Aid another. What kind of attack roll?


Rules Questions


When a creature or PC uses the aid another action to add AC or an Attack Bonus to their allies what kind of attack roll against AC 10 are they making? Is it just BaB+Str. Do things like weapon focus or weapon finesse apply. How about animal companions using this with weapon finesse applied to natural attacks?

The relevant text:
In melee combat, you can help a friend attack or defend by distracting or interfering with an opponent. If you’re in position to make a melee attack on an opponent that is engaging a friend in melee combat, you can attempt to aid your friend as a standard action. You make an attack roll against AC 10. If you succeed, your friend gains either a +2 bonus on his next attack roll against that opponent or a +2 bonus to AC against that opponent’s next attack (your choice), as long as that attack comes before the beginning of your next turn. Multiple characters can aid the same friend, and similar bonuses stack.

You can also use this standard action to help a friend in other ways, such as when he is affected by a spell, or to assist another character’s skill check.


Same attack, with all its bonuses and penalties, as you would attack the enemy.


so if you have multiple natural attacks just pick one?


One of the primary ones, preferably one with the highest bonus/weapon focus... you are trying to hit a 10, pick any attack you want and throw the dice. It's a 10.

If you think this will be hard to hit, you can get the Born Under the Cradle trait for a +2, making it an 8.

You should be able to hit this with any attack, using pretty much any modifier.


Also bear in mind the Reach of the attack. Some creatures have a natural attack that goes 5' beyond their normal Reach, like a dragon making a Bite attack. If the foe you're distracting isn't in Reach, the attack doesn't work.


To answer your question (What kind of Attack roll / things like weapon focus or weapon finesse apply?)

– When you make an attack roll, you roll a d20 and add your attack bonus. (Other modifiers may also apply to this roll.) If your result equals or beats the target’s Armor Class, you hit and deal damage.

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/Gamemastering/Combat/#TOC-Attack-Roll

So Yes, it all counts, both positive (Feats etc.) and negative’s (Fighting defensively, or a Bane spell etc.)

Animal companions – Yes, they can use Aid another actions, if they are able.

Of note, I and my table disagree with including the words “Reach, Adjacent or 5 ft”, when defining the Aid Another action as those words are just not present in the description. Those word in fact limit how you can think about using the Action by defining its usable distance.

The description says “by distracting or interfering with an opponent.”, Followed by “If you’re in position to make a melee attack on an opponent”, we read it as if you are able to, (not paralysed, confused etc.).

The ally could in fact distract the opponent (loud noise, threatening body language etc.) or interfere with the attack as it comes in (knocking it of course, jump scare whatever). Aid another does not provoke an AoO, and the AC 10 is not affected by any ability of the Opponent in question (AC 30, Invisible, Ethereal whatever), the only things that will affect meeting AC 10 are effects on the creature doing the Aid another action, so you don’t interact with the creature at all just its attack or defence, so you don't need to hit, reach, see it - just describe how your going to help your ally and roll the dice.

As I said that’s my table, yours could read in the words that are not there and move on. Of note more than one member of my group has lamented about the Aid another action precluding an archer firing an arrow at the opponent’s feet or past there ear to distract etc, “melee attack on an opponent”, but they are the words in print, so that’s that (for us, other tables other rules). :)

Liberty's Edge

Aeolus Wind King wrote:

so if you have multiple natural attacks just pick one?

Just to point it out, Aid another is a standard action, so you can choose any of the modes of attack you can use, but you aren't actually making an attack, so none of the other effects linked to that attack happens and you don't get to make your other attacks if you can make more than one in a round (obviously barring swift actions, special abilities and so on).

Unless they are secondary because of some special quality of the creature attacking (like docile), secondary attacks are treated as primary attacks when you make only them, so generally, there isn't a big difference in to hit between primary and secondary natural attacks.


Pathfinder Starfinder Society Subscriber

Secondary attacks are treated as primary attacks only if you have no primary attacks, not if you have them but decide not to use them -- but for the purpose of this thread, why would you use a secondary attack if you have a primary attack?

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