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Is there any way to reliably to gain an attack of opportunity when a creature moves into your reach? I already know you get one when a creature moves by you or away from you, and that's not what I'm after.

SevenSidedDie
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zach
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2 Answers2

5

The Game Doesn't Want Creatures to Do This...

The game encourages folks getting close to each other and beating the crap out of each other. For that reason, there's no cheap, simple way for a creature to make an attack of opportunity against a foe that enters a creature's threatened area.

...But They Can

But this is Pathfinder--exceptions always exist.

  • The prestige class stalwart defender can take at level 4 the defensive power unexpected strike, which says that

    The stalwart defender can make an attack of opportunity against a foe that moves into any square threatened by the stalwart defender, regardless of whether or not that movement would normally provoke an attack of opportunity. This power can only be used once per stance. A stalwart defender must be at least 4th level before selecting this power.

    That's how much the game doesn't want creatures doing this. Enjoy the feats Dodge, Endurance, and Toughness--and at least 4 levels in a melee combat class that's shtick is not moving--if you want to do it anyway.

  • The feat Teleport Tactician says that

    Any creature using a teleportation effect to enter or leave a square threatened by you provokes an attack of opportunity, even if casting defensively or using a supernatural ability.

    The feat's Disruptive and Spellbreaker prerequisites have as their prerequisites 6 levels then 10 levels of fighter, respectively. And, while Pathfinder has made the fighter class more attractive than it was in Dungeons and Dragons 3.5, taking it to level 10 or beyond for this feat is asking a lot.

Hey I Can Chan
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  • Magus and Eldritch Knight can potentially change the levels of investment required for Teleport Tactician. – YogoZuno Nov 23 '14 at 23:17
  • @YogoZuno Don't both classes make the feat Teleport Tactician available later than straight-up fighter? – Hey I Can Chan Nov 23 '14 at 23:33
  • Maybe, maybe not. Depends on your build, since they both have some capacity to count as Fighter levels. For instance, at level 10 Magus, you count half your Magus levels as fighter levels. So, level 10 Magus and level 5 fighter would qualify as level 10 fighter. EK is slightly different, since it keeps increasing your caster level, and kicks in later. – YogoZuno Nov 24 '14 at 21:07
  • @YogoZuno But neither makes the feat Teleport Tactician available earlier than fighter does--magus counting its levels as half fighter levels and eldritch knight needing caster levels both mean delaying the feat. I mean, those are fighter alternatives, but not earlier fighter alternatives. – Hey I Can Chan Nov 24 '14 at 21:49
2

You can ready an attack. While not the same as an attack of opportunity, it lets you interrupt your enemy before they attack. You have to be specific though, and have initiative before the enemy's turn.

For instance: my turn? Ok I move ten feet and use a standard action to ready an attack against the first attacker who moves within reach of me.

Done. The next round, or later this round, if an attacker moves within reach of me I immediately attack before they move further.

Beware though, this changes your order in initiative to just after the enemy you attacked as the readied action.

See this question Can you interrupt an action with a Ready Action? for the basis of my answer

Community
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David Wilkins
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  • Note: you don't have to ready for 'the first'. You only need to ready for an attack. You 'may' act on a condition, not must. Then if the bbeg sends in a mook instead of his champion, you can wait. – Robert P Nov 28 '14 at 04:53
  • @RobertP The Ready action doesn't appear to say one way or the other how specific "the conditions under which you will take" the ready action need to be, making every trigger's legitimacy the DM's call. Has this been clarified elsewhere? – Hey I Can Chan Nov 28 '14 at 07:11
  • It says when you can take the action in the next paragraph: "To do so, specify the action you will take and the conditions under which you will take it. Then, anytime before your next action, you may take the readied action in response to that condition." (emphasis mine) – Robert P Nov 28 '14 at 19:38
  • As far as how specific or general, the only limiter is specifying the action. Actions are limited by actions your character is capable of (standard, move, swift.)Conditions are not limited by RAW...but too complex or simple may be subject to GM fiat. – Robert P Nov 28 '14 at 19:45