[D&D] Flat feet

[Beri]

I was wondering, in D&D, can a creature willingly leave itself flat-footed? I have a knight in the group, who takes penalties if she attacks a flat-footed creature. I could foresee an intelligent creature knowing about the knight's code of honor, and deliberately refusing to pay any attention to the knight, never giving the knight a chance to face him honorably. It's a bit of metagaming, but I figure when Int gets up above 20, you're allowed to metagame a little. So is it allowed in the rules?

[Belphanior]

No.

Flat-Footed

At the start of a battle, before you have had a chance to act (specifically, before your first regular turn in the initiative order), you are flat-footed. You can’t use your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) while flat-footed. Barbarians and rogues have the uncanny dodge extraordinary ability, which allows them to avoid losing their Dexterity bonus to AC due to being flat-footed.

A flat-footed character can’t make attacks of opportunity.


Once the creature has had a chance to act, he's not flat-footed. The code of honor simply prevents ambushes. When an enemy covers his ears and goes "la la la I'm ignoring you" he'll get a sword shoved into his gut, just as he deserves.

I could see an exception for an enemy who refuses to fight at all. But one who ignores the knight just to mess with him is obviously being a dick, and I'm sure the code as no problems with smiting dicks who think they can pervert your honor for their own good.

[Mister Gone]

Hm, I never thought about this, but if it was possible to play a Duck from Runequest in D&D 3.5, I guess you'd be flat-footed all the time! AhAHAHA hAHA HA HA HAHAH HAHA hAh AH HA hA HA HA HA HA HAh ahA HAH AHA hA HA HA HAHA HA HAH HA H HA HA HA HAAA HA HA H AHAA HAH AHAH AAAHH HAAA!!!!

/cough/

[Silent Wayfarer]

I'll play a chicken slaad sand witch.

[aprogressivist]

No.

Nothing quoted in the SRD actually specifically denies that a character can deliberately opt to remain flat-footed; it merely defines at which stage a character counts as flat-footed and then doesn't explore the possibility that a character might want to remain flat-footed because, ordinarily, that's suicidal

Maybe being flat-footed represents a character not putting himself in a defensive posture. If he remains flat-footed, that must mean he's not dodging or fighting; hence the knight's code of honour should, thematically, apply.

When an enemy covers his ears and goes "la la la I'm ignoring you" he'll get a sword shoved into his gut, just as he deserves.

So knights in your games make it a practice of honourably running through court jesters? :confused:

[Moxiane]

So knights in your games make it a practice of honourably running through court jesters? :confused:

Court jesters are wannabe mimes - and mimes deserve everything they get. :)

[Silent Wayfarer]

Nothing quoted in the SRD actually specifically denies that a character can deliberately opt to remain flat-footed; it merely defines at which stage a character counts as flat-footed and then doesn't explore the possibility that a character might want to remain flat-footed because, ordinarily, that's suicidal

Maybe being flat-footed represents a character not putting himself in a defensive posture. If he remains flat-footed, that must mean he's not dodging or fighting; hence the knight's code of honour should, thematically, apply.

If he's not surrendering, friendly, or neutral, the knight has every right to butcher him. The knight is an honorable warrior. Having given his foe every chance to ready himself for battle, and the foe does not wish to properly defend himself, the knight is obliged to eliminate the foe as a threat to defend his comrades and to clear the unworthy from the glorious field of battle.

Myself, I'd say the guy is clearly attempting to piss into the gene pool and it's my duty to keep him out of it.

So knights in your games make it a practice of honourably running through court jesters? :confused:

Any court jester who can't dodge balls and blows while simultaneously attempting to be entertaining won't survive long as a court jester. Especially when King William gets drunky and decides to play pin-the-royal-greatsword-to-the-fool.

[aprogressivist]

If he's not surrendering, friendly, or neutral, the knight has every right to butcher him. The knight is an honorable warrior. Having given his foe every chance to ready himself for battle, and the foe does not wish to properly defend himself, the knight is obliged to eliminate the foe as a threat to defend his comrades and to clear the unworthy from the glorious field of battle.

I completely disagree. There's nothing honorable about striking down an unarmed opponent -- indeed, it's a common theme in chivarly that, after having disarmed his opponent, an honourable knight will let his foe re-arm himself rather than striking him down.

It's also a common theme in chivalric tales to have one knight challenge another, and the other refusing to fight by not drawing his sword; it would be dishonourable for the knight to press the challenge by striking the unarmed, flat-footed one.

If a foe chooses to remain flat-footed by not drawing his weapon and not dodging, he is not a threat to the knight's comrades. As to his foe's "unworthiness", what has that got to do with it? A code of honour defines a set of behaviour to preserve the knight's honour, not to justify killing others in dishonourable ways just because they are dishonourable.

Myself, I'd say the guy is clearly attempting to piss into the gene pool and it's my duty to keep him out of it.

Or maybe there are valid IC ways of exploiting a knight's code of honour, and you are adopting a hostile OOC attitude towards perceived metagaming?

[hackmastergeneral]

Wayfarer clearlyw ants to play a Knights Errant in Hackmaster. :D

"You killed an unarmed, defenseless foe! Clearly thats violates your knightly code of honor, and furthermore is murder! You are under arrest!"

"No, I've seen this tactic before. He was clearly a well-trained deadly monk assassin. Who else would not try to defend themselves against a well armed foe! He clearly knew many deadly martial arts that allow him to fight swords unarmed! I was able to dispatch him quickly before he played his dirty tricks on me, however. Save vs Apology."

"*fails save* Ah, clearly that is what happened. Sorry. I had a cousin who died in exactly the same cricumstance. In fact, the city would like to offer you a 20 GP reward for removing such a menace from our cities borders! *mumble grumble stupid knights errant...*