| 2 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
When I make an attack of opportunity, I have to declare that I am taking the action to attack (naturally), so I can activate Combat Expertise as part of said opportunity attack, yes?
You can increase your defense at the expense of your accuracy.
Prerequisite: Int 13.
Benefit: You can choose to take a –1 penalty on melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks to gain a +1 dodge bonus to your Armor Class. When your base attack bonus reaches +4, and every +4 thereafter, the penalty increases by –1 and the dodge bonus increases by +1. You can only choose to use this feat when you declare that you are making an attack or a full-attack action with a melee weapon. The effects of this feat last until your next turn.
Why or why not?
Yes. You seem to be able to. Sort of situational and for a couple of points of AC (which is sort of wasted at high levels), I would allow it at my table.
Yes. You seem to be able to. Sort of situational and for a couple of points of AC (which is sort of wasted at high levels), I would allow it at my table.
So you would allow a barbarian character to attack someone WITHOUT PENALTY, then activate combat expertise when an enemy attacks him (thanks to Come and Get Me), reap the benefits of Combat Expertise against a few other enemies, and then make more attacks on his turn WITHOUT PENALTY again?
:P
Wow, a Barbarian with 13 Int, that's a first!
/jokes.
Nice loophole RD.
RAW = legit.
Yes. You seem to be able to. Sort of situational and for a couple of points of AC (which is sort of wasted at high levels), I would allow it at my table.So you would allow a barbarian character to attack someone WITHOUT PENALTY, then activate combat expertise when an enemy attacks him (thanks to Come and Get Me), reap the benefits of Combat Expertise against a few other enemies, and then make more attacks on his turn WITHOUT PENALTY again?
:P
Yup. Melee needs some love.
I believed that "attack action" means "standard action". That was the way dev's used that word...
Hrm. I sort of read it as two separate clauses, that is as "an attack" or "[a] full-attack action". I can see how you could read it as "an attack [action] or full-attack action". If this is the case, then RD's loophole doesn't work.
I'd still let it happen. It's a lot of investment for a couple of points of AC.
I believed that "attack action" means "standard action". That was the way dev's used that word...
Both the devs AND the rules themselves conflict on the matter.
An attack that isn't an action (AoO description says "An attack of opportunity is a single melee attack", not an action, otherwise an AoO would be a standard action, which cannot be taken after your round has finished and thus you couldn't make AoOs) and an attack action isn't the same thing.
But you can argue that "making an attack or a full-attack action" means making and attack (period) or a full-attack action.
I wouldn't allow it because I don't want people to make AoOs and out-of-turn actions more complex, I don't want to give more love to characters with reach weapons and other abilities that relly on AoO, in 3.5 is was more clear that it was not possible, It doesn't seem to be the intended use and my interpretation of RAW doesn't allow it.
I agree that the rules are vague.
RAW and RAI are in conflict here. RAW allows activation of the feat either via an AoO or any immediate action that lets you take an attack. RAI is that Combat Expertise like Power Attack is a decision made once per round that lingers until the start of the PC's next round. That's the entire purpose of the "lasts until your next turn" clause.
You can move, then attack (and decide). That's legal no matter what.
But you're not allowed to attack at penalty then discard the bonus. Not during your turn.
To me, that suggests you're not intended to be able to toggle the ability. Turning it on in the middle of someone else' turn - such as during and AoO - tastes abusive of the intent.
In my group, Power Attack, Combat Expertise, and Two Weapon Fighting are decisions that are made once. If you don't turn them on at your earliest attack (if any) per round, they're not on until your next turn. If you do, they last until next round. Simple, easy, and fits the final "next turn" clause. But clearly isn't RAW.
You can only choose to use this feat when you declare that you are making an attack or a full-attack action with a melee weapon.
I read this as "attack" and "full-attack" both as adjectives modifying the direct object "action", rather than "attack" being a separate object.
To me, the intent seems that you can't activate Combat Expertise on only the last attack of a full-attack and benefit from the AC boost.
I agree with Quantum Steve...
Reading the first `making an attack` as referring to ANY attack (i.e. divorcing it from the `action` context of `an attack or a full-attack action`) just doesn`t make any sense, because if it DID apply to any attack, why reference full-attack action at all?
Applying only to Attack Actions and Full Attack Actions also means Combat Expertise can`t be used for Grapple, Charge, Cleave, Spring Attack, etc. I don`t think most GMs would have a problem allowing it with those attacks, but per RAW those don`t work.
It seems like this is another case of `evolved intent` (to steal somebody else`s phrase), what with the new EMPHASIS to attack action (even though attack action still contains all info necessary for ALL attacks, which goes against it`s restricted usage as one specific action type). Obviously, the text should be cleared up in Errata, one way or the other, because it IS possible to read it 2 ways (even though as I point out, one way makes much less sense).
i have a maneuver master/ lore warden with the flurry of maneuvers ability. i was wondering if i could use combat expertise in the middle of my flurry? i would trip at -2 to hit, then my opponent would be easier to hit while prone and maybe flanked. the effects of CE would last till my next attack.
too much number crunching cheese? lol...