Advice for Dealing with Improved Trip Feat

[Crothian]

Have him fight creatures that cannot be tripped like oozes

 

[Coredump]

If they can't prepare, he can't be enlarged.

And think about why being tripped is bad..... It really isn't that bad.

Let the BBEG sorcerer stay on the ground and cast defensively.
Let the BBEG melee fighter attack from the ground, there is a slight negative, but so what.

etc.

 

[Greylock]

Mount the BBEG.

Now how's that for suggestive? But I mean it. Put the BBEG on a Huge beast.

 

[Liquidsabre]

Hate to ask but how are you running tripping in your game? Tripping, AoO's, and the stand action are often run incorrectly, causing undue problems with the tactic. Creatures tripped may stand and cannot be tripped with the AoO provoked by the standing action (i.e. the standing action cannot be interrupted).

Also, keep in mind when handling reach in combat that AoO's are negated by cover, provided either by an intervening character, creature, or terrain (a corner for example). Other standard tactics would be employed by cautious foes when dealing with such tactics: Full Defense (std action) followed by movement towards the character with reach (move action), or for the trully paranoid, 5ft. steps by numerous mooks trying to surround the reach weapon character (enlarged that is, a halberd not being a reach weapon of course).

Though if you think an enlarged halbered wielding character may be difficult to run combats for, try a spiked-chain wielding PC sometime. There's a crash course in tripping, AoO's, and reach if there ever was one.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

Throw more medium strength combatants at them in tight spaces. Being Large is not all that fun if it means fighting 2-3 opponents at a time and everyone and their brother throws spears at you. Mix in reach weapons and that could easily be 4-5 NPCs melee attacking the same PC in a 10' corridor.

 

[SweeneyTodd]

Here's what I'd do:

I'd tell the player, 'Hey, you got me, Improved Trip works really well. So well that it's probably going to end up looking obvious that I'm contriving enemies that are immune to it. Then you'll get irritated, and we'll get in an arms race, and so on.

"So I'm just going to tell you: You win. You figured out how to apply the rules so effectively that it kind of makes it not fun for me. Would you be up for maybe trying something different with your character, so we don't end up with Mr. Trip Man being the focus of every adventure?"

I wouldn't be that snarky, but that's basically how I'd handle it. I mean seriously, the player "won", in that he is making you change the adventure to make it a challenge. Maybe if you just acknowledge him for it, he'll do something more interesting and mix up his tactics.

 

[Khorod]

You can't surrender without a houserule.

I think many of the suggestions on this thread are very good. The trick is not to make it overly blatant.

 

[Arkhandus]

I've used minions to try to protect my BBEG, and also had once BBEG with boots of levitation. They've also fought BBEGs of the four-or-more legs variety which negates tripping.

It doesn't negate tripping, it just adds +4 to their opposed Strength or Dexterity check to remain standing. You can trip a giant spider or a centaur or whatnot; even if you can't reach all its legs, you only need to make its front legs slip so it falls on its face, and the rest'll likely slip down in the process; or you swing/push upward and knock it onto its' back; or you smack it sideways to land on its flank.

Other than those, any other suggestions for the best ways to keep my BBEGs alive a little longer? I don't want to totally nerf this player's choice of Improved Trip, and I especially don't want to cheese out and use a lot of levitating and flying opponents. I'm looking for some tactical advice to help spice up my combats a little so this Kensai player doesn't just completely dominate every combat.

Use enemies that have Improved Trip. And/or reach weapons. Or, y'know, enemies who are good at grappling. That Enlarged, polearm-wielding fellow isn't going to get much use out of tripping nor big weapons when he's struggling to avoid being swallowed by a behir, or wrestling with a particularly muscular ogre, or being pinned by a dire bear, or grappled and eviscerated by a half-fiendish advanced tiger. Or an advanced, half-dragon displacer beast. Or whatever.

Have enemies cast Dispel Magic on the Kensai, or simply ready a counterspell action against the mage who Enlarges him. Have enemies use Soften Earth and Stone, or Stone Shape, or similar spells to turn the ground beneath the Kensai to thick, deep mud, or a very deep, wide, smooth pit. Send enemies to sunder the Kensai's halberd (if it's magic though, the player may get seriously ticked off if his weapon breaks). Have enemies disarm the Kensai with Improved Disarm and a big weapon (like a troll wielding a (3.5)Large spiked chain).

Send enemies to bull rush the Kensai into a corner or a pit trap or some quicksand. Cast Entangle or Web over the Kensai's area, and in case the Kensai has already engaged the BBEG, make sure that the BBEG has high Reflex saves to avoid the effect and slip away as the Kensai struggles. Use Summon Monster or Summon Nature's Ally spells to swarm the Kensai with small but nasty buggers that appear right around the Kensai, and have them harass him (maybe weasels or dire weasels so they can Attach and cause him gradual damage until he wastes some of his turns pulling off the nuisances with grapple checks, instead of him spending those rounds hacking at the BBEG). Use Evard's Black Tentacles to tie up the Kensai.

Give enemies the Prone Attack feat and Combat Expertise or something to always keep their AC high, so when the Kensai trips them they just evade his attacks at a reasonable rate, and then strike at him with Combat Expertise inactive to hit him with a high-attack-bonus strike of some sort, springing freely to their feat in the process due to Prone Attack. Give 'em the Knockdown feat so when they deal the Kensai 10+ damage, they get a free trip attempt against him as part of the attack, or give 'em some feat that bull rushes the Kensai when they cause him such damage.

Just don't go overboard with this. {:^D
And remember that a prone creature can still attack or move normally (though I don't think they can run), so just have them back away once they fall down, then get up outside the Kensai's reach, and attack him with a ranged weapon or something (or maybe just quaff a healing potion). Your enemies can defend themselves without annoying the Kensai player too much by casting Blur, Displacement, Mirror Image, Blink, or the like just before he can start his attack routines. There are a few core rules magic items that do this sort of thing for anyone who wears them and knows the command word.

 

[Jdvn1]

And remember that a prone creature can still attack or move normally (though I don't think they can run)

I think they move at half-movement and provoke AoO's or something.

 

[Testament]

<SNIP!>Use enemies that have Improved Trip. And/or reach weapons. Or, y'know, enemies who are good at grappling. That Enlarged, polearm-wielding fellow isn't going to get much use out of tripping nor big weapons when he's struggling to avoid being swallowed by a behir, or wrestling with a particularly muscular ogre, or being pinned by a dire bear, or grappled and eviscerated by a half-fiendish advanced tiger. Or an advanced, half-dragon displacer beast. Or whatever.
[...]
Send enemies to bull rush the Kensai into a corner or a pit trap or some quicksand. Cast Entangle or Web over the Kensai's area, and in case the Kensai has already engaged the BBEG, make sure that the BBEG has high Reflex saves to avoid the effect and slip away as the Kensai struggles. Use Summon Monster or Summon Nature's Ally spells to swarm the Kensai with small but nasty buggers that appear right around the Kensai, and have them harass him (maybe weasels or dire weasels so they can Attach and cause him gradual damage until he wastes some of his turns pulling off the nuisances with grapple checks, instead of him spending those rounds hacking at the BBEG). Use Evard's Black Tentacles to tie up the Kensai.

I like these suggestions. An enemy with Freedom of Movement cast on himself and an Evard's Black Tentacles or Web spell could really sort him out, without being "grudge monster"ish