Move Action?

 

[Hypersmurf]

Is the full-round action to line up the shot in the same round as the attack, or is it in the preceding round?

I'm assuming that it's "Make a single attack against an inanimate object as a full round action".

-Hyp.