Optimizing Trip Checks.

[Metahuman1]

Ok, so what do you want to boost trip checks? What can you even do besides boost your Str Mod as high as possible and then boost your size as high as you can?

[dextercorvia]

Marshal Dip for Art of War and a good Cha. Powerful Build. Fight a lot of bipedal landbound creatures.

[Quietus]

Those are by far the two biggest ones. Outside of that, there's the obvious feats - improved trip, and if you can get it with your allowed books, Knockdown is very good, so you get a free trip attempt any time you do 10+ damage.

Beyond that, it's less about boosting your trip *check*, and more about boosting your options and your ability to force them. Combat reflexes is a given, Stand Still is useful but not immediately related, and then you start getting into odd things like Inhuman Reach and the like.

[NeoSeraphi]

Factotum 3, I believe, gets you Int to Trip checks as well as Strength, so it's good for a warblade.

[Ernir]

Use Wolf Berserker (Unapproachable East) to qualify for Improved Trip rather than Combat Expertise. +4 on the trip attack, and reduced MAD.

[NeoSeraphi]

Use Wolf Berserker (Unapproachable East) to qualify for Improved Trip rather than Combat Expertise. +4 on the trip attack, and reduced MAD.

You don't need to do this actually. I mean, you can still take Wolf Berserker, but if you're going Barbarian anyway, you can just be a Wolf Totem barbarian (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#wolfTotemClassFeatures ) and get Improved Trip for free at level 2.

[NeoSeraphi]

Use Wolf Berserker (Unapproachable East) to qualify for Improved Trip rather than Combat Expertise. +4 on the trip attack, and reduced MAD.

You don't need to do this actually. I mean, you can still take Wolf Berserker, but if you're going Barbarian anyway, you can just be a Wolf Totem barbarian (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#wolfTotemClassFeatures ) and get Improved Trip for free at level 2.

[Medic!]

The Living Chain from Magic Item Compendium costs 4,325gp and acts as a +1 Spiked Chain that gives an untyped +2 bonus on the strength check to trip.

[Metahuman1]

The Living Chain from Magic Item Compendium costs 4,325gp and acts as a +1 Spiked Chain that gives an untyped +2 bonus on the strength check to trip.

Hmmm, just curious, would that happen to stack with the sweeping property in Magic Item Compendium or would the two over lap?



Also:

1: Does Tome of Battle happen to have anything that helps? Any stances or boosts or strikes that give an edge to Trip Checks?

2: Can the aid another action be used to boost a characters trip check?

3: If a character Dipped Exotic weapons Master while doing tripping with a spiked chain, would that let them have x2 Str to the trip check?

[Curmudgeon]

You don't need to do this actually. I mean, you can still take Wolf Berserker, but if you're going Barbarian anyway, you can just be a Wolf Totem barbarian (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#wolfTotemClassFeatures ) and get Improved Trip for free at level 2.
It's not exactly "free".
Wolf Totem Class Features

A barbarian dedicated to the wolf totem does not gain the standard uncanny dodge, trap sense, and improved uncanny dodge barbarian class features, and instead gains the following abilities. You're losing uncanny dodge at level 2 to get Improved Trip, losing improved uncanny dodge at level 5 to get Track, and losing trap sense at levels 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, ... for no return whatsoever.

[HunterOfJello]

Hmmm, just curious, would that happen to stack with the sweeping property in Magic Item Compendium or would the two over lap?



Also:

1: Does Tome of Battle happen to have anything that helps? Any stances or boosts or strikes that give an edge to Trip Checks?


Stonefoot Stance gives a +2 to strength checks and +2 to AC against opponents larger than you are. It's a level 1 stone dragon stance.

All of the Setting Sun throw maneuvers require a touch attack followed by a throw which is resolved as a trip attempt. The 1st level maneuver Mighty Throw works this way and allow you to throw the opponent 10 feet away. You can use your dexterity or strength for the trip attempt and get a +4 to the ability check. The higher level throw maneuvers allow you to throw the opponents further and to do damage to the thrown opponent as well as anyone they are thrown into.

[Greenish]

Hmmm, just curious, would that happen to stack with the sweeping property in Magic Item Compendium or would the two over lap?What?


1: Does Tome of Battle happen to have anything that helps? Any stances or boosts or strikes that give an edge to Trip Checks?

2: Can the aid another action be used to boost a characters trip check?

3: If a character Dipped Exotic weapons Master while doing tripping with a spiked chain, would that let them have x2 Str to the trip check?1. Setting Sun is the tripping school. Many of the maneuvers require (and give a boost to) the trip check, and for example Step of the Wind stance gives a situational bonus to trip.

2. No.

3. No.

[NeoSeraphi]

It's not exactly "free". You're losing uncanny dodge at level 2 to get Improved Trip, losing improved uncanny dodge at level 5 to get Track, and losing trap sense at levels 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, ... for no return whatsoever.

You're right about Uncanny Dodge, but my assumption here was that he would only be dipping barbarian 2 either way, so he wouldn't be missing out on Trap Sense (which is hardly noticeable anyway) or Improved Uncanny Dodge anyway.

Setting Sun is indeed a good Trip-based school. In fact, if you want to Trip, you should probably go Wolf Totem Barbarian 2/Swordsage X, and possibly Setting Sun Ninja if you like. You won't have to worry about your BAB, since it require a touch attack and a Strength check, instead of an opposed attack roll like grapple.

[Metahuman1]

What?

I was looking through the weapons section of MIC last week while helping a buddy with character creation for a game, and i saw this thing that was a +1 weapon ability that gave a small boost to trip checks.

I believe it was called Sweeping or something. It was toward the back of the weapons enhancement section before it got too the specific weapons though.

[Greenish]

I was looking through the weapons section of MIC last week while helping a buddy with character creation for a game, and i saw this thing that was a +1 weapon ability that gave a small boost to trip checks.

I believe it was called Sweeping or something. It was toward the back of the weapons enhancement section before it got too the specific weapons though.Ah. Well, Sweeping is competence bonus, living chain is untyped, so they do stack.

[Manateee]

Mauling Gauntlets can be up to a +10 if you have 4 essentia to toss around. It also applies to unarmed damage if bound, which could make it interesting for some weird niche Tashalatora build.