AoO Bonus to ATK after tripping with IT

[fromthemargin]

I have a unique situation. I have taken Deft Opportunist which gives me +4 to ATK on an AoO, and I have the Bracers of Opportunity which give a +2 on AoO. In addition I have a spiked chain and have taken Improved Trip.

I want to know, when I take an AoO and choose to trip instead of attack, succeed on my trip, and thus gain the ability to attack from my Improved Trip feat, do I still get the +6 bonus from Deft Opportunist and Bracers of Opportunity.

My basis for this is that with Improved Trip, the trip and the attack after a successful trip are actually one action. The trip attempt is an attempt to hit the touch AC, if you can't do that, you would never be able to hit the opponent's regular AC, thus you only get the opportunity to make the attack if you first succeed with the trip attempt. The attack is simply made on your withdrawal of your weapon after you attack. I see this as being perfectly clear, however my party members do not, and I will need some help to make my DM see it my way.

Help me understand why or why not my point is valid!

"The Enemy is in front of us, the enemy is behind us, the enemy is to the left and right of us....They're not getting away this time!" -Some Dead General

 

[Vegepygmy]

I want to know, when I take an AoO and choose to trip instead of attack, succeed on my trip, and thus gain the ability to attack from my Improved Trip feat, do I still get the +6 bonus from Deft Opportunist and Bracers of Opportunity.

Well, you definitely get the +4 bonus for Deft Opportunist. And unless the description for the Bracers of Opportunity has some language suggesting otherwise, you probably get the +2 for them as well.

Improved Trip
If you trip an opponent in melee combat, you immediately get a melee attack against that opponent as if you hadn't used your attack for the trip attempt.

If you hadn't used your AoO to make the trip attempt, you'd have gotten a +4 on whatever other kind of melee attack roll you made due to your Deft Opportunist feat. It's just that simple.

 

[frankthedm]

Well, you definitely get the +4 bonus for Deft Opportunist. And unless the description for the Bracers of Opportunity has some language suggesting otherwise, you probably get the +2 for them as well.

Improved Trip
If you trip an opponent in melee combat, you immediately get a melee attack against that opponent as if you hadn't used your attack for the trip attempt.

If you hadn't used your AoO to make the trip attempt, you'd have gotten a +4 on whatever other kind of melee attack roll you made due to your Deft Opportunist feat. It's just that simple.

I argue that text is there to give you the ability to make the attack. Otherwise this means you can claim the +20 bonus from true strike, first on the trip, then on the follow up attack from improved trip AND can claim the bonus attacks during a whirlwind attack even though whirlwind itself specifies extra attacks, including from feats, are lost.

edit; Though maybe lack of sleep has me mixing apples with oranges...

 

[Hypersmurf]

I argue that text is there to give you the ability to make the attack. Otherwise this means you can claim the +20 bonus from true strike, first on the trip, then on the follow up attack from improved trip AND can claim the bonus attacks during a whirlwind attack even though whirlwind itself specifies extra attacks, including from feats, are lost.

I'd say that you get the bonus from Deft Opportunist and the Bracers, since the melee attack is as if you had not used the attack to trip - so it is still the AoO.

I'd say you get to make the melee attack following a trip during the Whirlwind Attack, since it is not an extra attack - it is an attack made as if the original attack had not been used to trip, so from the point of view of Whirlwind Attack, no extra attack is made.

I'd say you would get the +20 bonus from True Strike, had the spell not already discharged. From the point of view of the spell, were it still in effect, the follow-up melee attack would still be 'your next attack', since it is made as if the trip attack had not been made... but the spell is not in effect, because it has already discharged, and therefore is unable to give the bonus.

-Hyp.

 

[fromthemargin]

Trip Bonus

What happens to the bonus I might get from the Exotic Weapon Master PrC, Exotic Weapon Stunt "Trip Attack" which gives "a +2 bonus on any trip attempt". That bonus shouldn't apply to the attacks following a trip correct?

 

[Hypersmurf]

What happens to the bonus I might get from the Exotic Weapon Master PrC, Exotic Weapon Stunt "Trip Attack" which gives "a +2 bonus on any trip attempt". That bonus shouldn't apply to the attacks following a trip correct?

You're not using the attack to trip, so no.

-Hyp.

 

[fromthemargin]

Prone penalty

If you successfully perform the trip, then do your attack, your opponent doesn't get the penalty for being prone, since it is "as if the trip attack had never happened" right?

 

[Hypersmurf]

If you successfully perform the trip, then do your attack, your opponent doesn't get the penalty for being prone, since it is "as if the trip attack had never happened" right?

He is prone. Your attack is made as if you hadn't used the original attack to trip, but that doesn't change that your opponent is prone.

-Hyp.