Quick draw and attacks of opportunity

[huggin]

Can you use quick draw to make an attack of opportunity? I am in a street with weapons sheathed and someone tries to grapple me provoking an attack of opportunity. Is my only option to punch them or can I quick draw a weapon and use that

I did see 1 or 2 threads that talked about this but they quite old and I don't know if something was published that dealt with this. My instinct was at first was I can't use quick draw but I want to make sure

[MrCharisma]

As a standard rule, no you can't. There are some class or archetype abilities that allow it, and there might be a feat for it, but I don't know it.

Also (from memory) you can't punch them unless you have Improved Unarmed Strike either (this one could be wrong).

[Mysterious Stranger]

MrCharisma is correct on both accounts. In order to make an attack of opportunity you have to threaten the target. If you are unarmed you do not threaten. Without improved unarmed combat you don’t threaten unarmed. Punching someone without improved unarmed strike actually provokes an attack of opportunity.

[zza ni]

this is why all my marital proficient character have armor spikes.
hack when my barbarian was levels 1-2 half of his kills were with armor spikes. (i had other things to do with my move action then draw my greatsword, mostly charging :)

[LordKailas]

I think the feat Lightning Draw would let you attack someone that tries to grapple you even when your weapon is sheathed, assuming you not only have the feat but meet the other pre-reqs the feat lists as well. Since it would let you draw your weapon as an immediate action, meaning it can be done even when it's not your turn.

This of course indicates that its something you would not be able to do if all you have is quickdraw.

[Claxon]

Yeah, just grab a gauntlet or armor spikes.

While they might not deal much damage, they do allow you to threaten so you're never taken completely unaware.

Of course, as a GM I would probably tell you that the person coming out of nowhere to grapple you is happening in a surprise round (assuming you failed some perception/sense motive checks) and that without special abilities you're not going to be able to make attacks of opportunity anyways.

You're biggest problem isn't that you don't threaten, that's easy to fix. It's that this should be happening in a surprise round. And you're flat-footed until you act in combat, and you don't get to act in the surprise round (baring special abilities). And AoOs can't be made while flat-footed.

[pocsaclypse]

If you are threatening with improved unarmed strike or armor spike though, if someone provoked an aoo could you then free action quickdraw as part of the aoo and use the weapon to attack?

[Claxon]

pocsaclypse wrote:

If you are threatening with improved unarmed strike or armor spike though, if someone provoked an aoo could you then free action quickdraw as part of the aoo and use the weapon to attack?

As far as I can tell, if you are allowed to take an AoO, then yes you could use quick draw to draw a weapon and attack with it for that AoO.

[LordKailas]

Can you take a free action even when it's not your turn?

I was assuming you couldn't otherwise you would be able to draw your weapon as a free action before the creature would even provoke from you.

[Claxon]

You can take a free action whenever you're allowed to act, IIRC. So if you're allowed an AoO you get to act, which would mean you can take a free action as part of it.

[huggin]

That Is basically what I thought just wanted to be sure. How would ready an action factor into this? Wouldn't we roll initiative? Would I get a perception roll?

[doomman47]

LordKailas wrote:

Can you take a free action even when it's not your turn?

I was assuming you couldn't otherwise you would be able to draw your weapon as a free action before the creature would even provoke from you.

Kind of, most gms allow people to talk on other characters turns(including enemies) but that's about it generally it needs to be non action to do so on another persons turn.

[LordKailas]

Claxon wrote:

You can take a free action whenever you're allowed to act, IIRC. So if you're allowed an AoO you get to act, which would mean you can take a free action as part of it.

that makes sense. I did find the following statement though.

Swift Action wrote:

You can take a swift action anytime you would normally be allowed to take a free action.

[Kayerloth]

Claxon wrote:

You're biggest problem isn't that you don't threaten, that's easy to fix. It's that this should be happening in a surprise round. And you're flat-footed until you act in combat, and you don't get to act in the surprise round (baring special abilities). And AoOs can't be made while flat-footed.

This pretty much sums it up. Unless you are aware of the foe/attacker and had initiative I wouldn't let you Ready an action. And no generally speaking I wouldn't let you walk around with a Ready action prepped on the off chance you get attacked at some point while moving about town, for example, for a potentially hours. Being aware of a potential threat will at minimum require a passive Perception check. Perhaps other things depending on the situation.

"CRB,Combat,Ready Action' wrote:

Ready

The ready action lets you prepare to take an action later, after your turn is over but before your next one has begun. Readying is a standard action. It does not provoke an attack of opportunity (though the action that you ready might do so).

Readying an Action: You can ready a standard action, a move action, a swift action, or a free action. To do so, specify the action you will take and the conditions under which you will take it. Then, anytime before your next action, you may take the readied action in response to that condition. The action occurs just before the action that triggers it. If the triggered action is part of another character's activities, you interrupt the other character. Assuming he is still capable of doing so, he continues his actions once you complete your readied action. Your initiative result changes. For the rest of the encounter, your initiative result is the count on which you took the readied action, and you act immediately ahead of the character whose action triggered your readied action.

You can take a 5-foot step as part of your readied action, but only if you don't otherwise move any distance during the round.

[doomman47]

LordKailas wrote:

Claxon wrote:

You can take a free action whenever you're allowed to act, IIRC. So if you're allowed an AoO you get to act, which would mean you can take a free action as part of it.

that makes sense. I did find the following statement though.

Swift Action wrote:

You can take a swift action anytime you would normally be allowed to take a free action.

While true a swift action on another's turn is an immediate action though.

[Tim Emrick]

I believe that speaking is the only free action that is explicitly allowed even when it's not your turn. So, no, you can't quick draw except on your turn.

If you're considered armed due to armor spikes, Improved Unarmed Strike, a natural attack, etc., then you have to use the weapon that grants you the ability to make an AoO for that AoO. It's not your turn, so you can't quick draw another weapon to use for the AoO.

(And strictly speaking, if you have Combat Reflexes, you'd better have a weapon ready when you roll initiative, or you won't be able to make those AoO's while flat-footed after all.)

[MrCharisma]

Tim Emrick wrote:

I believe that speaking is the only free action that is explicitly allowed even when it's not your turn. So, no, you can't quick draw except on your turn.

This is correct. You're threatening them with a weapon, so that weapon must be used.

KENSAI wrote:

Iaijutsu (Ex)

At 7th level, a kensai applies his Intelligence modifier as well as his Dexterity modifier on initiative rolls (minimum 0). A kensai may make attacks of opportunity when flat-footed, and may draw his favored weapon as a free action as part of taking an attack of opportunity.

There are specific abilities that call this out, but they are the exceptions to the rule.

[Claxon]

Found a more conclusive statement:

FAQ wrote:

Free Actions: Can you take free actions during an attack of opportunity? For instance, can you use the Grab, Trip, Pull, or Push universal monster rules after hitting with an attack of opportunity, since they require free actions and free actions can’t be used off-turn? What about Rock Catching? That seems like it could only work off-turn.

While you can’t take most free actions off your turn, Grab, Trip, Pull, Push, and Rock Catching’s free actions can all be used off-turn. This will be reflected in future errata.

So I was remembering incorrectly in my previous statement. Being able to act during someone else's turn, such as an AoO, does not entitle you to take other actions (like free actions). So no, you can't draw a different weapon with Quick Draw and use it.