Can you trip as an AoO?

[Hypersmurf]

So is the text.

Not necessarily. I could interpret the text in about four different ways, and a couple of them agree with the table.

The table is unambiguous

-Hyp.

 

[hong]

Not necessarily. I could interpret the text in about four different ways, and a couple of them agree with the table.

The text is identical to that for disarming, tripping and grappling. It's unambiguous.

 

[Darklone]

Another example of different printings, Hong. My book states it's a Standard action to Strike a weapon...

 

[Caliban]

Another example of different printings, Hong. My book states it's a Standard action to Strike a weapon...

Well, your book is wrong. Hong has spoken.

 

[hong]

Well, your book is wrong. Hong has spoken.

That's strange. I didn't know WABBIT season started so early this year.

 

[Gwarok]

What is it you have against sundering and disarming? IMO they would be very remiss not to include rules on such things.

 

[hong]

What is it you have against sundering and disarming? IMO they would be very remiss not to include rules on such things.

In a nutshell, these are forms of "called shots". They bypass the hit point mechanic, which is one of the main forms that D&D uses to represent combat skill. They thus become a way of getting cheap kills, as shown by the number of times that they get trotted out as tactics against tough opponents. It should not be easier to smash someone's sword than it is to kill them, but at high levels, that's often the case.

 

[Tellerve]

I kinda disagree, i think if someone had a sword and I just whaled at the sword it would be easier to hit. I know it seemed a lot easier to hit someones sword in the fencing I took. And I agree that the game would pretty much suck if you couldn't disarm, trip, sunder, grapple, etc. etc. all these interesting different tactics. Just walk up and swat at each other until we run out of hit points? No thanks.

Tellerve

 

[Skinwalker]

What Tellerve said, plus:

Sunder and Disarm serve as an equalizer against weapon focus and weapon specialization and improved critical and a bunch of other feats that when taken together allow a character to become nigh unto a god (ok, so this is a little bit of exaggeration) with one particular weapon. The price is - once in a while this one-weapon specialist may meet an opponent capable of removing their weapon from the equation.

Sunder and Disarm bring versatility and tactics back into the equation. Without them (and other combat maneuvers), the bottom line when two fighters go toe-to-toe is who has the highest str and the most hp's. Sometimes, the clever fighter should be able to win out over a stronger, tougher opponent.

Personally, I love using these maneuvers against munchiny combos of various weapon damage add-ons (ala the ol' Corrosive, Flaming Burst, Shocking, Sonic sword). Nothing like seeing the look when their favorite toy, the one that they sank every last cp into getting enchanted, gets taken away.

 

[hong]

I kinda disagree, i think if someone had a sword and I just whaled at the sword it would be easier to hit. I know it seemed a lot easier to hit someones sword in the fencing I took.

In fencing, you're typically not trying to kill the other guy, nor break his sword. Love taps don't count.

And I agree that the game would pretty much suck if you couldn't disarm, trip, sunder, grapple, etc. etc. all these interesting different tactics. Just walk up and swat at each other until we run out of hit points? No thanks.

The strength of D&D's combat system is in handling encounters between _groups_ of combatants. It's great for, say, 5 PCs coming up against a dozen orcs with a demon backing them up. That's where the tactical decisions come in: move up and attack the demon, and risk getting isolated, or engage the orcs and let the demon throw spells around? Charge up and hack at the nearest bad guy, in hopes of cleaving, or hang back and let the other PCs back you up? And so on. It's not so great for individual stunts like carving initials, spinning people's blades out of their grasp, doing judo throws, or whatnot.