Critical hit on an Attack of Opportunity?

[Toirin]

Hello everyone,

I have a group of people that I play with regularly that is very familiar with 3.5 rules and sometimes their understanding of Pathfinder rules comes from the 3.5 rule set.

Recently, we had a question about receiving critical hits on attacks of opportunity. Last time we met to play, the issue came up and the GM had remembered reading somewhere in the past that attacks of opportunity do not allow for critical hits. The way they made sense of what they had read was that an attack of opportunity is kind of a reflex type situation and it would not allow for a particularly precise or hard hit to land in the same way that they viewed a critical hit. We went with the GM's decision in the moment, but now that we all have time we are to look up the actual rules for Pathfinder.

Now I have examined everything I found in the CRB related to critical hits and attacks of opportunity and did not find anything proving it either way. I searched some in the forums and didn't find anything there as well. At this point I am starting to think that this was just a carryover from 3.5, but I am not very familiar with that system myself.

Also, the GM specifically did not think this was a house rule we had agreed upon in the past. Though I wouldn't care too much if it was a house rule since it would prevent monsters from getting crits on us whenever they get an attack of opportunity.

And so I open this discussion up to the rules lawyers out there to help me find anything about this subject, if there is a rule out there anywhere at all.

[RumpinRufus]

There's no rule like that in Pathfinder. Attacks of opportunity, like all other attacks, allow critical hits.

[Lifat]

There are no such rule in pathfinder. It may have been an OPTIONAL rule in 3.0/3.5, but it was definitely NOT a standard rule.

[TOZ]

Never heard of such a rule, even in 3.5.

[Johnico]

There's a rule saying attacks score critical hits, but no rule saying Attacks of Opportunity don't.

Therefore, they do.

This is 100% houserule.

[Snorb]

An opportunity attack is exactly that: You attack your opponent because he gave you the opportunity.

Attacking someone requires an attack roll.

Attack rolls threaten a critical hit on a 20 (or lower, weapon/enchantments depending.)

So yes, you can critical someone on an opportunity attack.

[blahpers]

Never heard of such a rule.

[thorin001]

There was never any such rule in any official 3.0, 3.5, or PF source.

[Zhayne]

Another 'no such rule, never was' here.

[blackbloodtroll]

That's, just weird...

[Toirin]

Thanks everyone!