Post/Author/DateTime	Post
BladeMage_1 04-01-06, 02:57 PM	I've been playing some video games (no, I don't base D&D around video games) and have noticed in many titles like The Legend of Zelda and the Prince of Persia, bigger monsters usually always knock back your character/smaller creatures with ease. Although I only note a fraction of the bigger monsters having knockback/down effects to melee attacks. Am I missing something? Because when you get hit by a collossal wyrm's claw attack, I should think you'd at least be knocked off your feet, if not across the entire fighting area. Sure, I'll admit that I'll sometimes add in knockbacks for flavor in my games. But I'd like an official rule for doing so.
Radijs 04-01-06, 03:08 PM	There is no official rule for big creatures in general. There may be some creatures that can cause something like that to happen.
Aniona_Amakiir 04-01-06, 03:09 PM	well there is a feat in the back of monsters manual called awesome blow, and since it is SRD and i feel nice tonight im here it comes: Awesome Blow [General, Fighter] Prerequisites Str 25, Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, size Large or larger. Benefit As a standard action, the creature may choose to subtract 4 from its melee attack roll and deliver an awesome blow. If the creature hits a corporeal opponent smaller than itself with an awesome blow, its opponent must succeed on a Reflex save (DC = damage dealt) or be knocked flying 10 feet in a direction of the attacking creature’s choice and fall prone. The attacking creature can only push the opponent in a straight line, and the opponent can’t move closer to the attacking creature than the square it started in. If an obstacle prevents the completion of the opponent’s move, the opponent and the obstacle each take 1d6 points of damage, and the opponent stops in the space adjacent to the obstacle. Hope this helps
BladeMage_1 04-01-06, 03:20 PM	Still, take my point above. Would the Str 35+ Wyrm above not knock back/down a human from a claw attack without the feat? IMO, you shouldnt need that feat to be able to knock back/prone a smaller creature. There should be a rule where a creature larger than you can knock you back based on Saving throws and size modifiers.
Radijs 04-01-06, 03:34 PM	Standard rules, no there is nothing that says that you go flying.
BladeMage_1 04-01-06, 03:37 PM	yes, i know. I mean there should be one, it would make sense.
Aniona_Amakiir 04-01-06, 03:38 PM	A real, live version of a dragon in all its might most certainly would send people into the air if it struck em. There is however one thing that you have missed. This isnt the real world, its DnD. And in DnD logic, physics science and all that has NO place WHATSOEVER. The fact that a great wyrm red dragon doesnt send your fighter flying of 100 ft. is because that would make him COMPLETELY useless, its a balance issue simply put. You are however by the powers invested into any DM by rule 0 free to change this in whatever way you see fit, remember though that it most likely will unbalance your game. (Oh and most dragons of size has taken the snatch feat which enables them to grapple an opponent struck with either a bite or claw attack and then trow them 1d6 x 10ft. as a standard action)
SlagMortar 04-01-06, 03:48 PM	If you want to then allow the creatures to do it. Just make sure you raise their challenge ratings appropriately. 4 levels of fighter will get any large creature with 25 Strength Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, and Awesome blow and +4 bonus to hit to make up for using the Awesome Blow feat. Also, keep in mind that part of hit points is the ability to avoid a really nasty blow and turn it into a smaller one. A 20th level fighter with 200 hit points might take 30 damage from a dragon 's claw and still have 170 hit points left. Perhaps to the character that means that the dragon took a swipe at him and he ducked to the side at the last second so the claw only caused a superficial wound down his back. The blow would have killed a lesser man (2nd level fighter), but the 20th level fighter is still doing pretty well. A superficial blow would not cause the fighter to go flying.
Silverthumb128 04-01-06, 07:23 PM	Why on Earth would you want to be knocked back? Realism is nice, but as always has no place in fantasy gaming. Think about it: You, a Human, are struck by a Very Old Red Dragon and are knocked back 25 feet. You charge the dragon, and it gets an Attack of Opportunity, hits you while at 20 feet away, and you're knocked back another 25 feet, so your move action has put you at 45 feet away from melee range. By your next turn, the dragon will get another attack of opportunity if you try to repeat your action, and you become a walking tennis ball. And that's not even taking into account being knocked prone. I, as a player and DM, would never want to deal with anything like that just because it tips the balance in favor of size so much. And Medium sized creatures oftentimes don't move more than 40 feet in a round anyways, knocking them back that far screws them, plain and simple.