Disarming a Holy Symbol

[Quidam]

Since it's not a weapon, a disarm attempt vs. a holy symbol would use the Strike Object rules, right? (weilder's dex bonus, +5 to ac for being in hand)

How have you played this out? Often the symbol is attached to a chain or something, and the goal is not to destroy, just to unhand. Destroying would just use the Strike Object rules straight up, I'd think.

 

[JChung2003]

I believe the Player's Handbook or perhaps the Dungeon Master's Guide had an example similar to this, something about Mialee trying to prevent Lidda from using her lock picks to open a trapped chest or something like that. It was in the opposed checks section, and it was treated as an opposed Strength check (which is similar to but not the same as opposed attack rolls).

 

[Quidam]

The more I look into this, the harder I'm finding it to adjuticate.

Since it's not a proper disarm- there can't be an opposed attack roll with a non-weapon- and it's not really a strike object- not trying to damage the object- I'm trying to mix the rules for both somehow.

An opposed roll makes sense. So a Strike Object roll against the items AC (10 + 5 for being in hand + Weilder's Dex Bonus) and if it hits, an opposed Strength check.

In normal disarm, there's a bonus for size difference. Do you think that would apply here as well? A large weapon (another wrinkle- is a large creature's natural weapon large? in this case i'd think it would be, as it's got reach) would be two sizes bigger than a holy symbol. So there'd be +8 to the roll.

Then I guess there'd be a Break DC for whatever the symbol is fastened to... Can't be that high if it's worn comfortably around the neck.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Make the usual disarm stuff, but the defender only makes a melee attack (he cannot use his magical weapon bonus or weapon focus bonus cause you cannot focus your keen holy symbol +2....) and gets -4 for using an improvised weapon. Also, you get a penalty cause the object is rather small.

 

[cerberus2112]

I think there was a disarm attack with a whip against a material component in one of the WotC Gamestoppers articles way back. Worth looking through their archives?