Conan & the 5' step

BhilJhoanz

Mongoose
We goofed on this one! So many rules are so similar to D&D that we assume that they are exactly the same. Not so with the 5' step.

In D&D (OGL/SRD): You can move 5 feet in any round when you don’t perform any other kind of movement. Taking this 5-foot step never provokes an attack of opportunity. You can’t take more than one 5-foot step in a round, and you can’t take a 5-foot step in the same round when you move any distance.

In Conan: You can move 5 feet in any round when you don’t perform any other kind of movement as a free action but the movement will provoke AoO's as normal if you take any other actions during your turn! (I'm paraphrasing from memory -- but it's something like this.)

WOW! Combat tactics suddenly changed in last night's game!

Anyone else miss this difference?
 
El Cid said:
I missed it.

Can you give the page this little rule is on?

Sidney

Page 171 - "Taking a 5-foot step doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity unless it is combined with another action in the round."

Page 162 - "Moving out of a threatened square provokes an attack of opportunity from the threatening opponent. The most common method of avoiding this is the 5 foot step so long as no other action is taken."
 
BhilJhoanz said:
Anyone else miss this difference?

Nope, I caught it, and love it! Honestly the 5ft step made me almost quit on D&D 3.0 in the beginning, I was to used to facing, and free attacks against any character that turned and ran from you, back in AD&D.

My players will hate it I'm sure! :twisted:

TTFN,

Yokiboy
 
I must admit, I had missed this rule the first time around reading the rulebook. I must say I do approve, like everything else in the game, it raises the lethal of lethality.

All in all, a good thing, really.

:)
 
I caught that one. And to be honest that was the way I always ruled it in DnD v3.0.

It was not until v.3.5 when they clarified their 5-foot rule that I said: Ok, then we change it to be completely free from AoO's.

Conan just takes the step back to the way I used to do it, and that is fine by me.

/wolf
 
Oh, crap. I am sure my players will be pissed if I try to enforce this one. :roll: Especially those who like to get flank attacks... I guess it makes tumble more valuable.

Maybe there should be a feat:

Lively Step

Prereq: BAB +1
When you take a five-foot step combined with a standard action in a round you do NOT provoke attacks of opportunity.
 
Yuan-Ti said:
I guess it makes tumble more valuable.

.


NOOOOOOO

This simply will not DO!

It flies in the face of all that is right and decent in the world. I have been waging a long campaign against any sissy-mary tumbling in my games, and now a bone thrown to the forces of darkness.
 
I'm afraid I have mixed feelings on this one. On one hand I applaud the rule because it now forces archers and priests to drop their missile weapons and spell components and fight like men when confronted directly. Rather than having to wait a round before an attacker can hold action waiting for a chance to strike at these cowards now we warrior-types can put the hurt on them immediately.

On the other hand, I enjoyed the tactical jockeying in a stand-up fight that the 5' step gave you. You could look to pin an opponent in a corner, denying him his dodge bonus, or move to flank for a bonus to hit or a sneak attack.

Ooh. That must really suck to be on the greater side of a two-on-one fight and unable to use your sneak attack because to do so would invite an unanswered attack (either an AoO or a round where you could not return a strike as you moved into position).
 
Hmmm... I don't have he book here with me, but:

What does it say in the "Full Attack Action" section?
If that action includes a free 5-foot step. And the action itself doesn't provoce an AoO...

...what then?

What I'm after is that sometimes the 5-foot step is included in another action and not an action in and of itself.

Have to check this when I get home...

/wolf
 
This seems weird. In Conan, I can't attack and then take a 5' step without triggering an AoO?? E.g., stepping away from my opponent as in a slow retreat, or stepping sideways while still beside an opponent for more strategic positioning??
 
A lot of rules are different in Conan while bearing the same name as the OGL mechanic -- it makes it confusing for those of use who've played D&D for a long time!

Of course the trade off to not being able to make a 5' step w/o provoking an AoO is that you can move and attack in any order and those who get the Mobility chain will eventually be immune to AoOs related to movement.
 
BhilJhoanz said:
A lot of rules are different in Conan while bearing the same name as the OGL mechanic -- it makes it confusing for those of use who've played D&D for a long time!

Of course the trade off to not being able to make a 5' step w/o provoking an AoO is that you can move and attack in any order and those who get the Mobility chain will eventually be immune to AoOs related to movement.

Can't you move and attack in any order in D&D too? I'm not seeing the trade-off...
 
Yes, in D&D you can chose to move and then attack or attack and then move.

But in Conan, you can chose to move 15', attack, and then move another 15' with no feats at all.

Now, this is not Spring Attack (though similar) since you DO provoke AoOs for all of your movement as normal. And you cannot move, take a full attack and move again, nor can you move, attack, move, attack (though improved and greater mobility can change this).

That is the trade off I was talking about -- and again, another difference.
 
Yuan-Ti said:
Maybe there should be a feat:

Lively Step

Prereq: BAB +1
When you take a five-foot step combined with a standard action in a round you do NOT provoke attacks of opportunity.
Nope, I don't agree. I think they should be forced to take five levels of one of the classes that get Mobility, in case they're after free roaming of the battle field. I love this rule! :D

TTFN,

Yokiboy
 
wyerdo said:
Ooh. That must really suck to be on the greater side of a two-on-one fight and unable to use your sneak attack because to do so would invite an unanswered attack (either an AoO or a round where you could not return a strike as you moved into position).
Yeah but to me this simulates the two combatants jockeying for an advantage, trying to find an opening to strike at. I greatly enjoy the fact that 5ft Steps draw AoO if combined with any other action.

TTFN,

Yokiboy
 
Yokiboy said:
Yeah but to me this simulates the two combatants jockeying for an advantage, trying to find an opening to strike at. I greatly enjoy the fact that 5ft Steps draw AoO if combined with any other action.

I see. Kind of like in StarTrek where Capt. Kirk would circle the dude he was about to wrestle two times before "making his move"! I'm with you now.
 
wyerdo said:
I see. Kind of like in StarTrek where Capt. Kirk would circle the dude he was about to wrestle two times before "making his move"! I'm with you now.
LOL! Yeah, just like that, but not so gay. :lol:

TTFN,

Yokiboy
 
I should go take a look at this before syaing anything, but I cannot resisit.

Ok, what about the full attack? I was under the assumption the char can take a 5' step without provoking AoO, and THEN make a full attack. Thus, I am not sure I like this rule so much.

It does not make much of a difference in withdrawing; remember, withdrawing from combat is still a fullround action. I dont think anyone used the 5'step to withdraw from combat, since it was useless. Any char could cover that distance as a free action.

It should not make a diference to sorcerors as well, since any sorceror casting in melee will always cast defensively to avoid AoO's.

If I recall correctly, one of the combat manevers requires you to take a 5' step combined with a full attack (will check again though)
 
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