Post/Author/DateTime	Post
JadedSage 03-14-06, 10:57 PM	I have a campaign in which a cleric, when the party is in trouble (i.e. not many left in combat) will whip out his bola and almost everytime trip up the baddest enemy left standing. The rules require a simple ranged touch attack when using it. It seems to me that defense against a bola would be easier than that. In real life the bola should not be so effective. For example, if a demon was attacking and the pc slings a bola at him, the chances of bringing him down should not be the same as an orc or hobgoblin. If the defender is carrying a shield it seems that the bola would be almost totally useless if the defender sees it coming because it requires such a wide rotation just to get to one's legs and it moves at such a slow pace. That brings me to the next point. If it hits, does it always wrap up the legs? couldn't it wrap around the neck or torso? Does anyone have any experience with PCs using the bola in their campaign? I would greatly appreciate any feedback on the use of this exotic weapon. Thanks, Kipp
Bowinja 03-15-06, 02:58 AM	hmm... you should read the rules on trip attacks again, it definitely sounds like you're skipping the opposed str roll on a trip attempt here. When you attempt a ranged trip attack with bola it is a simple touch attack... to start a trip attempt, not to automatically trip. After a successful touch attack to start a trip attempt, you roll opposed strength checks to see if there is any actual trippage. In the case of a ranged trip attempt with bolas, I believe either combatant can choose to substitute his dex bonus instead of str for the opposed check for a trip. Also, there are alot of modifiers to the opposed trip attempt. Certain weapons add a bonus to the opposed str roll, but there are also bonuses to defending against trip such as creatures with exceptional stability like dwarves. Also trip is much more difficult against larger opponents, not only do they have size bonues to str, but for every size larger than medium they get a +4 bonus to the opposed str roll to trip. So... if your cleric attempts to trip an orc he'll probably have an easy time making the touch attack but when it comes to the opposed str check, unless he's picking on a weak caster or he's loading some serious str buff's he'll only have around a 50/50 chance to trip the orc. Moving onto the demon... sure he can do the ranged touch attack... but chances are, in an opposed str check with a demon he's not gonna come out on top. If you've developed an unhealthy pathological hatred of trip you can also bring in monsters that cannot be tripped... slimes etc. Used in game correctly, tripping is a cool trick that adds a few extra options to any characters toolbox but unless a character is built for tripping in combat, it becomes very situational and is not as powerful an option as most class specific strengths. The big advantages of using bola are of course the ability to trip at a safe distance and also, if you fail the opposed str check the opponent does not get the opportunity to trip you in return. Btw- You may just want to inform your player that you've reviewed the rules and that the previous usage of trip was wrong in advance of his next attempt so he's not suddenly suprised with the corrections when he's relying on a near automatic trip.