House rule combat maneuvers

[77IM]

Please review, comment, critique, etc., especially with an eye towards balance and playability (e.g., are any of these moves so good that they overshadow class powers, or lead to generalized, repeatable tactics?).

My main goal here is to say "yes" to my players. When they say, "That necromancer's staff is the problem... I grab it from him!" I don't want to be the sort of DM who says, "Sorry, that's not a listed maneuver in the combat chapter, so the staff is glued to his hand." I want to give them a shot at it.


Notes: These are all intended to add tactical options that are generally poor choices but might be crucial in certain circumstances.... exactly the sort of crazy stuff my players will attempt. I tried to balance them via consequences for failure, rather than super-harsh penalties, so that they are still achievable.

DISARM
Disarming a skilled opponent is tricky, but can provide a tremendous benefit in combat. Use this maneuver to deprive an enemy of a melee weapon that they are currently wielding. To remove a ranged weapon, sheathed melee weapon, or implement, use the takeaway maneuver.
DISARM: STANDARD ACTION

• Weapon Proficiency: You must be wielding a melee weapon with which you are proficient.
• Target: Any adjacent enemy who is wielding a melee weapon.
• Opposed Check: You and your opponent each make a basic melee attack roll. Your opponent gets a +5 bonus to the roll if they are proficient with their weapon. (Assume most monsters are proficient in the weapons they carry.)
• Success: Your opponent drops his weapon in any square adjacent to him (your choice).
• Failure: You grant your opponent combat advantage until the start of your next turn.

Notes: The consequence for Disarm is less severe than the others because it is more likely to occur (because most foes will have the +5 bonus on the opposed attack roll).

SLAM
You plow into an enemy, using force to knock them over... or, you bounce off them harmlessly.
SLAM: STANDARD ACTION

• Target: You can slam a target adjacent to you that is smaller than you, the same size category as you, or one category larger than you.
• Strength Attack: Make a Strength attack vs. Fortitude defense. Do not add any modifiers for the weapon you use.
  Hit: The target falls prone.
  Miss: Your turn ends (you can take no further actions this turn), and you are stunned until the start of your next turn.
• Part of a Charge: As part of a charge, you can slam an opponent instead of making a basic melee attack. You gain a +1 bonus to your attack roll, as usual when charging.

TAKEAWAY
You grab an item carried by your opponent. This differs from disarming because your opponent is not actively trying to defend themselves using the item.
TAKEAWAY: STANDARD ACTION

• Hand Free: You must have at least one hand free (not holding anything) to takeaway.
• Target: Any one item held or worn by an adjacent enemy, except a melee weapon (for that, use the Disarm action).
• Strength Attack: Make a Strength attack vs. Reflex defense, with special modifiers described below. Do not add any modifiers for the weapon you use.
  Hit: You take the item from your foe and now hold it in your hand.
  Miss: You suffer the effects of one of your foe's basic attacks (their choice, if they have multiple basic attacks) as if they had hit you with it. This requires no attack roll, and doesn't count as them attacking you (it doesn't trigger opportunity actions or immediate actions based on attacking, for example). If your foe is not capable of taking opportunity attacks, you don't suffer any consequences for a miss with your takeaway maneuver.
• Worn Item: If you are trying to take a loosely worn item, such as an amulet, cape, backpack, or sheathed weapon, your opponent gets a +5 bonus to their Reflex defense. You can't take most types of armor, boots, or gloves, or any item stowed in a backpack, pouch or pocket, although you may be able to take the container itself.
• Held Item: If you are trying to take a held item, your foe also makes a Strength check. Your Strength attack roll must both equal or exceed your foe's Reflex defense and exceed their Strength check result in order for you to take the item.

Notes: This one is the most questionable. It would suck for the party ranger to have his bow taken away, or for the BBEG to have his spellcasting implement taken away. Thus, it is both difficult, and has a serious consequence for failure.

TRIP
You try to catch a foe off-balance or use fancy footwork to knock him down. This tactic is risky, because you yourself could fall over instead.
TRIP: STANDARD ACTION

• Target: You can trip a target adjacent to you.
• Dexterity Attack: Make a Dexterity attack vs. Reflex defense. Do not add any modifiers for the weapon you use.
  Hit: The target falls prone.
  Miss: You fall prone.

 

[corwyn77]

Disarm: This should probably allow the original attack to use dex instead of str to allow for fencer type characters and rogues to do this.

Takeaway: With this maneuver, I would expect wizards and warlocks to be implement-less in round 2 or 3. The basic melee attack for failure isn't much of a deterrent for these classes or even the bow ranger (though he's likely to have a higher reflex) and none of these will probably have much str.

 

[djdaidouji]

Perhaps all of these maneuvers trigger an OA with combat advantage before the attack, with a special clause saying that if this OA misses, it can't trigger any of the "deal damage on a miss" powers (though marking still works.)
Slam I think should be tied in with Trip. I think that the reflex save would be better then fortitude, as regardless of being hit with the slam attack, it would be reflexes saving you from being tripped.
Trip itself shouldn't have you fall on a miss. I think it should follow 3e and allow a free trip attack against you by the target. That, or all misses should just grant combat advantage. If I was to try and trip you and failed, chances are we'd both be still standing, though it would be easy to argue that you'd get the advantage.

Then again, I suck at math. I don't see why 3e things weren't ported over in the PH.

 

[77IM]

Good catch about the Takeaway miss penalty -- the very guys you want to take away from (casters and artillery) likely have the worst basic melee attacks. I changed it to be any basic attack, and clarified that it won't trigger OAs and such.

I kind of agree that it might still be too easy -- but then I think about how, while you're spending 2-3 rounds trying to take away the necromancer's staff, that's 2-3 rounds during which he's damaging you and you're not damaging him. (Not to mention that you had to get past his front line in order to reach him.) Plus, once you've got the implement, he can still attack you, just with a penalty, and ranged attackers often have reasonable melee attacks as a backup -- so a takeaway isn't the super-shut-down move it sounds like at first.

-- 77IM