I did a quick search and didnt see a ready answer.
I assume this also includes attacks of opportunity?for example - a spell caster is standing next to a foe (for some dumb reason) who has a reach weapon. Mister Wizard casts a spell that would provoke an attack.
- medium foe cant attack *with that weapon* (but could maybe punch Mister Wizard in the snot locker...which I find to be an amusing thought)
- side note: a large creature could make an adjacent attack with a natural weapon (Mister Wizard gets pasted by an ogre fist)
does that sound right?
Do you get an attack of opportunity with a natural or improvised weapon? I thought you did not.
And if you do not have improved unarmed strike, do you provoke an attack of opportunity for doing an attack of opportunity?
If the character (or creature) has a natural weapon (such as a claw) and the limb or part of the creature is free to attack, it can make an attack of opportunity with it. Improvised weapons I'm not sure of, they would definitely get the -4 for being improvised. As far as provoking, you cannot provoke an AoO with an AoO. Can't remember where exactly, but I saw it in the combat section somewhere.
You only get attacks of opportunity from foes in (or moving out of) threatened squares.
In case of an opponent in an adjacent square, you only get an AoO if you threaten adjacent squares.
With a reach weapon, you don't threaten adjacent squares.
You don't normally threaten when unarmed, so you can't make AoOs.
You do threaten if you have Improved Unarmed Strike (since you count as armed then), so you can make AoOs then (and don't provoke while doing so).
You do threaten with improvised and with natural weapons.
Hope that helps.
Edit: Btw, if you're using reach weapons and still want to be able to attack foes in adjacent squares, you could always use armor spikes instead of spending a feat on IUS - or take some levels in either the Polearm Master or the Phalanx Soldier fighter archetypes, which both circumvent that problem differently.
There are many actions other than movement that provoke AoO's, such as spellcasting, standing up from prone, digging in your pack for an item, etc.
As for attacking foes in adjacent squares, you could always just use the gauntlets from a set of armor (they count as weapons) such as plate, breastplate, even leather armor.
No, a creature with 'natural' reach, such as an ogre, threatens all squares adjacent as well as all squares 10 feet out. Makes the larger creatures really dangerous.
Edit: that is, only for natural weapons. Any reach weapons they use, such as polearms and whips, still cannot attack into the squares adjacent to them.
to clarify, if one does not have improved unarmed strike, they do not threaten with an unarmed strike. (not ogres, but normal humans who dont have a natural attack)
so you couldnt punch the wizard in the shnoz for casting a spell, as you dont threaten the square he is in, if you only had a polearm.
a creature with a natural attack that has reach by merit of size does threaten all squares, its only reach weapons really that dont threaten the closer ones. So the ogre COULD punch the wizard in the shnoz (slam attack)
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You threaten a square if you can attack that square with your melee weapon (with various exceptions, such as standard unarmed strikes and whips). You don't threaten an adjacent square with a reach weapon.
Actually, some of the new feats in Ultimate Combat allow you to not only threaten with a whip, but also to threaten anywhere within its reach, including adjacent. They made the whip much sweeter!
Do you get an attack of opportunity with a natural or improvised weapon? I thought you did not.
And if you do not have improved unarmed strike, do you provoke an attack of opportunity for doing an attack of opportunity?
You can totally provoke AoO through doing an AoO.
For instance, there are three combatants standing in a L shape. One of the combatants on the end drinks a potion. The one in the middle knows he can only win by knocking him prone, and so he uses his AoO as a trip attack. This (if you don't have the trip tier feats) provokes an AoO from both other combatants. Say the first combatant, Mr Potion drinker, decides to attempt a disarm with his AoO. This will possibly provoke an additional AoO from the combatant who is tripping. IF he has combat reflexes.
In this above situation being familar with grapple, and multiple characters in grapple, would probably be a good thing.
And I may be getting ahead of myself (still reading core through slowly) if an opponent has reach due to natural size - ogre, etc) do they have the same "aura" reach where adjacent squares arent threatened as with pole arms?
Creatures with reach greater than 5ft threaten all squares within whatever their reach is. That applies to natural attacks such as bites or claws or tentacles. (Note: some monsters only have extended reach with specific natural weapons.)
A giant with a 10ft reach wielding a club threatens all squares within 10ft of him.
A typical Large character wielding a reach weapon of the appropriate size can attack a creature 15 or 20 feet away, but not adjacent creatures or creatures up to 10 feet away.
That rule tells us that the same giant when using a Large reach weapon threatens squares 15ft to 20ft away from him but does not threaten squares closer... with that weapon. The same giant still threatens with any natural attacks he has. So if the giant's stats say he as 10ft reach with his... oh... bite attack, he has the ability to threaten all squares within 20ft but has two unique bands which require attacking with different weapons. Far out he uses the weapon, up close he bites.
So that all said, you can only attack squares you threaten. Ever. For normal attacks and attacks of opportunity. That's why I keep highlighting that word.
For Joe Average Fighter Guy, humanoids don't get natural attacks; they don't threaten any squares without a weapon in hand. You need Improved Unarmed Strike to threaten with your fists/feet/head/whatever. You technically are able to make attacks with improvised weapons, so arguably you threaten with them, but are specifically not allowed to make AoO, so arguably you don't. Improvised weapons are the weird edge condition... hence improvised.
Hope this helps.