Bodyguard Feat Question


Rules Questions


3 people marked this as FAQ candidate.

It stated that you can use Bodyguard to use aid ally on your ally's AC bonus when they are attacked. Normally though, you need to be adjacent to use a standard action on an enemy that your ally will attack or that will attack your ally.

For the purpose of using aid other through the bodyguard feat, do you have to be adjacent to both your ally AND the enemy who you will give an AC bonus against, or just your ally?

From PFSRD;

Bodyguard (Combat)

Your swift strikes ward off enemies attacking nearby allies.

Prerequisite: Combat reflexes.

Benefit: When an adjacent ally is attacked, you may use an attack of opportunity to attempt the aid another action to improve your ally’s AC. You may not use the aid another action to improve your ally’s attack roll with this attack.

Normal: Aid another is a standard action.


"Benefit: When an adjacent ally is attacked..." So just next to your ally, think of it as trying to parry the attack that is coming into the square where your ally is standing (That does fall down with a Large Ally, but that is what a GM is for.)


I guess that is as clear as it is going to get. In that case, does that mean you could use this for ranged attacks as well?


Aid Another is limited to melee attacks, so this feat is as well, given the wording of "attempt the aid another action to improve your ally’s AC"


Venatio wrote:
I guess that is as clear as it is going to get. In that case, does that mean you could use this for ranged attacks as well?

Are you meaning you making the ranged attack or to boost ac against a ranged attack?


To boost an adjacent ally's AC if they are attacked by a range attack, or really any attack.

And if we are going back to the wording of the standard Aid Another action, than it specifically says

"If you're in position to make a melee attack on an opponent that is engaging a friend in melee combat, you can attempt to aid your friend as a standard action. You make an attack roll against AC 10."

It is kinda of weird to be picking and choosing parts of the original action to adhere to with the interpretation of the body guard feat.

What is the benefit of Body Guard exactly? Is it allowing you to go straight to the "Aid and benefit after an attack roll of 10", or is it simply letting you use an attack of opportunity to qualify for the setup involving being able to attack the opponent IN ADDITION to having to be adjacent to the ally?

In other words, what is exactly constitutes the Aid Another Action?


Venatio wrote:
To boost an adjacent ally's AC if they are attacked by a range attack, or really any attack.

by the reading you dont have to be adjacent to the attacker just the ally. So yeah i can see you shoving or what not your buddy to help him dodge an arrow.


I came here looking for an answer to this very issue.

I believe that the limitation only being on having to be adjacent to your ally, goes hand in hand with the limitation that you can only aid their defense.

I also believe that you can't help defend against a ranged attack, because your making a melee attack, and there is no way for a melee attack to deflect arrows unless you have the monk feats that allow for it. Also, given the ability to defend against range attacks is giving this feat something the original feat doesn't have.


According to the SRD, in order to do the Aid Another action:

"Aid Another
In melee combat, you can help a friend attack or defend by distracting or interfering with an opponent. If you're in position to make a melee attack on an opponent that is engaging a friend in melee combat, you can attempt to aid your friend as a standard action."

The bodyguard feat, as I understand it, allows you to do this as an immediate action at the cost of an attack of opportunity.

Everything else about this feat also suggests that you need to be able to threaten the enemy. From the flavor text "Your swift strikes ward off enemies attacking nearby allies.", to the fact that it consumes an attack of opportunity.

The plus side is that you don't need to be adjacent to the enemy, merely threaten him.

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Rules Questions / Bodyguard Feat Question All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.