A few disarm questions

[Stalker0]

1) Does the enhancment bonus from magic weapons apply to disarm rolls?

2) Let's assume a guy tries to disarm with a greatsword and fail. Can he shift the greatsword to one hand as a free action and then on his second attack disarm with an unarmed attack? (Basically, this is allow him to grab the weapon...ie, he doesn't want the weapon to fall to the ground so the guy can just pick it back up).

3) If you disarm with an unarmed attack (and are not a monk) do you provoke an AOO even if you do have Improved Disarm...or do you need both abilities to not provoke?

 

[billd91]

1) Sure, why not? If a magic weapon is better at everything it does, it stands to reason it helps in disarm attempts.

2) He wouldn't even have to shift his grip. Why not try kicking the weapon out of the other guy's hand? That's an unarmed attack too. Of course, then he couldn't really grab the weapon.
But there's nothing saying that all iterative attacks have to be with the same weapon as long as everything being done by the attacker doesn't prevent him from taking a full attack action. And removing one hand from the two-handed sword (or even dropping it) as a free action should be fine.

3) If you don't have improved unarmed attack, then yes, you would provoke an AoO even if you had improved disarm.

 

[mvincent]

1) Yes. Even though it's opposed, it is still an attack roll (which enhancments give a bonus to).
2) Yes. You can vary the weapons on iterative attacks this way.
3) As specified in the feat description and in the disarm rules:
"If you have the Improved Disarm feat, you don’t incur an attack of opportunity for making a disarm attempt"

This could be subject to interpretation. Although the unarmed section section mentions AoO's for unarmed attacks, it seems the Disarm feat description should over-ride this (similar to improved bull-rush, improved sunder, Improved Grapple, etc.). If the writers intended for the unarmed AoO to still apply, it should have been mentioned in the feat description and/or in the disarm steps.

 

[Artoomis]

1. Certainly.

2. Questionable. I might allow it - but then I would NOT allow the grip to be re-established for puposes of AoOs before the next round. No getting the best of both worlds.

3. Yes - absolutely. When attempting a disarm unarmed you provoke an AoO for TWO reasons: being unarmed and for the disarm action. The feat obviously avoids the AoO for disarm, but, as it is silent on the unarmed attacks, it does not apply to them and you provoke an AoO for attacking unarmed. I would call this one very clear. You do not, as the feat says, provoke an AoO for making a disarm attempt. You do provoke anAoO for making an attack unarmed. This is an easy one.

 

[mvincent]

2. Questionable. I might allow it

This answer from the 3.5 FAQ might illuminate the issue a bit:

"Can a character with Quick Draw and a base attack
bonus of +6 or better make a melee attack with one weapon
and a ranged attack with another weapon in the same
round? What if the melee weapon requires two hands to
wield?
Yes. There’s nothing inherent in the full attack action that
requires all the attacks to be made as the same kind of attack or
with the same kind of weapon.
A character with a base attack bonus of +6 or better holding
a longsword, for example, could make a melee attack with the
longsword (using his full base attack bonus), drop the
longsword (a free action), use Quick Draw to draw a dagger
(another free action), then throw the dagger (using his base
attack bonus –5). If the character had both hands free (for
instance, if he didn’t carry a light or heavy shield in his off
hand), he could even use Quick Draw to draw a bow (free
action), draw and nock an arrow (free action) and then shoot
the bow (using his base attack bonus –5).
This situation is actually improved if the melee weapon is a
two-handed weapon. A character can hold a two-handed
weapon in one hand; he just can’t attack with it while it’s held
like that. Thus, he wouldn’t even have to drop the weapon in
order to draw and throw the dagger. If Krusk the 6th-level
barbarian had Quick Draw, he could swing his greataxe (using
his full base attack bonus), then leave the axe in his off-hand
while drawing a javelin with his primary hand (free action), and
finally throw the javelin (using his base attack bonus –5). If
Krusk were drawing a ranged weapon that required two hands
to use (such as a bow), he’d have to drop his greataxe."

 

[mvincent]

When attempting a disarm unarmed you provoke an AoO for TWO reasons: being unarmed and for the disarm action. The feat obviously avoids the AoO for disarm, but, as it is silent on the unarmed attacks, it does not apply to them and you provoke an AoO for attacking unarmed. I would call this one very clear. You do not, as the feat says, provoke an AoO for making a disarm attempt. You do provoke anAoO for making an attack unarmed. This is an easy one.

I have no personal preference on how this is ruled. Your statements seem reasonable, however, they also seem similar to the old "casting defensively with a ranged attack spell" argument.

Some debaters said that casting defensively eliminated the AoO from casting a spell, but not the AoO from making a ranged attack. Others strongly protested.