Are there rules for monsters that throw you?

[Noumenon]

I think it would be great and dynamic if monsters that grappled you could pick you up and throw you against the wall. Like in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this makes the monster seem really powerful and looks painful but it does allow you a chance to regroup. Any rules for it anywhere?

 

[freyar]

The monster feat Snatch has rules for just such a thing. It's in the SRD and MM.

 

[Noumenon]

Thanks! Never seen a monster that has that. I think supernaturally strong monsters like vampires should be able to get it without the prerequisite of "Huge"... so I'll just give it to them. The important part is how far you go and how much damage you take.

 

[krupintupple]

*read below, double post*

 

[krupintupple]

i'm not too sure about just handing out a feat like that to 'all' vampires. given they have a strength bonus of +6, but half dragons have +8 and werebears have +16. what this boils down to is that a 'commoner' vampire is going to have a strength of 17 at best. while strong, that's not exactly 'pick someone up and hurl them against the wall 15 feet away' territory.

what you could feasibly do, is add the requirements of snatch "Size huge or larger, or Strength 27 if smaller than Huge" but this presents its own pitfalls as PCs could easily get the required strength and then begin using your own tactics directly back at you.

perhaps looking into the Tome of Battle, as it has a school of martial philosophy called 'Setting Sun' that deals with throwing, tripping and hurling your opponents all over the battlefield. that way you could make it scary and cinematic, without overdoing it.

given that the snatch feat has the following to say about damage:

A flung creature travels 1d6 × 10 feet, and takes 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet traveled.

things could get pretty harsh for your players if all of a sudden, every Strength 17 through 21 Vampire is suddenly able to fling them upwards of 60 feet away.
furthermore, your PCs are going to want to eventually use the same abilities and if they meet the strength requirement, the game may start to get downright silly, especially once someone makes a monk/fighter who specializes in throwing every single challenge you pit them against 60 feet away

 

[Angrydad]

I like the idea and have used it in my own campaign, but it's usually been an ad-hoc thing when I want to add drama. However, the Stone Giant in the party is now a Hulking Hurler prestige class with a Strength of something like 40, so he's started flinging smaller enemies off cliffs and occasionally the heavily armed dwarf at baddies. Yes, it's the "Fastball Special" that Colossus and Wolverine do. Awesome.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

One approach would be to simply "flavor-text" the bull rush rules. All you're really doing is moving a PC, and exactly how you do it isn't the important part.

There is a feat some monsters have called awesome blow - which knocks a creature back when you hit it with a slam (see the Remorhaz, I think, for an example). That would also qualify.

 

[Noumenon]

I guess vampires aren't the "big bads" in D&D that they are in the Buffyverse. I'll check out the Tome of Battle. I enjoyed how 4th edition lets you shove people around the battlefield.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

I guess vampires aren't the "big bads" in D&D that they are in the Buffyverse. I'll check out the Tome of Battle. I enjoyed how 4th edition lets you shove people around the battlefield.

I like that, too Setting Sun from ToB is a great way to replicate that feel in 3.5.

 

[blargney the second]

Knockback from Races of Stone is fun. I've given it to strong, medium-sized monsters and it worked out great.