Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
ShortQuests -- Pocket Sized Adventures! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed for 1-2 game sessions.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 1392647" data-attributes="member: 3146">You're correct that the core rules don't state that you can't trip a prone creature. However, they do say that the consequence of being tripped is that you become prone. If you are already prone, then tripping you doesn't change anything and therefore it does no good.My own version of the argument hinges on the rules not saying anything about the move action "stand from prone" being interrupted by a successful AoO. Premise 1: When you provoke the AoO for standing, you have not finished the action and are therefore still prone (granting the opponent +4 to the AoO).Premise 2: If successful, a trip attack on the prone person renders them prone. (Changing nothing).Premise 3: The rules don't specify that any interruption can prevent the "stand from prone" action from having its effect (namely that you are no longer prone).Therefore, if you provoke an AoO by standing from prone, you will be hit (and possibly tripped) while you are still prone. Then, whether or not you were tripped since tripping you changed nothing, you become standing when you finish your "stand up from prone" move action.As far as I see this, it's a pedantic argument that is probably logically correct according to a strict interpretation of the rules, but, much more importantly, is necessary for the sake of game balance. Considering that the likelihood of a well constructed tripping character succeeding in the trip check approaches 80% in a lot of typical situations, and that it's impossible to even live with being tripped and attack a tripping character from the ground if he has more reach than you do (thanks to a reach weapon+enlarge person or just one or the other of those if you're an ordinary mortal), something is necessary to prevent Improved Trip from simply becoming an "I win" card that lets Mary full attack Joe at +4 every round without Joe being able to do anything.It would have been much easier and better (and wouldn't have required technically correct but somewhat silly arguments) if they'd stuck with 3.0's ruling that standing up from prone does NOT provoke an AoO.</blockquote>

Verification