Combat Expertise and Initiative

[Voltumna]

When your opponent's initiative is higher than yours, can you take the penalty to attack to benefit DV before it is your turn to act?

 

[René]

When your opponent's initiative is higher than yours, can you take the penalty to attack to benefit DV before it is your turn to act?

I'd say no. The feat description says "...last until your next action." If you apply the changes to your enemies attacks before you act, the changes would be applied to the attacks before and after your turn.

 

[Voltumna]

I just read the book, it says "when you use the attack action or full attack action in melee" so you have to be attacking, but as Rene says, it would be in place on the round after you use it, if you didn't take other action after your attacks, and before your initiative.

"The changes to attack rolls and defense value last until your next action."

I wonder then if, you use CE this round with a full-attack action, then someone provokes a AoO which you take, is that AoO considered "your next action" since it happened after your full-attack, and thus ending the CE penalty-bonus?

 

[Oly]

I wonder then if, you use CE this round with a full-attack action, then someone provokes a AoO which you take, is the AoO still subject to the penalty? If it does then CE is still in place until yet another action?

I've always played the feat with the penalty on all attacks and AoOs until the characters turn in the next round.

 

[Voltumna]

I wonder then if, you use CE this round with a full-attack action, then someone provokes a AoO which you take, is the AoO still subject to the penalty? If it does then CE is still in place until yet another action?

I've always played the feat with the penalty on all attacks and AoOs until the characters turn in the next round.

Even if you take other kind of actions after attacking? Say you attack once and decide to retreat, thus provoking an AoO, and that's an action after the attack which per the description would end the CE effects.

 

[Oly]

Even if you take other kind of actions after attacking? Say you attack once and decide to retreat, thus provoking an AoO, and that's an action after the attack which per the description would end the CE effects.

Good point......

However my take is that the intent is that it lasts for your whole "round" as it's described as being cumulative with fighting defensively.

However as the rules stand it does look like taking a move action after the attack that was performed with Combat Expertise would end the effects.

 

[René]

Sometimes I wish the times back when the rules of a rpg were so simple I was able to understand them at once...