Advice on a Feint Situation

[Water Bob]

Here's a quandary. Maybe you can help me.

Situation: Player A is running Abel, a 1st level Fighter, STR 10, and DEX 17. HP 5.

Player B is running Barlo, also a 1st level Fighter, STR 15, and DEX 16. HP 8.

Both characters take service with the local lord, Baron Grellus. They are both battlement archers.





The Scene: Both characters are in the common room of the castle. Neither are on duty, and so both are wearing no armor. They're both wearing normal "off-duty" type clothing: Billowy, long sleeved shirts, tied at the waist with a belt. Small dagger attached. Wool breeches, and soft leather boots.

There is no one around. The cooks are off peeling potatoes and skinning meat for tonight's eating.

Abel and Barlo sit across a bench table from each other having poured themselves some dark beer from the keg.

Abel and Barlo are friends, but they nit-pick each other. And, somethings words erupt. And, sometimes fist fights break out between the two PCs.

During this encounter, the normally non-deadly confrontations exploded with both characters pulling their blades.





The Fight: The combat starts off with some non-lethal, unarmed blows, then escalates to using the Grapple Rules. But, Barlo gets irked because Abel just happens to have +7 Escape Artist (it's one of the few things where the character excels). Barlo grapples him, and Able turns right around and wiggles his way out.

Even though Barlo is clearly getting the better of Abel, Barlo's temper blows, and Barlo pulls his dagger.

Able pulls his.

Barlo draws first blood and knocks Able down to 2 HP.

Able got lucky and scored a critical hit, but it only did 3 points of damage (so...not that lucky). Barlo has 5 HP.







The Feint: Barlo went back to attempting a grapple, but Able knows his time is precious and the events are dire. A few more rounds, Barlo keeps grappling, and Able keeps using Escape Artist to get out.

Then, Barlo fails on his grapple attempt.

And, Able decides, because he's been having a hard time hitting Barlo's AC 13, that he will attempt a Feint.




Top of Round 1 (of the Feint Attempt, not the combat): Able makes his Bluff check against Barlo's modified Sense Motive. Able wins the toss. This indicates that Able, on his next attack, will attack Barlo at AC 10 rather than AC 13 because Barlo cannot benefit from his DEX with a successful Feint attack.

Bottom of Round 1: Now that Barlo sees the Feint attempt coming, he uses the Withdraw action. He moves 60 feet, across the common room floor, without drawing an attack of opportunity from Able.




My Question

Is this legal? Barlo saw the Feint coming and basically robbed Able of his successful Feint.





I don't think it is right that Able is robbed of his Feint attack.

At the same time, I'm not sure that it is correct to limit Barlo's actions. "You can't Withdraw because you've got to suffer the Feint attack."



How is this run properly, by the book? (3.5 Rules).