Wizard wanted to use mage hand to take a weapon

[Evenglare]

Question, The wizard wanted to use mage hand to take a longbow out of an orcs hand. How would you have handled this ? I made him make a hard arcana check (pg 42) from the level of the orc which was 4. I didnt know what else to do.

 

[Ginnel]

Question, The wizard wanted to use mage hand to take a longbow out of an orcs hand. How would you have handled this ? I made him make a hard arcana check (pg 42) from the level of the orc which was 4. I didnt know what else to do.

The cantrip is a weak force spell able to lift 5 pounds?, taking a longbow out of a trained musclebound warriors hands is not going to happen, maybe allow it to interfere with the orcs next shot, a -1 or -2 to hit maybe would be its best bet, otherwise I'd say it would have no effect.

 

[TimeOut]

If it was a combat situation, I would use the same rule that is listed under Prestidigitation: "Nothing you create with this cantrip can deal damage, serve as a weapon or a tool, or hinder another creature's actions." (PHB, page 159, Prestidigitation)

Edit: So, no. That is not gonna work. Use your combat abilities like the others, and don't try to turn this into some sort of "but wizards are all about creative spell usage"-game like 3e.

(Sorry, if that sounds a little bit harsh, but I don't like it if someone tries to exploit such things.)

If it was a sleeping Orc or some non-combat situation, I would have allowed it. Maybe a check like you did according to the situation.

 

[Nightson]

Mage hand isn't strong enough to rip things out of people's hands when their in combat. It would be enough to severely disrupt someone's aim though.

 

[Blue]

Question, The wizard wanted to use mage hand to take a longbow out of an orcs hand. How would you have handled this ? I made him make a hard arcana check (pg 42) from the level of the orc which was 4. I didnt know what else to do.

Well, it can do 20 pounds of force, but an adult medium sized creature should be able to overcome that. The new strength lifting thing says that's a Str 2 - I would make a Str check with it's str vs. the orc's fortitude.

Though unless you have a feat, no one seems to know how to disarm or grab a weapon.

We had come up the wizard wanting to use it in Scalegloom to disrupt the young black dragon's wings so it couldn't fly.

Cheers,
=Blue

 

[Tuft]

Another option is to simply look at the DMG, the sections:
Running The Game / Improvising / Saying Yes
and
Combat Encounters / Additional Rules / Actions the Rules Don't Cover.

(which apparenly is just what the OP did... )

 

[TimeOut]

Another option is to simply look at the DMG, the sections:
Running The Game / Improvising / Saying Yes
and
Combat Encounters / Additional Rules / Actions the Rules Don't Cover.

Sure. It is always great to say "Yes" or "Yes, but". But it depends a lot on the situation.

Why does he want to do that? Is it dramatically appropriate? Will he remember it as a "valid" tactic and will he try to disarm every ranged opponent this way in the future? What do the other players think about this?

Without further information, I still must say "Sorry, this is not possible with that power.".

 

[Shabe]

Player: I attempt to yank and disarm the orcs bow with my mage hand cantrip.
DM: Okay let me look up the description of mage hand *leafs through the phb* alright you can try it.
Player: great, what do i roll?
DM: Make an intelligence attack roll as if casting a spell.
Player: hmm a total of 15.
DM: You hit and your mage hand grabs hold of the bow.
Player: great one disarmed orc.
DM:Not quite, the hand has the bow in its grasp now you need to move it away from the orc. Right the mage hand has a lifting capacity of 20lbs, thats a str 2, thats minus 4 plus half your level, lets say moving something away from a grabbed person you have to beat the opposed grab roll by 5 to yank it. Right lets roll.
Player: 20! er minus 4 16?
DM: 5 er plus 4 for the orcs strength, 9, dangnammit, the bow is yanked out of the Orcs hand and lands in the square in front of it.
Player: Alright!
DM: Right the orcs go, he moves forward and picks up his bow and shoots you in the face.

*i do not condone the dming approach above, honest guvnor*

 

[senorcoo]

Player: I attempt to yank and disarm the orcs bow with my mage hand cantrip.
DM: Okay let me look up the description of mage hand *leafs through the phb* alright you can try it.
Player: great, what do i roll?
DM: Make an intelligence attack roll as if casting a spell.
Player: hmm a total of 15.
DM: You hit and your mage hand grabs hold of the bow.
Player: great one disarmed orc.
DM:Not quite, the hand has the bow in its grasp now you need to move it away from the orc. Right the mage hand has a lifting capacity of 20lbs, thats a str 2, thats minus 4 plus half your level, lets say moving something away from a grabbed person you have to beat the opposed grab roll by 5 to yank it. Right lets roll.
Player: 20! er minus 4 16?
DM: 5 er plus 4 for the orcs strength, 9, dangnammit, the bow is yanked out of the Orcs hand and lands in the square in front of it.
Player: Alright!
DM: Right the orcs go, he moves forward and picks up his bow and shoots you in the face.

*i do not condone the dming approach above, honest guvnor*

Now that's a "Yes, But..." if I've ever seen one!

 

[Regicide]

Well, it can do 20 pounds of force, but an adult medium sized creature should be able to overcome that.

More than sufficient to steal all the orc's arrows.