Attacks Of Opportunity
An attack of opportunity (AoO) is a free melee attack you can make against a foe who lets their guard down in a square you threaten. Most AoOs arise because a combatant moves carelessly or performs a distracting action — casting a spell, picking up an item — while an opponent stands ready nearby.
Threatened Squares
You threaten all squares you can reach with a melee weapon you are currently wielding. By default this is all squares adjacent to you (within 5 feet). A creature you threaten can provoke an AoO from you; a creature outside your reach cannot.
- Unarmed / natural attacks: threaten adjacent squares unless you have a special reach ability.
- Reach weapons (longspear, guisarme, etc.): threaten squares 10 feet away but not adjacent squares (5 ft.). Creatures that step right next to you are inside your reach and do not provoke from movement.
- Large and larger creatures have an extended natural reach — a Large creature threatens 10 feet, Huge 15 feet, and so on. See Size, Space & Reach for the full table.
- Ranged weapons do not threaten any squares. You cannot make an AoO with a bow, crossbow, or thrown weapon.
Actions That Provoke
Any action that is distracting or exposes you to attack while you are in a threatened square provokes an AoO from every threatening opponent (unless otherwise noted). Common provocations:
| Action | Notes |
|---|---|
| Cast a spell or use a spell-like ability | Any spell with a casting time of 1 standard action or longer. You can avoid the AoO by succeeding on a Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) to cast defensively. |
| Move out of a threatened square | Only the first square you leave provokes — further movement through other threatened squares does not provoke additional AoOs in the same movement. Exception: the Withdraw full-round action makes the first square you leave safe. |
| Pick up an item | Reaching down to retrieve a dropped or placed item from the ground. |
| Retrieve a stored item | Digging through a pack, quiver, or pouch to find a specific item. |
| Load a crossbow or sling | Light crossbow and sling: move action that provokes. Heavy and repeating crossbow: full-round action that provokes. |
| Sheathe a weapon | Putting a weapon away is a move action that provokes. Drawing a weapon (with BAB +1) does not. |
| Stand up from prone | Rising from the prone condition is a move action that provokes. |
| Attack with a ranged weapon in melee | Firing or throwing while a foe threatens you provokes, even if the ranged attack itself hits. |
| Use a combat maneuver | Bull Rush, Disarm, Grapple (initiating), Overrun, Reposition, Steal, Sunder, and Trip all provoke unless you have the Improved feat for that maneuver. |
| Stabilise a dying creature | Using the Heal skill on an adjacent dying ally (DC 15 Heal check, standard action). |
| Use a skill with an extended focus time | Disable Device, Use Magic Device (scroll/wand in some interpretations), and other skill uses that require careful attention in combat. Check the skill description. |
Actions That Do Not Provoke
These common actions are safe to perform even while threatened:
Making an Attack of Opportunity
When a foe in your threatened area triggers an AoO, you may immediately make one melee attack against them — even if it is not your turn. This attack:
- Interrupts the provoking action. The AoO resolves first. If the provoking creature is killed or rendered incapable by the AoO, their action is wasted.
- Uses your highest attack bonus — not an iterative attack penalty.
- Counts against your AoO limit. You can normally make only one AoO per round regardless of how many creatures provoke. This limit resets at the start of your next turn.
- Cannot itself provoke an AoO (making an AoO does not provoke a counter-AoO from the original attacker).
- Requires you to be able to act. You cannot make AoOs while flat-footed, stunned, paralyzed, or otherwise unable to act.
Combat Reflexes
Combat Reflexes is the feat that removes the one-AoO-per-round limit.
- You may make a number of additional AoOs per round equal to your DEX modifier (minimum 0).
- Each AoO still requires a separate trigger and a separate foe (you can't make multiple AoOs against the same trigger event).
- You may also make AoOs while flat-footed — a rare exception to the normal flat-footed restriction.
- The additional AoOs from Combat Reflexes do not apply to readied attacks or other special actions — only to genuine attacks of opportunity.
Avoiding Attacks of Opportunity
| Method | How it works |
|---|---|
| Cast defensively | Succeed on a Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) to cast without provoking. Failure means the spell is still cast but you provoked; on a natural 1 the spell is also lost. |
| 5-foot step | Moving exactly 5 feet does not provoke — but only if you haven't otherwise moved this turn and the destination isn't difficult terrain. See Movement & Position. |
| Withdraw action | The full-round Withdraw action makes the first square you leave safe — but subsequent squares in the movement still provoke normally. |
| Improved [maneuver] feat | Each Improved combat maneuver feat (Improved Bull Rush, Improved Grapple, etc.) removes the AoO that maneuver would normally provoke. |
| Tumble (Acrobatics) | Move through a threatened square without provoking by succeeding on an Acrobatics check (DC 15, or DC 20 + CMB if the threatening creature is larger than you). |
Commonly forgotten: provoke rules
- Running through multiple threatened squares — only the first square left provokes
- Firing a ranged weapon into melee — always provokes
- Using a combat maneuver without the Improved feat — always provokes
- Channelling energy — does not provoke
- Total Defense — does not provoke
AoO quick reference
- 1 AoO/round (default) — or DEX-mod extra with Combat Reflexes
- Highest attack bonus — never iterative penalty
- Interrupts the provoking action
- Cannot be made while flat-footed (unless Combat Reflexes)
- Reach weapons threaten 10 ft. but not 5 ft.