Can the "Overwhelm" feat let a tiny creature flank?

[mattfactor80]

Hey everyone, long time lurker, first time posting.

I have a question about the Overwhelm teamfeat feat. If my Eldritch guardian fighter with a tiny familiar has this feat, would we be able to flank?

Overwhelm:

(Combat, Teamwork)
Source Dragonslayer's Handbook pg. 21
You can overwhelm large foes with sheer numbers.

Benefit: You are considered to be flanking an opponent if at least one ally who also has this feat is threatening that opponent and the opponent is at least two size categories larger than the larger of you or your ally, regardless of your actual positioning.

Normal: You must be positioned opposite an ally to flank an opponent.

By my reading, it would seem that it could flank a medium opponent (and only a medium opponent since it is tiny and I am medium...). Would this specific rule overrule the general rule that tiny creatures can't flank?

If no, what if I gave my tiny familiar the reach evolution via evolve familiar? That way it could threaten and combined with the overwhelm feat it could flank?

[MrCharisma]

So the first part is that your familiar doesn't threaten adjacent squares, so no. For tiny creatures to benefit from this they'd have to move into an opponent's square - which provokes even if it's a 5-foot-step. Once in that square they'd be threatening, so it would work. Alternatively if they have reach they threaten adjacent squares, so it would work normally.

The second part is that you slightly misread the feat:

Quote:

Benefit: You are considered to be flanking an opponent if at least one ally who also has this feat is threatening that opponent and the opponent is at least two size categories larger than the larger of you or your ally, regardless of your actual positioning.

So if you're Medium and your familiar is Tiny you could use this on Huge or larger creatures (because it has to be 2 sizes larger than both of you).

[MrCharisma]

As a general rule - you threaten any square into which you can make an attack. This means that tiny or smaller creatures only threaten into their own square. Tiny creatures with reach weapons threaten enemies who are in adjacent squares, but not into their own square.

[avr]

Tiny creatures with the reach evolution (not reach weapon) threaten both their own squares and adjacent and could use this teamwork feat.

[mattfactor80]

Ok, so overwhelm didn't work like I thought. But with evolve familiar: reach, I could use outflank and paired opportunist then?

[avr]

Yes.

[MrCharisma]

avr wrote:

Tiny creatures with the reach evolution (not reach weapon) threaten both their own squares and adjacent and could use this teamwork feat.

Oh derp. Yup i meant to add that, thanks.