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After a bit of research, I was surprised not to find anything to this effect; not even on the forums. So I'd like to discuss how we should do this here.
I propose the following rules for punting as a combat maneuver:
If your attack is successful, your target takes normal weapon damage and flies back 5 feet. For every 5 by which your attack exceeds your opponent's CMD you you can make the target fly back an additional 5 feet. For every size category by which you exceed your opponent beyond 2, this distance is doubled. For example, an opponent 3 categories smaller is knocked back twice as far, 4 categories smaller is knocked back 4 times as far, and 5 categories smaller is knocked back 8 times as far. If your attack fails, your movement ends in front of the target.
An enemy flying through the air as the result of a punt does not provoke an attack of opportunity because of the movement. If the enemy flies into a square occupied by another creature and both can't occupy the same space (because of size), you must immediately make a punt check against that creature. You take a –4 penalty on this check for each creature being pushed beyond the first. If you are successful, that creature is pushed as if by a bull rush attempt (even though punt maneuver bonuses are used for the check), but additional creatures can't be pushed further than the distance of the original punt victim.
You cannot punt a creature through a square that is occupied by a solid object or obstacle unless it can fly over or past that object(DM discretion). If the punted enemy does collide with a solid object, then they take damage equal to 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 ft remaining in their distance.
At the end of the movement, the punted enemy (but not additional pushed enemies) may make an acrobatics check (DC 10 + the amount your punt check exceeded their CMD) to avoid falling prone. If they succeed, they're instead staggered for one round. If the enemy has a flight speed, they use fly instead of acrobatics. Failure means they begin falling; otherwise they're staggered for 1 round. If they collided with a solid object before ending movement, then the DC is 25, as usual for colliding with a solid object.
For example a dwarven fighter is being attacked by a bat. He makes a punt attempt against the bat with his warhammer, and succeeds by 6. The bat takes the dwarf's usual weapon damage. Because the bat is Diminutive in size, it flies back 20 feet (base 5ft + bonus 5ft =10ft x 2 for size = 20ft). The bat can only travel back 10 feet before it collides with a wall, so it takes 1d6 bludgeoning and movement stops. Miraculously, the bat is still alive (must be someone's familiar) so it attempts a DC 25 fly check, but fails and falls prone next to the wall.
To those of you Orc barbarians who love kicking around goblins, I say use bull rush, or grapple and throw them, because even the strongest men can't really kick a 30-40 pound object any significant distance through the air (though a giant could). Punting small woodland creatures, over-sized insects, or pixies, however, seems feasible.
Here are a couple feats to go with punting:
Prerequisite: Str 13, Power Attack, base attack bonus +1.
Benefit: You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when performing a punt combat maneuver. In addition, you receive a +2 bonus on checks made to punt a foe.
Prerequisites: Improved Punt, base attack bonus +6, Str 15.
Punted enemies can function as an improvised thrown weapon, that can only be aimed at anyone in a cone shaped area in the direction between you and the punt victim, up to the distance determined by the punt check.
After succeeding on a punt check, make your ranged attack against an opponent in range. If you get bonuses to attack with the weapon used in the punt check, that applies to the ranged attack, but not to damage. You still take increment penalties for ranges further than 10 feet. The damage is equal to that of an unarmed strike from a creature of that size plus 1/2 your strength modifier. This attack and damage is used instead of the extra punt checks normally applied to push back additional creatures.
Here are a few things I'd like advice about:
Should it really provoke an attack of opportunity, and if not, what should Improved punt do, if anything?
Greater Punt is just a cool idea, if not very realistic. Is it too much, or should it work differently?
Should the punted enemy get the acrobatics check to avoid falling prone, or not?
I think the Fly check for flying creatures is still appropriate, because they're used to flying across the room, and can react better to the situation, but, I can't imagine many creatures other than a cat landing on their feet after being violently smacked across the room. At the very least, they should be staggered for one round.
What's a better word for this sort of maneuver, other than punt? Swat? Whack? Knockback?
Any other questions, comments or suggestions are welcome! :D
This is basically Awesome Blow. I would look into that if I were you (it's a feat and a class ability for Brawlers and Brothers of the Seal).
This is basically Awesome Blow. I would look into that if I were you (it's a feat and a class ability for Brawlers and Brothers of the Seal).
You're right. I'm pretty sure I've seen that feat before, but I forgot about it.
The distinction would be that this only works on creatures at least two size categories smaller than you, rather than just one, and you don't need to sink two feats into it.
Awesome blow is great and all, but for tiny and smaller creatures (assuming you're medium sized yourself), I don't think it should really require special training (two feats) to kick a rat across the room. That seems like something just about anyone should be able to attempt. You could just use a bull rush attempt, but the distance you can bull rush is disproportionate to the size of the creature, even with size penalties to CMD. Also, you can't normally usually use a weapon for a bull rush attempt.
Admittedly, I used bull rush rules as the basis for the punt rules, with a few changes and additions.
5th Edition has the Shove special maneuver, which this is similar to.
Maybe just make it a special monster ability or something?
It's totally awesome, by the way! Cloud giants should be kicking dwarves all over the place! Or ogres kicking goblins all over the place! Exploding goblins!
Maybe a spell for fire giant mages that let them kick minions and opponents and infuse them with a piece of their fiery aura so they explode after being kicked, punting adjacent creatures to their landing zone.
bull rush...
bull rush...Good precedent. A houserule could establish that 'punt' is also a movement-based maneuver, a sub-maneuver of Bull rush. If a bull rush is dealt to a creature one size category smaller than the initiator, said target takes damage equal to an unarmed attack from the initiator. The unarmed attack is considered as if by 1 size category larger for each size category smaller the target is from the initiator.
Empowered Punt would require Improved Bull Rush and BAB +6, and would deal damage as if a melee attack with the equipped weapon.
Violent Rush would allow Bull Rush to deal damage as specified above.
That allows for more damage with bull rush, but doesn't really result in the "send your opponent flying across the room" result that I was shooting for with punt. However, I agree that punt is pretty much just an addition to bull rush rules.
That allows for more damage with bull rush, but doesn't really result in the "send your opponent flying across the room" result that I was shooting for with punt. However, I agree that punt is pretty much just an addition to bull rush rules.bull rush...Good precedent. A houserule could establish that 'punt' is also a movement-based maneuver, a sub-maneuver of Bull rush. If a bull rush is dealt to a creature one size category smaller than the initiator, said target takes damage equal to an unarmed attack from the initiator. The unarmed attack is considered as if by 1 size category larger for each size category smaller the target is from the initiator.
Empowered Punt would require Improved Bull Rush and BAB +6, and would deal damage as if a melee attack with the equipped weapon.
Violent Rush would allow Bull Rush to deal damage as specified above.
then you're not rolling high enough, the size modifiers for CMB can really make a difference.