Crane Riposte allows a character to make an attack of opportunity against an attacker whose attack missed due to it being deflect by Crane Wing. This is an exception to the normal rule, which states that you can’t make attacks of opportunity while using total defense.
But what if that attack of opportunity in turn unlocks other attacks of opportunity?
Can a character who Crane Riposte, Greater Trip, and Improved Disarm, use Total Defense, then deflect an attack using Crane Wing, then trip the attacker using the AOO provided by Crane Riposte, then disarm the same attacker using the AOO provided by Greater Trip? Or is that character limited to the single AOO of Crane Riposte and then locked back into the limitations of Total Defense?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I would be inclined to say no, as you've already made your lash back moment by the time the next AoO comes along. And that's even RAI, as RAW the AoO from something like Gtr Trip isn't in response to an action starting but from the outcome of the action and thus after the fact.
Note you can still fight defensively and not be occluded from normal AoO with Crane Style and still be missed for your Crane Riposte.
You get exactly what Crane Riposte says you do. You can only make an AoO when you lose the dodge bonus or deflect an attack. Once you lose the dodge bonus you cannot lose it again. Crane Wing specifies you can deflect a single attack. You are still getting the benefit from Total Defense, so you are still subject to its restrictions other than what Crane Riposte specifically grants you.
Thank you both for your feedback. AwesomenessDog, I was hoping to go with Total Defense for thematic purposes, but I agree that relying on Crane Wing—however situational that miss chance might be—is probably the way to go.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Total Defense might have certain uses, but generally, you aren't going to want to trade all but 1 of your full bab attacks for probably +3 dodge over your normal fighting defensively bonus (note you don't gain crane wing's normal +4 when you're doing total defense because now you're automatically blocking that first would be hit instead of it just being bonus AC).
No doubt about that. Like I said, the preference for it was purely thematic. Essentially, Iiked the idea of a nonlethal, largely non-violent, grappling-centric Unarmed Fighter who ceded initiative, invited the first attack, and used Crane Riposte as the mechanic for Binding Throw. The second AOO would’ve been the cherry on top of the cake: disarming the now prone opponent before wrapping him up.