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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Artoomis" data-source="post: 3047139" data-attributes="member: 111">Well, no I am not saying I agree or not, but I at least understand what Danny is trying to say.The rules for weapon damage are in a different place that the rules for weapon special ability triggering.Thus even the same language (on a successful hit) might work differently depending upon context.I think that's what he is saying, more or less.Personally, I think the rules as written are a little messed up in this area and each DM need to decide what should happen You could, within the rules as written and exercising some DM judgment, rule that, on a Trip some combination of the below could happen (of course, if unarmed, a held Touch Attack charge will be triggered):1.  Base Weapon Damage (very inadvisable and seems contrary to intent for sure, but supported by a very strict reading of the rules)2.  Sneak Attack and other extra damage OTHER than from a magical weapon's special properties.3.  A Weapon's extra energy damage.4.  A weapon's other special properties such as Vorpal, Wounding, etc.  But note that ONLY Flaming, Frost and Shock contain "successful hit" language, though the "Burst" varieties of these function "as a<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f44e.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt="(n)" title="Thumbs down    (n)"  data-smilie="23"data-shortname="(n)" /> (energy) weapon that also explodes with (energy) upon striking a successful critical hit," so that it is reasonable to draw a line between the energy-type weapons properties and others.My personal opinion is that the base damage, as well as Sneak Attack and other examples of on-magical damage, do not occur on a Trip's Touch Attack.  This is a matter of common sense as much a rules-reading, but the energy damage from weapons is "different" and does indeed function on ANY successful hit in much the same way that Touch Attacks for spells works.For spells:Either you make a Touch Attack OR you make an unarmed attack.  On the Unarmed attack either you hot the full AC or you miss.I see a parallel here.  For Energy Weapons:Either you make a regular attack and hit or miss, or you make a Trip Touch Attack and, if you hit, the energy damage (only) happens.  Note that you cannot CHOOSE to make a Touch Attack with an Energy Weapon to get only the energy damage (even though this would make sense and generally be sub-optimal), there simply is no provision within the rules for doing so, but Trip gives you a Touch Attack as part of its mechanism for resolving the attack.</blockquote>

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