How to ignore Halting Blow ?


Rules Questions

Silver Crusade

Hello !

The Stalwart Defender and the Stonelord have the Extraordinary Ability "Halting Blow"

Halting Blow (Ex): If a foe’s movement in the defender’s threatened area provokes an attack of opportunity and the stalwart defender successfully hits the foe with the attack, the foe’s movement ends immediately. The foe cannot move again until its next turn but can still take the rest of its action.

Is it possible to be immune against it or ignore the effect somehow ? So that I can still move after being hit.

Is there a feat, spell, ability, item etc that helps against it ?


There are spells that move a character without being movement, e.g. Dimension Door.

Other than that, no.


If you don't take damage from it, such as Damage Reduction, then you aren't subject to the effect either. Even though the ability just says 'successfully hits' rather than damages, Damage Reduction that negates the attack will stop rider effects, like a monk's Stunning Fist.

Silver Crusade

Pizza Lord wrote:
If you don't take damage from it, such as Damage Reduction, then you aren't subject to the effect either. Even though the ability just says 'successfully hits' rather than damages, Damage Reduction that negates the attack will stop rider effects, like a monk's Stunning Fist.

Ooo, do you have a FAQ or developer post (or a book page) that I can refer to for that?


Freedom of Movement fixes everything....

Scarab Sages

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The only thing that would stop it is the temporary hp from a telekinetic defense talent kineticist, and only because it has a provision that if the damage is reduced to 0, it's treated as a miss. Halting Blow only cares about a hit, it's not a rider effect depending on damage.


Pizza Lord wrote:
If you don't take damage from it, such as Damage Reduction, then you aren't subject to the effect either. Even though the ability just says 'successfully hits' rather than damages, Damage Reduction that negates the attack will stop rider effects, like a monk's Stunning Fist.

I disagree.

Stunning Fist specifically states that the target must be "damaged" in order for the Stun effect to trigger ("Stunning Fist forces a foe damaged by your unarmed attack to make a Fortitude saving throw"). Consequently, damage reduction that results in no damage being suffered would negate the Stunning Fist attempt.

Halting Blow does not care about whether or not the target is damaged by the strike. It only cares whether or not there was a successful hit.


Rysky wrote:
Pizza Lord wrote:
If you don't take damage from it, such as Damage Reduction, then you aren't subject to the effect either. Even though the ability just says 'successfully hits' rather than damages, Damage Reduction that negates the attack will stop rider effects, like a monk's Stunning Fist.
Ooo, do you have a FAQ or developer post (or a book page) that I can refer to for that?
Damage Reduction wrote:
Whenever damage reduction completely negates the damage from an attack, it also negates most special effects that accompany the attack, such as injury poison, a monk’s stunning, and injury-based disease.

I can try a link... not sure if that will go right to the location or just the page, not my strong suit. If it's just the page just go down to the 'D' section.

Damage Reduction


Saldiven wrote:
Halting Blow does not care about whether or not the target is damaged by the strike. It only cares whether or not there was a successful hit.

That might be the case. If the Attack of Opportunity is a touch attack or other attack that would bypass DR. Otherwise, I believe DR's specific ability will overcome it. That would depend on the Halting Blows delivery form, however.


Notice it says "negates most special effects" not "negates all special effects."

I stand by my interpretation.

(Notice, all the examples they give. Stunning Fist which specifically states damage must be inflicted to trigger. Injury based disease and injury based poison; if no injury is suffered, then of course they wouldn't trigger. Halting Blow doesn't require any injury to trigger, and only requires a successful hit.)

Silver Crusade

Um, that's for rider effects that specifically rely on damage, injury poison, stunning fist, and injury-based disease. There's unfortunately nothing there to back up your interpretation.

Silver Crusade

Saldiven wrote:
Freedom of Movement fixes everything....

It does ?


Mythrael wrote:
Saldiven wrote:
Freedom of Movement fixes everything....
It does ?

It does not fix everything, but it does fix this.


I think freedom of movement would enable you to continue to move, but halting blow says your current movement ends. So as a GM I would rule that you move, provoke, are hit, current movement ends, but you can spend another action (assuming you have any remaining) to continue moving.


Claxon wrote:
I think freedom of movement would enable you to continue to move, but halting blow says your current movement ends. So as a GM I would rule that you move, provoke, are hit, current movement ends, but you can spend another action (assuming you have any remaining) to continue moving.

^ this.


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Since Cut From the Air/Smash from the Air came out I've really thought about reviving my dwarven dorn deggar wielding stalwart defender to really make a very defensive character to protect the party.

Silver Crusade

Claxon wrote:
I think freedom of movement would enable you to continue to move, but halting blow says your current movement ends. So as a GM I would rule that you move, provoke, are hit, current movement ends, but you can spend another action (assuming you have any remaining) to continue moving.

That sounds good !

But Halting Blow is a Ex and they are not magical and it is also not a combat maneuver. So does it really work ?

Sorry to bother but I just want it to be water proof. So that no rules lawyer can piss me off.^^


a particularly liberal GM may even says that as it's an effect that impedes movement that freedom of movement just negates it completely and it does nothing - that might be what I'd say


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I keep misreading this as "how to prevent halfling blow".

Either halflings have a problem with cocaine, or people are getting tired of being punched in the shins.


Mythrael wrote:
Claxon wrote:
I think freedom of movement would enable you to continue to move, but halting blow says your current movement ends. So as a GM I would rule that you move, provoke, are hit, current movement ends, but you can spend another action (assuming you have any remaining) to continue moving.

That sounds good !

But Halting Blow is a Ex and they are not magical and it is also not a combat maneuver. So does it really work ?

Sorry to bother but I just want it to be water proof. So that no rules lawyer can piss me off.^^

Freedom of Movement doesn't clearly say what it does and doesn't work against.

We know it definitely works on:
"This spell enables you or a creature you touch to move and attack normally for the duration of the spell, even under the influence of magic that usually impedes movement, such as paralysis, solid fog, slow, and web. All combat maneuver checks made to grapple the target automatically fail. The subject automatically succeeds on any combat maneuver checks and Escape Artist checks made to escape a grapple or a pin."

But it's not an exhaustive list, only examples. It just says you move normally for the duration.

So my interpretation is that it causes you to stop moving, but can stop you from resuming your movement (as it would normally do).

Shadow Lodge

I'll let Freedom of Movement bypass almost anything, including this.

Dark Archive

Actually, the spell Grace will by-pass this...


thistledown wrote:
I'll let Freedom of Movement bypass almost anything, including this.

Halting Blow is neither a spell nor a combat maneuver. It is in no way magical. It is an EX ability and outside the scope of Freedom of Movement

DmRrostarr wrote:

Actually, the spell Grace will by-pass this...

Grace works, because it denies the character the opportunity to use Halting Blow.


Snowlilly wrote:
thistledown wrote:
I'll let Freedom of Movement bypass almost anything, including this.
Halting Blow is neither a spell nor a combat maneuver. It is in no way magical. It is an EX ability and outside the scope of Freedom of Movement

Nowhere in Freedom of Movement does it mention it only works on magical or supernatural abilities Snowlilly? Where are you getting this restriction from?

The full text is:

Quote:

This spell enables you or a creature you touch to move and attack normally for the duration of the spell, even under the influence of magic that usually impedes movement, such as paralysis, solid fog, slow, and web. All combat maneuver checks made to grapple the target automatically fail. The subject automatically succeeds on any combat maneuver checks and Escape Artist checks made to escape a grapple or a pin.

The spell also allows the subject to move and attack normally while underwater, even with slashing weapons such as axes and swords or with bludgeoning weapons such as flails, hammers, and maces, provided that the weapon is wielded in the hand rather than hurled. The freedom of movement spell does not, however, grant water breathing.

It even includes fighter under water as a restriction that is ignored, so clearly it's not restricted to just magical sources.


Claxon wrote:
Snowlilly wrote:
thistledown wrote:
I'll let Freedom of Movement bypass almost anything, including this.
Halting Blow is neither a spell nor a combat maneuver. It is in no way magical. It is an EX ability and outside the scope of Freedom of Movement
Nowhere in Freedom of Movement does it mention it only works on magical or supernatural abilities Snowlilly? Where are you getting this restriction from?

By misreading the first line of the spell effect, where is talks about spell duration and magical effects.

Shadow Lodge

I'll put the emphasis a bit differently to show my reasoning:

"This spell enables you or a creature you touch to move and attack normally for the duration of the spell, even under the influence of magic that usually impedes movement, such as paralysis, solid fog, slow, and web. All combat maneuver checks made to grapple the target automatically fail. The subject automatically succeeds on any combat maneuver checks and Escape Artist checks made to escape a grapple or a pin."

First line covers everything mundane. "Even" covers non-mundane.


Many effects restrict movement. Legs cut off. Wearing full plate mail. Solid walls. Difficult terrain. Reduction in speed when climbing a vertical wall. Being tripped. Being blinded. Death.

If Freedom of Movement works on non-magic effects beyond the ones specified in the spell, then does it RAW work on all of those? Or does "normally" mean "the amount you could normally move if there were no magic effects involved"?

Feel free to FAQ it here or here.

Scarab Sages

Mythrael wrote:

Hello !

The Stalwart Defender and the Stonelord have the Extraordinary Ability "Halting Blow"

Halting Blow (Ex): If a foe’s movement in the defender’s threatened area provokes an attack of opportunity and the stalwart defender successfully hits the foe with the attack, the foe’s movement ends immediately. The foe cannot move again until its next turn but can still take the rest of its action.

Is it possible to be immune against it or ignore the effect somehow ? So that I can still move after being hit.

Is there a feat, spell, ability, item etc that helps against it ?

Two easy ways to ignore this one. First, don't provoke, as this only functions when you provoke. And Second, don't get hit, as this only functions when you get hit.

But if the plan is to provoke and to get hit, then your out of luck.

Regarding provoking, you could use acrobatics to travel without provoking. There are feats that grant 5ft steps which travel more than 5ft. You could do one of many spells which move without moving, like teleportation, or you could foribly move them so you didn't provoke. You could also try to decrease their size enough so they didn't threaten you anymore. If you could remove their weapons so they were unarmed, provided they lacked natural or improved unarmed strike, they wouldn't threaten anymore. Invisibility could also function to prevent them from reacting to you (and making them blind should have the same effect).

As for not getting hit, AC is the way to go here. Mobility adds to AC while provoking. Concealment could also help. Could also attempt some sort of ability/spell which causes them to roll multiple dice and take the lowest.

Silver Crusade

Ok, thank you all for the help !

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