Iterative attack order

virgil · Post by **virgil** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 7:43 am

When you do a full-attack and have an iterative, are you required to make the attacks in descending order, or can you mix them up? For example, a horrifically cursed 16th level fighter with a sword attacks someone; his first swing is at a +1 attack, his second is +11, his third is +16, and his final attack is at +6.

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 9:38 am

I'm going to assume you can mix the order up as long as you state the order before you roll.

Doom · Post by **Doom** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 3:21 pm

It's hard to see a reason to do so, however, outside of rigging the system to take advantage of True Strike or similar effects.

MGuy · Post by **MGuy** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 3:27 pm

I think that is the precise intention of the question being broughtup.

hogarth · Post by **hogarth** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 3:35 pm

Doom314 wrote:It's hard to see a reason to do so, however, outside of rigging the system to take advantage of True Strike or similar effects.

Or to make the first attack a trip attempt (which only requires a trivial touch attack).

Utterfail · Post by **Utterfail** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 5:06 pm

You can also 5' step during a full attack, so you could swing three times and chop down some minion-fodder before stepping up to the boss and smacking him with your full BaB.

Archmage · Post by **Archmage** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 6:24 pm

From page 143 of the 3.5e PHB:

Player's Handbook wrote:If you get multiple attacks because your base attack bonus is high enough, you must make the attacks in order from highest bonus to lowest.

Seems clear enough by RAW.

hogarth · Post by **hogarth** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 6:30 pm

Archmage wrote:From page 143 of the 3.5e PHB:

Player's Handbook wrote:If you get multiple attacks because your base attack bonus is high enough, you must make the attacks in order from highest bonus to lowest.
Seems clear enough by RAW.

Good to know. What about natural attacks; do primary attacks have to come first, or can secondary attacks be made first?

Archmage · Post by **Archmage** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 6:56 pm

In an odd twist of fate, I don't have a 3.5e MM, so I can't cite from there.

I'm going to go out on a limb and extrapolate, since I can't find an answer one way or the other in the SRD. I would assume that because primary attacks have a higher attack bonus that they have to be used first. When a character wielding a manufacturered weapon uses both it and a natural weapon, the natural weapon is considered a secondary attack, and therefore it has a lower attack bonus as well, though you could get around that in some really contrived situations. I think you're supposed to determine the order of attacks based on BAB minus penalties for iterative/secondary without applying any bonuses.

But I can't find a written rule, and since natural weapons don't use the manufactured weapon iterative attack rules, it's unclear. RAI, I'm pretty sure you're supposed to do primary first and then secondary, but RAW seems to make no judgment.

CatharzGodfoot · Post by **CatharzGodfoot** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 7:27 pm

In contrast, in Tome games you can explicitly order your attacks however you like.

Roy · Post by **Roy** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 9:59 am

So what happens when your secondary natural attacks do not have an attack penalty (Improved Multiattack)?