Any way to increase weapon threat range for AoO?


Rules Questions


So basically, I'm playing a bladebound kensai wielding a scimitar, currently level 11 and just got 5 bonus AoOs. Just curious if there's any way I can increase my threat range or perhaps some other way I can get use of all the bonus AoOs?

I've seen combat patrol but doesn't seem very fitting, not to mention rather feat intensive


Eptaceros wrote:

So basically, I'm playing a bladebound kensai wielding a scimitar, currently level 11 and just got 5 bonus AoOs. Just curious if there's any way I can increase my threat range or perhaps some other way I can get use of all the bonus AoOs?

I've seen combat patrol but doesn't seem very fitting, not to mention rather feat intensive

First of, a slight correction: 'Threat range' tend to refer to 'critical threat range'.

You are looking for reach, or increasing the 'threatened area'.

Some of the teamwork feats can help you get more AoOs, but they require you to have an ally with them as well.

Being enlarged will give you greater reach, so you might get AOOs against medium enemies as they move close.

Although it isn't exactly making AOOs, the Bodyguard feat allows you to spend them to Aid Another to boost the AC of your adjacent allies.

Silver Crusade

It's tough to generate a lot of AoOs with a scimitar, as it is not a reach weapon. There are several ways to get more reach on your turn (e.g. Lunge), but that doesn't help at all with AoOs. Combat Patrol is very feat intensive, as you mentioned.

One extreme option is to dip one level of Cleric, take the Domain Plant(Growth) and another. Do Swift Action Enlarge Person. That will give you 10' reach, and should get you some AoOs. Also, of course, the Magus could cast the Enlarge Person spell or drink a potion, but that's probably not practical once battle has begun.

Can people suggest other ways an 11th Level Kensai can increase the range at which his Scimitar threatens, in order to generate AoOs?

P.s. Thought of another method: Have an ally stand behind you and cast can Command or Greater Command, to "Approach". Foes who fail to save must attempt to move past you on their turn, drawing an AoO.


You could try more disarming. Picking up the weapon will provoke, after all.


I'm not doing any dips. I suppose I could just do enlarge person; I think I have a pretty good base AC (without spells) at 31 for level 11, so the AC penalty for enlarge won't hurt too much. However, playing as a complete dex build with little strength (8) it seems the only reason I would ever cast enlarge person is for the reach.

Silver Crusade

Smart Eptaceros, avoiding the dip. Here's a way to do it with a magic item called Longarm Bracers. Your AoOs will be -4 to hit, but you'll get them. As a bonus, you threaten both 10' and 5', unlike a reach weapon wielder.


It's feat intensive, but with a high AC, high dex, and Kensai, Snake Fang could be quite handy.

If you happen to be carrying a charge (or charges in the case of frostbite / chill touch), so much the better.

Lantern Lodge

That would work Azuroth, but the kensai might not be able to have an unarmed strike be his chosen weapon :(.


My current build includes both snake fang and crane riposte (my gm ruled against using crane style with the new changes) to deliver most of his AoOs through unarmed strikes. However he is primarily a kensai bladebound magus who wields 3 kukri (we won't discus how/why he has 4 arms as its not relevant) but I will say that in order to fit all the feats I needed for crane riposte and snake fang I needed 2 levels of monk and 2 levels of unarmed fighter. This allowed me to take 5 style feats in 4 levels without any of the prereqs and also skip over snake sidewind (a useless feat for what I needed the chain for). I also went without Dodge, which I don't think you would mind having, but I didn't need it. Ultimately this was the best chance I could see of maximizing my AoO output with this character. I think that if you can afford the feats, at least snake fang is a must.

You can achieve snake fang and snake style in one level with a single level dip in monk Master of Many Styles. Its not a bad idea given that your offhand is always free anyway (then again so are your feet, so it doesn't matter). Just my 2¢

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Rules Questions / Any way to increase weapon threat range for AoO? All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.