Combat Maneuvers

This section covers grappling, attacking objects, and an assortment of other special attacks. The common maneuvers listed in Actions are repeated here for the sake of completeness.

Maneuver	Action
Aid Another	Major Action
Bull Rush	Major Action
Charge	Full Round Action
Defend an Ally	Readied Action
Delay	Special
Desperate Attack	Major Action
Disarm	Attack
Drive Back	Attack
Feint	Major Action
Fight Back-to-back	Attack
Grapple
Intercept	Reaction Attack
Sunder	Attack
Take Aim	Full Round Action
Total Defense	Major Action
Trip	Attack
Withdraw	Full Round Action

Aid Another

You can use this major action to help a friend in a variety of ways, such supporting a badly wounded character or assisting another character’s skill check (see page ???).

In melee combat, you can help a friend attack or defend by distracting or interfering with an opponent. If you’re in position to make a melee attack on an opponent that is engaging a friend in melee combat, you can attempt to aid your friend as a major action. You make an attack roll against AC 10. If you succeed, your friend gains either a +2 bonus on their next attack roll against that opponent or a +2 bonus to AC against that opponent’s next attack (your choice), as long as that attack comes before the beginning of your next turn.
Multiple characters can aid the same friend, and the bonuses stack.

Bull Rush

You can make a bull rush as a major action or at the end of a charge (see Charge). When you make a bull rush, you attempt to push an opponent straight back instead of damaging them. You can't bull rush an opponent who more than one size category larger than you.

Initiating a Bull Rush: First, you move into the defender’s space. Doing this provokes a reaction attack from each opponent that threatens you, including the defender. Any reaction attack made by anyone other than the defender has a 25% chance of accidentally targeting the defender instead, and any reaction attack by anyone other than you against the defender likewise has a 25% chance of accidentally targeting you. Second, you make a Strength check against DC 10 + defender’s strength bonus.

You each add a +4 bonus for each size category you are larger than Medium or a –4 penalty for each size category you are smaller than Medium. You get a +2 bonus if you are charging. The defender gets a +4 bonus if they have more than two legs or are otherwise exceptionally stable (such as a dwarf).

Bull Rush Results: If you beat the defender’s DC, you push them back 5 feet. If you wish to move with the defender, you can push them back an additional 5 feet for each 5 points by which your check result exceeds the DC. You can’t, however, exceed your normal movement limit. (Note: The defender provokes attacks if they are moved, and so do you, if you move with them. The two of you do not provoke attacks from each other, however.) If you fail to beat the defender’s Strength check result, you move back to where you were before you moved into their space.

Pushing Past an Enemy: Instead of pushing an enemy back, you can try to knock them down and move past them. This usage is still a major action, but may be taken during a movement or charge. Your enemy may simply let you pass (after making their reaction attack). If they try to block you, make the Strength check as normal; if you succeed, they are knocked prone and you can move past them. If you fail, they stop you, and they may spend a reaction to try to knock you prone (rolling as if they were bull rushing you).

Charge

Charging is a special full-round action that allows you to move up to twice your speed and attack during the action. However, it carries tight restrictions on how you can move.

Movement During a Charge: You must move before your attack, not after. You must move at least 10 feet (2 squares) and may move up to double your speed directly toward the designated opponent. You must have a clear path toward the opponent, and nothing can hinder your movement (such as difficult terrain, obstacles or even allies).

If you are able to take only a major action or a minor action on your turn, you can still charge, but you are only allowed to move up to your speed (instead of up to double your speed). You can’t use this option unless you are restricted to taking only a major action or minor action on your turn (such as during a surprise round).

Attacking on a Charge: After moving, you may make a single melee attack. Since you can use the momentum of the charge in your favor, you get a +2 bonus on the attack roll. Since a charge is a bit reckless, you also take a –2 penalty to your AC until the start of your next turn. A charging character gets a +2 bonus on the Strength check made to bull rush an opponent.

Spears and Charge Attacks: A spear deals critical damage if employed by a mounted character in a charge.

Weapons Readied against a Charge: Spears, halberds, and certain other piercing weapons deal critical damage when readied and used against a charging character.

Defend an Ally

As a readied action , you can position yourself to defend an adjacent ally. When this ally would be struck by an attack, you can intervene as a reaction, causing the attack to target you instead. The attack is rolled and deals damage normally, but affects you instead (even if you were out of the attacker’s reach). Neither readying nor taking this action provokes reaction attacks.

Delay

Rather than taking your turn when it comes up, you can voluntarily reduce your initiative result. You can specify this new initiative result or just wait until some time later in the round and act then. Delaying doesn't use up any of your actions.

You can’t interrupt anyone else’s action (as you can with a readied action).

Desperate Attack

When you make a melee attack against an adjacent creature as a major action, you can strike more effectively at the risk of leaving yourself open. 

You gain a +4 bonus on this attack roll, but you expose yourself to a reaction attack after your attack has been resolved, and you take a -2 penalty to AC until the start of your next turn.

Disarm

As a melee attack, you may attempt to disarm your opponent. If you do so with a weapon, you knock the opponent’s weapon out of their hands and to the ground. If you attempt the disarm while unarmed, you end up with the weapon in your hand.

If you’re attempting to disarm a melee weapon, follow the steps outlined here. If the item you are attempting to disarm isn’t a melee weapon (for instance, a bow or a wand), the defender may still oppose you with an attack roll, but takes a penalty and can’t attempt to disarm you in return if your attempt fails.

Step 1: Reaction Attack. You provoke a reaction attack from the target you are trying to disarm. (If you have the Improved Disarm feat, you don’t incur an attack  for making a disarm attempt.) If the defender’s reaction attack deals any damage, your disarm attempt fails.

Step 2: Opposed Rolls. You and the defender make opposed attack rolls with your respective weapons. The wielder of a two handed weapon on a disarm attempt gets a +4 bonus on this roll, and the wielder of a light weapon takes a –4 penalty. (An unarmed strike is considered a light weapon, so you always take a penalty when trying to disarm an opponent by using an unarmed strike.) If the combatants are of different sizes, the larger combatant gets a bonus on the attack roll of +4 per difference in size category. If the targeted item isn’t a melee weapon, the defender takes a –4 penalty on the roll.

Step 3: Consequences. If you beat the defender, the defender is disarmed. If you attempted the disarm action unarmed, you now have the weapon. If you were armed, the defender’s weapon is on the ground in the defender’s square.

If you fail on the disarm attempt, the defender may immediately react and attempt to disarm you with the same sort of opposed melee attack roll. Their attempt does not provoke a reaction attack from you. If they fail their disarm attempt, you do not subsequently get a free disarm attempt against them.

Grabbing Items: You can use a disarm action to snatch an item worn by the target (such as a necklace or a pair of goggles). If you want to have the item in your hand, the disarm must be made as an unarmed attack. If the item is poorly secured or otherwise easy to snatch or cut away, the attacker gets a +4 bonus. Unlike on a normal disarm attempt, failing the attempt doesn’t allow the defender to attempt to disarm you.

This otherwise functions identically to a disarm attempt, as noted above. You can’t snatch an item that is well secured, such as a ring or bracelet, unless you have pinned the wearer (see Grapple). Even then, the defender gains a +4 bonus on their roll to resist the attempt.

Drive Back

As a melee attack, you can attempt to drive back your opponent. In doing so, you are attacking in a way that should force your opponent to back away from you. When you perform the drive back maneuver, your opponent can either choose to move 5-feet directly away from you or remain where they are.  If they choose to move, they suffer no adverse effects and your action concludes with no attack. However, you can choose to follow them (also moving 5 feet) if you have the necessary movement remaining this turn. If they choose not to move, you resolve your attack against them with a +2 circumstance bonus.

The movement taken as part of the drive back does not count against your opponent’s movement for the round. This movement does not provoke reaction attacks.

Feint

As a major action which does not provoke reaction attacks, you can try to mislead an opponent in melee combat so that they can’t dodge your next attack effectively. To feint, make a Bluff check opposed by a Sense Motive check by your target. The target may add their base combat bonus to this Sense Motive check. If your Bluff check result exceeds your target’s Sense Motive check result, the next melee attack you make against the target does not allow them to use their Dexterity bonus to AC (which allows you to make this attack a sneak attack, see below). This attack must be made on or before your next turn. You can only feint once per round.

Feinting against strange creatures may be more difficult because it can be difficult (or even impossible) to read their body language.

Feinting as a Minor Action: With the Improved Feint feat, you can attempt a feint as a minor action instead of as a major action.

Fight Back-to-Back

As a melee attack which does not provoke attacks, you can fight back-to-back with an ally. The ally must be within 5 feet, and must choose to fight back-to-back with you on their turn. While fighting back-to-back, you and your ally work to protect each other--shoring up each other’s defense and, literally, watching each other’s back. You and your ally make attacks at a –2 penalty while fighting back-to-back, but so long as you are fighting back-to-back you cannot be flanked.

You can fight back-to-back with multiple allies. However, in order to fight back-to-back with multiple allies, all your allies not only need to be within 5 feet of you, but within 5 feet of each other.

Grapple (WIP)

TBD

Intercept

When a foe provokes a reaction attack from you by moving past you, you can give up that attack to try to force the enemy to stop.

The enemy must make a bull rush roll against you. If they fail, their movement ends in the square they were trying to leave. If they succeed, they can continue their movement. You can attempt to stop enemies multiple times if you can make multiple reactions in one round.

Sunder

You can use a melee attack with a slashing or bludgeoning weapon to strike a weapon or shield that your opponent is holding.

Step 1: Reaction Attack. You provoke an attack from the target whose weapon or shield you are trying to sunder. (If you have the Improved Sunder feat, you don’t incur a reaction attack for making the attempt.)

Step 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.

Step 3: Consequences. If you beat the defender, you have landed a good blow. Roll damage and deal it to the weapon or shield. See ??? to determine how much damage you must deal to destroy the weapon or shield.

If you fail the sunder attempt, you don’t deal any damage.

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 a reaction attack just as attacking a held object does. You can’t sunder armor worn by another character.

Take Aim

As a full round action, you can take aim at a target with a projectile weapon. The round after you take aim, you can make a single attack at the target with the aimed weapon as a full round action. This attack gains a +4 bonus to hit and your dexterity bonus (if any) to damage. Taking aim also increases the maximum range of your sneak attacks to one range increment (see Sneak Attack).

Taking aim provokes reaction attacks from enemies who threaten you, and you are off-guard until the beginning of your next turn.

Total Defense

You can defend yourself as a major action. You get a +4 dodge bonus to your AC for until the start of your next turn. Your AC improves at the start of this action, so it helps you against any reaction attacks you incur during the round. You also gain your shield bonus (if you have one) as a bonus on Reflex saves. You can’t make reaction attacks while using total defense, although if you have other abilities which can be used as reactions, you can use them normally.

Trip

You can try to trip an opponent as an unarmed melee attack. You can only trip an opponent who is within one size category of you.

Making a Trip Attack: Make an unarmed melee touch attack against your target. This provokes a reaction attack from your target as normal for unarmed attacks. If your attack succeeds, make a Strength check against DC 10 + defender’s Strength or Dexterity bonus (whichever ability score has the higher modifier). A combatant gets a +4 bonus for every size category they are larger than Medium or a -4 penalty for every size category they are smaller than Medium. The defender gets a +4 bonus on his check if they have more than two legs or are otherwise more stable than a normal humanoid (such as a dwarf). If you win, you trip the defender. If you lose, the defender may immediately react and make a Strength check to try to trip you.

Avoiding Reaction Attacks: If you have the Improved Trip feat, or if you are tripping with a weapon (see below), you don’t provoke a reaction attack for making a trip attack.

Being Tripped (Prone): A tripped character is prone. Standing up is a minor action.

Tripping a Mounted Opponent: You may make a trip attack against a mounted opponent. The defender may make a Ride check in place of their Dexterity or Strength check. If you succeed, you pull the rider from their mount.

Tripping with a Weapon: Some weapons can be used to make trip attacks. In this case, you make a melee touch attack with the weapon instead of an unarmed melee touch attack, and you don’t provoke a reaction attack. If you are tripped during your own trip attempt, you can drop the weapon to avoid being tripped.

Withdraw

Withdrawing from melee combat is a full-round action. When you withdraw, you can move up to double your speed. The square you start out in is not considered threatened by any opponent you can see, and therefore visible enemies do not get reaction attacks against you when you move from that square. (Invisible enemies still get reaction attacks against you, and you can’t withdraw from combat if you’re blinded.)

If, during the process of withdrawing, you move out of a threatened square (other than the one you started in), enemies get reaction attacks as normal.

You may not withdraw using a form of movement for which you don’t have a listed speed. For example, a monstrous spider has a listed climb speed, so it can withdraw by climbing away. Your character doesn’t normally have a listed climb speed (unless you’re under the effect of a spider climb spell, for example), so you can’t use climbing to withdraw from combat.

Note that despite the name of this action, you don’t actually have to leave combat entirely. For instance, you could use a withdraw action to move away from one enemy and toward another.

Restricted Withdraw: If you are limited to taking only a major action each round (for instance if you are staggered or during a surprise round), you can withdraw as a major action. In this case, you may move up to your speed (rather than up to double your speed).