There are a few actions that can be done by humanoids and animals that don't seem to be covered by the grappling or trip rules.
So How would you resolve the foillowing attack types:
Tackle:
The attacker runs and jumps onto the target with the sole purpose of dragging him to the ground. This seems like a charge combined with a trip attack, but if sucessful, both combatants would be prone at the end of it. If failed, the attacker would be the only one to be prone.
How would you execute this? How would it work against larger opponents?
(Real)Pounce:
In nature,most carnivores (like big cats) don't run up to you and start clawing until you fall, they either dive down on you from above or run up, grab on with their claws and flip the prey off its feet.
Now the grab ability lets big cats start a grapple, but if the cat jumps from above or does a running jump (as tigers are prone to do) then its like being hit by a 300 pound sack of flour with claws, its probably going to knock you off of your feet (not wait until after the grapple to make a trip attack on round two).
How would you rule on this attack?
Sacrificed realism for balance reasons. :-)
(Real)Pounce:
In nature,most carnivores (like big cats) don't run up to you and start clawing until you fall, they either dive down on you from above or run up, grab on with their claws and flip the prey off its feet.
Now the grab ability lets big cats start a grapple, but if the cat jumps from above or does a running jump (as tigers are prone to do) then its like being hit by a 300 pound sack of flour with claws, its probably going to knock you off of your feet (not wait until after the grapple to make a trip attack on round two).
I count being knocked to one knee or getting knocked down and slipping up fairly quickly as part of the fluff action of combat.
Being tripped says to me that the person isn't allowed to control their fall and gets slammed onto their back or face. The person who tripped them doesn't let up their assault and the person trying to get up has to fight them off while trying to stand up. Like, a wolf tripping someone and going for their neck while the person on the ground tries to fight them of, and a storm giant knocking an adventurer to one knee with a massive swing of his mace is a perfect example of the difference between being tripped and just getting knocked down for a second.
Grappled can include the fluff of rolling around on the ground with the enemy. I specifically use the concept that the fluff of the tripped condition is that you've fallen in a way that you can't get back up quickly or roll to your feet and have to fight the enemy off while prone.
Also, a 300 pound sack. I would say that's very similar to a melee attack trap. Probably +12 to attack, and it's purpose is to swing out and bull-rush you. I have a strength mod of 0. Some people here might have a strength mod of 1, or even in the case of an athlete built for power, 2. With a 2 or 1 strength, their dex is still 0. Some of us might have a dexterity mod of 1, or in the case of a gymnast or professional acrobat, 2. with a 2 or 1 dexterity, their str is still 0.
(Everyone who is not a heroic character has the array 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8). The highest CMD, therefore, is 12. 0 BAB, 2 Str, 0 Dex, or 0 BAB, 1 Str, 1 Dex, or 0 BAB, 0 Str, 2 Dex.
The 300 pound sack sliding quickly out of nowhere? Has a 95% chance to knock down any of us.
Meanwhile, the eighth level fighter has a Str of 5, enhanced by a magical belt that strengthens his tendons and bulks his biceps. He's extremely quick on his feet and agile with a Dex of 3. He's protected by an invisible force field projected by a golden ring he wears on his right hand. An ancient stone from a long-dead civilization floats around his neck, granting him a sixth sense that warns him of impending danger in the form of a +1 insight bonus to AC. His CMD is 27.
It pings off of him like a bullet off of Captain America's shield.
If you want, just add the Trip ability of wolves to your big cats. That will hurt.