Attack of Opportunity or a Dick Move?

Joe’s swamp troll was losing. The fighter was on the rope, heading back down to safety. So instead of swinging at the fighter, the troll cut the rope. Fighter fell 30 feet into 5 feet of water. Was that a legal attack of opportunity or Joe being a creative jerk? Joe brings the situation to Paul and myself, then a 23 minutes of D&D rules debate breaks out. This one gets into: • The full situation: grappling hook, swamp troll, 30-foot fall, 5-foot pool • Joe’s attack of opportunity rule — two lines, no reactions, just “a free shot” • Why targeting the rope instead of the PC might be the smartest thing the troll ever did • Post-game rules lawyering: Joe’s brother texts from a bar to lodge his objections • Rules vs. rulings: when the rule is specific vs. when the DM has latitude • The Rule of Cool — and whose cool it actually serves • Disengage vs. straight retreat: why it matters for triggering an attack of opportunity • Joe’s 5e hack: 50,000 words in, no bonus actions, no reactions, old-school chassis • The flying carpet problem: how opening one exception opens all of them • Verdict: was Joe a dick? Weigh in in the comments. Comment format the guys are asking for: start your comment with “Yes, Joe is a dick” or “No, Joe is not a dick” — then make your case. The more Joe and Dick in the same sentence the better, apparently. TIMESTAMPS • 00:00 – Intro: Joe has a situation from his table • 00:50 – The setup: grappling hook, swamp troll, 30 feet, 5-foot pool • 01:21 – Meet the swamp troll — smarter than average, stalker build • 02:34 – Post-game: Pete’s objection arrives the next day • 02:52 – Joe’s attack of opportunity rule as written • 04:15 – The question: was Joe a dick? • 05:00 – Tim’s take: rules light vs. rules heavy, personal preference • 05:20 – The Rule of Cool — but whose cool is it? • 09:59 – Joe’s fix: attack the means of egress • 12:25 – Disengage vs. straight retreat — why it matters • 18:17 – ChatGPT rules check: attack of opportunity needs a reaction • 20:02 – Joe’s hack is just “Joe E” at this point • 22:48 – The DM guide: 50,000 words in and still growing • 24:03 – The verdict — and how to format your comment LINKS Patreon:   / gothridge   DriveThru RPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publi... RPG Trader: https://rpg-trader.com/creator/1106/g... Blogger: http://gothridgemanor.blogspot.com/ X: https://x.com/gothridgemanor Facebook:   / gothridge.manor.2025   Reddit:   / gothridgemanor   #OSR #DnD #DMAdvice #GMAdvice