Deflect Arrows Question

[Minosis]

What constitutes awareness for use of the Deflect arrows feat. if the attacker was iinvisible but the defender had uncanny dodge woulkd that count as aware? How about for humours sake a minotaur, who is never caught flat-footed, would he be considered aware if the attacker was invisiblle. What if he could smell him. Basically, can a defender use this feat against an invisible opponent and if so, when.

 

[VorpalStare]

What constitutes awareness for use of the Deflect arrows feat. if the attacker was iinvisible but the defender had uncanny dodge woulkd that count as aware? How about for humours sake a minotaur, who is never caught flat-footed, would he be considered aware if the attacker was invisiblle. What if he could smell him. Basically, can a defender use this feat against an invisible opponent and if so, when.

I would say that you would need to be able to see the arrow (with see invisibility, or some other means) and that you would need to make a spot check to notice it before it hit you. You could not deflect the arrow if it was invisible or you were in the dark and couldn't see or otherwise did not have any way to sense the arrow before it hit you.

Uncanny dodge and flatfootedness affect your dexterity bonus to armor class (and might make the arrow miss), but don't give you any special ability to sense things that you can't otherwise see.

 

[Legildur]

And I would say that the arrow becomes visible the moment it leaves the bow and thus would be eligible for the Deflect Arrows feat (particularly with the release sound of the bow if the range wasn't too great).

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

It's a pretty solid rule of thumb that if you keep your Dex bonus to AC, you are aware of an attack.

 

[VorpalStare]

It's a pretty solid rule of thumb that if you keep your Dex bonus to AC, you are aware of an attack.

Yes, you are aware of the attack, but you need to be able to see the arrow in order to deflect it.

From the PHB, p. 50:

Uncanny Dodge
Starting at 4th level, a rogue can react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so. She retains her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if she is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker.

i.e. Uncanny Dodge let's you react defensively to something you cannot see. So she ducks, spins around, whatever, but has not neccessarily ever seen what was shot in her direction. If the arrow is still invisible while it flies through the air, (the arrow is itself invisible) and the rogue cannot see it, she cannot deflect it.

Assuming the arrow is visible to her, and the rogue made a spot roll against a diminutive, fast moving object heading right at her, she could then deflect it. I would set the DC for this at around 22 (10 base +12 size mod for the arrow). If the rogue was already aware of her attacker and knew what direction the attack was coming from, however, no spot check would be needed.

This is highly situational, of course, and up to the DM.

Edit: Under the description of the Deflect Arrows feat on page 93 of the PHB:

You must be aware of the attack and not flat-footed.

So you don't get a chance to deflect even with a spot check as I previously suggested unless you are not flat-footed.

 

[Saeviomagy]

Yes, you are aware of the attack, but you need to be able to see the arrow in order to deflect it.

BZZZT. Wrong! You need to be aware of the attack. The feat says so. It doesn't mention the visibility of the arrow.

From the PHB, p. 50:

A load of irrelevant stuff that doesn't change the fact that if you're aware of the ranged attack, you can deflect the arrow.

Long story short - I'd say if you're denied your dex bonus, you don't get to use the feat. That's basically it. It covers every situation where you don't see an attack coming.

 

[VorpalStare]

BZZZT. Wrong! You need to be aware of the attack. The feat says so. It doesn't mention the visibility of the arrow.

If you don't see the arrow or otherwise sense it in any way, you're not aware of it. Then no deflection, per the feat description.

A load of irrelevant stuff that doesn't change the fact that if you're aware of the ranged attack, you can deflect the arrow.

The "irrelevant" stuff is the way I would resolve determining if the target was aware of the attack. Quite relevant, IMO. Also, highly discretionary and up to the DM on how to resolve this.

Long story short - I'd say if you're denied your dex bonus, you don't get to use the feat. That's basically it. It covers every situation where you don't see an attack coming.

A reasonable rule, but not all encompassing, since the feat makes no mention of Dex bonuses to AC. What if the target is grappled (but not pinned), such as being caught in the mouth of monster, but with a hand free. I'd certainly allow her to deflect an arrow that she could see coming, even though she is denied her Dex bonus to AC by the rules. A flat-footed rogue with uncanny dodge keeps her Dex bonus but can't use this feat until she ceases to be flat-footed.

 

[Deset Gled]

If you don't see the arrow or otherwise sense it in any way, you're not aware of it. Then no deflection, per the feat description.

Otherwise sensing it, for example, through the use of Uncanny Dodge?

Seeing the arrow is not a condition for using DA. As you keep pointing out, the correct condition is "being aware" of the attack. There are ways of being aware of an attack without seeing the arrow. What exactly constitutes "being aware" is up to the DM. Going strictly by whether or not you have your Dex bonus to AC or not is as good a method as any, and has the benefit of being a well defined, precidented mechanic.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

I agree. If you aren't aware of an attack, you're not going to be dodging it. Uncanny Dodge makes you aware of attacks that you otherwise wouldn't spot early enough to duck out of the way of.

 

[AuraSeer]

If you don't see the arrow or otherwise sense it in any way, you're not aware of it. Then no deflection, per the feat description.

You're assuming that if the target can't see his attacker, he can't perceive it at all. That's nonsense. Being aware of something does not necessarily mean you can see it.

We're talking about a character with Uncanny Dodge. He maintains his Dex bonus against invisible attacks, which means he can dodge them normally. By definition he can't see an invisible attacker, but it's perfectly clear that he is aware of the attack. If he were unaware, he wouldn't be able to dodge at all-- he would lose his Dex bonus like everyone else.