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Message: <blockquote data-quote="comrade raoul" data-source="post: 2543285" data-attributes="member: 554">One approach (and probably, I think, the best one) is just to treat blade locks at a higher level of abstaction -- you can simply say that part of why Strength helps you in combat, in the form of providing attack and damage bonuses, is that it helps you win blade locks when they come up.I've always noticed -- at least from movies, fighting games, and so forth -- that when blade locks came up, they were largely random. (Note that I think opposed attack rolls work best; Strength is still an issue, but I think it's the sort of thing that skill in combat, and even magical weapons, can be helpful with.) You might instead develop a rule like this, which captures the random nature of the events but is, I think, appropriately cinematic:ClashesWhen you make a melee attack against an opponent, and the result of your attack roll is exactly equal to your opponent's armor class, you and your opponent begin a clash. (Your blades lock, your weapon is caught by your opponent's shield or part of its natural armor, or something along those lines.) Both you and your opponent must use the next available move action to participate in the clash. The clash is not resolved until both participants have expended the requisite move action. Until this has occured, both participants are denied their Dexterity bonus to their Armor Class, and neither participant can take any action.When it is time to resolve a clash, you and your opponent make opposed attack rolls. If the result is a tie, the clash continues until both participants have expended another move action; neither participant can take any other action until this occurs. Otherwise, the clash ends, and the winner of the opposed attack roll may immediately make an attack of opportunity against the loser, and can opt to initiate a bull rush against him as a free action. The loser of a clash is unbalanced; he is denied his Dexterity modifier and cannot act until he spends his next available standard action recovering his balance.</blockquote>

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