Moving around an enemy - AoO?

[bonebrah]

I'm a new GM with a new group of 5 (except 2 - one played 3.5 a decade ago and another who used to GM PF but hasn't in a very long time).

That being said, I look to them for some rules clarification when something comes up, for the sake of brevity and keeping the game going. So far, so good.

One thing that has come up, which I thought was wrong, was that they are saying you can maneuver around the enemy (the threatened squares), but as long as you don't move away, into a non-threatened square, you don't get AoO's. Example:

XXX
XOX
XXX

That is, you can move around any of the X's, to allow other PC's to get into a good position if the spacing is tight, without taking an AoO.

My thinking was, you take an AoO when moving out of a threatened space, regardless whether you go into another threatened space or a safe space away from the enemy. But, like I said, I took their word and we went with it.

Thanks ahead of time.

Edit: Also, if I'm correct, an option for PC's for moving around an enemy could be as easy as a 5-foot step or using acrobatics to avoid AoO.

[Jeraa]

Leaving a threatened square provokes an attack of opportunity. It doesn't matter where you move to - leaving the threatened square provokes.

Moving within an enemies threatened area without provoking requires an Acrobatics check.

Quote:

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.

[Curghann]

One clarification, leaving a threatened square provokes unless you're taking the Withdraw action.

In that specific scenario, only the first square is not considered threatened.

[Wheldrake]

You can also avoid AoOs by just moving one space per turn - the eponymous five-foot step.

Where your players are getting it wrong, is thinking that moving from one threatened space to another doesn't constitute "leaving" a threatened space. It does.

This kind of thing often happens with groups new to a given game. They start playing using an erroneous interpretation, then keep on playing that way for ages, just because that's hgow they've always played it. Until somebody new comes along and says, "no... wait a minute..."

[Orfamay Quest]

Wheldrake wrote:

Where your players are getting it wrong, is thinking that moving from one threatened space to another doesn't constitute "leaving" a threatened space. It does.

That's understandable (if wrong). "Space" can also mean region. For example, the threatened "space" around a given character is actually eight "squares." If I move from one "square" to another "square," I'm moving around within that "space" but not actually leaving it.

So, yeah, wrong interpretation, but not a pants-on-head what-were-you-thinking misreading of the sort one sees so often on this forum.

[Wheldrake]

Naturally, I was using the word "space" to refer to a given square on the combat grid, rather than an indefinite area or even a place where errant forumites can boldly go where no troll has gone before.