Disarm and automatic pick up


Rules Questions


The rules for disarming include the following statement

"If you successfully disarm your opponent without using a
weapon, you may automatically pick up the item dropped"

How do people play this rule?

Is picking up the dropped weapon a free action or is it a move action (permitting an attack of opportunity - though the immediate opponent probably lacks a weapon).

It depends on what is meant by the word automatic and I would welcome guidance.

Liberty's Edge

Trebonius wrote:

The rules for disarming include the following statement

"If you successfully disarm your opponent without using a
weapon, you may automatically pick up the item dropped"

How do people play this rule?

Is picking up the dropped weapon a free action or is it a move action (permitting an attack of opportunity - though the immediate opponent probably lacks a weapon).

It depends on what is meant by the word automatic and I would welcome guidance.

I play it as: the attacker has taken it out of the target's hand and now holds it without incurring an AoO. It never fell to the ground.

Contributor

This is how I see it working:

You're unarmed. You attempt to disarm.
If you're successful, you have two options:

1) You knock the weapon out of the person's hand, and the weapon falls to the ground.
2) You've pulled the weapon out of the person's hand and are now holding it.

Liberty's Edge

As Sean K Reynolds stated. This would make "picking up the weapon" a non-action, I think, and a part of your disarm action.


Thanks for the responses - which I happen to agree with.

It would be nice if a future rules update tweaked the wording to avoid potential confusion e.g. ....you may automatically have posession of the item.


Sean K Reynolds wrote:

This is how I see it working:

You're unarmed. You attempt to disarm.
If you're successful, you have two options:

1) You knock the weapon out of the person's hand, and the weapon falls to the ground.
2) You've pulled the weapon out of the person's hand and are now holding it.

Sean, would a Weapon Cord have any affect on this?


Mynameisjake wrote:
Sean K Reynolds wrote:

This is how I see it working:

You're unarmed. You attempt to disarm.
If you're successful, you have two options:

1) You knock the weapon out of the person's hand, and the weapon falls to the ground.
2) You've pulled the weapon out of the person's hand and are now holding it.

Sean, would a Weapon Cord have any affect on this?

Probably depends on how long the cord is and how it's attached. I recall the ninja Jubei in Ninja Scroll had a cord probably 30 or 40 feet long attached to his scabbard, which he used to keep himself and the ninja girl from going over a cliff.

Contributor

Mynameisjake wrote:
Sean, would a Weapon Cord have any affect on this?

The attacker would be holding the weapon, which is tied to the defender's wrist with the 2-foot cord. While this connection exists, I'd use the "GM's best friend" rule and give the attacker a +2 on rolls messing with the defender (like a trip or grapple) because the defender's movement is somewhat restricted because of the cord. The defender could do the same against the attacker, but the attacker could just let go of the corded weapon (like how if you fail your trip attempt with a trip weapon, you can drop the weapon instead of being tripped in return).


Thanks, Sean.

One follow-up question. Given that the weapon cord is hardness 0 and hp 0, what kind of action (move, standard, immediate, free) and/or roll would you require for either party to break the cord?

Contributor

Move action to break it, attack action to cut it.


Thanks (again), Sean.

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