Attack Penalties and Opposed Rolls

[Philip]

I have always wondered how exactly one is supposed to handle opposed rolls with combat maneuvers such as Grapple and Disarm. What penalties does one apply to the roll? How often can one make an opposed roll?

For example: If you use Combat Expertise to lower your attack roll and raise your AC, does it have any effect on your opposed disarm roll or grapple check? If you have multiple iterative attacks and you use them to make disarm rolls or grapple checks, do you always use your highest bonus?

 

[kjenks]

Check out the old 3e Main FAQ. It answers part of your question on pages 45-46. The usual things that apply to melee attack rolls also apply to opposed attack rolls, including modifiers, natural 1/auto-fail and natural 20/auto-success.

This is supported in the main 3.5e FAQ in one place (grappling while prone, that -4 on grapple checks) and contradicted in another (Vow of Poverty).

But the PH says it pretty plain. A grapple check is like a melee attack roll. Same for disarm. You get iterative attacks based on BAB at decreasing bonuses, as usual. Your opponent's opposed roll stays at his maximum bonus, including his full BAB, Power Attack, Expertise, enhancement bonuses, etc.

 

[shilsen]

How often can one make an opposed roll?

No limit. As long as you are phyically capable of making opposed rolls, you can continue to do so. If 3,245 disarm attempts are made against you in a round, you get to make 3,245 opposed rolls.

For example: If you use Combat Expertise to lower your attack roll and raise your AC, does it have any effect on your opposed disarm roll or grapple check?

Since Combat Expertise says that "the change to attack rolls and Armor Class last until your next action", it will affect opposed disarm rolls made before your next action comes up. As for grapple checks, that depends on whether you think grapple checks are similar enough to attack rolls (a lot of people disagree about this).

If you have multiple iterative attacks and you use them to make disarm rolls or grapple checks, do you always use your highest bonus?

No. Your iterative attacks are lower, as usual. The defender, however, always uses his highest bonus.

 

[Philip]

Thank you for the answers. It does mean that using Combat Expertise and Fighting Defensively to defend yourself actually raises the chance you will be disarmed, but Total Defense does not, right?

 

[shilsen]

Thank you for the answers. It does mean that using Combat Expertise and Fighting Defensively to defend yourself actually raises the chance you will be disarmed, but Total Defense does not, right?

Correct. Total Defense simply prevents you from attacking, so there are no negatives to attack, and there are no negatives on opposed rolls one has to take while on Total Defense.