Any opponents hit by your shield bash are also hit with a free bull rush attack, substituting your attack roll for the combat maneuver check (see Combat). This bull rush does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Opponents who cannot move back due to a wall or other surface are knocked prone after moving the maximum possible distance. You may choose to move with your target if you are able to take a 5-foot step or to spend an action to move this turn.
While using Monkey Style, if you successfully deliver a Stunning Fist attempt, in addition to the normal effect of Stunning Fist, you can spend a free action to enter a square adjacent to you that is within your opponent’s space. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. While you are in your opponent’s space, you gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC and a +4 bonus on melee attack rolls against that opponent. If otherwise unhindered, the opponent can move away from you, but if he does, he provokes an attack of opportunity from you even if his choice of movement does not normally do so.
So you...
Attack with Stunning FistEnter opponents square
Make Shield Slam with extra +4
Bull Rush opponent (assuming bull rush is successful)
Before opponent is out of range, make AoO (another Shield Slam)
***technically, you get a Bull Rush here, but I don't see how it would work since the target is already being pushed back***
Take 5' step following opponent (thus, still in his square)
Make another Shield Slam
Bull Rush
AoO (with Combat Reflexes)
...?
You can't continue to follow because you already 5' stepped.
The key to your tactic seems to be that the first AoO will generate another Bull Rush, which counts as moving a second time for Monkey Shine to generate another AoO, as a continuous loop.
But I don't think that works, he is already moving (due to the first Bull Rush) so even making the second Bull Rush isn't making him move a second time...
Since you only get one AoO per trigger, I think you would that regardless of Bull Rushing him twice, you only get one AoO for leaving the square.
If you have the Combat Reflexes feat, you can add your Dexterity modifier to the number of attacks of opportunity you can make in a round. This feat does not let you make more than one attack for a given opportunity, but if the same opponent provokes two attacks of opportunity from you, you could make two separate attacks of opportunity (since each one represents a different opportunity). Moving out of more than one square threatened by the same opponent in the same round doesn't count as more than one opportunity for that opponent. All these attacks are at your full normal attack bonus.
Monkey Shine is specifically AoO from movement. If you can't take multiple AoO from leaving more than one threatened square, I don't see how you can argue you take more than one AoO for leaving the same square.
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While using Monkey Style, if you successfully deliver a Stunning Fist attempt, in addition to the normal effect of Stunning Fist, you can spend a free action to enter a square adjacent to you that is within your opponent’s space. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. While you are in your opponent’s space, you gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC and a +4 bonus on melee attack rolls against that opponent. If otherwise unhindered, the opponent can move away from you, but if he does, he provokes an attack of opportunity from you even if his choice of movement does not normally do so.
So you...
Attack with Stunning FistEnter opponents square
Make Shield Slam with extra +4 <-----Hmm?
You're making a large assumption that you'll be getting this attack.
The opponent only provokes, if they choose to move back, as a reaction to you entering their square.
What if they don't?
Secondly, assuming they do move back, and grant you the shield slam, which successfully bullrushes them, so what?
Nothing in the description of Monkey Shines implies you gain a second AoO from any forced movement.
You get an AoO, if the target chooses to step away from you, as a reaction to you entering their square.
That's the only AoO that is explicitly mentioned.
Whether it's the intent, that Monkey Shines causes any and all movement away from you to provoke (voluntary or involuntary), isn't actually supported by the text as written.
The opponent's movement isn't generating an attack of opportunity, Monkey Shine is. Because of this, it isn't subject to the standard AoO rules (the bull rush movement wouldn't provoke normally anyways).
No, Monkey Shine just says if he leaves the square you get an AoO regardless of how he left.
It is still an AoO due to leaving a threatened square, so the rule you can't take more than one AoO for movement would still apply.
So you...
Attack with Stunning Fist
Enter opponents square
Make Shield Slam with extra +4 <-----Hmm?
You're making a large assumption that you'll be getting this attack
No, that attack is just a normal attack you are making, you will always get this attack so long as you can make 2 attacks in the round (like say, two weapon fighting since you had to use Stunning Fist to start Monkey Shine).
As far as your opponent only provoking if they choose to move back when you enter their square, I disagree.
Your opponent moves because the Shield Slam Bull Rushes them out. Monkey Shine says if he leaves the square, even if it wouldn't normal draw an AoO, you still receive one.
If you bull rush him into your friend, he stops moving.
No, he doesn't.
If there is another creature in the way of your bull rush, you must immediately make a combat maneuver check to bull rush that creature
So you either Bull Rush your friend too, and push them both away, or you don't Bull Rush him, and the opponent doesn't leave the square so no AoO.
Moving, being moved, and being bull rushed are 3 different things, just as being tripped and falling prone are 2 different things. If you have Greater Trip and Vicious Stomp, and you trip somebody, you get 2 attacks of opportunity, 1 for tripping him, and 1 for him falling prone. It says that in the FAQ.
Furthermore, in this case, the triggers are totally different: they just look the same. You get an AoO from Monkey Shine because they move. Your allies get one because you used Great Bull Rush. Then you get one because they get one. Actually, your allies get an AoO because you have Monkey Shine (and Paired Opportunist), too. But you still only get 2, not 3.
I never addressed using Greater Bull Rush or Paired Opportunist, only that Bull Rushing someone twice out of the same square wouldn't gain two AoO from Monkey Shine, since they are both for moving.
If you bull rush one creature into another, and you fail to bull rush the other, you still bull rush the first one, don't you? Can't you bull rush someone into a wall? If you fail to bull rush the wall, you still bull rush the kid you're bullying, and if he's knocked prone too, then his lunch money are just a threat and a kick away.
If you Bull Rush one creature into another, and fail to Bull Rush the second, you must stop.
If there is another creature in the way of your bull rush, you must immediately make a combat maneuver check to bull rush that creature. You take a –4 penalty on this check for each creature being pushed beyond the first. If you are successful, you can continue to push the creatures a distance equal to the lesser result.
No, you cannot Bull Rush someone into a wall.
You cannot bull rush a creature into a square that is occupied by a solid object or obstacle
Can we stop arguing about whether specific rules text trumps general rules text and move on to the thread topic, "How to enter an opponents space".
Your question in the original post was
How can I best make use of this combo?
Saying it doesn't work the way you envision it is valid feedback, even if you disagree with me.
Instead of Stunning Fist: why not Punishing Kick?
Isn't there the Swarm Fighter Kobold archetype that let's you enter an opponent's square?
Isn't there the Swarm Fighter Kobold archetype that let's you enter an opponent's square?
Oh! Yes there is!
At 5th level, the swarm fighter can move into the space of another creature at least one size category larger than she is. She may end her movement in, and make attacks from, that space. She must succeed at the Acrobatics check for moving through an occupied square to move into a space occupied by an enemy. While sharing the space of another creature, she gains a +2 shield bonus to AC and a +1 circumstance bonus on Reflex saves.
This ability replaces weapon training 1.
At 9th level, creatures with which the swarm fighter shares a space are denied their Dexterity bonus to Armor Class against the swam Fighter's attacks.
This ability replaces weapon training 2.
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Free actions can only be taken on your turn?
So won't that break the OP's combo, cos he can't use a free action while out of turn to move into his opponent’s space?
Free actions can only be triggered on your turn, otherwise talking and the drawing of arrows while using the snap shot feat won't require a specific sentence and an faq respectively to specifically rule that these 2 free actions can be done out of turn.
*Not sure if the bull rush given by Shield Slam is considered a free action... hence only focusing on monkey shine's free action to move.
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Free Action: Free actions consume a very small amount of
time and effort. You can perform one or more free actions
while taking another action normally.Opportunity attacks enable free actions/five foot steps (and there are some arguments about swift actions as well, but lets not get too far off topic).
Great find on the Kobold swarm fighter.
That's just fantastic.
I think ratfolk is going to be too cumbersome, though I have been considering swap places with a tiny (or smaller) sized familiar.
Attacks of Opportunity don't make use of an action, hence you can't use the above argument to allow a free action to be part of an attack of opportunity.
Also, note the text below:
Speak
In general, speaking is a free action that you can perform even when it isn't your turn. Speaking more than a few sentences is generally beyond the limit of a free action.
Speak, specifically states that speaking is a free action that can be made out of turn. Hence most free actions cannot be performed out of your turn.
In addition, no GM I have ever played with ever allows 5 foot steps out of turn (baring the use of a feat that allows it). Nothing in 5 foot steps states that you can do it out of turn.
"You can take a 5-foot step before, during, or after your other actions in the round."
Again note the use of actions, an Attacks of Opportunity is not an action, you can't twist the rules on what is an action to fit Attacks of Opportunities.
Free actions can only be taken on your turn?
So won't that break the OP's combo, cos he can't use a free action while out of turn to move into his opponent’s space?
Free actions can only be triggered on your turn, otherwise talking and the drawing of arrows while using the snap shot feat won't require a specific sentence and an faq respectively to specifically rule that these 2 free actions can be done out of turn.
*Not sure if the bull rush given by Shield Slam is considered a free action... hence only focusing on monkey shine's free action to move.
Wait, I am confused. What actions is he taking on his opponent's turn?
On my turn, I attack with Stunning Fist
Enter opponent's square (free)
Attack with my shield (TWF)
Bull Rush opponent 5'
AoO for opponent leaving my space
choose to follow opponent, moving 5' and staying in his square
Attack with my shield (BAB >=+6)
Bull Rush
AoO
end my turn
It all happened on my turn. And that's just if MY interpretation is correct.
DiskOH's reading would go
On my turn, attack with Stunning Fist
Enter opponent's square (free)
Attack with shield (TWF)
Bull Rush
AoO
Bull Rush
AoO
(continue until out of AoO, each Bull Rush triggering an AoO, each of which resolves before the previous Bull Rush)
follow opponent with 5' step, staying in square
Attack (BAB>=+6)
end turn
Again all on my turn.
With Kobold Swarm Fighter, you move first, so can't take the 5' step later, but don't rely on Stunning Fist or TWF.