Attacks of opportunity in pre-3E D&D

Kaz · October 04, 2012, 04:34:10 PM

As a companion to the Critical Hit thread.

How do/did you guys handle these? I find it hard to conceive, one guy disengages combat and someone else, who is engaged in a separate combat, can reach out and get a free swing on the fleeing enemy. Or the person he was fighting would get a free hack at the retreating enemy's back.

This came up in my last session and I only allowed those that still had not gone that turn get a swing at the fleeing bugbear. One player jokingly demanded an attack of opportunity, but I just brushed it off.

Are AOOs legitimate? What are/were your houserules?

Piestrio · October 04, 2012, 04:39:03 PM

Quote from: Kaz;589295As a companion to the Critical Hit thread.

How do/did you guys handle these? I find it hard to conceive, one guy disengages combat and someone else, who is engaged in a separate combat, can reach out and get a free swing on the fleeing enemy. Or the person he was fighting would get a free hack at the retreating enemy's back.

This came up in my last session and I only allowed those that still had not gone that turn get a swing at the fleeing bugbear. One player jokingly demanded an attack of opportunity, but I just brushed it off.

Are AOOs legitimate? What are/were your houserules?

Free attacks sometimes happen based on a snap ruling by the GM ("does a free attack make sense given the in world circumstances?" If yes: free attack. If not: No.)

talysman · October 04, 2012, 04:39:11 PM

We used common sense.

"The goblins turn to flee, so you guys have a chance to get in an extra attack on their flanks."

No "free" attacks, though.

Frey · October 04, 2012, 04:42:05 PM

Free attack if someone was engaged in melee combat and tried to flee. Always decided by the DM, of course.

jhkim · October 04, 2012, 04:58:40 PM

Besides retreat, two common cases that AoO are used for are:

(1) moving past an opponent, like a monster trying to go around the fighter to hit and disrupt the wizard - or conversely PC trying to get past a second monster to concentrate attacks on the first

(2) casting a spell when in combat - like a desperate wizard trying to get a goblin off him

talysman · October 04, 2012, 05:33:54 PM

Quote from: jhkim;589312Besides retreat, two common cases that AoO are used for are:

(1) moving past an opponent, like a monster trying to go around the fighter to hit and disrupt the wizard - or conversely PC trying to get past a second monster to concentrate attacks on the first

(2) casting a spell when in combat - like a desperate wizard trying to get a goblin off him

I don't use either of those, just the ordinary attack rules. There may be a bonus for attacking from the flank or rear, and an attack can disrupt a spell, but I'm dead-set against "free attacks".

Sacrosanct · October 04, 2012, 05:40:44 PM

Quote from: talysman;589301We used common sense.

"The goblins turn to flee, so you guys have a chance to get in an extra attack on their flanks."

No "free" attacks, though.

Pretty much. However, we do allow ranged free attacks if the creature can't get reasonably under cover quickly and the characters had the weapons ready.

Opaopajr · October 04, 2012, 07:42:53 PM

The only one 2e I deal with is Fleeing. It's a free attack according to the rules. Not currently dissatisfied with that, but if I did change it I'd have it cost an attack (and thus just be an attack with re-prioritized initiative). So far, not an issue and it keeps melee something to watch out for -- no constant fleeing back to range all the time, so having a personnel buffer matters.

Everything else is a regular strike with only re-prioritized initiative. Sometimes situation hands the initiative to your opponent, like attacking unarmed against an armed attacker, or charging versus a polearm. But they weren't "free" (extra) attacks.

Kaz · October 04, 2012, 08:29:39 PM

If the opponent is fleeing, do you give them a penalty to their AC?

Is this different if they are trying a fighting retreat, as opposed to just turning and beating feet?

languagegeek · October 04, 2012, 08:44:46 PM

Quote from: Kaz;589360If the opponent is fleeing, do you give them a penalty to their AC

I would not count the shield bonus.

Black Vulmea · October 04, 2012, 09:56:20 PM

"Breaking Off From Melee:

"At such time as any creature decides, it can break off the engagement and flee the melee. To do so, however, allows the opponent a free attack or attack routine. This attack is calculated as if it were a rear attack upon a stunned opponent. When this attack is completed, the retiring/fleeing party may move away at full movement rate, and unless the opponent pursues and is able to move at a higher rate of speed, the melee is ended and the situation becomes one of encounter avoidance."

"Stunned, Prone or Motionless Opponents: Treat all such opponents as if being attacked from the rear, but in this case the "to hit" bonus is +4 rather than +2."

- 1e AD&D DMG, p. 70

Roger the GS · October 05, 2012, 03:10:39 AM

I require players to give up one of their attack opportunities to disengage. Which is slower but works out to much the same thing.

Now, if two party members are in the front of one monster, would that make it easier for one of them to disengage while the other "covers" him or her? I'm inclined to say yes, and my system lets this happen pretty naturally.

1989 · October 05, 2012, 10:06:23 AM

Quote from: Kaz;589295As a companion to the Critical Hit thread.

How do/did you guys handle these? I find it hard to conceive, one guy disengages combat and someone else, who is engaged in a separate combat, can reach out and get a free swing on the fleeing enemy. Or the person he was fighting would get a free hack at the retreating enemy's back.

This came up in my last session and I only allowed those that still had not gone that turn get a swing at the fleeing bugbear. One player jokingly demanded an attack of opportunity, but I just brushed it off.

Are AOOs legitimate? What are/were your houserules?

DM's judgement call.

thedungeondelver · October 05, 2012, 11:06:37 AM

Quote from: Black Vulmea;589365"Breaking Off From Melee:

"At such time as any creature decides, it can break off the engagement and flee the melee. To do so, however, allows the opponent a free attack or attack routine. This attack is calculated as if it were a rear attack upon a stunned opponent. When this attack is completed, the retiring/fleeing party may move away at full movement rate, and unless the opponent pursues and is able to move at a higher rate of speed, the melee is ended and the situation becomes one of encounter avoidance."

"Stunned, Prone or Motionless Opponents: Treat all such opponents as if being attacked from the rear, but in this case the "to hit" bonus is +4 rather than +2."

- 1e AD&D DMG, p. 70

I was just going to come and post that. Those are the exact rules I use.

Note also per page 107 of the Players Handbook that characters (or NPCs) engaged in melee may fall back and no penalty is incurred. This is just a retrograde movement, and the other side may follow up or disengage as needs be.

Glazer · October 05, 2012, 12:59:46 PM

There isn’t anything in OD&D to cover how to disengage from combat, though it does explain how monsters will pursue.

In Basic D&D, a combatant that is engaged in combat is allowed to make a fighting withdrawal at half speed, or a retreat at full speed which gives opponent’s bonuses to hit. In both cases the withdrawal needs to be away from your opponents, and will be blocked by other combatants that are in the way. Note that you don’t get a free attack, thought retreats leave you vulnerable to follow up attacks before your next turn.