Attacks of Opportunity

Learn how to avoid and utilize Attacks of Opportunity in Pathfinder: Kingmaker. Master positioning, spellcasting, and movement to gain the upper hand in combat.

Alright, let's talk about something super important in Pathfinder: Kingmaker that can totally change the tide of a fight – Attacks of Opportunity. Basically, if you've got a melee weapon (or some nasty natural attacks) and an enemy gets too close, you can smack 'em for free. It's a free attack using your best Attack Bonus, and you usually only get one of these per round. Think of it as your character seeing an opening and taking it!

Now, what makes an enemy *give* you that opening? A bunch of things! Moving out of a threatened area (but not into one, weirdly), attacking someone while you're unarmed, trying to cast a spell or shoot a bow when an enemy is right in your face, or even just standing up from being knocked prone. Oh, and drinking a potion or using a scroll will also make you a juicy target. But here's a neat trick: those 'Touch Attacks' like Shocking Grasp? They don't provoke. However, Ranged Touch Attacks, like Acid Splash, *do*. Spellcasters, you guys get a bit of a pass too. In Kingmaker, you're automatically 'casting defensively,' which means you *try* to avoid provoking. You'll need to make a Concentration check (DC 15) to pull it off, though. If you fail, bam, Attack of Opportunity.

There are also some specific actions that might or might not get you in trouble:

• Attacking with a ranged weapon: Yep, provokes.
• Attacking while unarmed: Also provokes.
• Casting a spell (general): Usually provokes, unless you pass that Concentration check.
• Using a Touch Attack spell: The attack itself might not, but casting the spell could.
• Using a Ranged Touch Attack spell: This one definitely provokes.
• Drinking a potion: Get ready for a free hit coming your way.
• Moving into a threatened area: This is generally safe.
• Moving *out* of a threatened area: This is where you're vulnerable.
• Standing up from prone: Don't do this in the middle of a fight if you can help it!
• Using a scroll: Another action that leaves you open.

Quick Spellcasting Note: If you've got a spell that's 'Quickened,' you can cast it without provoking an Attack of Opportunity. Handy!

Important Distinction: Taking a 'Five-Foot Step' – that little shuffle to reposition yourself – doesn't provoke an Attack of Opportunity. This is a lifesaver for maneuvering!

Avoiding Trouble: The best way to avoid these free hits is just to be smart about positioning. Keep your ranged attackers and spellcasters away from the front lines. Don't try to chug a potion right next to a hulking monster. If you can manage that, you'll dodge most of the easy ones. The trickiest one to avoid is moving out of a threatened area, but sometimes you just gotta do it, right? Maybe you need to flank an enemy or get a better angle. If you've got a character with a good Mobility score, they can actually try to move out of a threatened area without provoking. You'll need to manually select this ability in your action bar (under the 'abilities' tab), and it'll make your character move at half speed while active. It's a trade-off, but sometimes worth it.

Dealing with Big Threats: Watch out for enemies that are larger than you or use weapons with 'reach.' They threaten a much bigger area around them, making it way harder to get close without triggering an Attack of Opportunity. A medium creature might threaten a 5-foot radius, but a large one? That's a 10-foot radius! You'll have to navigate through that threatened space just to get to them. Your best bet here, besides using that Acrobatics/Mobility trick, is to use those Five-Foot Steps. They let you inch your way through danger zones safely, even if it's slow going, so you can get into position to flank or attack without getting swatted on the way.