Charging a creature who has a 10' reach... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Charging a creature who has a 10' reach... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Goat Face
05-18-05, 05:04 PM If you only had a 5' reach, and were to use the Charge Attack against a creature with a 10' (or greater) reach, would you provoke an AoO from the creature by moving through that threatened area?
OmiKapSi
05-18-05, 05:19 PM Technically it's not moving through, it's leaving a threatened square that provokes an AoO.
And charging to attack (using the charge combat option outlined in the PHB) does not provide any special defense against attacks of opportunity. You provoke them as normal with a charge.

I'm assuming that you are referring to the normal charge, and that "Charge Attack" isn't a new feat or something.
Goat Face
05-18-05, 05:24 PM Thanks Omi!

Yes, I was refering to the Charge combat option.
Flushmaster
05-18-05, 05:37 PM The only way you could provoke an attack of opportunity in this manner, aside from the one that the charge itself provokes, is if the defender does not threaten the space immediately around it but does threaten an area beyond that. An example of this would be a character wielding a longspear (threatens foes two squares away but not adjacent to themselves), and in that case you must leave their threatened area to get adjacent to them thus provoking an AoO.

While under these circumstances it is possible to provoke two AoOs from the same opponent at the same time, they usually can't make both of them. All creatures are normally restricted to only one AoO per round unless they have the Combat Reflexes feat and even then they must make the additional attacks against seperate targets. IIRC, there is a feat or class feature that allows multiple AoOs against the same target in one round but it either has steep prerequisites (making it available only to high level characters) or is only available to a specific PrC (Assasin maybe?). But then I could just be wrong and no such ability exists.

Some multi-headed monsters with bite attacks, such as a hydra, can make a seperate AoO per round with each head, I believe several against a single target, IIRC. Again I might be wrong but even if I'm not, the heads typically threaten adjacent spaces as well as any reach they might have so charging only provokes one AoO (or maybe one AoO from each head, again I'm not sure). Maybe somebody could clarify this one for me?
Colmarr
05-18-05, 05:41 PM Flushmaster, a charge does not provoke AoOs. Only the movement that is part of the charge does.
Nom
05-19-05, 12:17 AM Some multi-headed monsters with bite attacks, such as a hydra, can make a seperate AoO per round with each head, I believe several against a single target, IIRC. Again I might be wrong but even if I'm not, the heads typically threaten adjacent spaces as well as any reach they might have so charging only provokes one AoO (or maybe one AoO from each head, again I'm not sure). Maybe somebody could clarify this one for me?The way I read the rules (and the way I believe they are supposed to be read) is that the Hydra has a special version of Combat Reflexes that allows it to make 1 AoO for each head (rather than the usual 1 + Dex). All other AoO rules apply as normal, including the rule that says that a given movement action can result in only 1 AoO from a given opponent, no matter how many threatened squares you leave.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Goat Face 05-18-05, 05:04 PM	If you only had a 5' reach, and were to use the Charge Attack against a creature with a 10' (or greater) reach, would you provoke an AoO from the creature by moving through that threatened area?
OmiKapSi 05-18-05, 05:19 PM	Technically it's not moving through, it's leaving a threatened square that provokes an AoO. And charging to attack (using the charge combat option outlined in the PHB) does not provide any special defense against attacks of opportunity. You provoke them as normal with a charge. I'm assuming that you are referring to the normal charge, and that "Charge Attack" isn't a new feat or something.
Goat Face 05-18-05, 05:24 PM	Thanks Omi! Yes, I was refering to the Charge combat option.
Flushmaster 05-18-05, 05:37 PM	The only way you could provoke an attack of opportunity in this manner, aside from the one that the charge itself provokes, is if the defender does not threaten the space immediately around it but does threaten an area beyond that. An example of this would be a character wielding a longspear (threatens foes two squares away but not adjacent to themselves), and in that case you must leave their threatened area to get adjacent to them thus provoking an AoO. While under these circumstances it is possible to provoke two AoOs from the same opponent at the same time, they usually can't make both of them. All creatures are normally restricted to only one AoO per round unless they have the Combat Reflexes feat and even then they must make the additional attacks against seperate targets. IIRC, there is a feat or class feature that allows multiple AoOs against the same target in one round but it either has steep prerequisites (making it available only to high level characters) or is only available to a specific PrC (Assasin maybe?). But then I could just be wrong and no such ability exists. Some multi-headed monsters with bite attacks, such as a hydra, can make a seperate AoO per round with each head, I believe several against a single target, IIRC. Again I might be wrong but even if I'm not, the heads typically threaten adjacent spaces as well as any reach they might have so charging only provokes one AoO (or maybe one AoO from each head, again I'm not sure). Maybe somebody could clarify this one for me?
Colmarr 05-18-05, 05:41 PM	Flushmaster, a charge does not provoke AoOs. Only the movement that is part of the charge does.
Nom 05-19-05, 12:17 AM	Some multi-headed monsters with bite attacks, such as a hydra, can make a seperate AoO per round with each head, I believe several against a single target, IIRC. Again I might be wrong but even if I'm not, the heads typically threaten adjacent spaces as well as any reach they might have so charging only provokes one AoO (or maybe one AoO from each head, again I'm not sure). Maybe somebody could clarify this one for me?The way I read the rules (and the way I believe they are supposed to be read) is that the Hydra has a special version of Combat Reflexes that allows it to make 1 AoO for each head (rather than the usual 1 + Dex). All other AoO rules apply as normal, including the rule that says that a given movement action can result in only 1 AoO from a given opponent, no matter how many threatened squares you leave.