Shoot and diversion?

[ohako]

Someone asked the question a while ago what kind of action it was to create a diversion with the Bluff skill to hide (with the Stealth skill). A line from the 3.5 PHB, and the general consensus, seems to point that the action is a standard action. Well enough.

Is there any way to combine a diversion and an attack? That is, is there some way (feat, rogue talent, ninja trick, class ability, magic item, etc.) to attack an opponent, and the attack itself serves as a diversion?

[Ximen Bao]

I can't think of any explicitly permitted rules method.

I could think of several arguments a GM might accept on a houserule basis. A spell, attack, or action that would draw no attention to yourself and draw the attention of all targets to something else. Then roll the bluff check on top of it. If both the action and the bluff roll succeed, then your action created a diversion.

[ohako]

yeah, I can't really think of anything either. Maybe like making crossbow bolts out of smokesticks (both of which are charitably made out of 'wooden sticks'), and then clamping a punk or a burr (think sandpaper) to the front of your crossbow. You shoot, take at least a -2 on the attack because of the rube goldberg factor, and then your poor target gets shot in the leg _and_ covered in smoke. Maybe not strictly a diversion, but certainly entertaining.

Attack and diversion does seem to be a very 4E sort of thing to want, you know 'attack, shift two squares, attract a swarm of bees, and get +1 on special defenses until the end of your next turn sort of thing.

>bonk< Oh look, the smoke arrow from the APG. That'll do it.