ARCHIVED Combat Maneuvers

Each character and creature has a Combat Maneuver Bonus (or CMB) that represents its skill at performing combat maneuvers. A creature’s CMB is determined using the following formula:

CMB = Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + special size modifier + talents + misc modifiers

Creatures that are size Tiny or smaller use their Dexterity modifier in place of their Strength modifier to determine their CMB. The special size modifier for a creature’s Combat Maneuver Bonus is as follows:

• Fine –8
• Diminutive –4
• Tiny –2
• Small –1
• Medium +0
• Large +1
• Huge +2
• Gargantuan +4
• Colossal +8

Some talents and abilities grant a bonus to your CMB when performing specific maneuvers.

When performing a combat maneuver, you must use an action appropriate to the maneuver you are attempting to perform. By default a combat maneuver requires a full-round action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

There are some talents that change this into a Half Action that can often be performed in place of a normal melee attack, apart of a charge action, or as an Attack of Opportunity.

When you attempt to perform a combat maneuver:

• Make an attack roll and add your CMB in place of your normal attack bonus.
• Add any bonuses you currently have on attack rolls due to spells, talents, and other effects.
• These bonuses must be applicable to the weapon or attack used to perform the maneuver.
• The DC of this maneuver is your target’s Combat Maneuver Defense (CMD).
• Combat maneuvers are attack rolls, so you must roll for concealment and take any other penalties that would normally apply to an attack roll.

Each character and creature has a Combat Maneuver Defense (or CMD) that represents its ability to resist combat maneuvers. A creature’s CMD is determined using the following formula:

CMD = 10 + Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + Dexterity modifier + special size modifier + miscellaneous modifiers

The special size modifier for a creature’s Combat Maneuver Defense is as follows:

• Fine –16
• Diminutive –8
• Tiny –4
• Small –2
• Medium +0
• Large +2
• Huge +4
• Gargantuan +8
• Colossal +16

Some talents and abilities grant a bonus to your CMD when resisting specific maneuvers.

A creature can also add any circumstance, talent, dodge, condition,te and sacred bonuses to AC to its CMD. Any penalties to AC also apply to CMD. A flat-footed creature does not add its Dexterity bonus to CMD.

If your attack roll equals or exceeds the target’s CMD, your maneuver is a success and has the listed effect. Some maneuvers, such as bull rush, have varying levels of success depending on how much your attack roll exceeds the target’s CMD.

• Rolling a natural 20 while attempting a combat maneuver is treat similar to a critical hit and adds an additional +5 to the total results. (except when attempting to escape from bonds).
• Rolling a natural 1 is treated similar to a critical failure and provides a -5 to the net results.

With the correct Talent you can make a bull rush as a standard action or as part of a charge, in place of the melee attack. A bull rush attempts to push an opponent straight back without doing any harm.

If you do not have the Powerful Maneuvers talent, or a similar ability, initiating a bull rush Requires a Full-Round Action.

If your attack is successful, your target is pushed back 10 feet. For every 5 by which your attack exceeds your opponent’s CMD, you can push the target back an additional 10 feet. You can move with the target if you wish, but you must have the available movement to do so. If your attack fails, your movement ends in front of the target.

An enemy being moved by a bull rush does not provoke an attack of opportunity because of the movement unless you possess the Greater Bull Rush Talent.

If you bull rush a creature into a square that is occupied by a solid object or obstacle, the target takes damage based on remaining movement as if it were falling damage. If there is another creature in the way of your bull rush, you must immediately make a combat maneuver check to bull rush that creature.

• You take a –4 penalty on this check for each creature being pushed beyond the first.
• If you are successful, you can continue to push the creatures a distance equal to the lesser result.

Example: If a fighter bull rushes a goblin for a total of 15 feet, but there is another goblin 5 feet behind the first, he must make another combat maneuver check against the second goblin after having pushed the first 5 feet. If his check reveals that he can push the second goblin a total of 20 feet, he can continue to push both goblins another 10 feet (since the first goblin will have moved a total of 15 feet).

You can attempt to disarm your opponent in place of a melee attack.

If you do not have the Deft Manuevers talent, or a similar ability, attempting to disarm a foe requires a Full-Round Action.

Attempting to disarm a foe while unarmed imposes a –4 penalty on the attack.

If your attack is successful, your target drops one item it is carrying of your choice (even if the item is wielded with two hands).

• If your attack exceeds the CMD of the target by 10 or more, the target drops the items it is carrying in both hands (maximum two items if the target has more than two hands).
• Additionally for every 1 you attack exceeds knocks the weapon 1ft further away in a random direction.
• If your attack fails by 10 or more, you drop the weapon that you were using to attempt the disarm.
• If you successfully disarm your opponent with one hand free, you may automatically pick up the item dropped.

You can attempt to drag a foe as a half action. The aim of this maneuver is to drag a foe in a straight line behind you without doing any harm.

If you do not have the Powerful Maneuvers Talent or a similar ability, initiating a drag requires a Full-Round Action.

If your attack is successful:

• Both you and your target are moved 5 feet back.
• Your opponent now occupies your original space, and you are in the space directly behind that, forming a straight line.
• For every 5 by which your attack exceeds your opponent’s CMD, you can drag the target back an additional 10 feet.
• You must be able to move with the target to perform this maneuver.
• If you do not have enough movement, the drag ends at the maximum distance you can move.

An enemy being moved by a drag does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the movement unless you possess the Greater Drag Talent.

You cannot move a creature into a square that is occupied by a solid object or obstacle. If there is another creature in the way of your movement, the drag ends adjacent to that creature.

As a half action, or as part of a charge, you can attempt to Grapple/Grab your target—taking firm hold of them or wrestling them. All participates (willing or unwilling) are treated as adjacent until the Grab or Grapple has ended despite the Reach of either creature. There are few exceptions to this such as bindings at 20 stacks of “Grappled!”, some spells and unique creature abilities or Talents.

• You must have both hands free or only be wielding a light weapon to Grapple.
• You must have one free hand to Grab a target.

If you do not have the Powerful Maneuvers Talent or a similar ability, initiating a Grapple/Grab requires a Full-Round Action.

If the Grabber/Grappler or Grabbed/Grappled is moved or repositioned by an outside force that moves either target outside the reach of the Grabber/Grappler, then the Grab or Grapple is ended immediately. A Grabbed/Grappled target may attempt a Bullrush or Reposition Manuever against a target actively Grabbing or Grappling them at a -4 or -1 per stack of “Grappled!” (whichever is higher)

If your attack exceeds the target’s CMD, the target is Immobilized and is treated as occupying one of your hands. As a Half action on the grabbed target may attempt to break free using their CMB vs your CMD. If they meet or exceed your CMD they are no longer grabbed or Immobilized.

Any attempts to move the target using a spell or combat maneuver is opposed by your CMD or Saving Throw.

If your attack exceeds the target’s CMD, you and the target are Immobilized and is treated as occupying one of your hands. This applies one stack of Grappled! to your target. For every 5 you exceed the targets CMD you may apply an additional stack of Grappled!. If you currently possess stacks of Grappled! you may instead remove 2 stacks. For every 5 you exceed the targets CMD you may remove an additional 2 stacks.

Any attempts to move the target using a spell or combat maneuver is opposed by your CMD or Saving Throw.

Each stack of Grappled! applies a -2 on combat casting

• At 1 stack you are treated as Immobilized
• At 5 stacks you are treated as Staggered
• At 10 stacks you are treated as Staggered and Impaired
• At 15 stacks you are treated as Stunned and Impaired
• At 20 stacks you are treated as Paralyzed and Helpless

After 20 stacks a target may be bound with rope, chain or similarly appropriate bindings. This allows the 20 stacks to remain so long as they are bound successfully. Despite being paralyzed a Bound creature may, once per round, attempt to break the bindings via Escape artist, Break check (based on binding), or CMB. If they exceed your CMD +15 they break free of the bindings and remove all stacks and may take their turn as normal as if they had spent a Full-Round action breaking free.

As a half action, taken during your move or as part of a charge, you can attempt to overrun a target, moving through its square. You can only overrun an opponent who is no more than one size category larger than you.

If you do not have the Powerful Maneuvers Talent or a similar ability, initiating a drag requires a Full-Round Action.

If your overrun attempt fails, you stop in the space directly in front of the opponent, or the nearest open space in front of the creature if other creatures are occupying that space.

When you attempt to overrun a target:

• The target can choose to avoid you, allowing you to pass through its square without requiring an attack.
• If your target does not avoid you, make a combat maneuver check as normal.
• If your maneuver is successful, you move through the target’s space.
• If your attack exceeds your opponent’s CMD by 5 or more, you move through the target’s space and the target is knocked prone.

You can attempt to reposition a foe to a different location as a Half Action.

A reposition attempts to force a foe to move to a different position in relation to your location without doing any harm.

If you do not have the Deft Maneuvers Talent or a similar ability, initiating a drag requires a Full-Round Action.

You cannot use this maneuver to move a foe into a space that is intrinsically dangerous, such as a pit or wall of fire, unless you have the Greater Reposition Talent.

If your attack is successful:

• You may move your target 5 feet to a new location.
• For every 5 by which your attack exceeds your opponent’s CMD, you can move the target an additional 10 feet.
• The target must remain within your reach at all times during this movement, except for the final 5 feet, which may move them to a space adjacent to your reach.

An enemy being moved by a reposition does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the movement unless you possess the Greater Reposition Talent.

You cannot move a creature into a square that is occupied by a solid object or obstacle.

You can attempt to take an item from a foe as a Half Action. This maneuver can be used in melee to take any item that is neither held nor hidden in a bag or pack.

You must have at least one hand free (holding nothing) to attempt this maneuver. You must select the item to be taken before the check is made.

• Items tucked into a belt or loosely attached (such as brooches or necklaces) are the easiest to take.
• Items fastened to a foe (such as cloaks, sheathed weapons, or pouches) are more difficult and give the opponent a +5 bonus (or greater) to their CMD.
• Items that are closely worn (armor, backpacks, boots, clothing, rings) cannot be taken with this maneuver.
• Items held in the hands (like wielded weapons or wands) also cannot be taken with the steal maneuver—you must use the disarm combat maneuver instead.

The GM is the final arbiter of what items can be taken.

If you do not have the Deft Maneuvers Talent or a similar ability, initiating a drag requires a Full-Round Action.

Although this maneuver normally requires the target to be within your reach, you can use a whip to steal an object from a target within range, but take a –4 penalty on the attack roll.

If your attack is successful:

• You may take one item from your opponent.
• You must be able to reach the item (subject to GM discretion).
• Your enemy is immediately aware of the theft unless you possess the Greater Steal Talent.

You can attempt to sunder an item held or worn by your opponent as part of an half action or in place of a melee attack

If you do not have the Powerful Maneuvers Talent or a similar ability, initiating a drag requires a Full-Round Action.

If your attack is successful:

• You deal damage to the item normally.
• Damage that exceeds the object's Hardness is subtracted from its hit points.
• If an object has half or less of its total hit points remaining, it gains the broken condition.
• If the damage you deal would reduce the object to less than 0 hit points, you may choose to destroy it.
  • If you do not choose to destroy it, the object is left with only 1 hit point and becomes unusable until repaired.

You can attempt to trip your opponent in place of a melee attack.

If you do not have the Deft Maneuvers Talent or a similar ability, initiating a drag requires a Full-Round Action.

If your attack exceeds the target’s CMD, the target is knocked prone.

If your attack fails by 10 or more, you are knocked prone instead.

• If the target has more than two legs, add +2 to the DC of the combat maneuver attack roll for each additional leg it has.
• Some creatures—such as oozes, creatures without legs, and flying creatures—cannot be tripped.

You can attempt to Feint your opponent as a Swift Action.

If you do not have the Deft Maneuvers Talent or a similar ability, initiating a drag requires a Half Action.

If your attack exceeds the target’s CMD, the target is Impaired. If you exceed the target's CMD by 5 or more they are Impaired for 1d4+1 rounds. If you Exceed the target's CMD by 10 or more they are Vulnerable instead for 1 round and then become Impaired for 1d4 additional rounds after.

• –2 penalty against a creature of animal Intelligence (1 or 2)
• –4 penalty to feint a creature that lacks an Intelligence score
• Impossible to feint a creature that does not defend it's self.

Feinting in combat does not provoke attacks of opportunity.