e.g. by cow. how do you handle it regarding to movement and possible prone-ness?
e.g. by cow. how do you handle it regarding to movement and possible prone-ness?
Well, if the cow (Aurochs?) is prone, it can't trample, because trample is a full-round action made as part of movement. I guess technically, you could move 5' while prone and trample something adjacent to you, but then you end up in an illegal square.
If you mean trampling someone who is prone, there's no difference to trampling someone who is standing up. (There is no CMD check for trample, just an AoO at -4 or a reflex save)
Trample never knocks a creature prone, as there is no CM check, so it's not possible for the CM check to exceed the CMD by 5+.
Trample (Ex) As a full-round action, a creature with the trample ability can attempt to overrun any creature that is at least one size category smaller than itself. This works just like the overrun combat maneuver, but the trampling creature does not need to make a check, it merely has to move over opponents in its path. Targets of a trample take an amount of damage equal to the trampling creature's slam damage + 1-1/2 times its Str modifier. Targets of a trample can make an attack of opportunity, but at a –4 penalty. If targets forgo an attack of opportunity, they can attempt to avoid the trampling creature and receive a Reflex save to take half damage. The save DC against a creature's trample attack is 10 + 1/2 creature's HD + creature's Str modifier (the exact DC is given in the creature's descriptive text). A trampling creature can only deal trampling damage to each target once per round, no matter how many times its movement takes it over a target creature.
Format: trample (2d6+9, DC 20); Location: Special Attacks.
Overrun: As a standard action, taken during your move or as part of a charge, you can attempt to overrun your target, moving through its square. You can only overrun an opponent who is no more than one size category larger than you. If you do not have the Improved Overrun feat, or a similar ability, initiating an overrun provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver. If your overrun attempt fails, you stop in the space directly in front of the opponent, or the nearest open space in front of the creature if there are other creatures occupying that space.
When you attempt to overrun a target, it can choose to avoid you, allowing you to pass through its square without requiring an attack. If your target does not avoid you, make a combat maneuver check as normal. If your maneuver is successful, you move through the target's space. If your attack exceeds your opponent's CMD by 5 or more, you move through the target's space and the target is knocked prone. If the target has more than two legs, add +2 to the DC of the combat maneuver attack roll for each additional leg it has.
stupid me, should have elaborated on what i actually meant :)
i know them RAW and there lies the problem. the wording is confusing at best (e.g. trample=full round, overrun=standard), so how do YOU (as a GM) handle it? meaning, just how (far) can the trampler move while trampling? straight line or not?
and what could be done about the recipient possibly ending up prone. i mean if you (as a medium creature) can get tackled (overrun) by a hafling, would you not expect to end up equally prone after being literally trampled into the ground by said bovine?
...damn, probably should have posted this under "Advice"
just how (far) can the trampler move while trampling? straight line or not?
I say standard speed. The full round action is basically a standard action taken during a move (like Overrun).
I don't see any reason for a straight line, unless it's done as part of a charge (in which case cow would get double move, but straight line only and no difficult terrain).
and what could be done about the recipient possibly ending up prone.
You can trample for damage, or overrun for a chance to knock them down.
Maybe it'll help if you think of overrun like a ... shoulder-charge? Like American football. You bonk into them and they can fall down, but you're not really damaging them. Trample is just plowing through them, swinging your arms (or slam-like cow parts) around, and rather than getting knocked down you just get bludgeoned a bit.
ok, sounds servicable. but doesn't it strike you as odd (from a verisimilitudey point of view) that you will always remain standing after a trample (assuming you're not dead)? feels silly. one cow, sure, you're a hero. but think stampede (as the aurochs' feature).
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If it is a stampede, the first whatever number x (x= of creatures it takes to succeed) of them do overruns. The rest then do damage as they continually run over and pummell you.
The lead animals aren't trying to knock you down, they are trying to get away from whatever is behind them (and sometimes it is just the stampede behind them that they are trying to get away from) They will gladly take your Aoo's (afterall you aren't as scary as what's behind them) but once you run out of AOO's and/or still get knocked prone, the rest just see you as more ground to run on to get away whatever it is behind them that is so scary.
So it looks like targets who are trampled have no chance of being knocked prone because their is no roll to overcome their CMD.