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View Full Version : Magical Bull Rushing (and other odd combat maneuvers) [3.5]



Zaq
2009-06-17, 05:09 PM
So, let's say that you have some ability that lets you use combat maneuvers (specifically, I'm interested in bull rush, but all of them are worth discussing) at range. Telekinesis (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/telekinesis.htm), Umbral Fist, Telekinetic Maneuver (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/telekineticManeuver.htm), Magnetism, whatever. The general form of these goes "You use your caster level instead of your BAB, and you use <X casting stat> instead of your Strength." (There are exceptions, but that's the general form of it.)

The problem is that these spells, powers, and whatever are very vague about how sizes apply. Do size modifiers apply to these checks? (If so, why? Does it make any sense for a halfling psion's Telekinetic Maneuver to be less powerful than a dwarf's, even though it explicitly doesn't use Strength?) How about weapon size, when dealing with disarm? You get bonuses for using a two-handed weapon to disarm and penalties for using a light weapon, after all, but what size is a ray of pure magnetism, or simply the impulse of pure magical force?

The actual text is obnoxiously silent on these matters, and frankly, it makes a difference. Any thoughts?

Devils_Advocate
2009-06-17, 05:48 PM
"as normal, except" means that you use the manifester's/caster's size. No, this doesn't make sense. Go ahead and house-rule that the checks are made as if Medium, I say.

Zaq
2009-06-17, 08:24 PM
Figured as much. I was just wondering if anyone knew of any other sort of precedent to override that.

...Hmm, and then we have this little bit of strangeness:


You can only bull rush an opponent who is one size category larger than you, the same size, or smaller.

Which just gets stupid when you consider that you're, you know, magically creating a huge blast of force to smack your foe around, rather than slamming into him with your itty-bitty body, but...

Oh, and that goliaths are better at telekinesis than humans. Who are better at it than gnomes.

Stupid.