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I looked in the CRB to see if I could find anything that says you need to be capable of performing an action in order to make an AoO but came up empty. So, as far as I can tell, because making an AoO isn't an action of any sort you can still make them when you're Dazed, Stunned, or Paralyzed. Obviously this is illogical but RAW, I can't find anything that says otherwise. Am I missing something?
(Reason I'm bringing this up: I'm contemplating building a mobile fighter that uses rapid attack and dazing assault to daze as many opponents as possible on my turn - the idea is to get my first opponent dazed then move on to the next one. Normally I'd be provoking AoOs for moving out of threatened squares but thought the dazed condition would eliminate that, except that making an AoO isn't an action and daze only stops you from taking actions.)
I did think of an argument that supports the logical notion that someone who can't take actions can't make AoOs, which goes like this: RAW you can make an AoO against only those who occupy squares you threaten. RAW you threaten any square into which you can make a melee attack. If you're prohibited from making melee attacks for some reason - such as the aforementioned conditions - you threaten no squares and therefore can't make an AoO. Seems logically sound reasoning to me.
I'm sure I'm thinking way too hard about this but you know how some players (and GMs) are about these things...
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So, as far as I can tell, because making an AoO isn't an action of any sort you can still make them when you're Dazed, Stunned, or Paralyzed.
While making an AoO doesn't use a game-defined Action category (like Standard/Move/Free/Swift/Immediate/Full-Round), it's still an action, meaning an act your character takes.
A dazed creature cannot make attacks of opportunity.
It's an action. It's not a free or a standard or a full-round or an immediate or a swift action, but it IS still an action. Since it's something you're doing.The other issue is that coms with AoO...
Is an AoO an action? I believe no.
So, as far as I can tell, because making an AoO isn't an action of any sort you can still make them when you're Dazed, Stunned, or Paralyzed.While making an AoO doesn't use a game-defined Action category (like Standard/Move/Free/Swift/Immediate/Full-Round), it's still an action, meaning an act your character takes.
A dazed creature cannot make attacks of opportunity.It's an action. It's not a free or a standard or a full-round or an immediate or a swift action, but it IS still an action. Since it's something you're doing.The other issue is that coms with AoO...
Is an AoO an action? I believe no.
Good enough for me. Thanks.
If a had a strict rules-as-written GM that tried this line of reasoning on me I'd use the same reasoning about "Threatened Squares: You threaten all squares into which you can make a melee attack, even when it is not your turn." A dazed character cannot make a melee attack on his turn because he doesn't get a standard action, therefore he doesn't threaten and thus cannot make an attack of opportunity. Quod erat demonstrandum
If that doesn't convince them the rules-as-written don't explicitly say that dead characters don't get actions and can't cast spells or attack either. Reductio ad absurdum.
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A few rules are necessary to answer this:
...A flat-footed character can't make attacks of opportunity, unless he has the Combat Reflexes feat...
A character who has not yet acted during a combat is flat-footed, unable to react normally to the situation. A flat-footed character loses his Dexterity bonus to AC and Combat Maneuver Defense (CMD) (if any) and cannot make attacks of opportunity, unless he has the Combat Reflexes feat or Uncanny Dodge class ability.
Characters with Uncanny Dodge retain their Dexterity bonus to their AC and can make attacks of opportunity before they have acted in the first round of combat.
You threaten all squares into which you can make a melee attack, even when it is not your turn.
The creature is unable to act normally. A dazed creature can take no actions, but has no penalty to AC.
A dazed condition typically lasts 1 round.
Stunned
A stunned creature drops everything held, can't take actions, takes a –2 penalty to AC, and loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any).
Attackers receive a +4 bonus on attack rolls to perform combat maneuvers against a stunned opponent.
A paralyzed character is frozen in place and unable to move or act. A paralyzed character has effective Dexterity and Strength scores of 0 and is helpless, but can take purely mental actions. A winged creature flying in the air at the time that it becomes paralyzed cannot flap its wings and falls. A paralyzed swimmer can't swim and may drown. A creature can move through a space occupied by a paralyzed creature—ally or not. Each square occupied by a paralyzed creature, however, counts as 2 squares to move through.
...A helpless character takes a –4 penalty to AC against melee attacks. In addition, a helpless character is treated as having a Dexterity of 0, giving him a –5 penalty to AC against both melee and ranged attacks (for a total of –9 against melee and –5 against ranged). A helpless character is also flat-footed...
A helpless character is paralyzed, held, bound, sleeping, unconscious, or otherwise completely at an opponent's mercy. A helpless target is treated as having a Dexterity of 0 (–5 modifier). Melee attacks against a helpless target get a +4 bonus (equivalent to attacking a prone target). Ranged attacks get no special bonus against helpless targets. Rogues can sneak attack helpless targets....
An attack of opportunity is a single melee attack, and most characters can only make one per round. You don't have to make an attack of opportunity if you don't want to. You make your attack of opportunity at your normal attack bonus, even if you've already attacked in the round.
An attack of opportunity "interrupts" the normal flow of actions in the round. If an attack of opportunity is provoked, immediately resolve the attack of opportunity, then continue with the next character's turn (or complete the current turn, if the attack of opportunity was provoked in the midst of a character's turn).
An unarmed character can't take attacks of opportunity (but see "Armed" Unarmed Attacks, below).
OK, so. First of all, a paralyzed character is helpless, and so can't take attacks of opportunity. That one's out completely.
Dazed and Stunned don't cause you to be flat-footed, so that part doesn't help answer the question. However, both dazed and stunned say
"can't take actions" and "can take no actions" respectively.
Stunned says that your character drops anything held. This means that any weapons you were holding are gone, so most characters would become unarmed. In Unarmed Attacks, it says an unarmed character can't make attacks of opportunity. If you have Improved Unarmed Strike or if you have natural attacks, you'd still be considered armed, so this part doesn't apply.
Finally, Threatened Squares says that you threaten any squares "into which you can make a melee attack". If you are stunned or dazed, you can't take any actions, and a melee attack is an action (usually a standard action). Even though an attack of opportunity is NOT technically an action, you can't threaten if you are kept from taking any actions, because you would not be able to make a melee attack into that square.
BOOM! DONE!
I think it is worth an FAQ. Logically I agree that if you can't take an action you should not be able to act, to include things that have no action, but it would be nice to know officially also.
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If a had a strict rules-as-written GM that tried this line of reasoning on me I'd use the same reasoning about "Threatened Squares: You threaten all squares into which you can make a melee attack, even when it is not your turn." A dazed character cannot make a melee attack on his turn because he doesn't get a standard action, therefore he doesn't threaten and thus cannot make an attack of opportunity. Quod erat demonstrandum
If that doesn't convince them the rules-as-written don't explicitly say that dead characters don't get actions and can't cast spells or attack either. Reductio ad absurdum.
Ah! The old 'one-two Latin punch', eh! Go on, my son!
Some DMs won't listen to logic even if it is couched in Latin! Still, nil illigitamati desperandum, eh?
"Quando omni flunkus moritati"
Sorry for the thread necro, but I'd like to see if I can get any official word on this for PFS. Can a character who can "Take no actions" make an attack of opportunity? A 'melee attack' is listed on the standard actions list, but an 'attack of opportunity' isn't on the actions list at all... so this is a grey area.
This question isn't answered officially here, and the only quote from a Dev I see is James Jacobs... but unfortunately I can't use his word for PFS games even though I'm pretty sure that he is right. It makes sense that a Dazed opponent wouldn't be able to make an AOO, but we have to go with RAW not RAI for Pathfinder Society.
This has suddenly become important for me because I am running an enchantment sorcerer who is going to be casting a lot of spells that prevent opponents from taking actions. One person that has GMed for me has already ruled that opponents who can take no actions can still make AOOs.
You threaten all squares into which you can make a melee attack...If you can't take actions, you can't make a melee attack. And if you can't make a melee attack, you don't threaten squares. If you don't threaten, attacks of opportunity are not provoked from you.
I like that interpretation. It is nice and simple, and I think it will work for PFS.
So... my party just said that authorities on rules are:
Jason Bullman (spelling?)
and Sean ReynoldsCan I get one of those two folk to confirm what mr Jacobs said below?
Probably not. Are you also of the opinion that the ten commandments don't count unless God Himself signed your copy of the Bible? JB and SKR are both quite busy working on new product development and whatnot, and I'd rather not interrupt what they're doing to "confirm" what an official Paizo staffer said.
Especially since it's fundamentally up to your Game Master anyway. If she wants to rule that dead people can make attacks of opportunity, it's her game and her purview.
