How to: use a whip to disarm and take weapons for future use.

[TheRinni]

I'm curious if there is a way for my character to accomplish the following:

Step 1. Use a whip to disarm an enemy's weapon.
Step 1b. Presumably, the disarmed weapon is knocked in the air.
Step 2. Drop the whip.
Step 3. Catch the disarmed weapon in the hand that previously held the whip.

I would think this Indiana Jones-esque move would be represented somewhere in the Complete Scoundrel, but I've yet to find anything.

[ericgrau]

A bard party member pulled this off in a pathfinder campaign, so the ability is in PF at least. The whip is one handed so holding both weapons (then swapping later) wasn't a big problem. He stole the LBEG's human-bane rapier and then chased him down with it. It took 2 attacks, first to disarm, second to snatch the now unattended object. Golf claps ensued.

[Diefje]

You could do it with Disarm and the Third Hand ability from the Lasher PrC. But if your DM allows, the way you disarm with a whip is by wrapping it around the weapon and just yoink it out. All you need to do then is haul it in. Even if you don't do it in one swoop flying through the air etc, it's not a stretch to just drag it towards you and pick it up with your free hand. Either way it would take a move action.

[Lord Il Palazzo]

As a DM, if one of my players wanted to do this, I would probably make them first disarm the enemy as per the SRD (AoO, opposed roles, etc.) and then drop the whip and use a move action to try to catch the weapon. I would probably require a melee touch attack, using the character's DEX rather than STR opposed by the weapon's AC (10+size modifier).

Diefje: Wouldn't dragging the weapon toward you with the whip and bending to pick it up both take a move action though?

[Diefje]

Diefje: Wouldn't dragging the weapon toward you with the whip and bending to pick it up both take a move action though?
Perhaps, you could drag it into your square and pick it up next round. One could argue that pulling in the whip is part of the normal attack and it just takes the move to pick it up or catch it.

[Lord Il Palazzo]

Perhaps, you could drag it into your square and pick it up next round. One could argue that pulling in the whip is part of the normal attack and it just takes the move to pick it up or catch it.I could see it either way, I guess. To play devil's advocate, I feel like pulling the whip back is part of the normal attack, but pulling it back with an additional load dragging over the floor would take some extra effort (certainly if you're on rough terrain of some sort.)

Secondary question (for curiosity's sake more than anything else): would catching a weapon in mid-air post-disarming provoke attacks of opportunity? The enemy who originally had the weapon is now unarmed and probably won't get an attack of opportunity (unless improved unarmed strike is in the picture) but what about other enemies who might

[Darrin]

Step 1. Use a whip to disarm an enemy's weapon.
Step 1b. Presumably, the disarmed weapon is knocked in the air.


Improved Disarm.



Step 2. Drop the whip.


Already a free action, although Glove of the Master Strategist (3600 GP, Ghostwalk) helps quite a bit.



Step 3. Catch the disarmed weapon in the hand that previously held the whip.


Snatch Weapon feat from Song & Silence.

[Mockingbird]

Disarm with a whip and quick-cast mage hand to pick it up and bring it to you?

[ericgrau]

Only works on mundane weapons of 5 pounds or less but very clever otherwise. I think greater mage hand is only 1st level with less restrictions, so it'll quicken to 5th.

[noparlpf]

As a DM, if one of my players wanted to do this, I would probably make them first disarm the enemy as per the SRD (AoO, opposed roles, etc.) and then drop the whip and use a move action to try to catch the weapon. I would probably require a melee touch attack, using the character's DEX rather than STR opposed by the weapon's AC (10+size modifier).

Diefje: Wouldn't dragging the weapon toward you with the whip and bending to pick it up both take a move action though?

The weapon's AC is 10+(size modifier)+(Dex modifier). So for a longsword it would be 10+1-5=6. Touch AC would still be 6 because negative Dex modifiers still apply to touch AC.

Anyway, in my experience, catching things has taken a reflex save. Dunno if that's RAW or houserule. I'd homebrew a feat that lets you, as a full-round action, make a disarm attempt with a flexible reach weapon such as a whip or a meteor (basically the "chain" from OA) and attempt to catch it with a reflex save, DC 15. That's just a random number pulled out of my ear, by the way. I didn't put much thought into the feat idea.