Or can a wolf try to literally trip anything it can hit no matter the size?
Yup. No size limit. But keep in mind larger creatures gain a size bonus to CMD (and usually have pretty insane STR scores) so it will most likely be very difficult to trip them anyways.
Yup. No size limit. But keep in mind larger creatures gain a size bonus to CMD (and usually have pretty insane STR scores) so it will most likely be very difficult to trip them anyways.
Yeah I knew that. But a natural 20 is a natural 20 so it is nice in any case.
Nothing about the universal monster entry suggests it is anything other than a normal trip used as a free action. That would subject it to the normal limitations, that is no tripping flying creatures or those who are more than one size category larger than you.
This is correct.
In fact, the wording of the universal monster Trip ability proves that it's a normal Trip combat maneuver:
A creature with the trip special attack can attempt to trip its opponent as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity if it hits with the specified attack. If the attempt fails, the creature is not tripped in return.
Nowhere in this rule does it say what "attempt to trip" means. If we assume this rule exists in a vacuum without referencing the combat maneuver Trip, then what would you do? How would you make this attempt?
You couldn't since no mechanics are listed.
Furthermore, the references to "provoking an attack of opportunity" and not being "tripped in return" are also not explained here, but they are fully explained in the Trip combat maneuver.
All of these oversights would be massively and embarrassingly unprofessional for a group of professional game developers to make.
So, either the universal monster Trip rule wants every GM to make up their own house rules for monsters performing trips (and to wonder what is meant by provoking or "tripped in return"), or they want the GM to use the standard combat maneuver. Since the former is pretty much inconceivable (assuming that word means what I think it means), it must be the latter.
Huh, I was not aware that normal trip rules only allowed you to trip up to one size category larger than you. I guess it makes sense to a degree.
I retract my earlier statement as it is incorrect. The trip quality does not give you any special allowances for size.
Or can a wolf try to literally trip anything it can hit no matter the size?
Realistically.
My cat trips me about once a year.
Or can a wolf try to literally trip anything it can hit no matter the size?Realistically.
My cat trips me about once a year.
Hah, cute. Made me laugh. But you might have the cause and effect backward.
The cat is not tripping you; you are tripping over the cat. It's YOUR trip (he's just the object).
By the same logic, I tripped over a sprinkler head recently. It's Diminutive (3 size categories) smaller than me and it's inanimate so it didn't have any actions, any CMB, or any way to perform a Trip. It was MY action that tripped me.
To put Pathfinder rules into perspective, if an average man weighs 150 pounds, an average Large giant would weigh about 1200 pounds (assuming 12 feet tall). That's already more than any human can lift, but not more than a strong man can push or topple or conceivably trip. Double it again to a Huge giant and now we're talking possibly 9,600 pounds. Nobody is tripping that, although it might trip over us.
"I get on all fours behind the giant."
"I push him! Haha, grade school pranks win the day!"
As I recall, in 3.5 you weren't able to Bull Rush multiple creatures at the same time, so an enemy with a halfling behind him couldn't be moved no matter how high you rolled on whatever check we used back before CMB vs CMD (my 3.5 memories are rusting...)
I find it pretty odd that the old 3e/3.5 size restrictions on grappling didn't seem to get carried over to Pathfinder except as regards the Grab ability. I wonder if that might be addressed in some future FAQ, but for now I generally house rule it even though I'm the one with the grappling PC.
"I get on all fours behind the giant."
"I push him! Haha, grade school pranks win the day!"
That works if the giant is Large, but not if he's Huge - unless you're Large. But heck, if I were GMing, I'd allow it because it's a hilarious image. Tiiiimmbeeeerrrrr!!! Assuming the pusher guy could figure out how to push that much weight AND could push him higher than his center of gravity (a human pushing a 24' tall giant's knees isn't going to topple him, even with an ally on all fours behind the giant's heel).