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The Specter has the ability Incorporeal Movement, which states,

The specter can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5(1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Does moving through a creature grant an opportunity attack to the creature it's moving through? It seems like it should, but that lessens the "coolness" of the ability.

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It behaves like any other creature would.

The PB states that any creature that moves out of your reach provokes an opportunity attack (195):

You can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves out of your reach.

If the specter moves through a creature and out of their reach, then it will provoke an opportunity attack. If it passes through a creature but stays within its reach, it does not provoke an attack. This is, of course, the same for any other creature.

If a creature can avoid opportunity attacks, it's explicitly listed in the listing. For example, the Giant Owl (MM 327):

Flyby. The owl doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy's reach.

Specters do not have such an ability, so they are subject to opportunity attacks if they move out of a creature's reach.

Compare to a ghost

It's worth noting that a ghost has a similar incorporeal movement ability and an Etherealness ability, which truly allows it to float through anything freely (MM 147):

Etherealness. The ghost enters the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on the Material Plane while it is in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can't affect or be affected by anything on the other plane.

This ability would allow the ghost to ignore any opportunity attacks (though it would still technically trigger them).

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    \$\begingroup\$ You can still take the AoO against the ghost if ti triggers one. It is most likely to not do any harm because its ethereal, but you can take the reaction even if you don't have some weapon able to affect ethereal beings: the attack will just miss. \$\endgroup\$ Sep 20, 2017 at 12:50
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No

Opportunity Attacks can only be taken when the target leaves your reach, it hasn't left your reach (you can, presumably, reach yourself) so it doesn't provoke an OA by just moving through you.

PHB 195

Opportunity Attacks

You can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves out of your reach

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It could move to an adjacent wall space, or beneath the floor not leaving your reach then continue it's movement in the wall. It's a de facto negation of OAs.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Note that, by the definition of an object, neither Walls or the Floor are "other creatures" or "objects". Also, that's not exactly the scenario the asker proposed. \$\endgroup\$
    – HellSaint
    May 10, 2018 at 3:12
  • \$\begingroup\$ Almost forgot - welcome to RPG.se. When you have time, take our tour. \$\endgroup\$
    – HellSaint
    May 10, 2018 at 3:12
  • \$\begingroup\$ Welcome to the site! Do you think you could expand on your answer a little bit? Why do you believe this is how it would work, and have you rules/seen it rules this way before at your table? We usually require a bit more evidence to an answer. Check out the faq or take the above suggested tour to get yourself oriented! \$\endgroup\$
    – Jason_c_o
    May 10, 2018 at 4:41

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