Questions tagged [flanking]
For questions relating to 'flanking' mechanics, by which being on both sides of a target entity provides some sort of effect.
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What effects would allowing to flank with reach have on game balance?
One of my players asked me recently if I would allow their character, who has 10ft. reach, gain advantage from flanking while still using their reach.
I am aware that RAW this would not work since you ...
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Can a creature with reach flank without being directly next to the enemy? [duplicate]
This is something one of my players asked me recently and I'm not 100% sure how to handle it. I'm leaning towards "no, this does not work" but I am not certain and don't want to be unfair to ...
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Large creatures flanking medium
Flanking says:
To flank a foe, you and your ally must be on opposite sides of the creature. A line drawn between the center of your space and the center of your ally's space must pass through ...
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If you are flanking a foe and they provoke an attack of opportunity from moving away, is your attack of opportunity at advantage from the flanking?
When using the optional flanking rules giving advantage on attacks versus a flanked target, if the target tries to move out of reach, are any resulting attacks of opportunity against that target still ...
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Does a spellcaster with a shield provide flanking?
I have one hand free for casting spells with somatic components and I wield a shield in my other hand.
Do I threaten squares in my melee range for the purposes of providing the flanking bonus to my ...
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Is there any option that allows sneak attack against someone your allies are flanking?
Sneak attack requires that either your foe has lost their Dexterity bonus to AC, or that you personally are flanking that target. A foe flanked by your allies, but not by you personally, isn’t subject ...
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Can Troops be flanked?
Troops consist of multiple creatures that are handled as a single creature. They have special rules for many things, e.g. being targeted by spells, but nothing in these rules mentions flanking in any ...
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Can I sneak attack in melee range with a ranged weapon by flanking with another weapon?
If a rogue can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage.
The rogue’s attack deals extra damage anytime her target ...
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Can a Fathomless Warlock's Tentacle of the Deeps help flank?
The Fathomless Warlock has a feature called Tentacle of the Deeps, which allows them summon a 10-foot long spectral tentacle (exact wording below). It can be moved and make attacks,but is spectral and ...
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Can a rogue with the 'assault leader' talent provoke an attack on a flanked opponent when using ranged weapons?
So I'm wondering if a rogue that has the assault leader talent can use it to provoke an attack from an ally like the talent states:
Assault Leader
Benefit: Once per day, when the rogue misses with an ...
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Dimensional Savant + Wild Flanking, do I damage myself?
It's been established that you do count as your own ally for Teamwork Feats when using Dimensional Savant to flank with yourself, but how far does this extend into Wild Flanking, a Betrayal Feat?
...
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Can you flank from above?
If a character is on top of a creature, does this count for flanking?
Context: a group I play in was killing a dragon, and one of my fellow players (a fighter) grappled it and hung on to its neck. One ...
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Flanking with a dancing sword?
If we are using the optional flanking rules, i do not think a player can get advantage from a Dancing Sword, as it is not a character, but will the Dancing Sword get advantage on attacks when flanking ...
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When I move away from an enemy I am flanking and trigger an opportunity attack, do I have advantage on my attack from the Riposte maneuver?
I am playing a Rogue who is planning on dipping 1-5 levels into fighter. If I get to level 3 of Fighter, I will take the Battle Master archetype and take the Parry, Riposte and Feinting attack ...
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What balance pitfalls result from this house rule modifying the optional Flanking rule?
As much as I enjoy 5e, one design issue sticks in my craw: combat is too static. Once initiative is rolled, everyone tends to move to a single position and stand there whacking enemies until someone ...
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Does flanking a creature make it a surprise attack, meeting the requirement for the Assassin rogue's Assassinate feature?
The optional rule on flanking (DMG, p. 251) says:
Flanking on Squares. When a creature and at least one of its allies are adjacent to an enemy and on opposite sides or corners of the enemy's space, ...
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Does the Stirge blood drain allow it to flank as well?
I am playing a Beast Master ranger with a stirge animal companion.
I know that once a stirge is attached to an enemy, it doesn't need to use its action or anything; Blood Drain's damage is passive/...
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How can I, as DM, avoid the Conga Line of Death occurring when implementing some form of flanking rule?
I’ve heard this phrase being thrown around sometimes on other game tables. Apparently, it describes a straight line of melee combatants on a grid, alternating between members of two opposing groups. ...
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Using the optional flanking rule, would a Spiritual Weapon on the other side of an enemy allow a character to benefit from flanking?
Using the optional rules on flanking in the DMG on page 251, would a caster who gains access to the Spiritual Weapon spell be able to use said weapon to trigger the advantage from flanking?
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Can I threaten adjacent squares with a rifle by using it as an improvised weapon?
Can someone with a rifle treat it as an improvised weapon via rifle butt to threaten squares around him and provide flanking?
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Do flanking and sneak attack apply to a creature that is flanked by other characters?
This came up in a game recently in a 3.5 game. Two of our warriors were flanking a big-bad from either side. Then the party's Rogue attacked from another side of the big bad:
\$\begin{array}{|c|c|...
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Can two Large (or larger) creatures flank two Medium creatures who might split attention?
If two Large creatures are on opposite sides of a pair of Medium-sized creatures who are side by side, do the Large creatures gain flanking?
Flanking grants advantage because it's impossible to keep ...
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Who benefits from flanking?
While DnD 5e no longer includes flanking as a standard rule, they have an optional rule that covers it. I've not played earlier versions, but I imagine it's very similar (if not identical) to the ...
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Is it impossible to flank a large creature on a hex grid?
DnD 5e has optional rules for flanking that includes guides for how it works when using a hex-grid tactical map:
On hexes, count around the enemy from one creature to its ally. Against a Medium or ...
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Can the Dimension Dervish chain be use in conjunction with combat, teamwork feats?
Can I string the Dimensional Agility Feat chain (specifically, Dimensional Savant) and Precise Strike feat together? As I read it since I can flank with myself as an ally doesn't the feat bonus apply ...
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Flanking with tiny reach creatures
Does a creature with a tiny size, and a reach of 5, sharing the space of the enemy provide flanking? Example down below. X being the enemy, T is the tiny creature and Me is well, me.
[X][X][X]
[X][T]...
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How do I handle it when my players refuse to accept a change I've made to the rules of my homebrew system? [closed]
Let's start with a bit of explanation. I run a RPG based on a lot of medieval fantasy worlds. Basically it borrows rules from various other rpgs, so for the past 5 years me and my players have been ...
user41281
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Can you flank with a reach weapon?
The Variant: Flanking rules in the DMG (page 251) require adjacency, but is the intent that the Enemy has combatants on opposite sides and thus someone with Reach (and using the reach) could still ...
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Does Flanking grant advantage on melee spell attacks?
When using the optional rule, Flanking, do melee spell attacks gain advantage?
Flanking is an optional rule we utilize in our game.
When a creature and at least one of its allies are adjacent to ...
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Can I flank with an invisible ally?
I am with an ally in a flanking position around a foe. My ally is invisible and hasn't been detected by the foe.
Would I get the flanking bonus?
Would I get it even if I don't know about my ally ...
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Can I get advantage against a monster when our characters are engaging it from two sides? [duplicate]
Yesterday I played a game in a new group.
The Fighter (F) goes in and attacks the monster (M). Then it's my turn and I place my ...
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Can you stack the benefits of the teamwork feats Coordinated Shot and Enfilading Fire?
Teamwork Feats in the Feat Description says
Benefit: What the feat enables the character (“you” in the feat description) to do. If a character has the same feat more than once, its benefits do not ...
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What is the reason Adventurers League games don't allow DMG variant rules, such as Flanking?
Our home games have been running with the Variant Rule: Flanking while playing on a grid. It came to a surprise to us, when we first played in the Adventurer's League, that Flanking is not allowed in ...
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Is a tiny creature with the feat Blades Above And Below able to flank?
I have an idea for a Fighter Eldritch Guardian (F-EG) archetype and, for fluff, I want to have an Azata Lyrakien (a tiny outsider) as a familiar (by the improve familiar feat).
At level 2, the F-EG ...
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Can I Sneak Attack if I'm flanking and the opponent knows I'm there?
Assume I'm flanking someone and I Sneak Attack them. The next turn, I'm still flanking. The enemy is still sandwiched between me and my ally. Can I keep Sneak Attacking?
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Must you be able to see your opponents to be flanked?
Neither the entry on flanking from the SRD nor the Player's Handbook entry (p 153) nor the Rules Compendium (pp 56-57) mention anything about being able to see the flanker or being aware of the threat....
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Can an invisible creature be flanked by surrounding it?
If you have an invisible creature totally surrounded on all sides (and know for practical reasons it can't escape), like this:
… are all those surrounding it flanking it?
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Is merely being armed sufficient to threaten an area?
A typical flat-footed creature can't make attacks of opportunity, but does a flat-footed creature still enable allies to benefit from flanking if the creature's appropriately armed? Similarly, does an ...
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Must both creatures have the feat Darkstalker for a beholder to be flanked?
A beholder has the extraordinary ability all-around vision, which says, in part, that "they can’t be flanked" (Monster Manual 25).
The benefit of the feat Darkstalker says, in part, that "you can ...
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Being blind, flanking and threaten?
I have enemies on both sides of me, so they have flanking. One of them has now become blind. Does this allow him to benefit from or grant flanking? Does this allow him to threaten squares around him ...
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Thunderous throw and flanking
The class Bloodstorm Blade (ToB p.100) has an ability called Thunderous Throw that states:
...As a swift action, you can choose to treat your ranged attack rolls with thrown weapons as melee ...
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Can you take advantage of flanking positions with a ranged weapon?
There appears to be some controversy over whether or not a ranged attacker can ever be considered to be flanking his target. Is it true that it is impossible to flank enemies with a ranged weapon? ...
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Can flanking become irrelevant due to creature sizes?
As written it seems like there are several holes in the Flanking rules that lead to really weird results. I was hoping that someone could provide insights or ideas on this.
The first issue I ran into ...
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What are the positives and negatives of this house rule for flanking?
I am currently considering house ruling flanking to be:
If two or more enemies are adjacent to you, you are considered flanked.
I do this because I want to break up the conga line of death that ...
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Does flanking always grant advantage, or is it up to discussion?
The rules packet does not provide any specific rules about flanking. However the rule does say that the DM has lots of leeway in deciding when to give advantage or disadvantage in combat. Should it ...
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