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Okay, we have some tiny flying critters that have both fly-by attack and the attach special ability. Normally, a tiny creature must enter the target's space to attack, thus provoking an attack of opportunity. The fly-back attack feat negates this in most circumstances. But if they use their attach ability and remain attached to the target, thus not using the remainder of their movement in a fly-by, would they provoke an attack of opportunity as any other tiny creature would? The DM wasn't sure, but thinks that because it has fly-by attack, it may negate attacks of opportunity whether it moves past the target or not, while it is my opinion that if it doesn't move past, it isn't actually making a fly-by attack. Thoughts?
Prerequisite: Fly speed.
Benefit: When flying, the creature can take a move action and another standard action at any point during the move. The creature cannot take a second move action during a round when it makes a flyby attack.
Normal: Without this feat, the creature takes a standard action either before or after its move.
It may be because it's so late, but I don't see any mention of AoO negation. Are you confusing this with Spring Attack?
If they have Spring Attack, then no it doesn't provoke from the target of the Spring Attack. You don't have to continue moving after the attack.
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Ah, good question, I hadn't even noticed that Fly-by doesn't negate AoO. We've always just treated it as the aerial equivalent of Spring Attack. When the DM said that it negates, I didn't think anything about it, as I've always treated it the same way in games I've run as a DM. Makes me wonder if the spirit of the feat was meant to mimic spring attack, just aerial, or if it was meant to be weaker in that respect (after all, the fact that a flying creature could end its move in a space where grounded creatures can't charge it kind of makes up for the lack of not provoking, I suppose).
It also allows a standard action where Spring Attack only allows a single attack action. Depending on what you're doing it could either be much stronger or much weaker than Spring Attack.
Flyby Attack opens up the possibility of Vital Strike, Grapples, Cleave and any of the other feats that got bumped to a standard action. You can also use it without the feat tax. Making it not provoke as well seems a little bit powerful for a single feat, but if it works in your game or your nerf it somehow, I can see it working.