95
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How can I, as DM, avoid the Conga Line of Death occurring when implementing some form of flanking rule?
Negation of Advantage
At our table we use the Variant Flanking rules, however we noticed the same problem as yourself, and added the corollary that you cannot gain Advantage from a Flank if you ...
- 1,317
35
votes
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Does Flanking grant advantage on melee spell attacks?
Yes, Melee Spell Attacks benefit from the Optional Flanking Rules.
Why? That's because flanking grants advantage on Melee Attacks....and a Melee Spell Attack is a Melee Attack. Just as Ranged Spell ...
- 18.7k
35
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Can I get advantage against a monster when our characters are engaging it from two sides?
Flanking for advantage is an optional rule in DnD 5e
The flanking rule is given on Dungeon Master's Guide, page 251. It is an optional rule, and works as you describe. For squares:
When a creature ...
- 54.2k
31
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What is the reason Adventurers League games don't allow DMG variant rules, such as Flanking?
Because the DMG wasn't finalized when AL started
I did a bit of digging, and found this article from December 2014: (excerpt, emphasis added)
Rules contained in the Dungeon Masters Guide may be ...
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30
votes
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What is the reason Adventurers League games don't allow DMG variant rules, such as Flanking?
In general, both Adeptus' and IcyFire's answers are correct. Specifically, the flanking rule makes positioning on a map more important since some class abilities are based on having advantage. This ...
- 3,261
26
votes
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Can I flank with an invisible ally?
Yes, you can.
Because even invisible you can threaten his square:
You threaten all squares into which you can make a melee attack, even when it is not your turn. Generally, that means everything ...
- 61.6k
24
votes
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Can you flank from above?
Strictly RAW, using the optional flanking rules from the DMG, this would not qualify for flanking.
The flanking rules read:
When a creature and at least one of its allies are adjacent to an enemy and ...
- 154k
24
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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?
It depends on where they are when they leave your reach
Looking at the rules for Opportunity Attacks:
You can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves out of your ...
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22
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Is it impossible to flank a large creature on a hex grid?
The DMG rules are consistent if you count the exact number of spaces, while measuring either way around.
In other words, if you have two creatures adjacent to a middle creature, then count both ...
- 31.6k
21
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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?
By RAW: No, it wouldn't help with flanking.
The flanking rules require that two creatures (specifically allies) are on opposite sides of the creature they flank.
When a creature and at
least one of ...
- 1,196
21
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Accepted
Who benefits from flanking?
When dealing with Medium creatures, yes, it might read more easily to say "both". The "each of them" becomes important when dealing with Large or bigger creatures, which take up so ...
- 82.2k
20
votes
How can I, as DM, avoid the Conga Line of Death occurring when implementing some form of flanking rule?
We have not experienced the conga line, it may not be as a big of a concern as you think
My tables have used the flanking rules on a grid for about 5 years and we're a heavily combat focused group - ...
- 126k
19
votes
Can I flank with an invisible ally?
At least one Pathfinder designer says Yes on both counts
ShadowKras's answer nails the rules, but just in case there's lingering doubt, in a 2011 thread designer Stephen Radney-MacFarland had this ...
- 193k
17
votes
What is the reason Adventurers League games don't allow DMG variant rules, such as Flanking?
Part of the idea behind AL is to keep the rules consistent between tables. Looking at the variant rules able to be used, the only one not relating to character creation is Playing on a Grid.
From the ...
- 28.7k
16
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Can a Fathomless Warlock's Tentacle of the Deeps help flank?
The tentacles are not "Creatures"
The rules for flanking require the target to be flanked by two creatures:
When a creature and at least one of its allies are adjacent to an enemy and on ...
- 154k
15
votes
Accepted
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?
Yes
You flank when you are adjacent to an enemy:
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, ...
- 70.8k
14
votes
Accepted
Does flanking a creature make it a surprise attack, meeting the requirement for the Assassin rogue's Assassinate feature?
Flanking makes no difference here, it is restricted to the 1st turn
Surprise only counts at the start of the combat in D&D 5e. As we can read in the PHB about The Order of Combat on page 189:
...
- 61.9k
13
votes
Accepted
Can I Sneak Attack if I'm flanking and the opponent knows I'm there?
Yes, despite the name, flanking lets you Sneak Attack without actually being sneaky.
When flanking someone with the help of the an ally, your rogue has no need to be stealthy in order to benefit from ...
- 244k
12
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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?
The attack has advantage
I understand your question to be about the situation where the opponent leaves both the flanking situation and your reach at the same time. For options of leaving flanking ...
- 135k
11
votes
Does flanking always grant advantage, or is it up to discussion?
I've had some arguments with players over 5e's optional rule for flanking on squares so I thought I would upload this image which should make it very clear.
- 111
11
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Do flanking and sneak attack apply to a creature that is flanked by other characters?
No, It does not.
FLANKING
When making a melee attack, you get a +2 flanking bonus if your opponent is threatened by a character or creature friendly to you on
the opponent’s opposite border or ...
- 307
10
votes
Accepted
Large creatures flanking medium
Corners are part of the side
The rules for cover say:
Usually, the GM can quickly decide whether your target has cover. If you're uncertain or need to be more precise, draw a line from the center of ...
- 135k
9
votes
Is it impossible to flank a large creature on a hex grid?
You can count the long way
The trick is that it’s not a minimum — it’s an exact requirement. You can’t count beyond 4, but rather have to be able to count exactly 4 hexes. It’s not a maximum nor a ...
- 244k
9
votes
Accepted
Can a Fathomless Warlock's Tentacle of the Deeps help flank?
No, it would not help you with flanking.
Flanking requires status as a creature, as you mentioned, and nothing about the two abilities linked mention that this is a creature.
We can use this Answer ...
- 3,577
9
votes
Accepted
Does flanking apply to the defending creature or the attackers?
Flanking applies to attackers
The flanking rules say:
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 ...
- 135k
8
votes
Can I get advantage against a monster when our characters are engaging it from two sides?
You don't have advantage, but you can make a sneak attack.
As @kviiri states in their answer, the "flanking grants advantage" rule in DMG pp 251 is optional. However, in the rogue's Sneak ...
- 1,449
8
votes
Accepted
Can you flank with a reach weapon?
RAW No, flanking's only conditions are explicitly related to physical position
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 ...
- 95.6k
8
votes
Accepted
Can Troops be flanked?
Troops can be Flanked
There's no rule stating troops are unable to be flanked, so the default flanking rules would apply as though the entire troop was one creature.
Troops do have Troop Defenses, ...
- 16k
8
votes
Accepted
Does a spellcaster with a shield provide flanking?
Many types of shields are actual weapons, nothing improvised about it, with their own weapon descriptions:
Light or heavy shield “You can bash an opponent with a shield,”
Klar “A […] klar counts as ...
- 361k
7
votes
Accepted
Is a tiny creature with the feat Blades Above And Below able to flank?
"Do the rules work in my favor?"
Maybe. As per Big and Little Creatures in Combat on Tiny, Diminutive, and Fine Creatures, a creature of such a size "can attack into [its] own square if [it] need[s] ...
- 193k
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