Opportunity Attacks in D&D 5e: What Provokes Them (2014 and 2024 Rules)
The core rule
When a hostile creature that you can see moves out of your reach, you can use your reaction to make one melee attack against it. The attack interrupts the movement, happening right before the creature leaves your reach.
That is the entire baseline rule, and it is essentially the same in both the 2014 and 2024 versions of the game. Three details in that sentence do most of the work:
- Hostile creature you can see. If you cannot see the creature (it is invisible, or you are blinded), you cannot make the opportunity attack.
- Moves out of your reach. Movement within your reach never provokes. Only leaving it does.
- Uses your reaction. You get one reaction per round, period. If you have already used it (on a Shield spell, a readied action, or an earlier opportunity attack), you cannot make another opportunity attack until the start of your next turn.
What does NOT provoke an opportunity attack
Several kinds of "leaving your reach" are specifically carved out and never provoke:
- Teleportation. Misty Step, Dimension Door, Thunder Step, and every other teleport bypass opportunity attacks entirely.
- Forced movement. If a creature is moved without using its own movement, action, or reaction, it does not provoke. Being shoved, pushed by Thunderwave or Repelling Blast, dragged while grappled, or knocked away by any effect all count. The creature did not choose to move, so nobody gets a free swing.
- The Disengage action. A creature that takes the Disengage action does not provoke opportunity attacks for the rest of its turn (Sentinel is the notable exception, covered below).
- Standing up from prone. Standing up costs movement, but you are not leaving anyone's reach, so it does not provoke. (Some tables misremember this from older editions, where it did.)
Quick reference: provokes vs does not provoke
| Situation | Provokes? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Walking out of your reach | Yes | Willing movement out of reach |
| Flying, climbing, or swimming out of reach | Yes | Still movement; the movement mode does not matter |
| Burrowing out of reach | Yes | Burrowing is movement like any other |
| Teleporting away (Misty Step, etc.) | No | Teleportation is explicitly excluded |
| Being shoved or pushed away (Thunderwave, shove) | No | Moved without using its own movement, action, or reaction |
| Being dragged by a grappler | No | Forced movement |
| Moving away after taking the Disengage action | No | Disengage prevents opportunity attacks that turn (except vs Sentinel) |
| Standing up from prone | No | Costs movement but does not leave anyone's reach |
| Moving within your reach (circling you) | No | Never left your reach |
| Stepping from 10 ft to 5 ft against a reach weapon | No | Moving deeper into your reach, not out of it |
| Leaving the 10 ft reach of a reach weapon entirely | Yes | Left your (extended) reach |
| Entering the reach of a Polearm Master user | Yes | Special feat trigger, entering rather than leaving |
Reach weapons: the 10 foot rule
With a reach weapon like a glaive, halberd, pike, or whip, your melee reach is 10 feet, so you threaten a larger area. The opportunity attack triggers when a creature leaves that 10 foot reach:
- A creature moving from 10 feet away to 5 feet away does not provoke. It is moving closer, staying within your reach the whole time.
- A creature at 10 feet (or 5 feet) that moves to 15 feet or beyond does provoke, because it left your reach entirely.
The same logic applies to large monsters with natural 10 or 15 foot reach: they get opportunity attacks against anyone leaving that larger threatened area, which makes escaping a giant or a dragon's claws harder than escaping a goblin.
One reaction per round
You have exactly one reaction, which refreshes at the start of your turn. An opportunity attack spends it. This means:
- You can make at most one opportunity attack between each of your turns, no matter how many enemies run past you.
- If you cast Shield, use Uncanny Dodge, or take a readied action, your reaction is gone and enemies can walk away from you freely until your next turn.
- The opportunity attack is one melee attack, not your full Attack action. Extra Attack does not apply.
Feats that change the rules
Sentinel
Sentinel is the premier lockdown feat. When you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, its speed drops to 0 for the rest of the turn, stopping it cold. Creatures also provoke opportunity attacks from you even when they take the Disengage action. Sentinel additionally lets you use your reaction to attack a nearby creature that attacks someone other than you.
Polearm Master
Polearm Master flips the trigger: while wielding a qualifying polearm, creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they enter your reach, not just when they leave it. Combined with a reach weapon, you get a free swing at enemies closing in from 10 feet out. Paired with Sentinel, a hit can stop them at 10 feet, outside the reach of most attackers.
War Caster
War Caster lets you cast a spell at the provoking creature instead of making a melee attack when a creature provokes an opportunity attack. The spell must have a casting time of one action and target only that creature. Booming Blade and Shocking Grasp are classic choices.
What changed in the 2024 rules?
The core opportunity attack rule is unchanged in the 2024 Player's Handbook: a hostile creature you can see leaving your reach still provokes, teleportation and forced movement still do not, and Disengage still protects the creature for the turn.
The related feats were reworked, though. In the 2024 rules, Sentinel and Polearm Master keep their identities as lockdown and reach-control feats, but their exact wording, prerequisites, and interactions differ from the 2014 versions. If your table plays with the 2024 books, check the current feat text rather than relying on 2014 summaries, since details like which weapons qualify and how the speed reduction is worded were adjusted.
Common edge cases
Does burrowing or flying away provoke?
Yes. Burrowing, flying, climbing, swimming, and walking are all just movement. A creature that burrows into the ground or flies straight up out of your reach provokes an opportunity attack unless it Disengages or teleports. The movement mode never matters; only whether the creature willingly left your reach does.
Can a rogue Sneak Attack on an opportunity attack?
Yes. Sneak Attack is limited to once per turn, not once per round, and an opportunity attack happens on someone else's turn. So a rogue can Sneak Attack on their own turn, then Sneak Attack again on an enemy's turn via an opportunity attack, as long as the attack qualifies (a finesse or ranged weapon, plus advantage or an adjacent ally, and no disadvantage). Opportunity attacks are melee attacks, so a rapier-wielding rogue qualifies just fine.
Does moving around an enemy provoke?
No. As long as you stay within a creature's reach, you can circle it freely. You only provoke at the moment you leave its reach.
Frequently asked questions
What provokes an attack of opportunity in 5e?
An opportunity attack is provoked when a hostile creature you can see moves out of your reach using its movement, an action, or a reaction. You can then use your reaction to make one melee attack against it. Teleportation and being moved without using its own movement (like being shoved or pushed by thunderwave) do not provoke.
How does opportunity attack work in 5e?
When a hostile creature you can see moves out of your melee reach, you can use your reaction to make one melee attack against it. The attack interrupts the movement, occurring right before the creature leaves your reach. You only get one reaction per round, so you can make at most one opportunity attack between each of your turns.
Does opportunity attack work with reach weapons in 5e?
Yes. With a reach weapon like a glaive or whip you threaten 10 feet, and the opportunity attack triggers when a creature leaves that 10 foot reach. A creature stepping from 10 feet away to 5 feet away does not provoke, because it is moving within your reach, not out of it. Leaving your 10 foot reach entirely does provoke.
Does Disengage stop opportunity attacks in 5e?
Yes. A creature that takes the Disengage action does not provoke opportunity attacks for the rest of its turn. The main exception is a creature with the Sentinel feat, which can make opportunity attacks even against enemies that Disengage.
Does burrowing provoke opportunity attack 5e?
Yes. Burrowing out of a creature's reach is movement like any other, so it provokes an opportunity attack unless the burrower takes the Disengage action or teleports. The same is true for flying, climbing, and swimming away.
Can you sneak attack on an opportunity attack in 5e?
Yes. Sneak Attack works once per turn, not once per round, and an opportunity attack occurs on another creature's turn. So a rogue can land Sneak Attack on their own turn and again with an opportunity attack on an enemy's turn, provided the usual conditions (a finesse weapon, plus advantage or an adjacent ally) are met.
Related references
Look up spells like Misty Step and Thunderwave in the spell database, or check monster reach and abilities in the monster database.