Rules Question: Disarms and Grabbing

[takyris]

1) If I have Combat Expertise or Power Attack Active, does the penalty on attack rolls apply to my opposed attack roll when being disarmed?

2) Having Improved Disarm means that I don't provoke an Attack of Opportunity while disarming. Do I provoke an Attack of Opportunity while making the check to Grab a Worn or Held Object, which says "See Disarming" and says that it provokes an AoO from the defender (which, if it hits, causes the attempt to fail)?

In my campaign, I have a martial artist who wants to grab people's swords from their sheaths. I'm trying to make sure that I don't ping him unfairly, but I also don't want it to be easier than it ought to be.

 

[Biohazard]

1) If I have Combat Expertise or Power Attack Active, does the penalty on attack rolls apply to my opposed attack roll when being disarmed?

The rules for Disarm (p.152) indicate that step 2 of a disarm attempt is that both parties make opposed melee attack rolls. Combat Expertise (p.81) allows a character to take up to a -5 penalty on attack rolls for that round to add the same number to Defense. SOOO, if a character, on his turn, chose to use his Combat Expertise feat, then he would suffer a -5 to *all* attack rolls for *one round*. If another character subsequently tried to disarm him, the -5 would apply to the original character's opposed attack roll. Power Attack (p.86) is slightly different; on a character's action he may opt to subtract *any* number from his own attack rolls for that round and add the same number to damage rolls (melee only). However, the text explicitly states that the penalty applies to attack rolls "for a round" (rather than an action) and that the penalty lasts "until your next action" (i.e. for the remainder of the round). Therefore, the penalty (whatever the player decides it is) would apply to *all* that player's melee attack rolls, including the opposed attack roll in response to a disarm attempt.

That's the long answer to your question. The short answer is, yes.

2) Having Improved Disarm means that I don't provoke an Attack of Opportunity while disarming. Do I provoke an Attack of Opportunity while making the check to Grab a Worn or Held Object, which says "See Disarming" and says that it provokes an AoO from the defender (which, if it hits, causes the attempt to fail)?

Grabbing a Worn or Held Object is treated as a Disarm attempt for AoO purposes (p.152). The only difference is that a successful AoO causes the attempt to fail (unlike a regular disarm attempt, in which you can soak up the damage of the AoO and continue to disarm; such as grabbing the opponent's sword even as it slices your hand ). However, since the Improved Disarm feat (p.84) eliminates the AoO to begin with, the distinction is irrelevant. In other words, you can grab a worn or held object and not face an AoO if you have Improved Disarm.