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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6884498" data-attributes="member: 4937">Example Stunt Resolutions, part 1Example Stunt Resolutions1)    “I run toward the melee jump up on the table and swing my great axe in an arc at all three orcs!”<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    Treat this as a charge.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    A running jump on to a table is of low DC.  Don’t test it unless the character is lacking in the heroic department when it comes to jumping.  Being on the table and thus the higher ground gives a +1 circumstance modifier ‘to hit’.  We don’t need to balance that because the advantage obtained is small and the player’s position up on the table has natural disadvantages in making himself a target or even opening himself up to stunts like knocking him off the table.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    Wanting to make a single attack on all three orcs is similar to what would be allowed by feats in the Cleave tree.  If the character is a typical low level fighter with 16 STR, but neither Power Attack nor Cleave, then just to have a chance of cleaving involves breaking two rules.  Set a DC of 20 for minimally succeeding, tested against the character’s strength.  On failure, the character will draw an attack of opportunity from one of the orcs, which is balanced against what the player wants to achieve (additional attacks).   Remember, even if he succeeds in his stunt, the player still has to hit and drop the orc to make a second attack.  If you are generous, a success of 25 or better can be treated as a Great Cleave.  </li> </ul>Total Results: +3 to hit, -2 to AC for one round, and on a DC 20 strength treat the character as having Cleave for one round.  On failure, the character draws an attack of opportunity as a result of his clumsy reckless attack.  If the character had power attack, but not cleave, the DC should be 15.2)    “I jump on the bulette’s back and begin stabbing it in the neck.”<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    As previously mentioned, this seemingly complex stunt is at its heart no more than specifying a clinch maneuver in natural language.  Handling this maneuver is covered in great detail in the rules for the clinch maneuver.  As mentioned within the clinch rules, the nature of this proposition makes it particularly suited for allowing the player to substitute his climb skill for his BAB when attempting the maneuver.  Walk the PC through the elements of a clinch if they are unfamiliar with the rules.  In particular, the player of a rogue or similar character may wish to resolve “stabbing it in the neck” as the standard maneuver to go after the vitals as described in those rules, rather than risking a stunt in order to achieve advantage on attacks in this situation.   </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    Called shots are generally not recommended in D&D rules or other rules with generally abstract wounds, as they quickly become imbalanced.  In many cases, just being in the clinch is enough to represent this situation, but if it would be of some advantage to the player to risk it “stabbing the creature in the neck” can be resolved in this as if they had a feat such as “Chink in the Armor”.  Allow the character to make a combat maneuver check against DC 25 (assuming that they lack prerequisites, less if they are nearly qualified for such a feat).  Depending on the character, in this situation you could also test Ride or Climb.  Remember when deciding what to test, to highlight what a character is actually good at.  On success, allow them to attack as if they had the “Chink in the armor Feat”.  On failure, assume the character slide off the beasts back while they tried to line up their weapon, and as such the attack automatically failed and the clinch has been broken.  </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    Alternatively, you could allow a character to resolve “stabbing the creature in the neck” as breaking the rule that you have to be in a clinch for at least around before you can attack the vitals.  Note this normally requires an opposed check, so the DC should be not less than 5 more than what the character would face attempting another opposed check.  Again, if the check fails, the appropriate penalty is that in the character’s haste they lost their grip and the clinch has been broken. </li> </ul>Total Results: If the clinch is successful the player will generally be at +4 to hit and +4 to AC until the clinch is broken.  If they pass a combat maneuver check, the AC of the Bulette will be reduced by 6 versus a single attack.  If they fail, the attack and the clinch has been wasted.In general, the clinch maneuver can be used to handle a wide variety of situations of similar flavor.  All of the following could be examples of clinches:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    Two fencers locking swords, and proceeding to attack each other with their main gauche.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    A pair of sows tossing each other to stay away from the others tusks.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    A dwarf charging in and fighting nimbly beneath the feet of a frost giant while it flails wildly at the ground.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    A Halfling clamoring up an ogre to stab him in the chest.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    A pugilist clinching another boxer and then launching short swift uppercuts into his belly and jaw.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    An elf pulling off a stunt where he runs up the chain of giant troll’s flail, then balances on his back to fire arrows into its skull.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    A warrior mounting an unwilling griffin and then hacking at his wings.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    A pack of rats covering a character by scrambling up his legs.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    A stirge landing nimbly on a character’s back in order to drink blood.</li> </ul>3)    “I hurl myself off the balcony and land feet first on the assassin.”<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    There are two basic elements of this stunt.  The easier part is dealing with the jump off the balcony, which requires only player have sufficient jump skill to clear the intended distance, and is able to make a successful attack.  As usual, it’s a good idea to treat this sequence as a reckless charge attack, applying appropriate modifiers to hit and penalties to AC.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    The harder part of this stunt is dealing with the damage inflicted as a consequence of a person landing on them, as well as dealing with the damage potentially inflicted on the person who made the jump.  The easiest solution is to simply treat this as normal falling damage, and apply the possibility of damage symmetrically to both the one that fell and the target.   If you wish to encourage this sort of thing, you can allow the leaping character to reduce their falling damage with jump and tumble checks as normal.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">   It's worth noting that the DM doesn't have to add any additional negative stake to a stunt like this: the risks on failure when attempting a stunt like this are pretty straight forward and are already implicitly staked by the player's proposition.  If the player fails, he's not only going to do nothing to his foe, but he will still have to deal with the consequences of having fallen, and he may well draw an attack of opportunity from his foe if the foe is in any way alert to the danger. </li> </ul>Total Results:  Treat this as a reckless charge, as if the character was both charging and using an offensive fighting stance, which for most characters means a +4 to hit and -6 penalty to AC.  Ignore the jump check unless it is not trivial, and allow the character to make an unarmed attack on the target.  If successful, the attack inflicts bonus damage equal to the damage that the leaping character would take in falling that distance.  Normally, a creature is treated as yielding ground.  The leaping character also may take damage from the fall, but may mitigated the damage with tumble or jump checks since the fall is controlled.  Note that if the character feather falls or employs some other extraordinary means of slowing the fall, no bonus damage should be inflicted!If the target is prepared for the attack, and sets a weapon such as a spear or if the character draws an attack of opportunity, the DM is justified in applying bonus damage to the leaping character just as if he was falling onto spikes or a spear... because that is just what is happening.4)    “I leap off the back of the wagon, and tackle the hobgoblin rider off his horse.”<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Fundamentally, this is just a variation of example #3 above, and all the same discussion applies to it. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The only additional complexity is that the character is not attempting a standard attack, but is attempting to 'trip' the foe off of their horse so as to dismount them.  Apply the rules for dismounting a rider normally as described under the trip maneuver.  Alternately, you could treat this as an Overrun maneuver, if the attacker prefers and is eligible for such a maneuver; however, unless the attacker has Improved Overrun, the rider has the opportunity to just evade such a clumsy attack.</li> </ul>5)    “I yank on the carpet the two robbers are standing on.”<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    At the core of this stunt is simply a standard combat maneuver, which in this case is an attempt to trip an opponent.  </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">    The only thing that makes it unusual is the unusual weapon with which the attack is being made, which is a rug.  But this can be handled rather simply by noting that the rug is just an improvised weapon which has the unusual property of attacking one or more opponents at the same time.  If the rug is sufficiently large, the trip can be attempted without drawing an attack of opportunity.  Simply apply a -4 penalty to the player’s combat maneuver check.  Targets that fail to resist are tripped.  To give a color of realism, apply a -2 circumstance penalty per character on the rug beyond the first to account for the increased weight.  Likewise, you may want to apply a penalty if the rug is rather unsuited to the trick owing to its size or other features.</li> </ul>Total Results: Allow the player to make a ranged trip attack against both targets with a -6 penalty on the player's combat maneuver check.</blockquote>

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