Evasive movement...is there a rules provision for it? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Evasive movement...is there a rules provision for it? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
RMagruder
01-27-07, 02:53 PM I'm playing a Monk. As our party is walking along the road we get we start seeing Javelin's raining around us as some Hobgoblins try to ambush us.

I think, Hey I'm a Monk, I want to get up to those guys and start doing some Monkish unarmed beat-down.

Here's what I *imagine* -- my monk tumbles, somersaults and otherwise does a nice agile job of evading javelins while getting close to the hobgoblins. Ideally it would be cool to tumble right up to one, roll to my feet and *wham* with an unarmed strike to the chops before they could even react.

Now for the fun part- game rules: I make the mistake of telling my DM: "I tumble into the bushes towards the hobgoblin" and describe how I want it to be. He looks at me quizically like: "are you saying you want to do a tumble?" I'm thinking ... well, not in THAT sense. A tumble is supposed to let me go right by someone without an Attack of Opportunity. That's not what I mean to do here. But I do want to be using my dex/agility to make myself a VERY hard target to hit while I roll up and whack 'im. So...should the DM just be giving me an AC bonus in exchange for me maybe moving a 3rd my normal speed due to all the evading? Or is the a game rule somewhere that fits an 'evasive approach'? Or a feat or something.

Thanks

Randy
PhaedrusXY
01-27-07, 03:08 PM What you want is to take Total Defense (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#totalDefense).
Total Defense
You can defend yourself as a standard action. You get a +4 dodge bonus to your AC for 1 round. Your AC improves at the start of this action. You can’t combine total defense with fighting defensively or with the benefit of the Combat Expertise feat (since both of those require you to declare an attack or full attack). You can’t make attacks of opportunity while using total defense.
It boosts your AC, and you can still move, and the AC boost you get from it improves if you have ranks in Tumble. Deflect Arrows should work against javelins, also, and it is a monk bonus feat.
SilentOne
01-27-07, 03:13 PM Yeah, use your standard action to take total defense, gaining +6 (with your 5 ranks in tumble) AC, at the cost of not being able to take a double move to rush up to them. Bingo - move slower, get a bonus to AC for doing so evasively.
Tyler Do'Urden
01-27-07, 04:48 PM Bingo - move slower, get a bonus to AC for doing so evasively.Think of it as zig-zagging and stopping short where needed instead of just making a B line.
DarknessEternal
01-28-07, 01:51 PM Total Defense is a good option, I'll offer another. Just say you're doing that. Your Dex and Wis are already making you more difficult to hit. Perhaps it is because you're already trying your hardest to not get hit. This may involve acrobatics, in your case.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
RMagruder 01-27-07, 02:53 PM	I'm playing a Monk. As our party is walking along the road we get we start seeing Javelin's raining around us as some Hobgoblins try to ambush us. I think, Hey I'm a Monk, I want to get up to those guys and start doing some Monkish unarmed beat-down. Here's what I imagine -- my monk tumbles, somersaults and otherwise does a nice agile job of evading javelins while getting close to the hobgoblins. Ideally it would be cool to tumble right up to one, roll to my feet and wham with an unarmed strike to the chops before they could even react. Now for the fun part- game rules: I make the mistake of telling my DM: "I tumble into the bushes towards the hobgoblin" and describe how I want it to be. He looks at me quizically like: "are you saying you want to do a tumble?" I'm thinking ... well, not in THAT sense. A tumble is supposed to let me go right by someone without an Attack of Opportunity. That's not what I mean to do here. But I do want to be using my dex/agility to make myself a VERY hard target to hit while I roll up and whack 'im. So...should the DM just be giving me an AC bonus in exchange for me maybe moving a 3rd my normal speed due to all the evading? Or is the a game rule somewhere that fits an 'evasive approach'? Or a feat or something. Thanks Randy
PhaedrusXY 01-27-07, 03:08 PM	What you want is to take Total Defense (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#totalDefense). Total Defense You can defend yourself as a standard action. You get a +4 dodge bonus to your AC for 1 round. Your AC improves at the start of this action. You can’t combine total defense with fighting defensively or with the benefit of the Combat Expertise feat (since both of those require you to declare an attack or full attack). You can’t make attacks of opportunity while using total defense. It boosts your AC, and you can still move, and the AC boost you get from it improves if you have ranks in Tumble. Deflect Arrows should work against javelins, also, and it is a monk bonus feat.
SilentOne 01-27-07, 03:13 PM	Yeah, use your standard action to take total defense, gaining +6 (with your 5 ranks in tumble) AC, at the cost of not being able to take a double move to rush up to them. Bingo - move slower, get a bonus to AC for doing so evasively.
Tyler Do'Urden 01-27-07, 04:48 PM	Bingo - move slower, get a bonus to AC for doing so evasively.Think of it as zig-zagging and stopping short where needed instead of just making a B line.
DarknessEternal 01-28-07, 01:51 PM	Total Defense is a good option, I'll offer another. Just say you're doing that. Your Dex and Wis are already making you more difficult to hit. Perhaps it is because you're already trying your hardest to not get hit. This may involve acrobatics, in your case.