AoO priority

[OilHorse]

PC needs to get through a wall of enemies. Decides to go through one of them with a acrobatics check.

....x.
...pxo
...xx.

x=enemies
p=pc
o=sq pc wants to reach

the players say that the acro check to move through takes priority since, as per 3e, a failed check means you never left the sq.

I think that the acro check to move out of the initial sq, before attempting to move through a sq occupied by an enemy, take priority.

Thoughts?

[Cerberus Seven]

It's just one acrobatics check that is measured against the CMD of each individual enemy that would possibly get an AoO on the PC. Moving through a square occupied by an enemy increases the DC by 5 and stops their movement if they fail. Otherwise, the check and the resulting order of AoOs from failure are all identical and happen simultaneously, based on positioning of the PC at the start of movement.

[Kazumetsa Raijin]

----------^

[Oladon]

The previous posts are incorrect.

There's one acrobatics check for each enemy, and the player can choose which to do first. There's no "check to leave the initial square".

Assuming the player (p) wants to move directly east, here's how the checks would go: there's a check for x1 (equal to x1's CMD), a check for x2 (equal to x2's CMD +2), a check for x3 (equal to x3's CMD +2 +2), and a check for x4 (equal to x4's CMD +2 +2 +5). (In this example, x4 is the one the PC is moving through; the PC could choose to make that check first, in which case it'd be only x4's CMD +5, and the check for x1 would be x1's CMD +2 +2.

Failing any of the checks provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of the check, and in the case of the enemy whose square the PC is moving through (x4 in the above example), it also stops the movement and causes the PC to lose the move action.

[Malachi Silverclaw]

Attempting to tumble through an opponent's space provokes.

Actually leaving a space provokes (apart from 5-foot step).

If you try to tumble through an opponent's space but fail, you stop in the last square you occupied before his space. Since that's where the OP started, he never left his square.

So didn't provoke for leaving a square that he didn't leave.

So the only question is whether or not the attempt to tumble through an opponent's space provokes only from that opponent or from all threatening enemies.

[Kazumetsa Raijin]

Shame on me for skimming. I need to stop that -_-

[Oladon]

Malachi Silverclaw wrote:

Attempting to tumble through an opponent's space provokes.

Actually leaving a space provokes (apart from 5-foot step).

If you try to tumble through an opponent's space but fail, you stop in the last square you occupied before his space. Since that's where the OP started, he never left his square.

So didn't provoke for leaving a square that he didn't leave.

So the only question is whether or not the attempt to tumble through an opponent's space provokes only from that opponent or from all threatening enemies.

No. "Attempting to tumble" doesn't provoke.

Leaving a threatened space is what provokes, and tumbling is the way to prevent the provocation from occurring. You're leaving a space threatened by all the enemies, so you either have to eat the attacks of opportunity or make Acrobatics rolls. The fact that you're tumbling through one of the enemy's squares just adds to the DC of the check versus that enemy and makes the consequences of failure a bit more severe; it doesn't change anything else.

[Cerberus Seven]

Oladon wrote:

The previous posts are incorrect.

There's one acrobatics check for each enemy, and the player can choose which to do first. There's no "check to leave the initial square".

Assuming the player (p) wants to move directly east, here's how the checks would go: there's a check for x1 (equal to x1's CMD), a check for x2 (equal to x2's CMD +2), a check for x3 (equal to x3's CMD +2 +2), and a check for x4 (equal to x4's CMD +2 +2 +5). (In this example, x4 is the one the PC is moving through; the PC could choose to make that check first, in which case it'd be only x4's CMD +5, and the check for x1 would be x1's CMD +2 +2.

Failing any of the checks provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of the check, and in the case of the enemy whose square the PC is moving through (x4 in the above example), it also stops the movement and causes the PC to lose the move action.

Actually, I just double checked my copy of the CRB and the SRD, they're in agreement with me. It's only one check for the movement, but I forgot that there is also a cumulative +2 penalty to the check for every enemy you try to tumble past beyond the 1st. So, in this case, it'd be a +6 additional penalty due to there being 4 enemies present to threaten.

Also, you're right Malachi, I probably should have noted that the other three enemies don't threaten if the PC never moves due to a failed acrobatics check in the first place.

[Oladon]

Please allow me to quote the FAQ.

FAQ: CRB wrote:

Acrobatics: How does Acrobatics work when you use it to avoid attacks of opportunity? When do you make checks? How many do you make?

Acrobatics allows you to make checks to move through the threatened area of foes without provoking attacks of opportunity. You must make a check the moment you attempt to leave a square threatened by an enemy, but only once per foe. The DC (which is based of the Combat Maneuver Defense of each foe), increases by +2 for each foe after the first in one round. The DC also increases by +5 if you attempt to move through a foe. In the case of moving out of the threatened square of two foes at the same time, the moving character decides which check to make first.

For example, a rogue is flanked by a meek goblin and a terrifying antipaladin. The rogue move away from both of them, provoking an attack of opportunity from both, but uses Acrobatics to attempt to negate them. She must move at half speed while threatened by these foes and can choose which to check against first. If she fails a check, she provokes an attack of opportunity from that foe. If she makes it, she does not provoke from moving through that foe's threatened space this turn.

—Jason Bulmahn, 11/24/10

[Cerberus Seven]

Huh, seems kind of counter-intuitive, but okay, FAQ is law.

[Xaratherus]

Acrobatics:

In addition, you can move through a threatened square without provoking an attack of opportunity from an enemy by using Acrobatics. When moving in this way, you move at half speed. You can move at full speed by increasing the DC of the check by 10. You cannot use Acrobatics to move past foes if your speed is reduced due to carrying a medium or heavy load or wearing medium or heavy armor. If an ability allows you to move at full speed under such conditions, you can use Acrobatics to move past foes. You can use Acrobatics in this way while prone, but doing so requires a full-round action to move 5 feet, and the DC is increased by 5. If you attempt to move though an enemy's space and fail the check, you lose the move action and provoke an attack of opportunity.

Situation Base Acrobatics DC*
Move through a threatened area Opponent's Combat Maneuver Defense
Move through an enemy's space 5 + opponent's Combat Maneuver Defense
* This DC is used to avoid an attack of opportunity due to movement. This DC increases by 2 for each additional opponent avoided in 1 round.

The Acrobatics check itself does not provoke - unless it fails, in which case you would provoke only from the target through whose space you attempted to move.

If it succeeds, you avoid AoOs, even from movement. I would say it would be one roll versus multiple DCs based on each threatening opponent's CMD (modified appropriately).

[edit]
Hm, not what I took away from the Acrobatics skill, but FAQ is FAQ.

[OilHorse]

Appreciate the answers, the FAQ quote is very helpful, but...

Is there a priority between the initial "attempt to leave sq" and the "move through enemy sq". Or do they all happen immediately and the player still gets to decide which he wants to avoid, rolling the "move through enemy occupied sq" first is he wishes?

[Komoda]

Well you have to leave the square before you can move through the enemy square so that should be the order of resolution.

[OilHorse]

Nothing official, just common sense?

[Azuroth]

Attempting to leave a square does not provoke an AoO. Leaving a square does. If the player fails their acro check to move through the enemy, their movement immediately ends. They haven't left any threatened squares, so the only AoO would be from the opponent they tried to tumble through.

[OilHorse]

Azuroth wrote:

Attempting to leave a square does not provoke an AoO. Leaving a square does. If the player fails their acro check to move through the enemy, their movement immediately ends. They haven't left any threatened squares, so the only AoO would be from the opponent they tried to tumble through.

As per FAQ:

Quote:

You must make a check the moment you attempt to leave a square threatened by an enemy,