3
\$\begingroup\$

Spawned from the comments in this question, does the Snap Shot feat allow AoOs outside of Threatened range against the target of Greater Trip?

Snap Shot:

While wielding a ranged weapon with which you have Weapon Focus, you threaten squares within 5 feet of you. You can make attacks of opportunity with that ranged weapon. You do not provoke attacks of opportunity when making a ranged attack as an attack of opportunity.

Greater Trip:

You receive a +2 bonus on checks made to trip a foe. This bonus stacks with the bonus granted by Improved Trip. Whenever you successfully trip an opponent, that opponent provokes attacks of opportunity.

The specific case cited has the ranger character making AoOs against enemies tripped by a partner with Greater Trip up to 1000ft away, but the question holds for much shorter distances. If a character has Snap Shot, and no other feats which increase their Threatened area, could that character make AoOs against a creature tripped with Greater Trip 30' away?

\$\endgroup\$

1 Answer 1

8
\$\begingroup\$

No it does not.

As outlined in the Attacks of Opportunity rules

Some actions, when performed in a threatened square, provoke attacks of opportunity as you divert your attention from the battle.

Greater Trip does not change this - it simply adds a new trigger. To be able to actually make an Attack of Opportunity (or AoO), an opponent must provoke while they are within your threatened area. Snap Shot provides you with both the threatened area, and the ability to make AoOs with a missile weapon, but nothing in the feat overrides the requirement to have the enemy in your threatened area to take advantage of it.

The reason that Snap Shot mentions the Threatened Area separately, is that this ALSO allows you to flank, which normally isn't possible with a missile weapon. It is not meant to change the basic conditions for taking an AoO.

Similarly, if a second ally is wielding a weapon with Reach, and the original ally with Greater Trip trips the target when they are adjacent to the second ally, the polearm-wielder would also not be able to take the AoO, since they do not threaten squares adjacent to them. And likewise, if the target is on the other side of a wall (i.e. has Total Cover), you will not be able to take an AoO, despite the Snap Shot feat not specifically prohibiting it.

\$\endgroup\$
3
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ I believe the answer to be "no" as well - however, I could not find anything in the rules that stated this unambiguously. Here is the problem as I see it - the Attacks of Opportunity rules only reference Threatened tiles as to what can provoke an AoO. The ambiguity is that Greater Trip states the tripped character provokes AoOs, not that the tripped character provokes AoOs for enemies which threaten it. I can understand this being read as an exception rule, even if I don't agree with that reading. \$\endgroup\$
    – Bedro
    Mar 20, 2018 at 1:41
  • 2
    \$\begingroup\$ RE: "I can understand this being read as an exception rule…." I can't. Such a reading would allow every creature in the the campaign setting to make an attack of opportunity against the tripped creature. I mean, if the feat's benefit ignores the threatened area part of the attack of opportunity rules, it should also ignore all of those other pesky rules about line or sight and line of effect, too, right? \$\endgroup\$ Mar 20, 2018 at 2:44
  • \$\begingroup\$ Yeah, Snap Shot attacks of opportunity are still restricted to the rules of attacks of opportunity with the only exception being you can now do them with a ranged weapon. They still have to be threatened. Hence Greater Snap Shot's increased range for the benefit. \$\endgroup\$
    – Ifusaso
    Mar 20, 2018 at 16:13

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .