Hello everyone,
Since a weapon that has a Dancing rune triggered becomes “autonomous and strike your foes”, does that make it an ally? The reason that I am asking is because I am wondering if a dancing Blade of the Rabbit Prince would qualify for the Rogue’s Gang Up feat which utilizes you and your ally to “harry an opponent in concert”. My logic is that since companions, who are still under control of the player, are considered allies for feats like Gang Up and Squad Tactics, an item that attacks an enemy on its own would also qualify.
Just for clarification, I understand that in the definition of the Dancing Rune, it says that it does not provide flanking however in this case, it is not the location of the other attack rather the fact that it is a different attack not under the control of the player that triggers the feat(s), yielding the “flat-footed” condition.
Here are the definitions so you do not have to look them up:
Gang Up
Rogue Feat 6
Source Core Rulebook pg. 186 2.0
* You and your allies harry an opponent in concert. Any enemy is flat-footed against
Dancing
Item 13
Source Core Rulebook pg. 583 2.0
* A dancing weapon flies autonomously and strikes your foes.
* Activate command, Interact; Effect You Release the weapon and it dances through the air, fighting on its own against the last enemy you attacked, or the nearest enemy to it if your target has been defeated. At the end of your turn each round, the weapon can Fly up to its fly Speed of 40 feet, and then can either Fly again or Strike one creature within its reach.
* The weapon has a space of 5 feet, but it doesn’t block or impede enemies attempting to move though that space, nor does it benefit from or provide flanking. The weapon can’t move through an enemy’s space. The weapon can’t use reactions, and its Fly actions don’t trigger reactions.
* While it’s activated, a dancing weapon makes Strikes with an attack modifier of +24 plus its item bonus to attack rolls. It uses the weapon’s normal damage but has a +0 Strength modifier. The weapon’s abilities that automatically trigger on a hit or critical hit still function, but the weapon can’t be activated or benefit from any of your abilities while dancing.
* Each round, when the weapon is finished using its actions, attempt a DC 6 flat check. On a failure, the activation ends and the weapon falls to the ground. You can’t activate the item again for 10 minutes.
Blade of the Rabbit Prince
Item 15
This Item may contain spoilers from the Agents of Edgewatch Adventure Path
Source Pathfinder #160: Assault on Hunting Lodge Seven pg. 66
* This +2 greater striking dancing shortsword has a golden handguard resembling a bird with outstretched wings. The sword's blade is broken halfway up its length, but this doesn't impair the sword's function.
* Activate command, Interact; Effect You attempt to Trip or Disarm an opponent using Thievery instead of Athletics, and you add the blade of the Rabbit Prince's item bonus to the check. You do not need to have a hand free if you're wielding the blade of the Rabbit Prince, and your target can be up to two sizes larger than you.
Thank you for your time,
Dave
