In a game recently we had a situation where a character had been tripped. He wanted to get out of harms way without provoking an AoO. I suggested that he do a 5 foot step, basically rolling out of the way one square. Another player insisted that you can't do a 5 foot roll by the rules so we so said fair play and continued the game.
Afterwards I looked it up and I can't see anything to say that it isn't allowed. A 5 foot roll seems fair use of the 5 foot step rule but I want to be sure.
Is a 5 foot roll an acceptable and legal use of the 5 foot step?
Thanks for your help.
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No. When prone, you can crawl 5 feet as a move action. Whether actually crawling or rolling is irrelevant, it is a move action to move that 5 feet. To avoid the AoO, as a full-round action, you can make an Acrobatics check vs. the opponent's CMD+5 to move that 5 feet.
EDIT: For further clarification, the 5-foot step rules state that any creature with a speed of 5 feet or less (a prone character, for example) can't take a 5-foot step.
Thanks. I wasn't aware of the Rogue Crawl.
Looks like HangarFlying's edited statement is correct. Below are the rule snippets I thought relevant. Also, the existence of Rogue Crawl *implies* that
From the list of Miscellaneous actions characters can use:
Take 5-Foot Step
You can move 5 feet in any round when you don't perform any other kind of movement. Taking this 5-foot step never provokes an attack of opportunity. You can't take more than one 5-foot step in a round, and you can't take a 5-foot step in the same round that you move any distance.
You can take a 5-foot step before, during, or after your other actions in the round.
You can only take a 5-foot-step if your movement isn't hampered by difficult terrain or darkness. Any creature with a speed of 5 feet or less can't take a 5-foot step, since moving even 5 feet requires a move action for such a slow creature.
You may not take a 5-foot step using a form of movement for which you do not have a listed speed.
From the list of Move actions characters can use:
Move (sub-heading Crawling)
You can crawl 5 feet as a move action. Crawling incurs attacks of opportunity from any attackers who threaten you at any point of your crawl. A crawling character is considered prone and must take a move action to stand up, provoking an attack of opportunity.
From the skill Acrobatics:
Move Through Threatened Squares
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 through an enemy’s space and fail the check, you lose the move action and provoke an attack of opportunity.
And finally, from Rogue Talents:
Rogue Crawl (Ex)
Benefit: While prone, a rogue with this ability can move at half speed. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. A rogue with this talent can take a 5-foot step while crawling.
Thanks.