[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-510552-105":59,"doc-detail-510552-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","rules-of-the-game-all-about-attacks-of-opportunity","Rules of the Game - All About Attacks of Opportunity","","Explains how D&D 3rd Edition attacks of opportunity work, why they exist, and when a character provokes them during a round. Covers the definition of a threatened square, including reach, weapons required to threaten, and how space and adjacency operate on the battlefield. Details the basic constraints of the interrupting melee response and addresses three common misconceptions that cause most rules confusion. Concludes by previewing how other mechanics interact with opportunity attacks.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":10,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/story-novel/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/rules-of-the-game-all-about-attacks-of-opportunity/510552/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/rules-of-the-game-all-about-attacks-of-opportunity/510552.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Sarah ","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-21","2026-10-05",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":34},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"When do you provoke an attack of opportunity in D&D?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"You provoke an attack of opportunity when leaving a threatened square, and also when taking another action that provokes such an attack. The timing is tied to leaving the threatened area or performing an action that triggers it.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What does it mean for a square to be threatened?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"A creature threatens all squares into which it can make an armed melee attack. Threatened squares depend on whether the creature is armed and on its reach, including adjacency and any extended reach.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What are the most common misconceptions about attacks of opportunity?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Common misconceptions include provoking when entering rather than leaving a threatened square, believing later actions on your turn can change whether you provoke, and resolving the attack after the triggering action instead of before.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},510552,1791557304,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":8,"category_name":10,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":34,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":14,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":81},962085320529,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_9964176cb1d06d4a9deccf72a44ae3dc","Rules of the Game: All About Attacks of Opportunit   1 of 2  \nHome > Games > D&D > Articles  \nIf there's one question players and DMs dread, it's this one: Does that provoke an attack of opportunity? Arguments about attacks of opportunity happen frequently, mostly because misconceptions and misunderstandings about them abound.  \nWhy Attacks of Opportunity at All?  \nThe D&D game uses its attack of opportunity rules to add some spice to combat . These rules offer characters more options in combat than just standing there and exchanging attacks with foes, while atthe same time making sure that characters involved in a fight have a proper appreciation for the dangers they face.  \nMany rules in the game would be very different (and probably much harder to use) without attacks of opportunity to balance them . The rules for spellcasting, ranged attacks, movement, and special attack actions such as disarming, grappling, and tripping all depend on the existence of attacks of opportunity .  \nAttack of Opportunity Basics  \nAs is often the case in the D&D game, the actual rules for attacks of opportunity aren't hard to grasp--it's the exceptions to those rules that prove difficult to handle.  \nYou can provoke an attack of opportunity in the D&D game in two situations, and here they are:  \n You provoke an attack of opportunity when you're in a square on the battlefield that a foe threatens and you leave that square.  \n You provoke an attack of opportunity when you're in a square on the battlefield that a foe threatens and you take some other action that provokes an attack of opportunity.  \nThe diagram on page 138 of the Player's Handbook shows these two principles at work .  \nWhen Is a Square Threatened?  \nSince an attack of opportunity involves a threatened square, a short discussion of exactly when a square is \"threatened\" is in order:  \n A creature threatens all squares into which it can make an armed melee attack .  \nTo be \"armed,\" a creature must wield at least one weapon, either a natural weapon or a manufactured weapon. Most creatures have at least 5 feet of reach, so they threaten all squares adjacent to their spaces (including diagonally) . If a creature has a reach of more than 5 feet (by virtue of its size or because it wields a reach weapon, or both) it threatens more squares .  \nA creature can attack into its own space, and so it threatens that square or squares as well. See page 149 in the Player's Handbook for a discussion of a creature's space.  \nA Few More Basics  \nOnly a few more rules round out the basics for attacks of opportunity:  \n An attack of opportunity is a melee attack .  \nYou can't use a ranged weapon, a spell, a special ability, or a magic item in an attack of opportunity (though there are a few exceptions, which we'll consider next time) .  \n An attack of opportunity is something a creature does during another creature's turn.  \nAs such, the attack of opportunity interrupts the normal flow of action during the turn. Also, because it isn't the attacking creature's turn, there are strict limits on what it can do.  \nCommon  \nMisconceptions About Attacks of Opportunity  \n[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20041026a](http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20041026a)  \nRules of the Game: All About Attacks of Opportunit   2 of 2  \nMost difficulties with attacks of opportunity can be traced to one of three widespread misconceptions about attacks of opportunity and how they work . You can make the vast majority of your difficulties with attacks of opportunity vanish simply by knowing that these misconceptions exist and avoiding them yourself.  \nCommon Misconception \\#1: You provoke an attack of opportunity when you're moving and you enter a threatened square.  \n You provoke an attack of opportunity when you leave a threatened square, not when you enter it. Sometimes you'll provoke an attack of opportunity when moving closer to a foe (see the section on Reach below), and you'll also do so if you try to e","cbCaietqz85Sog3n","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaietqz85Sog3n","pdf",585379,"English","# Why Attacks of Opportunity at All?\n# Attack of Opportunity Basics\n## When Is a Square Threatened?\n# A Few More Basics\n# Common Misconceptions About Attacks of Opportunity\n## Common Misconception #1\n## Common Misconception #2\n## Common Misconception #3\n# What's Next?","[{\"question\":\"When do you provoke an attack of opportunity in D\\u0026D?\",\"answer\":\"You provoke an attack of opportunity when leaving a threatened square, and also when taking another action that provokes such an attack. The timing is tied to leaving the threatened area or performing an action that triggers it.\"},{\"question\":\"What does it mean for a square to be threatened?\",\"answer\":\"A creature threatens all squares into which it can make an armed melee attack. Threatened squares depend on whether the creature is armed and on its reach, including adjacency and any extended reach.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the most common misconceptions about attacks of opportunity?\",\"answer\":\"Common misconceptions include provoking when entering rather than leaving a threatened square, believing later actions on your turn can change whether you provoke, and resolving the attack after the triggering action instead of before.\"}]","Rules of the Game - All About Attacks of Opportunity | PDF",1791242792]