Is there a feat to use level / hit dice instead of BAB to calcuate CMB?

[Prawn]

Specifically I want to up the CMB of an animal companion.

[Artanthos]

Depending on the animal companion / maneuver you may be able to improve your companions CMB through weapon finesse or agile maneuvers.

For example: if using trip with a small cat, weapon finesse will allow you to apply your dex mod.

[Prawn]

It's actually a mount for a Paladin. It is a horse, and they have high str. If I could add str and dex, that would help, but swapping str for dex would lower the mount's cmb.

[Arazyr]

There is Defensive Combat Training, but that's for CMD. I don't know of an equivalent for CMB off hand, but it would be easy to houserule one in. Ask your GM.

On the other hand, things like Improved Bull Rush (and equivalents for other combat maneuvers) would also help, if you have specific maneuvers in mind. (Though you may have already thought of those.)

[Prawn]

Thanks! That must have been what I was thinking of. I guess there is no "offensive combat training" equivalent, but I think some classes can use level instead of CMB, Monks and Oracles for example.

[Umbranus]

I think there is a weapon enchant that adds to CMB. You could add that to an amulet of mighty fists.

[Prawn]

I think any bonus to hit would be a bonus to CMB if you use the weapon to do the maneuver, for example trip. Is there an enchantment which raises CMB in general? You don't always use a weapon to do combat manuvers, so I am not sure when it would apply.

[Ikonoclast]

If this is just for you animal companion (horse) then an amulet of mighty fists as previously suggested, with just a base +, should apply to all of the horses natural attacks. It can be assumed that most of it's combat maneuvers would use it's bite or hooves to some extent, and therefore should be able to apply the bonus. There may be some exceptions, but that'll be up to you and your DM to interpret.

[StreamOfTheSky]

And yet it's not ok to assume that a monk's combat maneuvers won't all use some part of his entire body (ie, his unarmed strike) in their application. Only the "weapon based" ones.

*Grumble* Grapple at the least should let you use unarmed attack bonuses *grumble*

[blackbloodtroll]

What's your race?