Pummeling Bully clarification

[NobyShroom]

So I have a character who took the feat.

Benefit: When you use Pummeling Style to make an entire full attack or flurry of blows against a single target, if you hit with any of your attacks, you can attempt a reposition or trip combat maneuver check as a free action.

My friends and I are unsure as to when exactly I get that free maneuver. Does it occur as soon as a landed hit is made? Or does it occur after the flurry?

[Kazumetsa Raijin]

Eh, it's arguable since it's a free action. Either way, you'll have to confirm a landed attack and finish it up(triggering your feat), but you get a free reposition/trip maneuver after it.

[Glorf Fei-Hung]

That is interesting.It is very vague, I would even take it one step further, if you hit with multiple attacks do you get multiple attempts.

This is also a critical option as you could trip someone early and be attacking against a prone target later, or even reposition something into darkness and possibly be attacking a blind foe.

I would suspect that RAW is completely unclear, but RAI is 1 per pummel and it applies after you pummel. But I could also see 1 per pummel as soon as tou hit once, so the benefit applies instantly. I think 1 per hit has to be out because that can just get too OP as you start dishing out mass trip attempts per round against something nearly impossible to trip but eventually you will Nat 20 it!

This would be something I recommend FAQ'ing

[Chess Pwn]

So was this feat changed when pummeling style was reworked? If not then originally this feat could only be used after all your attacks.

[Glorf Fei-Hung]

Ok pulled it up in PRD and I have a better feel for at least how I would Rule it.

Pummeling Bully (Combat)
Your combo has the chance to trip or move your target.

Prerequisites: Improved Reposition, Improved Trip, Improved Unarmed Strike, Pummeling Style; base attack bonus +9, brawler level 5th, or monk level 5th.

Benefit: When you use Pummeling Style to make an entire full attack or flurry of blows against a single target, if you hit with any of your attacks, you can attempt a reposition or trip combat maneuver check as a free action.

First I think the mention of "A reposition or trip" supports my thought that 1 per hit is too much. It's one per pummel.

Next I still feel RAW is unclear if it should happen after the single attack or after the pummel. For this I can only say if we try to determine RAI, we can read to descriptive text where it says "Your combo". To me that implies it is the entire pummel, not the single attack that allows you the trip/reposition. So I would rule it occurs after all attacks are resolved.

So IMHO. 1 attempt per pummel and the trip/reposition attemp occurs last.

[Glorf Fei-Hung]

Chess Pwn wrote:

So was this feat changed when pummeling style was reworked? If not then originally this feat could only be used after all your attacks.

There is this too, and the wording of the feat seems to match the same style of wording first used in Pummeling Style.

[Kazumetsa Raijin]

Glorf Fei-Hung wrote:

Benefit: When you use Pummeling Style to make an entire full attack or flurry of blows against a single target, if you hit with any of your attacks, you can attempt a reposition or trip combat maneuver check as a free action.

One free Trip or Reposition, for the entire attack(s), sure.

Otherwise, I think the context is just to make sure you stick to using only Pummeling Style for your Full-Attack(as opposed to using some other form of a full-attack like a Normal Flurry or normal Full-Attack), in order to be allowed to use the Trip/Repos "if you hit with any of your attacks" during that sequence of attacks.