Nytemare's PHB Rewrites: Combat Maneuvers

[Nytemare3701]

Combat Maneuvers have been a staple of fighter builds, but they don't really match up to the tricks of the casters. Most of it stems from their binary nature. Either you are good at it (and it's the only thing you are good at) or you aren't (and you might as well not try).


The Edge
If you have more BAB than the target of your attacks, you are considered to “Have the Edge” on that attack. Combat Maneuvers will perform better when used by someone with the Edge. So while anyone can attempt to Disarm an opponent (provoking an attack of opportunity and dropping the weapon on the ground on a successful opposed attack roll), a character with the Edge can disarm better (provoking no attack of opportunity and sending the weapon flying in a direction of his choice). In this manner, a character who takes full BAB classes always has a fundamental advantage in combat over characters who do other things.
My addition: The edge also grants a +4 to your combat maneuver checks.

Combat Maneuvers (Taken from Tome, edited to include my fixes.)
All of the following maneuvers may be made in place of an attack. Any time a character is permitted an attack
for any reason (including an attack of opportunity or the attack at the conclusion of a charge), they may make
a special attack action instead.

Bullrush
If you have not moved your entire allotted distance this turn, you may attempt to push your opponent back as a
melee attack. First, you move into your opponent’s square (which probably provokes an attack of opportunity, see
movement). Then you make an opposed size-modified strength check against a DC of 10 + the target’s Strength
modifier + the target’s size modifier (you do not have to roll to hit). If you succeed, you push your opponent back 5
feet. If you succeed by more than 1, you may move your opponent back a single 5’ square for every 2 points your
check exceeds the DC.
Modifiers: The Size Modifier to both the Bullrush check and the DC is +4 for every size larger than medium and -4
for every size smaller than medium.
Special: The movement used during a Bullrush counts against your movement this turn. If you do not take a move
or charge action this turn, you will normally be limited to five feet of movement. This movement does not provoke an
attack of opportunity from you or the target, but is quite likely to provoke an attack of opportunity from any other
creature standing nearby. During a bullrush, both characters provide cover for each other.
Edge Option: If you have the edge on your target, you do not provide cover for your opponent even if they are the same
size as you. Further, you may move your opponent in a direction up to 45 degrees off from your initial approach,
altering your own course to push them more than 5 feet if necessary. If you fail the initial strength check, you may
choose which adjacent square you are pushed into.

Coup de Grace
You may attempt to slay an opponent outright if they are helpless. As a full-round action, you may automatically
hit a helpless opponent in melee range. This attack is automatically a critical hit. This action provokes an attack of
opportunity.
Interrupting a Coup de Grace: A character who suffers damage during the Coup de Grace must make a Concen-
tration Check (DC 10 + Damage Inflicted) or the action is resolved as a normal attack.
Edge Option: If you have the Edge on an opponent who threatens you during a Coup de Grace, you do not provoke an
attack of opportunity from them.


Disarm
You may attempt to disarm your opponent with a melee  or ranged attack. Disarm is a special attack action. Make an attack
roll against an “armor class” of 10 + the target’s melee attack bonuses with the item in question. If you succeed,
one weapon or held item is snatched out of your opponent’s grasp. Failing a Disarm attempt provokes an attack of
opportunity from the target. A disarmed item lands in a randomly determined square adjacent to the target.
Defending against a Disarm: An item held in two hands is harder to disarm, increasing the DC by +4. An item
tied to one’s body with a sword-wrap or locked gauntlet is much harder to disarm, increasing the DC by +8.
Special: A Disarm may be used to attempt to remove a weapon that is presently being used in an attack against
the disarmer even if the creature using the weapon is out of range or otherwise not threatened by the character. A
Disarm (or any attack) is normally only usable during an attack against such creatures as an Attack of Opportunity
or a Readied Action.
Edge Option: If you have the Edge on your target, your Disarm attempt does not provoke an attack of opportunity, and
you may choose which adjacent square your opponent’s weapon or held item lands in. If you have a free hand, the
item may end up in your possession instead.

Feint
By performing a distracting maneuver or fencing your opponent into a poor position, you may make an attack against
them at their worst. You take an attack action to make a Bluff check with a DC of 10 + your opponent’s Wisdom
modifier + the higher of your opponent’s BAB or ranks in Sense Motive. If you succeed, your opponent does not get
their Dexterity Bonus to AC against the next attack you make against them (if it is within the next round).
Edge Option: If you have the Edge on your target and you successfully Feint, you may make an attack against that
opponent this round as a Swift action.

Grapple
Grapple is collectively 3 separate maneuvers that all fall under the super-heading of “grappling”. Any grapple
attempt provokes an attack of opportunity unless your attack has the edge.
• Grab On
Sometimes, you want to attach yourself to a larger creature, getting inside their reach and then repeatedly
stabbing them or simply weighing them down. As an attack action you may attempt to grab on to an opponent.
Grabbing on to an opponent provokes an attack of opportunity and requires a check with the same bonuses as a
melee attack. The DC to grab on to an opponent is their Touch AC plus their BAB. If you have 5 ranks of Climb
or Ride, you get a +2 synergy bonus on this maneuver for each skill.
Holding on: Once you’ve attached yourself to your opponent, you go wherever they go. Move in to their space,
and move where they do automatically (this movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity or count against
your movement in any way). You may attack with any light or one handed weapon, and your opponent is denied
his Dexterity bonus against you.
Being Held on to: If another creature has grabbed on to your character, their weight counts against your
carrying capacity. If you’re overloaded, you may be unable to move or even collapse until you shake your
opponent off. You can attempt to attack a creature holding on to you, but your strength modifier is halved for
such attacks and your attacks are at -4. You may attempt to shake your opponent off as an attack action by
making a check with a bonus equal to your melee attack or Escape Artist and a DC of 10 + the greatest of your
opponent’s BAB, Climb Ranks, or Ride Ranks.
Edge Options: If you have the edge on an opponent when you grab them, they may not attack you at all once you
have grabbed on to them. Further, grabbing on to an opponent does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
• Pin
Sometimes you want to pin an opponent to the ground. First, make a Melee or ranged touch attack. Then, make a Grapple
Check (BAB + Strength or Dexterity Modifier + Special Size Modifier) with a DC of 10 + Defender’s Grapple Check Modifier.
If you succeed, your opponent is pinned for one round. They can’t move, and you may put ropes or manacles
on them if you wish with a melee attack action. At the end of any turn you are pinning your opponent in melee, you may
inflict unarmed or constriction damage. With subsequent attack actions, you may attack in melee with natural weapons
or light weapons with no penalty.
Escaping a Pin: If you’re pinned you can attempt to fight back, but you’re prone and you suffer an additional
-4 penalty to attack the creature pinning you (generally a -8 total penalty to attack your attacker). You can
get out with an attack action by making a Grapple or Escape Artist check with a DC of 10 + your opponent’s
Grapple Modifier.
Edge Options: If you’re pinning an opponent and your attacks have the edge, your opponent cannot attack you or
anyone else until they get free. Furthermore, if anyone else attacks them, they are considered helpless.
• Lift
Sometimes you want to put an opponent in your mouth or carry away a struggling princess. Make a touch
attack and then make a Grapple Check with a DC equal to 10 + your opponent’s Grapple modifier. If you
succeed, your opponent is hefted into the air. You may move around freely while carrying your opponent (their
weight counts against your limits of course). You may perform a coup de grace or swallow whole action on a
character you have lifted, but doing so ends the lift whether it succeeds or fails.
Escaping a Lift: When you’ve been lifted, you cannot move under your own power, but you can continue to
attack. Attacks against the creature which has lifted you are at a -4 penalty. You can also attempt to escape
with an attack action by making a Grapple or Escape Artist check with a DC of 10 + your opponent’s Grapple
Modifier.
Edge Options: If you have the edge on an opponent you have lifted, they may not attack you or anyone else until
they escape.

Trip
As an attack action, you may attempt to knock an opponent prone. Make a melee or ranged touch attack, and if you succeed make
a Strength + BAB check against a DC of 10 + your opponent’s Strength + BAB or Balance modifier (whichever is
greater). Success leaves your opponent prone. Failure provokes an attack of opportunity.
Modifiers: The DC to trip an opponent who has four legs or is otherwise inherently stabile is increased by 4. Radially
symmetrical creatures like Oozes cannot be tripped at all.
Edge Option: If you have the edge on your target, you do not provoke an attack of opportunity if your trip attempt fails,
but your target provokes an attack of opportunity from you if your trip succeeds.

Sunder

Sundering is a three step process:
1. Attack of Opportunity. You provoke an attack of opportunity from the target whose weapon or shield you are trying to sunder.
Edge Option: If you have the edge on your target, you do not provoke an attack of opportunity.

2. Opposed Rolls. You and the defender make opposed attack rolls with your respective weapons. The wielder of a two-handed weapon on a sunder attempt gets a +4 bonus on this roll, and the wielder of a light weapon takes a -4 penalty. If the combatants are of different sizes, the larger combatant gets a bonus on the attack roll of +4 per difference in size category.

3. Resolution. If you beat the defender, roll damage and deal it to the weapon or shield. See Table: Common Armor, Weapon, and Shield Hardness and Hit Points to determine how much damage you must deal to destroy the weapon or shield.

Sundering a Carried or Worn Object

You don’t use an opposed attack roll to damage a carried or worn object. Instead, just make an attack roll against the object’s AC. A carried or worn object’s AC is equal to 10 + its size modifier + the Dexterity modifier of the carrying or wearing character. Attacking a carried or worn object provokes an attack of opportunity just as attacking a held object does. You can’t sunder armor worn by another character.

Covering Fire
You may use your ranged attacks to provide cover for your allies. Take an attack with your ranged weapon and roll
a normal attack roll. Until the beginning of your next turn one of your allies may use the result of your attack roll
as their Armor Class against one attack of opportunity.
Edge Option: If you have The Edge against an opponent whose attack of opportunity was negated by Covering Fire,
your ranged weapon may hit them. Simply compare the attack roll to their armor class as if it was also a normal
attack.

Taunt
Make an intimidate check opposed by sense motive as a swift action. If you succeed your foe is taunted, giving you a +1*BAB damage bonus vs them. The bonus stacks with itself, and lasts until the end of the encounter OR until the creature damages you.

[veekie]

Called Shots probably could have been returned, but like grappling, theres no system where they are dealt with cleanly AND satisfactorily.

[RobbyPants]

You may want a feat/ability/whatever to allow you to add +Dex damage instead of/in addition to Str damage on ranged weapons.  Depending on how you set it up depends on if it should replace Str or add to it.

Make it easier to shoot in melee.  Perhaps, if your BAB is higher than your opponent, ranged attacks don't provoke AoOs.  When firing into melee, if your BAB is higher than your opponent's, you don't suffer the -4 penalty.  This still might not be good enough, because you don't want to get stuck eating the penalty when fighting something big with a better BAB.

At a minimum, roll Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot into one feat, and have that new feat count as the prereqs for feats/PrCs that require either of them.  A better solution might be to use feats - like - these.

[Nytemare3701]

A better solution might be to use feats - like - these.

On that note, should I just go ahead and add all the tome combat feats? They scale well enough.

...you don't want to get stuck eating the penalty when fighting something big with a better BAB.

Yes you do, they are better at combat than you. That's what BAB reflects.

[RobbyPants]

A better solution might be to use feats - like - these.

On that note, should I just go ahead and add all the tome combat feats? They scale well enough.

That's my personal plan.  I'm slowly working on creating a set of documents that contains all the Tome material I want to use.  All of the [Combat] and [Skill] feats are included.

[Nytemare3701]

That's my personal plan.  I'm slowly working on creating a set of documents that contains all the Tome material I want to use.  All of the [Combat] and [Skill] feats are included.

We should collaborate. Do you use voice chat programs?

[RobbyPants]

Not often, but I could.

[Nytemare3701]

Called Shots probably could have been returned, but like grappling, theres no system where they are dealt with cleanly AND satisfactorily.

How about a ranged power attack? The harder the shot, the more damage is dealt?

• -1 atk = +2 damage
AND
• -5 atk = +1 threat range

These would stack of course, meaning a -5 attack would grant +10 damage and a +1 threat range.

[RobbyPants]

Well, that makes bows even better than crossbows.  Increasing the threat range like that has a disproportionate benefit to weapons with a greater crit multiplier.  Basically, look at it like this:

Bow:
Crit = 20/ x3, which means that 5% of the time, you do +200% damage (on top of your usual 100% damage for just hitting).

Crossbow:
Crit = 19-20/ x2, which means that 10% of the time, you do +100% damage.

So, by that notion, the two are "balanced".  One deals double the extra damage, but at half the frequency.  Now, if you add one to your threat range, you end up with:

Bow:
Crit = 19-20/ x3, which means that 10% of the time, you do +200% damage.

Crossbow:
Crit = 18-20/ x2, which means that 15% of the time, you do +100% damage.

So, under this model, the bow comes out ahead.  It deals double the damage two-thirds of the time compared to the crossbow.  That being said, I have two suggestions:

1) Instead of adding +1 to the threat range, you might want to double it.  You probably don't want to do this more than once.

2) Drop the concept.  Messing with crit ranges tends to make the math get crazy fast.  But maybe that's what you want.

[veekie]

Remember also crossbows don't benefit from bonus damage like str.

[Nytemare3701]

Wait, when did I say that crossbows couldn't be used for called shots? That was just for the sniper feat, which has been moved to combat feats.

The called shot would be either a maneuver OR an addition to the power attack feat.

[RobbyPants]

Are you talking to Veekie or me?  What I was commenting on is the asymmetry of adding one to the threat range of a weapon.  It gives a better benefit to bows than crossbows.

[Nytemare3701]

Are you talking to Veekie or me?  What I was commenting on is the asymmetry of adding one to the threat range of a weapon.  It gives a better benefit to bows than crossbows.

I was talking to you.


For Veekie:
Crossbow Sniper fixes that pretty quickly. 1/2 Dex to damage.

[RobbyPants]

I never said you couldn't use the crossbow for called shots.  I was just commenting on the math behind adding +1 to the threat range.  It helps bows more than crossbows.

[Nytemare3701]

So, under this model, the bow comes out ahead.  It deals double the damage two-thirds of the time compared to the crossbow.  That being said, I have two suggestions:

1) Instead of adding +1 to the threat range, you might want to double it.  You probably don't want to do this more than once.

2) Drop the concept.  Messing with crit ranges tends to make the math get crazy fast.  But maybe that's what you want.

1) I want it to be a scaling risky shot for a great payoff, like shooting a guy in the knee at -5 vs shooting him in the eye at -15.

2) Crit ranges don't change too much on bows. That's the benefit of working with a dead system. I know what I'm working with.

[veekie]

Crossbow Sniper fixes that pretty quickly. 1/2 Dex to damage.

Built in? Coz the feat tax is going to be worse than the equipment tax(Mighty bows).

Of course, if it were me I'd just give Simple weapons some added features when used by those proficient at the Martial or Exotic levels.

[RobbyPants]

I'm just saying: why not make it uniform.  Why not do something like:

"If you take a -5 or greater penalty to hit, your threat range doubles.  This stacks with other threat range improvements like Keen and Improved Critical.  If you take a -10 or greater penalty to hit, your threat range instead triples."

Or something like that.  I wouldn't keep scaling it every -5 though.  You might not even want to triple it at -10.  I just suggest this because it advances all types of weapons equally (well, all types that are already equal to begin with ).

[Nytemare3701]

I'm just saying: why not make it uniform.  Why not do something like:

"If you take a -5 or greater penalty to hit, your threat range doubles.  This stacks with other threat range improvements like Keen and Improved Critical.  If you take a -10 or greater penalty to hit, your threat range instead triples."

Or something like that.  I wouldn't keep scaling it every -5 though.  You might not even want to triple it at -10.  I just suggest this because it advances all types of weapons equally (well, all types that are already equal to begin with ).

Good Idea. I'll just rewrite power attack for that.

[Unbeliever]

Edge question:  I think this occurred to me when I originally read Frank and K's Tome, but how often is this going to come up when fighting monsters, which is the standard activity in a D&D game? 

Typically, monsters, especially bruiser ones, will have more hit dice than the party, they tend to have higher hit dice than CR at least, and they will often often have full BAB w/ those hit dice.  So, it's going to be nigh impossible to have the Edge.  I know the Giant Slayer feat will help out a bit, but the point still stands.  Although, I think something like Improved X feats that always grant the Edge option could, potentially, be a way to go. 

[Nytemare3701]

Edge question:  I think this occurred to me when I originally read Frank and K's Tome, but how often is this going to come up when fighting monsters, which is the standard activity in a D&D game? 

Typically, monsters, especially bruiser ones, will have more hit dice than the party, they tend to have higher hit dice than CR at least, and they will often often have full BAB w/ those hit dice.  So, it's going to be nigh impossible to have the Edge.  I know the Giant Slayer feat will help out a bit, but the point still stands.  Although, I think something like Improved X feats that always grant the Edge option could, potentially, be a way to go. 

The Edge system is actually a bonus for mundanes against caster foes. Big HD creatures get scarier too because they have an overwhelming quality to them, since they have the Edge on almost anyone.