Taking a 5-foot step to avoid AoO?

[ReptileJK]

Got a question regarding the "Five Foot Step" listed on Pg. 162 of the AE.

From the description of this action on pg. 162, it seems that a 5-ft step can be used in place of alot of moves that would normally incur an Attack of Opportunity. For example, instead of disengaging an enemy (which would prompt an AoO), a PC could take a 5-ft step away from him, then "officially" disengage without prompting an AoO. If so, it eliminates a large portion of the situations in which a PC's actions would prompt an AoO.

Is this correct? Am I misunderstanding what is written in the book? Has anyone else run into such a problem?

Thanks,
Reptile

 

[Cimmerian]

You may take a 5-foot step without provoking attack of opportunity only if your next action at the same round doesnt provoke attack of opportunity. For example you cant take 5 foot step and than disarm your opponent without attack of opportunity, but you can take 5 foot and total defense your opponent or open/close a door . You can see the list of the actions and if they provoke attack of opportunity on page 155 but be carefull some actions that is discribed as without AoO in some cases they provoke AoO.

 

[spydacarnage]

You could not take a 5-ft step to move away from an opponent, then "officially" disengage as you are suggesting as you cannot perform a 5-ft step in the same round as you use a move action to move any distance.

In other words, once you have made a 5-ft step, you cannot move any further.

If, on the other hand, the opponent you 5-ft stepped away from doesn't follow you, you are free to move away on your next turn (as long as you didn't move into any other threat zone)

 

[ReptileJK]

If, on the other hand, the opponent you 5-ft stepped away from doesn't follow you, you are free to move away on your next turn (as long as you didn't move into any other threat zone)

This was what I meant by officially disengaging. I didn't describe the scenario very well.

So, you can take a five foot step away from an opponent and, so long as they don't follow you, you do not provoke an AoO.

Thanks, folks.

Reptile

 

[Sutek]

So, you can take a five foot step away from an opponent and, so long as they don't follow you, you do not provoke an AoO.

Well, in the instance I think you're describing, it's two different rounds of combat. AoOs occur in the same round of combat always regardless of Initiative Count. If Character A does anything that would provoke an AoO during the same round in which he takes a 5' step, he can provoke one or more AoOs that round. If he 5' steps away and the opponent doesn't follow him and does not have a reach weapon, then Character A isn't in any of his opponent's Threatened Squares so there is no way that he provokes anhy AoOs.

Keep in mind that multiple AoOs can be provoked in any given round and that individuals with the COmbat Reflexes feat can take brutal advantage of this fact.

I'll go one step further here, but realize that this is my interpretation of things: The text actually says that the 5' step does not provoke unless combined with an action that does. Grammatically, that indicates that, if combined, the step provokes too. So, if you attempt a Disarm as your Standard action and a 5' step as your Move action, both would provoke according to the way I read it.

 

[ReptileJK]

Whoops! Posted this Thank You on the wrong thread!

Anyways, Thanks for the info, All!

Reptile