Tripping while wielding weapons

[Caliban]

Tripping is an "Unarmed melee touch attack." It also "provokes an attack of opportunity from your target as normal for unarmed strikes." So far, you seem to be correct. However, under Avoiding Attacks of Opportunity it states "If you have the Improved Trip feat, or you are tripping with a weapon you don't provoke an attack of opportunity for making a trip attack." - Pages 158-9 in the PHB.

It clearly states how you can avoid the AoO, and Improved Unarmed Strike is not one of the ways mentioned. I DO understand your argument, however, as written, I can't find the rules to back your statement.

- Kemrain the Axiomatic.

It's odd that you can't find them, since you quoted the rules yourself.

It's pretty simple. Tripping unarmed provokes as normal for unarmed strikes. It explicitly states that it's a unarmed strike. Having Improved Unarmed Strike allows you to make an unarmed strike without provoking an AoO.

Therefore, Improved Unarmed Strike allows you to make an unarmed Trip attack without provoking an AoO, as per the rules for making an unarmed strike. Improved Trip just allows you to get a +4 on your opposed Str/Dex roll in addition to that.

The examples under "avoiding AoO's" is not an exhaustive list.

"As Written" it works the way I said it did.

 

[Camarath]

However, under Avoiding Attacks of Opportunity it states "If you have the Improved Trip feat, or you are tripping with a weapon you don't provoke an attack of opportunity for making a trip attack." - Pages 158-9 in the PHB.

It clearly states how you can avoid the AoO, and Improved Unarmed Strike is not one of the ways mentioned. I DO understand your argument, however, as written, I can't find the rules to back your statement.

I believe that feats take precedence over the general rules so the fact that Improved Unarmed Strike is not listed as a way to avoid the AoO from making an unarmed attack while attempting a trip under the Trip entry does not prevent it from doing so since Improved Unarmed Strike says that it allows one to avoid the AoO from making an unarmed attack which is the reason give under Trip entry for the AoO.

It's pretty simple. Tripping unarmed provokes as normal for unarmed strikes. It explicitly states that it's a unarmed strike. Having Improved Unarmed Strike allows you to make an unarmed strike without provoking an AoO.

Therefore, Improved Unarmed Strike allows you to make an unarmed Trip attack without provoking an AoO, as per the rules for making an unarmed strike. Improved Trip just allows you to get a +4 on your opposed Str/Dex roll in addition to that.

I just want to point out that both the Trip and Improved Unarmed Strike deal with AoO form unarmed attacks rather than unarmed strikes (at least in the SRD).

"Making a Trip Attack: Make an unarmed melee touch attack against your target. This provokes an attack of opportunity from your target as normal for unarmed attacks."

"IMPROVED UNARMED STRIKE [GENERAL]
Benefit: You are considered to be armed even when unarmed —that is, you do not provoke attacks or opportunity from armed opponents when you attack them while unarmed."

 

[JimAde]

I believe that feats take precedence over the general rules so the fact that Improved Unarmed Strike is not listed as a way to avoid the AoO from making an unarmed attack while attempting a trip under the Trip entry does not prevent it from doing so since Improved Unarmed Strike says that it allows one to avoid the AoO from making an unarmed attack which is the reason give under Trip entry for the AoO.
I just want to point out that both the Trip and Improved Unarmed Strike deal with AoO form unarmed attacks rather than unarmed strikes (at least in the SRD).

"Making a Trip Attack: Make an unarmed melee touch attack against your target. This provokes an attack of opportunity from your target as normal for unarmed attacks."

"IMPROVED UNARMED STRIKE [GENERAL]
Benefit: You are considered to be armed even when unarmed —that is, you do not provoke attacks or opportunity from armed opponents when you attack them while unarmed."

So then, in your opinion, does having Improved Unarmed Strike also prevent AoO when you initiate a grapple?

 

[Camarath]

So then, in your opinion, does having Improved Unarmed Strike also prevent AoO when you initiate a grapple?

Grapple does not state that the AoO is because of an unarmed attack and does not state that Grab counts as an unarmed attack (it calls it a melee touch attack) thus I do not think that Improved Unarmed Strike would prevent the AoO from attempting to intiating a Grapple because the AoO does not appear to be because of one making an unarmed attack.

 

[JimAde]

Grapple does not state that the AoO is because of an unarmed attack and does not state that Grab counts as an unarmed attack (it calls it a melee touch attack) thus I do not think that Improved Unarmed Strike would prevent the AoO from attempting to intiating a Grapple because the AoO does not appear to be because of one making an unarmed attack.

Fair enough. I suspect the intent was that you need Improved Trip to avoid the AoO while tripping, but yours is a nice, tight interpretation of the rules and it may very well be right. Maybe they'll add a clarification to the FAQ.

 

[Camarath]

Fair enough. I suspect the intent was that you need Improved Trip to avoid the AoO while tripping, but yours is a nice, tight interpretation of the rules and it may very well be right. Maybe they'll add a clarification to the FAQ.

That may have been thier intention. But you do get more benefits from Improved Trip than from some of the other similar feats (such as Improved Bull Rush, Improved Disarm, Improved Grapple, Improved Overrun, and Improved Sunder) so perhaps they took the fact that Improved Unarmed Strike would allow one to avoid the AoO into account and added the additinal attack to compensate.