Awesome blow and save vs falling?

[Rands]

This came up in our game today - Dragon (from City of Golden Death) attacks with Awesome Blow and sends PCs flying off the edge of the bridge into a river of molten gold (20d6 burn damage = ow!).
1 PC asks the question, what is the Reflex DC to catch hold of the bridge before plummeting to my doom?

1. Does the PC get any save at all?
2. What kind of save (reflex?)
3. Is the DC based on Climb skill (to save vs falling), or DC 20 (to avoid pit trap fall) or something else entirely?

Awesome Blow (Combat)

This creature can send opponents flying.

Prerequisites: Str 25, Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, size Large or larger.

Benefit: As a standard action, the creature may perform an awesome blow combat maneuver. If the creature's maneuver succeeds against a corporeal opponent smaller than itself, its opponent takes damage (typically slam damage plus Strength bonus) and is knocked flying 10 feet in a direction of the attacking creature's choice and falls prone. The attacking creature can only push the opponent in a straight line, and the opponent can't move closer to the attacking creature than the square it started in. If an obstacle prevents the completion of the opponent's move, the opponent and the obstacle each take 1d6 points of damage, and the opponent is knocked prone in the space adjacent to the obstacle.

CLIMB
Catch Yourself When Falling: It's practically impossible to catch yourself on a wall while falling, yet if you wish to attempt such a difficult task, you can make a Climb check (DC = wall's DC + 20) to do so.

I'm thinking no save at all, which makes this particular module VERY difficult given that if you are struck by this attack (with a very good chance of it happening) = instant death

Any thoughts?

[Ximen Bao]

Climb is talking about when you're trying to climb something and fail, not when you've been knocked head over heels through the air. There's no set mechanic for coming back from that, except for an acrobatics check to negate (some) falling damage.

[The Diplomat]

My reading, RAW, is that there is no saving throw, or it would have been mentioned in the combat manoeuvre description. However, as always, GMs ruling is final.
Of course, there is nothing to stop the players luring the dragon away from the bridge, which would render its awesome blow attack effectively impotent.

[Rands]

Knew I should've taunted it with a Boston Shuffle....

[RedDogMT]

Note that bull rush also makes no mention of what would happen when a creature is pushed over a cliff. If you want to go purely by the rules, I see no reason why they would get a save.

I suggest being a more forgiving GM and give the player a chance by allowing them a climb check to grab a ledge (even though the check itself would be pretty difficult...and they may loose their weapon in the process).

Alternately, you could put a shelf partway down the cliff that they will hit when they fall. They hit the shelf and bounce towards the edge. If the make a reflex save, they avoid tumbling off. If the fail, they are swimming in the lava.

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If you have a screw-up-once-and-die situation that a player is blind-sided with, it's pretty likely that he will be upset when his character is suddenly dead. While it is well in line with the rules, your relationship with that player could be strained if he thinks he was targeted or railroaded.

If a player goes in with eyes wide open and knows the risk, then go for it. For example, let the character see the dragon in combat using the awesome blow before they face-off; or in the early rounds of combat, have the dragon send one of the PCs/NPCs flying 15' into a wall or onto the bridge. You might also make the direction of the awesome blow somewhat random. This takes some responsibility off you and places it on the dice.

[Are]

I tend to give people a Reflex save to catch hold of the edge in situations like that.