Animate Rope lets you throw a rope-like object - I assume this would include a whip - as a ranged touch attack roll with an increment range of ten feet. This enwraps either a creature or an object.
Can one use this to perform a disarm maneuver? The two main advantages I can see to doing this is that the target loses strength and BAB bonus to CMD (since it's a touch attack) and it kind of gets the caster Weapon Finesse for free, but only for this spell. Also, a bonus from Improved Disarm.
This would allow a Dex-based human caster to take Improved Disarm at first level and have it be useful without Weapon Finesse.
Bump.
bump
I don't see anything about animate rope that leads me to believe it makes a disarm attempt any easier than just using a normal whip would.
You either use the whip to perform an action or attack you normally could, or make a touch attack to entangle a target. That's in addition to the other stated uses, like throwing it out to tie around a tree across the road and forming a trip line or throwing it up towards a rock outcropping to latch on and allow you to climb up.
The "easier" would be that the attack roll is dex-based and not str-based, and also that you're hitting an easier target.
Normally when making a disarm check, the whip holder would make a CMB and add his strength bonus, unless he had improved disarm. What I'm saying is that since Animate Rope specifies a ranged attack touch roll, you'd make an attack roll and add your dex and BAB (and since you're technically making a disarm check, any disarm bonuses?), and you'd be targeting the opponents touch AC instead of CMB.
Put another way, the "target" isn't the opponent but the weapon he's holding. The spell says, "The rope can enwrap only a creature or an object within 1 foot of it". It doesn't specify an unattended object.
So let's say a first level human caster with Combat Expertise and Improved Disarm and Dex 16 and Str 10 casts Animate Rope on a whip and makes an attempt to disarm a palace guard with a Halberd ten feet away, with the intent of yanking his weapon away. Normally this maneuver would provoke, and the target has a reach weapon but this caster has Improved Disarm, so it won't. Let's assume the Guard is a Medium sized second level fighter with 15 Str/12 Dex and doesn't have Improved Disarm or Combat Expertise. Our caster is first up in init and has no flanking buddy or assistance from a friendly bard or anything.
A normal disarm maneuver would be a +4 (2 feat + 2 weapon + 0 strength) vs a CMD of 15, assuming our caster has BAB 0, so he needs to roll at least an 11. That's a tough call. It also wouldn't provoke because the caster is benefiting from Improved Disarm.
If he uses Animate Rope he will provoke (Improved Disarm won't remove AoOp for casting a spell), but the guard is flatfooted and so he's out of luck. Now when tossing the whip one of two things should happen, and I'm not sure which:
1. The caster merely tosses the whip near his target to hit a touch AC of 11 at a +3 bonus (so he needs to roll an 8), and the whip magically does the work of "enwrapping" the weapon.
2. The caster uses his expertise at disarming someone, coupled with the spell's abilities and the whip's bonus, for a +7 (3 dex + 2 feat + 2 weapon quality) to hit a touch AC (thanks to the spell) of 11 (so he needs to roll a 4).
Number one seems like the most weird to me of all of this, since I'm stretching the spell into making a disarm check on it's own. With #2 I feel like I've paid for the bonuses with two feats and a spell, which is giving me two bonuses - Weapon Finesse for free (temporarily) and a lower target CMD/touch AC.
I'd also love it if the caster could cast, move, and then throw, but I suspect this wouldn't be the case, since the spell calls for a ranged touch attack. Can a Sorcerer cast Scorching Ray, five-foot step, and then discharge the spell?
I don't feel that this is particularly overpowered because you're paying for it with a spell slot. Also, you're targeting touch AC, which isn't always going to be less than CMD.
Let's assume a halfling alchemist with 20 dex and 5 Strength, and 0 BAB. Normal CMB would be 11, but his touch AC is 16. A weapon finesse disarm specialist with +2 BAB would whip that magic amulet out of his hands at about a +9 vs 11 (so, roll a 2). Using the method described above, he's rolling that same +9 vs 16 (so, roll a 7), the difference being that he doesn't require Weapon Finesse.
Add a ring of deflection and/or a dodge bonus and it gets worse. That same halfing with a ring of protection +1 operating under total defense is going to be a 20 touch AC but still an 11 CMD.
Animate rope doesn't say you can make a disarm attempt with it, so you can't by RAW. Feel free to houserule however though.
Animate rope doesn't say you can make a disarm attempt with it, so you can't by RAW. Feel free to houserule however though.
What would you call enwrapping an object when that object is a weapon held by another character?
The spell cannot affect objects carried or worn by a creature.
I'd say you can't. Because the object is carried by a creature. Its the last line of the spell. Either you can use it on a creature, or an unattended object.
Actually, I think Tarantula might have a point. I had glossed over that last line because I was looking for the key words "unattended object". If this spell was grandfathered in from 3.5 it might simply have been omitted?
Worth an FAQ?