Can you use the Aid Another action in combat as your Attack of Opportunity?

[Kryptik]

Hey folks,

Question in the title.

Argument for: AoO says melee attack. Aid Another is a melee attack.

Argument against: Aid Another is a standard action. You can use Trip on an AoO, for example, but it specifically says you can trip "in place of a melee attack." Aid Another has no such wording.

Personally, I think you could use Aid Another, but I am interested in hearing your thoughts.

Thanks!

[kinevon]

You normally cannot use Aid Anopther as an AoO.

Mainly because, IIRC, there is a feat that grants you the ability to use Aid Another as an AoO.

[DEXRAY]

In this messageboard part the answer is No. Try to think about a big monster using "Awesome Blow" (Standard Action and also a melee attack) on AOOs with "Combat Reflexes". Years ago I had a GM who doesn't understand the difference.

[Diego Rossi]

Kryptik wrote:

Hey folks,

Question in the title.

Argument for: AoO says melee attack. Aid Another is a melee attack.

Argument against: Aid Another is a standard action. You can use Trip on an AoO, for example, but it specifically says you can trip "in place of a melee attack." Aid Another has no such wording.

Personally, I think you could use Aid Another, but I am interested in hearing your thoughts.

Thanks!

PRD wrote:

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.

Aid another require a standard action. A AoO isn't a standard action.

There is no argument "for".

[Remy Balster]

Diego Rossi wrote:

Aid another require a standard action. A AoO isn't a standard action.

There is no argument "for".

Yes there is!

Bodyguard feat from APG;

"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."

This tells me that you very much can use Aid Another with an AoO... if you have the feat for it.

[Diego Rossi]

LOL. Feats often change the rules. So you are arguing that a rule don't exist because someone can have a specific feat that change the rule for him?

[Krodjin]

@Diego: I think he's saying you can use aid another on an AoO if you possess a feat that let's you do so.

[Remy Balster]

Diego Rossi wrote:

LOL. Feats often change the rules. So you are arguing that a rule don't exist because someone can have a specific feat that change the rule for him?

What Krodjin said.

The question was "Can you?" and the answer to that question isn't "NO never", it is: "Yes, If"

[Paulicus]

It's more like "No, unless..."

[Remy Balster]

Paulicus wrote:

It's more like "No, unless..."

Not really.

it is implied that any kind of actions have basic requirements. If the question is "Can you?" And there is a way... the answer is "Yes if" not "No unless"...

"No unless" implies that your initial response was starting out "No Never" but then you remember that the answer was actually "Yes if".

Can you walk?

"No, unless you have legs."

No one says that.