Vexing Dodger archetype - a couple of questions

[Emo Duck]

I'm enamored with the flavour of the vexing dodger rogue, but there are a few things I'd like cleared up before I toss my character into the fray:

#1:
Does a vexing dodger enter the same space as the creature he attempts to climb onto?

#2:
Contingent on #1, does a vexing dodger flank if he climbs onto a creature that's threatened by an ally? If he was flanking before climbing onto the creature, does he cease flanking if he's in the same space as the creature?

#3:
In the case of creatures that take up multiple squares, should the vexing dodger make new Climb checks to move around on the creature?

[Ferdinand "Flea" Lando]

As this character is getting to lvl 5 and is going to start taking style feats or not based on the answers in the thread regarding sharing the same sqaure(s) as your climb target I am also very curious to how this is supposed too be played.

when we aren't sharing the square I guess we are still flanking as we do not leave our original square.

If we do share then style feats from the monkey style will trigger.

So both have their pro's and cons but without any clear rulling its an endless discussion prior to each PFS session with a different GM

So a Rulling one way or another would be greatly appreciated.

[Andrew Harasty]

So far, I have not found anything "Official" regarding these questions. So for PFS you will have to talk to the GM before to see which way they will rule.

For the "In the Same Space" Argument you have the Mouser (swashbuckler archetype) Underfoot Assault ability. If if works like that then that answers all your questions.

For the "Stays Adjacent" the text from Vexing Dodger mentions that the attack is like a grapple, but does not provoke an AoO and both creatures do not end up with the "Grappled" Condition if successful.

As a PFS GM, I would rule for Stays Adjacent since there is no other RAW interpretation. And I would error on this ruling most of the time.

As a Home-Game GM. I would rule for "In the Same Space" since I think that what should be intended give the precedent of the Mouser and that both Archetypes are designed for similar effect.

[Seraphimpunk]

having run for a vexing dodger, the question that comes to my mind: when a vexing dodger is climbing you ( the enemy ), what can you do about it? if you're climbing adjacent, does the dodgee leave the vexing dodger in the square? or does the vexing dodger move with the dodgeee ? is it then not climbing but riding? and what can be done to "break" the effect ( aka. take the vexing dodger OFF the dodgee. )

i would like to treat it like a combat maneuver of some sort, CMB of the attacker vs the CMD of the vexing dodger, to essentially break free like in a grapple. and either leave the vexing dodger in the adjacent or place him in some adjacent square. but its very poorly defined in the archetype.

[Hayato Ken]

The in the same space thing is only difficult to tell when you´re playing a small character.
If you are medium, you can only climb on large creatures, so there should most always be a space the creatures fills between you and the possible flanker. I would count that as a flank.
Now as a small character, you can climb medium creatures and there´s no other creature space in between then, what makes it more difficult.
Leaning on the halfling mouser reading, i would rule a flank there too though.

You can always go into the product thread and ask there. This might get the attention of the developer then and some more answers.

[FallzQuick]

What if you try to climb a gelatinous cube or a huge magma elemental, I think bad things, but it doesn't state that.

[Andrew Harasty]

Seraphimpunk wrote:

having run for a vexing dodger, the question that comes to my mind: when a vexing dodger is climbing you ( the enemy ), what can you do about it? if you're climbing adjacent, does the dodgee leave the vexing dodger in the square? or does the vexing dodger move with the dodgeee ? is it then not climbing but riding? and what can be done to "break" the effect ( aka. take the vexing dodger OFF the dodgee. )

i would like to treat it like a combat maneuver of some sort, CMB of the attacker vs the CMD of the vexing dodger, to essentially break free like in a grapple. and either leave the vexing dodger in the adjacent or place him in some adjacent square. but its very poorly defined in the archetype.

It would be easy enough to consider it a "grapple" attempt to break free. Since the rules say that the climbing is similar to the grapple ability.

I would also rule a "bull rush" or "reposition" attempt would also work to remove the climber.

In any case it would be a standard action CMB v CMD. Also I would rule that the action would not provoke an AoO since the initial action does not provoke and AoO.