Aid Other as an attack action

[Zaruthustran]

Aid Other is a cool effect that is seldom used. I have a proposed house rule that might result in it appearing more often, and set up interesting options for characters with multiple attacks.

Make Aid Other an attack action, just like Sunder or Disarm. The bonuses stack.

It's a good choice for the last iterative attack. Or it can be used by a flurrying monk to give a very significant bonus to a comrade.

I mean, doesn't it make sense that someone with three or four or six attacks per round should be able to give more than a single +2? In those cases, Aid Other as a standard action is just silly.

Example 1:
A mid-level monk with a staff flurries at a blackguard, knocking his blade up and to the side, banging his shield way out of line, and planting a shot square in the forehead of the helmet. No damage, but the blackguard is wide open for the monk's paladin buddy (total of +6 to the paladin's attack roll).

Example 2:
Whenever the owlbear rears back to strike, Johan's two swords are there, flashing in it's face, beating back at claws, and confounding the creature's attempts to shred Adept Renald (total of +6 to the wizard's AC).

Example 3:
After piercing his opponent in the thigh and shoulder, Captain Jake Swallow places his blade against his foe's, ready to parry (regular attack for first two iteratives, then Aid Other to self for +2 AC).

Those changes are fun, and give melee characters a viable option to buff their buddies. What say ye?

-z

 

[Ilium]

It sounds interesting. As an example, let's look at my current 10th-level group.

There's a greataxe-wielding dwarf with Power Attack. He can dish out some serious damage. There's also a TWF fighter who gets three attacks a round. If she does a full attack and hits twice (pretty typical) she does about 20-25 damage. If she instead does a full Aid Another, allowing the dwarf to power attack 6 more than he would have, and he hits twice, that's 24 extra points of damage. Balances nicely in this case.

There's also a bard/rogue who's next to useless in melee, but has a high enough BAB to get two attacks. If he did this, he'd add +4 to the dwarf's attack, letting him do an extra 16 points of damage in the round (assuming he hit twice). Significantly better than the damage he would normally do himself.

Hmm... interesting.

 

[Stalker0]

I think its a good idea, anything that promotes teamwork and smart play is a good idea.

If some feel this is too good, one option might be to make every additional aid attempt after the first one in a round adds +2 to the difficulty.

So first aid = AC 10
2nd = AC 12
3rd = AC 14, etc

 

[Kmart Kommando]

I like the idea. IH and Tome of Battle make full attacks less likely to be needed for good combat options. This seems balanced to me, and promotes teamwork, rather than 'who can do the most damage?' Also, the add 2 to the AC target per additional attempt, maybe it should be add 4.

 

[Stalker0]

Also, the add 2 to the AC target per additional attempt, maybe it should be add 4.

Well the difficult is already going up in the fact you iterative attacks have a lower attack bonus than your previous ones.

 

[ValhallaGH]

Something else that may help is to add in the option to scale your Aid bonus. Increase the DC of Aid by five to add +1 to the bonus. However, if you don't hit the new DC then you don't grant any bonus at all.

So a DC 25 attack roll would give your ally a +5 to his AC. Easy on your first swing but (usually) very difficult on your fourth. It also helps in those "he hits me on a 5+" situaitons.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Not quite what you have going, but one of my house rules is that Aid another allows you to be considered a Flanking ally for one of your freinds instead of the normal bonus to hit...{you only count as flanking for one ally per round}

Having it be an attack option that stack is....interesting...