So if you have a disarm weapon, you can replace any of your attacks for a disarm combat maneuver, right?
And instead of CMB, the check used is an attack check against CMD?
Do I add +CMB to that check? Do I add enhancement bonus? Do I add random attack bonus like Weapon Specialization or Weapon Training or Studied Target?
What happens with unarmed strike? If I'm performing a disarm maneuver with my hands, can I replace it for an unarmed strike check?
How does this all interact with Weapon Finesse?
Thanks.
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... I think I decidely like this new trend of "Explain ___ to me like I'm 5" threads. They're neat, useful, and help clear up things that are often muddied by mountains of fluff, confusing crunch, or scattered across various sourcebooks.
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If you're doing a maneuver that uses your weapon (trip, disarm, or sunder), the way the math works out is you just make an attack roll with your weapon (with all of its modifiers (enhancements, your buffs, whatever) this is the same as if you were actually attacking with your weapon so apply weapon finesse as necessary) and add any specific CMB modifiers you have for that specific maneuver. And yes, this is against the target's CMD instead of their AC.
The special properties on weapons don't effect whether or not you can/can't do a maneuver with a weapon. For example, the only thing a weapon with the trip quality does is if you fail your check by 10 or more, instead of falling prone (i.e. blundering and tripping yourself) you can instead drop your weapon. Disarm weapons give you a +2 on your disarm checks. But trip or disarm can be made with any weapon (even those without the trip/disarm qualities).
Specifically to your first point, in case it's not clear in my answer, you don't need a disarm weapon to disarm. You can replace any of your attacks (whether it's a single attack, any or all attacks within a full-attack, or an Attack of Opportunity) with one of those three "weapon maneuvers".
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Three combat maneuvers can be used in place of an attack - Disarm, Trip, and Sunder. Any time you are allowed to make a melee attack, you can instead perform one of these maneuvers. This can be a normal attack, an attack of opportunity, an iterative, or any other time you're allowed a melee attack.
These three maneuvers can be performed with a weapon, and as a result they benefit from Weapon Finesse, weapon enchantments, Weapon Focus, or whatever other weapon-specific modifiers you possess.
Any other combat maneuver (Grapple, Reposition, Dirty Trick, etc.) will typically be a standard action, as listed in the rules for that maneuver.
All combat maneuvers use your CMB, and any modifiers (such as Inspire Courage) that apply to attack rolls also apply to CMB. Again, for the three special maneuvers that can be used in place of a melee attack, you may also add weapon-specific bonuses to your CMB for those maneuvers. This is compared to your opponents CMD instead of CMB.
Some weapons are listed as "trip" or "disarm" weapons or something similar. A "disarm" weapon gives you a +2 on disarm checks. A "trip" weapon allows you to avoid being tripped yourself when you fail the trip check by 10 or more. Using a trip weapon, instead of being tripped you can simply drop the weapon.
However, you do not need a special maneuver weapon to make a combat maneuver using a weapon. You can make a combat maneuver with any weapon. You can trip or disarm someone with a longsword, you just don't receive any special bonus for doing so.
It provokes an attack of opportunity to make any combat maneuver, unless you have a feat or ability which provides you a special exception.
If you perform a disarm maneuver with your hands, you get a -4 to the disarm check. However, if you succeed on this check, you may automatically pick up the item you disarmed, instead of having it drop to the floor.
Did I miss anything?
You make a CMB check but add any weapon specific attack bonuses to the CMB check.
If you are using a +3 longsword to disarm, you get +3 on your disarm check.
If you are using a disarm weapon (whip, flail, etc), you get a straight +2 bonus on your cmb check.
So if you're using a +3 flail to disarm someone, you get +5 on the CMB check to disarm a target.
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Some weapons are listed as "trip" or "disarm" weapons or something similar. These give you a +2 on those specific maneuvers. Additionally, normally when you make a trip attempt you yourself can be tripped if you fail the check by 10 or more. Using a trip weapon, instead of being tripped you can simply drop the weapon.Did I miss anything?
Trip weapons don't give you a +2, they only have the bit about dropping the weapon instead of tripping yourself. Other than that I think you got it.
Trip: You can use a trip weapon to make trip attacks.* If you are tripped during your own trip attempt, you can drop the weapon to avoid being tripped.
*Note, this part is superfluous, trip attempts can be made with any weapon.
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Trip, Sunder and Disarm can be done as part of an attack action, you can choose to make those in place of another attack as part of a multiple attack action.
In the case of Trip the trip weapon allows you to drop the weapon instead of being tripped yourself if you fail by 10 or more.
In the case of disarm those weapons grant you a +2, but you can use any weapon or even be unarmed (you take a -4 if unarmed) and attempt to disarm someone as part of your attack action, using it in place of a single attack for each disarm attempt you make.
Anytime you make a combat maneuver you add the bonuses you are getting to make attacks, including weapon focus if you are using a weapon for which you have weapon focus, include enchantment bonuses if you are using a magical weapon, include heroism or any other bonus you are getting for attacks. You get this bonus so long as you are using anything that allows it. You don't get to add a weapon bonus if you are grappling, unless you have weapon focus (unarmed) or have a natural weapon with the grab ability and focus with that natural attack.
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Some weapons are listed as "trip" or "disarm" weapons or something similar. These give you a +2 on those specific maneuvers.
Just to clarify, trip weapons do not give you a +2 to trip. They only give you the option of dropping the weapon on a failed attempt instead of falling prone.
That said, you can apply the enhancement bonus of the weapon to your maneuver check.
Three combat maneuvers can be used in place of an attack - Disarm, Trip, and Sunder. Any time you are allowed to make a melee attack, you can instead perform one of these maneuvers. This can be a normal attack, an attack of opportunity, an iterative, or any other time you're allowed a melee attack.
These three maneuvers can be performed with a weapon, and as a result they benefit from Weapon Finesse, weapon enchantments, Weapon Focus, or whatever other weapon-specific modifiers you possess.
Any other combat maneuver (Grapple, Reposition, Dirty Trick, etc.) will typically be a standard action, as listed in the rules for that maneuver.
All combat maneuvers use your CMB, and any modifiers (such as Inspire Courage) that apply to attack rolls also apply to CMB. Again, for the three special maneuvers that can be used in place of a melee attack, you may also add weapon-specific bonuses to your CMB for those maneuvers. This is compared to your opponents CMD instead of CMB.
Some weapons are listed as "trip" or "disarm" weapons or something similar. These give you a +2 on those specific maneuvers. Additionally, normally when you make a trip attempt you yourself can be tripped if you fail the check by 10 or more. Using a trip weapon, instead of being tripped you can simply drop the weapon.
However, you do not need a special maneuver weapon to make a combat maneuver using a weapon. You can make a combat maneuver with any weapon. You can trip or disarm someone with a longsword, you just don't receive any special bonus for doing so.
It provokes an attack of opportunity to make any combat maneuver, unless you have a feat or ability which provides you a special exception.
If you perform a disarm maneuver with your hands, you get a -4 to the disarm check. However, if you succeed on this check, you may automatically pick up the item you disarmed, instead of having it drop to the floor.
Did I miss anything?
Only corrections I'd make:
You can make a combat maneuver with any weapon.
You can make the allowed maneuvers (Disarm, Trip, Sunder) with any weapon.
For other maneuvers, either you’re not using a weapon at all, or the weapon is incidental to making the maneuver and its bonuses shouldn’t make you better at attempting the maneuver.
With the following exception:
There is a special exception to the above rules. If you’re using a weapon with the trip special feature, and you’re attempting a drag or reposition combat maneuver (Advanced Player’s Guide 321–322), you may apply the weapon’s bonuses to the roll because trip weapons are also suitable for dragging and repositioning (this also means we don’t have to add “drag” and “reposition” weapon properties to existing weapons).
(source)
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"There's this game older people like to play called "Pathfinder". It is pretty neat, but some of the rules are complex like "combat maneuvers", and you need to be able to read, and so consequently you shouldn't play until you are older. But, you can roll the dice for me ..."
That is pretty much how I approach it with my 5 year old.
Trip weapons don't give you a +2, they only have the bit about dropping the weapon instead of tripping yourself. Other than that I think you got it.
Hahah yeah, I got that wrong, read your post, and then quickly edited my own.
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Oh dear, you really shouldn't be on the internet. It's a bad place for a 5-year-old. Go find some other toys to play with.
Not quite right.
You can replace one of your attacks with a disarm, sunder or trip attack. The other manoeuvers all use a specific action (usually a standard) and cannot replace an attack. These all use your CMB vs your opponents CMD. You (almost) never use your normal attack bonus instead of your CMB. An ability will expressly tell you if you use something other than your CMB.
Your CMB is your Base Attack, Strength and the special size modifier. You only get to add other modifiers if it expressly tells you you can. weapon focus doesn't add to your CMB as it doesn't tell you it can. Weapon training tells you you can, so you can add that to your CMB.
Weapon finesse has it's own FAQ here but essentially you can use it with 'weapon maoeuvers' such as disarm and trip, but not with 'body manoeuvers' such as bull rush.
'manoeuver weapons' add the bonus to your CMB when using that manoeuver.
so for example you have a CMB of +6.
Disarm with either an unarmed strike or a 'basic' weapon uses your CMB of +6.
Disarm with a flail, then you use your CMB+2 (+8).
Sunder with a flail uses your base CMB of +6
(Don't forget that any manoeuver attempt will provoke an attack of opportunity unless you have the 'improved manoeuver' feat.)
I think that's everything.hope it all makes sense.
To clarify, ignoring modifiers that only specifically apply to combat maneuvers your CMB for peroforming the attack roll should be equal to your attack bonus with your weapon when performing the maneuvers that allow the use of a weapon(and you are using that weapon).
They will still provoke as normal, unless you have the Improved __________ feat which removes that penalty.
weapon focus doesn't add to your CMB as it doesn't tell you it can.
Incorrect. From the Paizo blog:
Disarm, sunder, and trip are normally the only kinds of combat maneuvers in which you’re actually using a weapon (natural weapons and unarmed strikes are considered weapons for this purpose) to perform the maneuver, and therefore the weapon’s bonuses (enhancement bonuses, feats such as Weapon Focus, fighter weapon training, and so on) apply to the roll.
weapon focus doesn't add to your CMB as it doesn't tell you it can.Incorrect. From the Paizo blog:
Disarm, sunder, and trip are normally the only kinds of combat maneuvers in which you’re actually using a weapon (natural weapons and unarmed strikes are considered weapons for this purpose) to perform the maneuver, and therefore the weapon’s bonuses (enhancement bonuses, feats such as Weapon Focus, fighter weapon training, and so on) apply to the roll.
quite right, didn't do the research as thoroughly as I thought :(
that is a really handy blog too, thanks.