Disarming as an Attack of Opportunity

[Maxximilius]

So, I was wondering.

What happens if a creature provokes an attack of opportunity by attacking you, and you disarm that creature before its attack is resolved ?

- The attack continues but the creature must now perform its results with an unarmed strike (or gauntlet, if any)
- The creature's attack is lost but it can continue its round as normal

[SlimGauge]

The creature can use whatever means remain available to it to make the attack, or it can elect to not attack. For example, if you're being attacked by a sword and board fighter and you disarm his sword, he can shield bash you instead.

[Kazaan]

Once he's declared his attack, he's stuck with it. If you render him unable to resolve it, he doesn't suddenly get to decide, "Oh, no, I was swinging with my sword... but I'm actually attacking with some other weapon." You've disrupted his intended action which means he doesn't get to complete it. Now if he's making a full-attack, you declare and resolve attacks one at a time so if you disarm him on his first attack and he still has iteratives remaining, he can use other weapons at his disposal, or he can "step-down" his full-attack to a standard attack and take a move action to retrieve his weapon.

[Gauss]

Sequence: You start the attack (provoking) at which point you lose the weapon. You no longer have a weapon to complete your attack and that particular attack is lost.

However, if you have quickdraw or another weapon out and available to use you may use another weapon to continue your attacks.

[Archaeik]

The AoO is resolved entirely before the action, but simply disarming the attacker doesn't necessarily prevent that action altogether. (But it most likely would in the case of a reach weapon, provided you had the ability to take your AoO vs it.). The attacker should still get to take the declared action, minus any bonuses the weapon/object was supplying.

And just to be clear, reducing an attack to use unarmed strike will not grant another AoO, you already took one for the triggering action.

Just curious, is this a Come and Get Me build?

[bojac6]

I'm pretty sure the unarmed attack would trigger another AoO if you have combat reflexes. Its two actions, whatever triggered the AoO in the first place and then an unarmed attack. Since Vicious Stomp and Greater Trip give you two AoOs this definitely would. For that reason, I think you can abort your attack if you lose your weapon.

[Gauss]

Archaeik, how can you provoke an AoO by using a bow, have the bow removed and then choose to do something else?

Here is how it should work:

Example:
Archer makes an attack with his bow provoking an AoO from Fighter.
Fighter resolves the AoO and damages the Archer.
Archer continues his bow attack.

Example 2:
Archer makes an attack with his bow provoking an AoO from Fighter.
Fighter resolves the AoO and disarms the Archer.
Archer no longer has a bow with which to finish his attack. The attack is wasted.
Subsequently the archer quickdraws a dagger and uses his second (iterative) attack to stab the Fighter in the face.

If you have some evidence that it works to the contrary please present it.

[Archaeik]

That's not what I'm talking about at all...

If you are disarmed of your bow, that action is negated.
If you are disarmed of a sword (say during a trip attempt), you still get to try the trip.

What I said is that the action continues sans weapon (I just didn't explicitly state the action is canceled if it relies on the weapon, that should be common sense)

[Gauss]

Ahhhh ok, sorry that I misunderstood. :)