Evasive Reflexes

[MRaye55]

The feat says then when an enemy provokes an attack of opportunity I can instead choose to make a 5-foot step. I'm confused as to whether or not this counts as taking the attack of opportunity, and if not should I even bother taking Combat Reflexes?

Example...
Enemy provokes AoO, and I take a 5-foot step to avoid their attack. If a second enemy were to walk up and attack me, provoking an attack of opportunity, would I again be allowed to take a 5-foot step, because I never actually took the first AoO, instead using Evasive Reflexes to make a 5-foot step?

 

[Dandu]

Doesn't it say "you can instead take a 5 ft step"?

 

[PolterGhost]

Why yes, yes it does. I was looking at this feat the other day.

The movement replaces your AoO for the round. If you have Combat Reflexes, this means that you'll be able to take multiple steps over the course of the round, or interject attacks, or do both.

The issue is finding a way to provoke AoOs reliably enough to make it work.

 

[Dandu]

Robiliar's Gambit works well with this.

 

[PolterGhost]

Robilar's Gambit performs the AoO AFTER an attack though, if I remember right. Which means you can prevent a Full Attack by taking or dodging the first hit, then sidestepping past the rest.

 

[Dandu]

Hm, maybe it was Karmic Strike that gave you an AoO at the same time as the enemy's attack?

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Evasive Reflexes also combines well with the Press the Advantage Stance, so any 5 ft steps you make are 10 ft steps.

 

[PolterGhost]

Karmic Strike has got weird wording.

Basically, it "Grants an attack of opportunity in response to being hit." Whether or not this means that the AoO occurs at the same time as the hit, before damage, or after damage, is up to the DM.

Truncated: "You can make an attack of opportunity against an opponent that hits you in melee. On your action, you may take a -4 to AC in exchange...to make an attack of opportunity against a creature that makes a successful melee attack or melee touch attack against you. (...) You specify on your turn that you are activating this feat (...)

 

[Dandu]

Robiliar's Gambit states that

"At the start of your action, you can adopt a fighting stance that exposes you to harm but allows you to take advantage of your opponents' exposed defenses as they reach in to attack you. Anyone who strikes at you gains a +4 bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls against you. In return, they provoke attacks of opportunity from you each time they swing. Resolve your attack of opportunity after your foe's attack."

Doesn't this mean that the AoOs are concurrent with the attack?

 

[PolterGhost]

If they are concurrent, wouldn't this mean that you still get hit at the same time as the sidestep, therefore making Evasive Reflexes/Karmic Strike useless since you still take damage? Gosh, who thought about making RAW painful to discern?