The archers can step back away from my melee using both regular weapons and reach weapons somehow without provoking an attack of opportunity. No dodge check or anything. Do they have some special feat or am I missing something? Also, looks like the skeleton priest can cast unmolested.
5 foot step does not provoke an AoO. Now, if you have a reach weapon user in too close for a 5-ft step to get out of range and they are still stepping clear without a tumble check, that's a bug - but then again, being able to use a reach weapon in close melee range is a game mechanics flaw that we all exploit the hell out of, so...
When I move my squishes out of range of some melee I seem to always regret it, they always get smacked hard. Am I doing something wrong? What exactly does the 5 step rule mean? It's been a couple years since I've loaded up ToEE so please bear with me.
A "five-foot step" is an option on the movement radial menu. Selecting "five-foot step" before you move avoids attacks of opportunity for your move. It essentially means that you move so little that your ability to defend yourself normally is not lost. Note that you are still susceptible to attacks of opportunity if you take some other action, such as casting a spell, while you are in the threat range of an opponent. If you use regular movement to only move 5 feet, then it is treated as regular movement and open to attacks of opportunity.
Also, if you have a good concentration score you could cast defensively from the options section of the radial dial.
Thank you Florian1, this was the thing I did not know.. or at least remember. Shazbot! For years I assumed concentration was an automatic passive of regular casting.
It kind of is, the Cast Defensively action is used to deny an opponant the chance of an attack of opportunity against your caster if the check is successful, if Cast Defensively is not selected you may still try to cast while in combat but your enemies will get attacks of opportunity against you, you then make a comcentration check against any damage you receive as a result of those attacks, if you pass the spell works (though the DC will most likely be considerably higher).
No, casting defensively is a standard action that occurs on your regular initiative. Counterspell however does delay your action until an NPC spellcaster casts a spell, at which point you use Spellcraft to identify the spell being cast and can attempt to counterspell their spell if you have the same spell available to cast.