|
It is an athletics trained action to disarm someone. Under its rules it says you can knock an item out of someone's hands (into their space) with a critical success, a success loosen's their grip on the item, a critical failure makes you flat-footed.
The disarm weapon description says you can use it with the athletics skill even if you don't have a free hand. The question here comes in that it says on a critical success you still need a free hand if you want to take the item.
Is this missing a step in the book, or is it a change that got made one place and not the other? The normal disarm doesn't let you suddenly hold onto the item, but instead of it drop in the enemies square.
I see what you mean. There is no mention of being able to take the weapon in a disarm action, so I’d say the mention of doing so in the description of the Disarm weapon trait is likely a holdover from a previous instance of the rules where you could do so that was removed in the final release. Just ignore that bit, I guess.
Edit: After thinking about it for a bit, this struck me as an instance where the trait may be referencing a feat that alters the disarm action. Turns out Disarming Twist for fighters fits the bill. It allows you to strike and make a disarm attempt with the same action but requires you to have a free hand to grab your opponents weapon. May be others, still looking.
After thinking even more, I thought maybe this is an instance where the common usage of a word caused a misunderstanding of the words intended meaning. The word “take” can mean “remove from its place” rather than “gain possession of”. Interpreting the trait that way, it’s saying that you can make the disarm check with the weapon but can only apply the critical effect if you have a free hand.
|
|
After thinking even more, I thought maybe this is an instance where the common usage of a word caused a misunderstanding of the words intended meaning. The word “take” can mean “remove from its place” rather than “gain possession of”. Interpreting the trait that way, it’s saying that you can make the disarm check with the weapon but can only apply the critical effect if you have a free hand.
I'm at an utter loss then how having a free hand when wielding a whip would help you remove the item from their hand at a 10' reach. I'd entirely understand an intention to have a free hand to end up with the item in your hand.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
After thinking even more, I thought maybe this is an instance where the common usage of a word caused a misunderstanding of the words intended meaning. The word “take” can mean “remove from its place” rather than “gain possession of”. Interpreting the trait that way, it’s saying that you can make the disarm check with the weapon but can only apply the critical effect if you have a free hand.
I think you may be overthinking it... I would say disarm weapon allows you to knock the item out of enemy grasp without a free hand - but if you want to take that item for yourself you still need a free hand, it doesn't automatically come into your possession. I don't see a contradiction with the rules text.
The reference to "taking the item" might be a holdover from an earlier disarm draft, but also could be future-proofing.
I don't really see any mystery here. If you get a Critical Success on a Disarm Action, the enemy drops the Item. You can then use an Interact Action to pick up that Item, but that requires a Free Hand.