Attacks of Opportunity

[Kenneth Souther]

Need some clarification. I understand you can move through a threatened square without provoking an attack of opportunity from an enemy by using Acrobatics.

Does this also mean you can move AWAY from an enemy you are engaged with using Acrobatics to avoid an attack of opportunity? For that matter, can you avoid other types of attacks of opportunity (spellcasting, missile firing, etc.) by using Acrobatics?

[Silent Saturn]

The AoO is provoked by leaving a square that an enemy threatens. For every five feet you move, if the enemy threatens the square you stepped OUT of, they get an AoO. They don't have to threaten the square you step INTO.

Acrobatics can negate any AoO that was triggered by moving, but not by anything else.

So the answers to your questions are Yes to the first one and No to the second one.

[Corren28]

Yes, you can use acrobatics to move out of a threatened square and move at 1/2 speed or normal speed if you increase the DC by 10. Also, you can use the withdrawal full-round action to move in a straight line and not provoke attacks of opportunity from the square you started in.

Acrobatics does not allow you to avoid attacks of opportunity from casting and ranged attacks. Casting defensively will prevent attacks of opportunity while casting and I think there's a feat you can take to prevent attacks of opportunity from ranged attacks as well, but don't quote me on that.

[Gauss]

Corren28: You do not need to move in a straight line when withdrawing. Straight line movement applies to Charge and Run and not Withdraw.

- Gauss

[kinevon]

Point-Blank Master is the feat that allows a FIghter or Ranger to use a ranged weapon without provoking AoOs.

Withdraw is, indeed, not limited to a straight-line move, but it only protects you from AoOs for the first square of movement. It also requires you only move for your move & standard actions.

Acribatics can allow you to move without provoking, DC equal to the enemy's CMD. Each additional enemy is also checked, with a cumulative +2 to their CMD for each additional enemy you are trying to avoid provoking.

At CMD+5, you can try using Acrobatics to move through an enemy-occupied square.

Both of the above are at half-speed, as mentioned, adding 10 to the DC allows you to move at full speed, but makes it significantly harder to succeed.

Failing the DC for the go by, lets them get their AoO. Failing the DC for moving through, stops your move and knocks you prone in the last open square, and provokes an AoO.

[rick woosley 460]

Need to find out as Magnus when he attacks with his touch spell or magic missile and attacks with his sword does he incur a attack of opportunity. Or is it when in combat it's considered Throwing defensively which does require a concert ration check .

This how we have used this
Rick

[Xaratherus]

@rick woosley 460: I assume you're talking about a Magus and Spell Combat\Spelsltrike?

If so, then casting a spell as a Magus still provokes as normal - if you're adjacent to a foe who threatens when you cast, they get an AoO - unless you make a concentration check to cast defensively.

Once the spell is cast, using a touch attack to deliver it (since a touch spell 'charge' is considered an armed attack) or Spellstrike to deliver it through a weapon will not provoke. Casting Magic Missile with Spell Combat will not provoke beyond the usual AoO granted from casting the spell.

If, however, you're threatened and you use Spell Combat to cast a spell that requires a ranged touch attack, like a ray, you provoke twice - once for the casting (which you can negate through a concentration check to cast defensively) and once for making an attack with a ranged 'weapon' while adjacent to a foe who threatens (which you could only negate if you had the Point-Blank Master feat).

[DeadFace]

Does difficult terrain cause AoO's? My new playing group has a rule interpretation I've never seen before and I'm wondering if others do this and how other GM's would rule on this matter, as well as the reasoning. Looking at the illustration in the Core Rulebook that shows Attack of Opportunity examples (page 181 for those with actual books,) in the #1 example, Valeros does not provoke when he steps adjacent to the goblin. Now suppose the same example were acted out, but with all squares being difficult terrain. According to my GM, the #1 example of movement provokes an attack of opportunity. - The best explanation about this is that the terrain demands your attention, forcing you to drop your guard, thus opening the defenses for an attack. Does anyone else play this way? Do you have a good explanation for why or why not? Can you cite which you feel back up your position? - Thank you for any help you can offer.

[Jurassic Pratt]

Die foul necromancer!

Ahem, sorry about that. To answer your question, only moving out of a threatened square provokes an AoO while moving. So as long as your not doing that, difficult terrain doesn't change anything.

[Java Man]

The only interaction between difficult terrain and AoO that I know of comes from difficult terrain prohibiting 5' steps. Since the 5' step is a major way to avoid AoOs this would tend to increase them, but as an indirect effect.

[DeadFace]

Thanks. Another question : The Rulebook states that touch attack are considered 'armed' attacks, (ergo, held touch spells can be used with an attack of opportunity). The Weapon Focus feat explicitly mentions using the feat to apply to a ray - so 'ray' spells are apparently 'weapons' or count as them at least. So I have two questions : 1) Do ranged touch attacks suffer a -4 penalty when the spell targets a creature engaged in melee combat? & 2) If I can use Weapon Focus (ray), does this exclude non-ray-effect spells from adding the Weapon Focus bonus? (eg, acid arrow is a RTA, but not a ray). Interpretations appreciated.

[Java Man]

Yes and yes.

[Scott Wilhelm]

Silent Saturn wrote:

The AoO is provoked by leaving a square that an enemy threatens. For every five feet you move, if the enemy threatens the square you stepped OUT of, they get an AoO. They don't have to threaten the square you step INTO.

Acrobatics can negate any AoO that was triggered by moving, but not by anything else.

So the answers to your questions are Yes to the first one and No to the second one.

A single enemy will only get 1 attack of opportunity for your moving out of one of his threatened squares in a round.

But I suppose if your Acrobatics Check was successful for moving out of 1 Threatened Square, and then you move out of another, your opponent may still get another Attack of Opportunity, and you still need to make another Acrobatic Check. But I'm not sure.

[CountofUndolpho]

A single enemy only gets one AoO per movement no matter how many of the squares you move through he threatens. I'm presuming from withdraw and a round being so short etc. it's the first threatened square you leave that gives the AoO rather than they can pick or choose which square they want to react to you leaving. Anything else would just prove unwieldy to GM.

[Komoda]

CountofUndolpho wrote:

A single enemy only gets one AoO per movement no matter how many of the squares you move through he threatens. I'm presuming from withdraw and a round being so short etc. it's the first threatened square you leave that gives the AoO rather than they can pick or choose which square they want to react to you leaving. Anything else would just prove unwieldy to GM.

You can pick and choose any AoO you wish to take at any legal time. You may forego an AoO against one target in hopes that another will present itself.

I used to try and force AoOs from creatures with movement so that they would not interrupt my Combat Maneuvers, like grapple, that would provoke. You might ignore someone trying to trip you in hopes that you can attack an adjacent spell caster.

[CountofUndolpho]

I'm not sure from that if you are agreeing or disagreeing with me on movement AoOs. I agree with the rest of your statement.