35
votes
Are my house rules good to make it easier to run away from combat in 5E?
"Are there other house rules that could achieve my goal more cleanly?"
Chase Rules
I strongly encourage the Chase rules found in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master's Guide
I have used these in ...
- 74.7k
30
votes
Accepted
Does a Polearm Master with 10' reach get an opportunity attack vs an enemy 10' away when they step to only 5' away?
A creature within your reach already cannot enter your reach.
To “enter” your reach, as required by Polearm Master, a creature must go from not being in your reach to being in your reach. This is what ...
- 149k
27
votes
Do creatures with a reach of 0 get attacks of opportunity when a foe moves away?
Zero foot reach means attacking only in the same combat space.
tl;dr 0-reach creatures do get an opportunity attack.
Swarm example
Things like a swarm of insects can occupy the same space as an ...
- 34.3k
26
votes
Does an opportunity attack allow a monk to use their unarmed bonus attack if they still have it and it’s still their turn?
Oportunity attacks are reactions, not normal actions, so this won't work
You can only use Martial Arts with the Attack action:
When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon ...
- 114k
13
votes
Accepted
Are the 'Rules of the Game' web articles for using special attacks as attacks of opportunity corroborated by any other source?
The Player's Handbook includes Table 8–2: Actions in Combat that, in footnote 7, says
These attack forms [i.e. disarm, grapple, and trip] substitute for a melee attack, not an action. As melee ...
- 191k
10
votes
Accepted
Do you provoke an AoO when you evoke a beam with the spell Sunbeam?
Sunbeam doesn’t specify that this standard action provokes an attack of opportunity, and it doesn’t fall into any of the general categories of actions that provokes:
It isn’t an “attack (ranged),” ...
- 352k
7
votes
Accepted
Does a Large creature moving through a threatened area trigger Reactive Strike?
Yes, it leaves a square and triggers Reactive Strike.
It isn't in reach when it uses the move action, nor when it moves southeast, so that part of the action does not trigger Reactive Strike. However,...
- 2,477
7
votes
Are my house rules good to make it easier to run away from combat in 5E?
What would break without those rules
Those "opportunity" rules are trying to fix problems that you need to keep addressed.
First, there need to be a cost of moving away or any penalty for ...
- 21k
7
votes
Accepted
Can slam attacks be used to make attacks of opportunity and deliver at-will spell-like abilities?
Yes, a creature is considered armed and can threaten with a natural weapon like a slam:
A creature making a melee attack with a natural weapon is considered armed and does not provoke attacks of ...
- 352k
6
votes
Accepted
Do the Friends cantrip and War Caster feat allow a PC to heal another PC as a reaction?
Sometimes, the RAW answer is nonsensical
There is no scenario in which this makes sense, regardless of what the rules say. One of these is the case:
The target is actively hostile to you, and views ...
- 11k
4
votes
Do you provoke an AoO when you evoke a beam with the spell Sunbeam?
As you pointed out by the list of actions in combat, it is uncertain. But as a DM I would rule as a no, as a spell description didn't explicitly say that standard action to evoke that beam provokes an ...
- 1,645
4
votes
Accepted
Contingency against an attack of opportunity
You cannot pre-empt the attack with Contingency
Contingency says:
choose a trigger under which the spell will be cast, using the same restrictions as for the trigger of a Ready action
And the Ready ...
- 114k
3
votes
Accepted
Does Reactive Strike counts as an effect, for purpose of Frigid Flurry
Reactive Strike is an effect
Everything is an effect, essentially. Even drawing a sword!
Anything you do in the game has an effect. Many of these outcomes are easy to adjudicate during the game. If ...
- 14.1k
2
votes
Accepted
Can you use a swift/immediate action to interrupt an attack of opportunity?
Greater Trip (unlike the D&D 3.5e version of Improved Trip that it’s partially based on) is ambiguous as to its timing: it says the target provokes an attack of opportunity when you successfully ...
- 352k
2
votes
When does the bonus damage of Booming Blade trigger when combined with Warcaster?
The target cannot decide to modify their movement, once declared.
The most recent opportunity attack rule says:
Opportunity Attacks
In a fight, everyone is constantly watching for a chance to strike ...
- 28.8k
1
vote
Is 'at the end of your turn' also 'on your turn'?
The end of your turn is still your turn
This might've been harder to parse if the phrasing were "when another creature's turn ends," but fortunately that's not how the rules for legendary ...
- 2,700
1
vote
Does a Mesmerists Meek Facade trick prevent Attacks of Opportunity?
Yep. You wrote it, "The enemy must attack no one other than the subject, and (...)"
Lasts for one round, so if triggered during the subject's turn, it'll last until the subject's next turn ...
- 22.2k
1
vote
When does the bonus damage of Booming Blade trigger when combined with Warcaster?
The creature may choose to stop or continue
The attack interrupts the provoking creature’s movement, occurring right before the creature leaves your reach.
Once the interruption is completed, the ...
- 211k
1
vote
Are my house rules good to make it easier to run away from combat in 5E?
The combat rules fundamentally can't handle this
To understand why tweaking them won't work, you have to go back to basic game design and think about what the combat system is designed to do.
Like any ...
- 531
1
vote
Are my house rules good to make it easier to run away from combat in 5E?
You probably don't need house rules
My main gripe...
The 5e rules are designed to make leaving an active battle difficult. I don't think you want to subvert the movement and opportunity attack rules ...
- 9,968
1
vote
Does getting hit interrupt a movement (specifically in regards to the Booming Blade cantrip)?
No, there is nothing in the rules that supports this claim.
The rules for Opportunity Attacks does not contain any specification in stopping a creature after being hit by an OA, except when there is a ...
- 28.8k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible