Initially I thought of this idea should be implementd as feats but honestly it makes sense to apply it to the existing mechanic.
Bull Rush as it reads currently seems to be missing the key element of what happens when the person being bull rushed is driven into another person or a solid object (door, wall etc.)
As every hockey player knows, bull rush + wall= pain, so Ipropose the following expansion to the Bull Rush rules.
(Expansion in bold)
Bull Rush
You can make a bull rush as a standard action or as part
of a charge. You can only bull rush an opponent who
is one size category larger than you or smaller. A bull
rush attempts to push an opponent straight back without
doing any harm. If you do not have the Improved
Bull Rush feat, or a similar ability, initiating a bull
rush provokes an attack of opportunity from the target
of your maneuver.
If your attack is successful, your target is pushed back
5 feet. For every 5 by which your attack exceeds the DC
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.
On a successful Bull Rush, if you choose to move with your opponent, and the opponent's movement backward is impeded by a wall or solid object, the opponent takes damage from being pinned between your body and the obstruction. The damage is equal to 1d6+ 1 1/2 times your Str. Modifier. The damage increases by 1d6 for each size category you are larger than your opponent.
The opponent is allowed a reflex save to halve the damage.
Special:
The damage values for armor spikes and/or shield spikes are added to this damage.
If the movement of an opponent subject to a successful Bull Rush enters another enemy's space, that opponent is also subject to a Bull Rush but gains a +4 to the Bull Rush DC. If this check is also successful, both opponents are moved to the maximum distance.
If the second attempt fails, the first enemy's movement ends.
Special: The effects of any feats that affect a Bull Rush apply fully to BOTH opponents.
Ummm...
If it was done, I don't see why it should have larger than regular Unarmed Damage.
(much less a bonus for larger size: who already has larger Unarmed Damage AND STR Bonus)
There exist similar special abilities for Creatures that should have them.
Making it a general ability weakens the signifigance of those.
Note that Shield Feats allow a FREE Bullrush with Shield Bash, which would already apply Spike Damage.
Even without that Feat,
I suppose it would make sense to apply Spike Damage. That should be added to Spike Description:
Armor Spikes apply to Grapples & Armor or Shield Spikes (one OR the other) apply to Bullrushes.
I don't think Paizo wants to make Maneuvers compete with Melee for damage,
or at most, any extra damage comes from 2nd or 3rd Tier "Improved Maneuver" Feats.
Initially I thought of this idea should be implementd as feats but honestly it makes sense to apply it to the existing mechanic.
Bull Rush as it reads currently seems to be missing the key element of what happens when the person being bull rushed is driven into another person or a solid object (door, wall etc.)
As every hockey player knows, bull rush + wall= pain, so I propose the following expansion to the Bull Rush rules.
(Expansion in bold)
[...]On a successful Bull Rush, if you choose to move with your opponent, and the opponent's movement backward is impeded by a wall or solid object, the opponent takes damage from being pinned between your body and the obstruction. The damage is equal to 1d6+ 1 1/2 times your Str. Modifier. The damage increases by 1d6 for each size category you are larger than your opponent.
The opponent is allowed a reflex save to halve the damage.
Special:
The damage values for armor spikes and/or shield spikes are added to this damage.If the movement of an opponent subject to a successful Bull Rush enters another enemy's space, that opponent is also subject to a Bull Rush but gains a +4 to the Bull Rush DC. If this check is also successful, both opponents are moved to the maximum distance.
If the second attempt fails, the first...
"As every hockey player knows, bull rush + wall= pain". Haha. True enough. Fortunately, not 1d6+ 1 1/2 times the Str or poor 1-level commoner hockey player leaves the arena on a stretcher at every hit!
However, I like the idea of specifying what happens when someone is bull rushed into a wall or a solid object.
My suggestion:
"If your attack is successful, your target is pushed back
5 feet. For every 5 by which your attack exceeds the DC
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 the target is pushed back into a wall or a solid object, he suffers damage equal to your unarmed damage + Str modifier. Damage values for armor spiked and/or shield spikes are added to this damage. If your attack fails, your
movement ends in front of the target.
Hmm.. that makes sense, I guess the damage is a little excessive.
How about
damage equals d6/5ft of movement remaining + 1/2Str (or just Str)
That way it's not so much who's pushing you into the wall but how hard.
Now I'm not sure but wasn't this adressed in 3.5, and if so have those rules not continued over?
How about
damage equals d6/5ft of movement remaining + 1/2Str (or just Str)That way it's not so much who's pushing you into the wall but how hard.
Now I'm not sure but wasn't this adressed in 3.5, and if so have those rules not continued over?
This was addressed in a splatbook called Dungeonscape. In return for giving up your level 2 and level 6 fighter bonus feats, you got the ability to do 8d6 + 3x your Strength Bonus in damage whenever you bullrush somebody into a wall. Plus you also got to ignore hardness when sundering things like doors.
This Fighter class alternative class feature worked rather well with the 3.5 Knockback feat (from Races of Stone), resulting in some spectacular damage since in the right conditions you can perform a full-attack, doing the extra bullrush damage with each attack. Combine with Shock Trooper (Complete Warrior) for extra overkill.
In just the Core rulebook there was nothing to make Bullrush anything worthwhile.