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Do characters lose their dex bonus to CMD when they are flat-footed?
If not, is there a Talent that Rogues can take to cause them to do so?
I ask because I've been thinking a lot about Dex-based Monks and Rogues over the past few weeks, and I've come to the conclusion that:
* Agile Maneuvers and Weapon Finesse should be combined into a single feat
* Monks need the above feat on their bonus feat list, starting at level one
** The above point should be enough to make Dex Monks viable.
* Rogues need to be able to take the above feat with their "Finesse Rogue" talent.
* Rogues need to be able to deny/ignore opponent's Dex bonus to CMD if they are flat-footed or otherwise in a position to be sneak attacked; having to spend a talent on this is probably fine, assuming it doesn't already exist.
** The above two points should be enough to make Dex Rogues (that aren't spamming TWF) viable.
Setting aside "D&D" and "mechanic issues" for a second, when you think of "a graceful, agile, precise" sort of character, and imagine this character fighting, does he win by standing in one place and bludgeoning his opponents to death with his raw grace? Or does he win by being agile, maneuverable, and using tricks/traps/skill against his opponent?
Shouldn't Dex-based characters work the same way mechanically? Dex-based characters don't need dex to damage, they need dex to CMB and some brains.
I'm wondering what others think about this idea.
Do characters lose their dex bonus to CMD when they are flat-footed?
Yup. They do.
To quote the combat chapter:
"Any penalties to a creature's AC also apply to its CMD. A flat-footed creature does not add its Dexterity bonus to its CMD."
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Do characters lose their dex bonus to CMD when they are flat-footed?
Yup. They do.
To quote the combat chapter:
"Any penalties to a creature's AC also apply to its CMD. A flat-footed creature does not add its Dexterity bonus to its CMD."
Aha, thank you! So all Rogues need is a talent that lets them apply the penalty when flanking.
I know they can just Feint + Maneuver, since they need Combat Expertise to get the Improved/Greater feats anyway.
Putting it all together, they need Agile Maneuvers, Combat Expertise, Improved Feint, and at least one Improved Maneuver feat, so Rogues can't start doing this until 3rd level; it also means passing on Weapon Finesse.
...until 4th level. Which, again, isn't that bad.
hmm.
When I first started looking into dex-based melee, I was convinced that they were a lost cause and need all sorts of bonuses and help. The deeper I dig, though, the better they look.
Someone should really sit down and write a "Guide to Dex: how to make Monks and Rogues that feel right and don't suck".
I'm starting to wonder if even the minor changes I've got in my first post are unnecessary. Dex-based characters are like spellcasters, in that they need to think tactically and focus on hindering opponents, rather than unloading piles of damage.