Improved Unarmed Strike

[iamtheend]

Alright I have a few questions about a IUA. I'm playing a Monk and I have been thinking about the advantages of this feat.

So a lot of attacks such as Grapple, Trip, and Disarm use Unarmed Touch attacks that provoke Attacks of Opportunity. Grappling especially allows you to deal Unarmed damage if you are successfully make your check. So aren't these AoO's being provoked by the assumption of unarmed attacks without IUA?

1.) So what I'm asking is could someone with IUA avoid these AoO's by doing these special attacks? (Edit: As in Make Special attacks without Improved Grapple for example and not have an opponent gain an AoO)

A little less off the main topic I am curious to know about these.

2.) If I have Weapon Finesse or Intuitive Attack can I use those mods instead of Str? (Edit: For the opposed Check like Str on a Grapple or Trip)

3.) Can someone still make AoO's while prone? I wouldn't mind taking Improved Trip and my free attack is tearing their weapon from their hands and placed into mine.

 

[Dandu]

Yes.

 

[iamtheend]

Will Uncanny dodge negate losing my Dex to other people other than the target I'm grappling?

 

[Jimlock]

A Monk ([MENTION=98256]kitcik[/MENTION]) in room 4563 please!

 

[iamtheend]

Yes.

I would love to just apply Yes to everything but I'm worried this isn't 100% intended to be helpful haha.

 

[Wyvernhand]

1) If you have Improved Grapple, and you attempt to start a grapple with someone, you would not provoke an AoO regardless of whether or not you had Improved Unarmed Strike. Likewise with initiating a trip. It doesn't really matter for you, as a Monk, since you get IUAS as a bonus feat at level 1.

2) No. Grapple actions are NOT attack actions. Those feats only apply to attack actions. You can oppose a grapple check with an Escape Artist check, which does bring your Dex into play, but otherwise no. You can oppose a trip check with your Dex, but that is because it explicitly allows you to, and only for opposing trips, not for initiating trips.

3) Yes. You can make an AoO any time one is provoked unless something says you can't. If you are denied your action via Stun, Daze, or Paralysis, for example, you can't make an AoO. If you are not armed (and thus don't threaten), you can't make an AoO. If you trip someone, and they try to stand up, you can take your AoO to attempt to disarm them, but you can't trip them, since they are already prone (AoOs happen immediately BEFORE the action that triggers them, with some exceptions).

 

[iamtheend]

I feel that my first question was misunderstood so I'll go edit it in a second. What I'm asking is since I have IUA can I make special Attacks such as Improved Grapple and Improved trip without provoking AoO's on myself logic being they're unarmed attacks to initiate.

 

[Wyvernhand]

No. Each feat applies to its own maneuver. If you trip someone with Imp Trip but don't have IUAS, you still don't provoke. If you reverse it so that you have IUAS but don't have Imp Trip, you'd provoke. Thats just the way the rules work, and a major flaw in the "Improved X" line of combat features. Especially Grapple, since a sucessful hit on the AoO provoked from starting a grapple automatically causes the grapple to fail.

 

[Dandu]

I would love to just apply Yes to everything but I'm worried this isn't 100% intended to be helpful haha.

Just the last one, unfortunately.

 

[iamtheend]

If you read the text of the feats you can see my line of logic and to argue your point the Improved Trip and Improved Grapple also grant bonuses to their checks. They are provoking AoO's to what seems to be from being Unarmed.

Using a Weapon to Trip or Disarm doesn't provoke AoO's so being Armed when Unarmed also helps me argue this.