I'm new to pathfinder, but not D&D. I like the combat maneuver system for Pathfinder except that because of all the restrictions on it (provoking AoO, requiring standard actions etc..) there isn't much incentive to use it unless there are exceptional circumstances where it would be of obvious benefit (like bull rushing someone into a pit).
My goal is to make combat more dynamic- less I smack you, you smack me. To encourage players and monsters to make more use of combat maneuvers, I was considering implementing a house rule whereby combat maneuvers would generally not provoke attacks of opportunity. This of course would make all the improved x feats less useful, but to compensate for that I was considering modifying the feats, so that in addition to the bonus the feat gives to the maneuver, the feat would also allow you to perform it as a move action. For instance, improved sunder would allow you to sunder as a move action and then make an attack in the same round with a standard action. I'm wondering if some folks can help me foresee the implications of such a house rule. Would it mess up the game balance too much?
Any other suggestions about how to make combat more exciting and interesting for the melee types would also be appreciated.
Exactly, and that's the issue I'd like to alleviate.
For example, in the first session of our first PF campaign the other day, the characters were fighting a few gnolls on this wide staircase. The fight pretty much ended up with the PCs and monsters moving up and hacking back and forth at each other. The gnolls were higher on the stairs and I thought it would be cool if one of the gnolls could kick a PC down the stairs. With the combat maneuver system it would be easy enough to resolve. The problem is the PC gets an AoO, so there isn't much incentive to try it. I think I went for it anyhow and the gnoll was predictably hacked down by the AoO. PCs have even less incentive to try moves like that because they don't want to do anything that puts their beloved characters in unnecessary danger.
By the rules, you have to specialize in them to really get use out of them.
One good houserule I read was changing the AoO to only trigger if you fail the maneuver check.