Time for some newbie questions about opportunity attacks, more specifically on how they are triggered. I guess I'm just curious why Helga wasn't subject to one from both Gordok and Gheth. Especially since she used an area attack while adjacent to Gheth... :3:

Does it happen any time a creature moves from a square adjacent to an enemy, regardless of final destination, or are "squeeze-move past" actions like the one Helga took immune? Also, do ranged attackers get to have opportunity attacks at all?

And time for the random guy who feels silly that he knows the answers to these questions.

Yes, opportunity attacks happen any time a character (you, for example) leaves a space adjacent to an enemy, even if you're moving into another space adjacent to the enemy. "Shift" moves, like the one Helga took, negates opportunity attacks. You too, can shift instead of taking a normal move - i think you can only go one space, though, maybe two. Ranged weapons don't make opportunity attacks, but if you happen to be using your sword at the time then you will get one.

Always keep in mind that the enemies can do all of this too so be ready for it.

I'm still brushing up on manual-fu, so your inputs are undoubtedly valuable!

This is unlikely to happen to my character, who is a ranged fighter. But I'm just curious as to how many opportunity attacks you're legally allowed per round. One? Two?

Did she shift? She moved by two squares (the flavor text said she 'squeezed', which tells me she took a move action first, since I'm not quite sure you can shift into someone's space), then maybe shifted diagonally to AB-1. So I guess both Gheth and Gordy have combat advantage during their opportunity attacks, since the target is squeezing? :)

In any case, this should leave Helga unable to take a major action unless Pang spends an action point, yes?
And even if she could shift two spaces due to some magical winged shoes, her area attack should still attract an opportunity attack from Gheth, right? :D

You can take only one opportunity attack per turn (one person) but any number beyond that. If ten different creatures managed to provoke opportunity attacks from you on each of their separate turns, you could attack all of them.

I don't know if she shifted, her attack might let her shift, like the one I had as Ewan, or something might have slipped through the cracks. It's Pang's story, he can pretty much make whatever he wants happen.

That said, He's got you on the area attack thing, Pang. Gheth and Gordok should both get OAs.

No, she took damage, I just don't usually expressly tell everyone their damage anymore since everyone mostly does their own rolls and can figure their own damage. If something had gone wrong, I would make that explicit.

Because she used a close blast rather than an area attack is why. I guess I should make more of these things explicit in the posts.

I was about to argue with you on this point, but this seems to be the case on a careful rereading. Mea culpa. I guess Opportunity Attacks are going to be a lot more frequent on both sides now. I do owe Gheth an AoO from Helga's move (but not Gordok, since he's dazed when it happens).

Ffttt, and after all that, Gheth misses by 2. Stupid dice :(

So you can't circle people without shifting and not get AoO'd? I guess that makes abilities that let you shift multiple squares a lot more useful.

Zerg, is there a reason you're taking your turn out of order? Diplomacy checks and the like are not free actions.

Try that when your turn comes up.

I kinda assumed that diplomacy is a free action (since it's all talk and stuffs). Is it a major action?

Don't mean to step on Glock's toes or anything

You're going to need to read even closer, unfortunately - AoOs are interrupt abilities, and happen before the attack or movement they respond to.

player's handbook:

"✦ Interrupts Target’s Action: An opportunity action
takes place before the target finishes its action.
After the opportunity attack, the creature resumes
its action. If the target is reduced to 0 hit points or
fewer by the opportunity attack, it can’t finish its
action because it’s dead or dying."

Talking is a free action, but anything that takes a serious effect on the battle like that counts as a standard one. Anyone skilled at talking would be way too broken if they could take free actions all the time to convince people to not hurt him.

Plus it requires a roll.

Either way, I was gonna take this opportunity to do a similar thing, and I've got a better Diplomacy check anyway, so.

@Hawkeye: She fired the close burst first, before moving. That probably leaves Pang clear although I wish he applied the AC penalty for squeezing but I guess we can't win them all huh

@Skills: Ok, standard it is then. If you successfully diplomated this, it's much more useful than what I was attempting (plus yeah you got 7 fuck math +9 diplomacy on Cal)

From now on, this is my mental image of Glockenspiel McSteelChest

YouTube Video

Try 9.

Also, considering rules lawyerisms, one could always just assume ::house rules:: in regard to some of this stuff. Considering the cliff stuff and a few other things we've ignored or passed over, I think we can successfully keep working with OAs as we have, if only for consistency and then we won't have to force ourselves to remember to do them another way.

butbutbut Gordy gets an AoO from her use of the area attack before she even moves, and it happens before her attack actually lands, so he's not dazed when he gets his attack.

i'm trying so hard...

A: If we went around strictly enforcing "proper" turn order the game would move even slower than it already does. Worst comes to worst we just do as Garr did and assume an implied Delay was taken, and even that's not usually necessary.

B: Please don't go around deleting other players' posts willy-nilly.

Actually scratch all that I just noticed how far out of sequence he was the silly ass

C: As far as I can tell, Diplomacy doesn't have an assigned action type — because it's not really intended for use in combat. There's really nothing governing whether or not it will work other than the mood of the DM.

D: Yes, AoOs interrupt but Gheth didn't actually hit so I'm not clear on what the issue is. Close attacks (which is what the wave of despair was) don't trigger AoOs if that's what you're getting at. If it was a Ranged or Area attack then you'd be in the right.

Yes, I realize the inherent absurdity of an attack that has an area effect not counting as an "area" attack

E: I only used the word "squeeze" as flavor, squeezing is a medium creature moving through a small space or a large creature moving through a medium space, not a dwarf jostling through an occupied doorway.

F: Yes, we inadvertently use a lot of house rules, but using AoOs "correctly" would probably actually speed up combat a lot of the time which I think is a worthwhile goal. And as Shin pointed out it actually makes a lot of otherwise-useless abilities worth looking at.

To be honest, I rolled the diplo check early against any DC you might think the situation needs.

I figured in the context of the turn and what I was trying to do, it figured into a standard action. Makes more sense there than it does as any other type, considering.

I can't cite precedence here, just making an assumption.

Pang's calling in reinforcements! Again. Oh whatever shall we do?

Skills? Skex?

If some people wouldn't take a nap after every other fight I wouldn't have to throw a dozen enemies at you at once. :(

Besides, I think it's much more interesting just to tip the fort over and dump it on you than to wait for you to explore it.

How often should we take naps then :(

Sleep when you're dead.

Zerg, please shoot Scout B before it unleashes the hellhound (or whatever's there). I can't imagine him having much health left.

Pang, not only was Garr's saving throw successful, I also shifted a couple of guys around with the flute, myself included.

If we're on an OA kick now, this might change a few things as they move past Cal.

Ugh, I swear I had applied that stuff. Fucking maptools. Should be fixed now (might need a forced refresh).

Cal would have had some opportunities there yes but happily he has a ranged weapon equipped soooo

Happily both Scouts also have ranged weapons equipped, sooooo... :3:

I've expanded the max HP in my informal chart to 180, which, I think was the max I've seen for this scenario (Rundarr). Since we've not been able to bloody Helga or any duergar guard yet, I dunno what their max HP is. But I doubt they'll be anywhere near Rundarr.

Shall we murder Scout A first before moving on to the others? That way we cut off one line of retreat, since we've established I can't take AoO. Granted, Helga and the guard could always retreat eastwards; hopefully there isn't a route to their pet Gorg from there.

For right now I'm just trying to tie up the higher HP characters. I don't have anything I can spare against him that I won't need against whatever lurks behind curtain number 3, though. My normal attacks aren't going to help as much as yours will, either, so. =/