So a Heavy Flail has the Trip and Disarm attribute. Assume the character has Combat Expertise, Improved Disarm and Improved Trip feats.
Question 1 about tripping with a Heavy Flail: When you announce that you're going to trip with the weapon, do you have to "hit" with that weapon (producing potential 1d10 + modifier damage), and then roll CMB versus CMD? Or is it a straight up CMB versus CMD roll (no damage potential)? Can it be both?
Question 2 about disarm with a Heavy Flail: The Disarm attribute says it is a +2 to disarm an opponent. Does this stack with the +2 from Improved Disarm feat, making it a +4 to CMB? Do you have to "hit" with the weapon (producing potential 1d10 + modifier damage) and then roll CMB versus CMD? Or is it a straight up CMB versus CMD roll (no damage potential)? Can it be both?
In other words, do you "hit" like any other weapon, but it also allows you to either a trip or a disarm on a separate CMB versus CMD roll. Or do you have to choose to trip or disarm with the weapon first, and thus you don't do any damage, just the combat maneuver?
I'm confused because with my animal companions, they can trip when they successfully attack, but I'm unsure if the same thing applies to weapons.
Thanks in advance for all replies.
Let's break down the things you listed before answering the questions:
- The trip weapon quality provides you the ability to drop the weapon instead of being tripped when you fail a trip combat maneuver by 10+. It also allows you to add your weapon-based bonuses to attack rolls when you attempt drag and reposition combat maneuvers (two maneuvers which do not normally use a weapon).
- The disarm weapon quality gives you a +2 bonus on disarm combat maneuvers.
- Improved Disarm gives you a +2 bonus on disarm combat maneuvers, and you don't provoke an attack of opportunity when making them.
- Improved Trip gives you a +2 bonus on trip combat maneuvers, and you don't provoke an attack of opportunity when making them.
Question #1: You either make a melee attack or attempt a trip combat maneuver, not both at the same time. A trip combat maneuver doesn't normally deal damage.
Question #2: The bonuses to disarm are untyped and from different sources so yes, they stack to +4. As for question #1's answer, disarm combat maneuvers don't normally deal damage.
Your animal companion has a special ability called trip that allows it free trip combat maneuvers whenever it hits with its bite attack. The trip weapon ability is something completely different.