Combat Maneuvers
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During combat, you can attempt to perform a number of maneuvers that can hinder or even cripple your foe. Although these maneuvers have vastly different results, they all use a similar mechanic to determine success.
Combat Maneuver Mechanics
Combat Maneuver Bonus
Each character and creature has a Combat Maneuver Bonus (or CMB) that represents its skill at performing combat maneuvers. A creature’s CMB is determined using the following formula:
CMB = Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + special size modifier
Some feats and abilities grant a bonus to your CMB when performing specific maneuvers.
Combat Maneuver Defense
Each character and creature has a Combat Maneuver Defense (or CMD) that represents its ability to resist combat maneuvers. A creature’s CMD is determined using the following formula:
CMD = 10 + Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + Dexterity modifier + special size modifier + miscellaneous modifiers
Some feats and abilities grant a bonus to your CMD when resisting specific maneuvers.
Miscellaneous Modifiers: A creature can also add any circumstance, deflection, dodge, insight, luck, morale, profane, and sacred bonuses to AC to its CMD. Any penalties to a creature’s AC also apply to its CMD. A flat-footed creature does not add its Dexterity bonus to its CMD.
Special Size Modifier
The special size modifier for a creature’s CMB and CMD is as follows:
Fine –8, Diminutive –4, Tiny –2, Small –1, Medium +0, Large +1, Huge +2, Gargantuan +4, Colossal +8.
Performing a Combat Maneuver
When you attempt to perform a combat maneuver, make an attack roll and add your CMB in place of your normal attack bonus. Add any bonuses you currently have on attack rolls due to spells, feats, and other effects. These bonuses must be applicable to the weapon or attack used to perform the maneuver. The DC of this maneuver is your target’s Combat Maneuver Defense. Combat maneuvers are attack rolls, so you must roll for concealment and take any other penalties that would normally apply to an attack roll. Rolling a natural 20 while attempting a combat maneuver is always a success (except when attempting to escape from bonds), while rolling a natural 1 is always a failure.
Unless otherwise noted, performing a combat maneuver provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of the maneuver. If you are hit by the target, you take the damage normally and apply that amount as a penalty to the attack roll to perform the maneuver. If your target is immobilized, unconscious, or otherwise incapacitated, your maneuver automatically succeeds (treat as if you rolled a natural 20 on the attack roll). If your target is stunned, you receive a +4 bonus on your attack roll to perform a combat maneuver against it.
Combat Maneuvers
Bull Rush
Action: standard action or as part of a charge in place of the melee attack
Target: one opponent who is no more than one size category larger than you.
Feats: Powerful Maneuvers, Greater Bull Rush
A bull rush attempts to push an opponent straight back without doing any harm. If your attack is successful, your target is pushed back 5 feet. For every 5 by which your attack exceeds your opponent’s CMD you can push the target back an additional 5 feet. You can move with the target if you wish but you must have the available movement to do so. If your attack fails, your movement ends in front of the target.
An enemy being moved by a bull rush does not becomes compromised because of the movement unless you possess the Greater Bull Rush feat.
You cannot bull rush a creature into a square that is occupied by a solid object or obstacle.
If there is another creature in the way of your bull rush, you must immediately make a combat maneuver check to bull rush that creature. You take a –4 penalty on this check for each creature being pushed beyond the first. If you are successful, you can continue to push the creatures a distance equal to the lesser result.
Dirty Trick
Action: standard action
Target: one opponent
Feats: Deft Maneuvers, Greater Dirty Trick
This maneuver covers any sort of situational attack that imposes a penalty on a foe for a short period of time.
If your attack is successful, the target takes a penalty. The penalty is limited to one of the following conditions:
Blinded, Clumsy 2, Deafened, Enfeebled 2, Slowed, or Stupefied 2.
This condition lasts for 1 round. For every 5 by which your attack exceeds your opponent’s CMD, the penalty lasts 1 additional round. This penalty can be removed if the target spends a move action.
Disarm
Action: in place of a melee attack
Target: one item carried by an opponent
Feats: Deft Maneuvers, Greater Disarm
Attempting to disarm a foe while unarmed imposes a –4 penalty on the attack. If your attack is successful, your target drops one item it is carrying of your choice.
If your attack exceeds the CMD of the target by 10 or more, the target drops the items it is carrying in both hands (maximum two items if the target has more than two hands).
If your attack fails by 10 or more, you drop the weapon that you were using to attempt the disarm.
If you successfully disarm your opponent with your bare hands, you may automatically pick up the item dropped.
Drag
Action: standard action
Target: one opponent who is no more than one size category larger than you.
Feats: Powerful Maneuvers, Greater Drag
The aim of this maneuver is to drag a foe in a straight line behind you without doing any harm.
If your attack is successful, both you and your target are moved 5 feet back, with your opponent occupying your original space and you in the space behind that in a straight line. For every 5 by which your attack exceeds your opponent’s CMD, you can drag the target back an additional 5 feet. You must be able to move with the target to perform this maneuver. If you do not have enough movement, the drag goes to the maximum amount of movement available to you and ends.
An enemy being moved by a drag is not compromised because of the movement unless you possess the Greater Drag feat. You cannot move a creature into a square that is occupied by a solid object or obstacle. If there is another creature in the way of your movement, the drag ends adjacent to that creature.
Grapple
Overrun
Action: standard action, taken during your move or as part of a charge
Target: one opponent who is no more than one size category larger than you.
Feats: Powerful Maneuvers, Greater Overrun
You can attempt to overrun your target, moving through its square.
When you attempt to overrun a target, it can choose to avoid you, allowing you to pass through its square without requiring an attack.
If your target does not avoid you, make a combat maneuver check as normal. If your maneuver is successful, you move through the target’s space. If your attack exceeds your opponent’s CMD by 5 or more, you move through the target’s space and the target is knocked prone. If the target has more than two legs, add +2 to the DC of the combat maneuver attack roll for each additional leg it has.
If your overrun attempt fails, you stop in the space directly in front of the opponent, or the nearest open space in front of the creature if there are other creatures occupying that space.
Reposition
Action: standard action
Target: one opponent who is no more than one size category larger than you.
Feats: Powerful Maneuvers, Greater Reposition
A reposition attempts to force a foe to move to a different position in relation to your location without doing any harm.
If your attack is successful, you may move your target 5 feet to a new location. For every 5 by which your attack exceeds your opponent’s CMD, you can move the target an additional 5 feet. The target must remain within your reach at all times during this movement, except for the final 5 feet of movement, which can be to a space adjacent to your reach.
An enemy being moved by a reposition does not become compromised because of the movement unless you possess the Greater Reposition feat. You cannot use this maneuver to move a foe into a space that is intrinsically dangerous, such as a pit or wall of fire. You cannot move a creature into a square that is occupied by a solid object or obstacle.
Steal
Action: standard action
Target: one item
Feats: Deft Maneuvers, Greater Steal
This maneuver can be used in melee to take any item that is neither held nor hidden in a bag or pack. You must have at least one hand free (holding nothing) to attempt this maneuver. You must select the item to be taken before the check is made.
Items that are simply tucked into a belt or loosely attached (such as brooches or necklaces) are the easiest to take. Items fastened to a foe (such as cloaks, sheathed weapons, or pouches) are more difficult to take, and give the opponent a +5 bonus (or greater) to his CMD. Items that are closely worn (such as armor, backpacks, boots, clothing, or rings) cannot be taken with this maneuver. Items held in the hands (such as wielded weapons or wands) also cannot be taken with the steal maneuver—you must use the disarm combat maneuver instead. The GM is the final arbiter of what items can be taken.
If your attack is successful, you may take one item from your opponent. You must be able to reach the item to be taken (subject to GM discretion). Your enemy is immediately aware of this theft unless you possess the Greater Steal feat.
Although this maneuver can only be performed if the target is within your reach, you can use a whip to steal an object from a target within range with a –4 penalty on the attack roll.
Sunder
Action: in place of a melee attack
Target: one object
Feats: Powerful Maneuvers, Greater Sunder
If your attack is successful, you deal damage to the item normally. Damage that exceeds the object’s Hardness is subtracted from its hit points. If an object has equal to or less than half its total hit points remaining, it gains the Broken condition. If the damage you deal would reduce the object to less than 0 hit points, you can choose to destroy it. If you do not choose to destroy it, the object is left with only 1 hit point and the Broken condition.
Trip
Action: in place of a melee attack
Target: one opponent who is no more than one size category larger than you
Feats: Deft Maneuvers, Greater Trip
If your attack exceeds the target’s CMD, the target is knocked prone.
If your attack fails by 10 or more, you are knocked prone instead.
If the target has more than two legs, add +2 to the DC of the combat maneuver attack roll for each additional leg it has. Some creatures—such as oozes, creatures without legs, and flying creatures—cannot be tripped.
Advanced Combat Maneuvers
Crush
{:Combat Maneuvers/Crush}}
Scale
Action: standard action
Target: one creature, three or more size categories larger than you.
Feats: Deft Maneuvers
If your scale attempt is successful, you climb up the target’s body a number of squares up to half your speed or up to your full climb speed, if you possess a climb speed.
| Average Creature Height by Size | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Med. | Large | Huge | Garg. | Colo. |
| Height | 6 ft. | 12 ft. | 24 ft. | 48 ft. | 96 ft. |
Regardless of its actual height, a creature is considered to be a number of squares tall equal to its space. For instance, a Medium creature is one 5 ft tall, while a Gargantuan creature is considered to be 20 ft tall.
While scaling a creature, that creature is flat-footed against your attacks, and you can use this maneuver in order to get close enough to reach the creature’s vital spots, allowing you to sneak attack the target if you possess such an ability. Typically, climbing a minimum of half a creature’s height in squares is enough to place you within range of your opponent’s vital spots.
On subsequent rounds, if you do not let go of the creature that you are scaling, maintaining the maneuver is a move action.
If your target doesn’t try to knock you off its body, you gain a +5 circumstance bonus on scale attempts against that target on subsequent rounds. Maintaining the maneuver allows you to climb up or down the creature’s body a number of squares equal to half your speed (or your full climb speed if you possess a climb speed) or remain at your current location.
If you do not maintain the maneuver, you let go, taking normal falling damage for the amount of squares that you had climbed on the creature as you plummet to the ground.
If You Are Being Scaled: If you are being scaled, you can attempt to knock the creature that is scaling you off of your body as a standard action by making a trained combat maneuver check (DC equal to your opponent’s CMD). If you succeed, you knock the scaling creature off of your body and it takes falling damage as appropriate for the number of squares that it had climbed up on your body.
Alternatively, if you succeed you can immediately begin grappling the creature. Being scaled doesn’t impact your ability to perform any actions; you may act normally while being scaled.
Climbing and Scaling: A creature that is trained in the Climb skill can use its ranks in Climb as its base attack bonus when performing a scale maneuver. A creature with a climb speed gains a +8 racial bonus on scale combat maneuver checks, but not to his CMD against scale combat maneuvers.
Helpless While Scaling: If you become helpless while scaling a creature, such as when you are paralyzed, fall asleep, and so on, you immediately let go of the creature you are scaling and fall. You cannot perform an Acrobatics check to reduce the falling damage that you take while helpless.