Inspired by another thread, I've spent a lot of time doing DND combat strategy with tactics like disarm and bullrush. I thought I'd post some of my ideas here for people to discuss. Most of them require a little flexiblility in the rules, not usually a house rule but a little interpertation.
1) Moving people around. There's nothing in the rules that says you can only bullrush your enemies. Bullrushing your friends into place is a great way to get the power where you need it. For instance, moving your slow initiative fighter into position so he gets a full attack on his next round instead of just a move and a attack. How I rule this one.
You begin the bullrush, either with a charge or a 5foot step as normal. Your friend obviously takes no AOO. Then you roll opposed checks as normal, to represent you still got to move a big guy around the board. I rule the figher's strength as a -5 in this instance (precedented just like a -5 dex when a character is helpful and hence not resisting. Also since a -5 means a paralysed person, it would be equivalent to dragging a carcass around, which is a good approximation of the situation). Then the roll lets you know how far you can move him. With average rolls for both, your probably going to get around 11-12 feet, unless the barb is doing it.
This also lets a character obtain a greater speed in a round and get into a better position.
2) Get a friend out of danger. As most know, the real danger of a monster is not in one attack but in its full attack action. So while a rogue, bard, or wizard may be okay for that one attack, through 3 or 4 they will probably be dead. So here's where this situation comes in handy. The wizard comes in an drops an inflict critical wounds. GOOD FOR HIM!!! now he's toast. But our burly fighter who's been fighting nearby, comes to the rescue. He moves in to bullrush the wizard (either by readied action, or delayed inititiate or whatever) He takes an AOO from the monster as he does this, gets the wizard out of the way. If the monster has Combat Ref, the wizard will take an AOO as well, but one attack is better than 3.
3) Knocking a guy prone: This one requires a more liberal interpretation of the rules. Bull rush rules state that if you lose the bullrush, and get knocked back into an occupied square, then you fall prone in that square. Okay makes sense. Well then, if I bullrush the enemy into a square that's occupied, he should also fall prone. A great way to trip up guys when you don't have a trip weapon, and you don't want to deal with that high dex check.
4) Knocking a guy off balance: Okay this one requires a house rule. There is a section under combat modifiers: pg. 132 table 8-8 of the ph that has a listing for off balance. I've always house ruled that when a guy has been bull rushed he is off balance until his next round. I mean, if you get knocked back by a guy, your not going to be right on your feet. In that case, he loses his dex bonus, and if vulnerable to sneak attack and the like.
I've got others, but I'll start with these and see if it sparks any interest or rules debates.
1) Moving people around. There's nothing in the rules that says you can only bullrush your enemies. Bullrushing your friends into place is a great way to get the power where you need it. For instance, moving your slow initiative fighter into position so he gets a full attack on his next round instead of just a move and a attack. How I rule this one.
You begin the bullrush, either with a charge or a 5foot step as normal. Your friend obviously takes no AOO. Then you roll opposed checks as normal, to represent you still got to move a big guy around the board. I rule the figher's strength as a -5 in this instance (precedented just like a -5 dex when a character is helpful and hence not resisting. Also since a -5 means a paralysed person, it would be equivalent to dragging a carcass around, which is a good approximation of the situation). Then the roll lets you know how far you can move him. With average rolls for both, your probably going to get around 11-12 feet, unless the barb is doing it.
This also lets a character obtain a greater speed in a round and get into a better position.
2) Get a friend out of danger. As most know, the real danger of a monster is not in one attack but in its full attack action. So while a rogue, bard, or wizard may be okay for that one attack, through 3 or 4 they will probably be dead. So here's where this situation comes in handy. The wizard comes in an drops an inflict critical wounds. GOOD FOR HIM!!! now he's toast. But our burly fighter who's been fighting nearby, comes to the rescue. He moves in to bullrush the wizard (either by readied action, or delayed inititiate or whatever) He takes an AOO from the monster as he does this, gets the wizard out of the way. If the monster has Combat Ref, the wizard will take an AOO as well, but one attack is better than 3.
3) Knocking a guy prone: This one requires a more liberal interpretation of the rules. Bull rush rules state that if you lose the bullrush, and get knocked back into an occupied square, then you fall prone in that square. Okay makes sense. Well then, if I bullrush the enemy into a square that's occupied, he should also fall prone. A great way to trip up guys when you don't have a trip weapon, and you don't want to deal with that high dex check.
4) Knocking a guy off balance: Okay this one requires a house rule. There is a section under combat modifiers: pg. 132 table 8-8 of the ph that has a listing for off balance. I've always house ruled that when a guy has been bull rushed he is off balance until his next round. I mean, if you get knocked back by a guy, your not going to be right on your feet. In that case, he loses his dex bonus, and if vulnerable to sneak attack and the like.
I've got others, but I'll start with these and see if it sparks any interest or rules debates.
