Is it reasonable to....

[JackRackham]

Okay, I have a specific question, but I think this can be an interesting thread more generally. This is not a question about RAW or even RAI, but it is a question of whether something that, admittedly, stretches the rules, does so in a reasonable, or unreasonable way.

My Question: Is it reasonable to allow a medium-sized character wearing Strongarm Bracers to take advantage of the Knockback feat? RAW, no. RAI, probably not. I doubt they considered knockback specifically when they made the item. BUT, it has the same effect as Powerful Build, which explicitly allows one to use Knockback, and it specifically does not stack with it (indicating the same thing is going on with both).

I'm sure all of us have questions like this come up occasionally, situations where if you ask your DM, he might let it slide, or where you're tempted to allow it for a PC or NPC as a DM. Here's a place for them.

[Barsoom]

My take is that it doesn't qualify you neither by RAW nor RAI. Strongarm Bracers let you wield a weapon as if you were one size category larger. That's exactly what it does. It doesn't make you larger for any other purpose. They made it very clear that the effect of "enlargement", so to speak, applies only to wielding larger weapons, and that's that.

In summary, as a DM, I would generally not let it slide.

[Curmudgeon]

Here's my take on it. The only exception to being a minimum size of Large for Knockback is if you're a Goliath with Powerful Build. I might allow other Medium size creatures to qualify for the feat if they also had Powerful Build; example: Half-Giants (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/halfGiant.htm). That's a stretch beyond the RAW, but it would probably be reasonable.

Allowing qualification based on an affordable magic item? Not any time this millennium.

[big teej]

My take is that it doesn't qualify you neither by RAW nor RAI. Strongarm Bracers let you wield a weapon as if you were one size category larger. That's exactly what it does. It doesn't make you larger for any other purpose. They made it very clear that the effect of "enlargement", so to speak, applies only to wielding larger weapons, and that's that.

In summary, as a DM, I would generally not let it slide.

this.

I don't have my books handy, and I'm not sure I have the one with Strongarm Bracers anyways.

but if Barsoom has quoted the text (which I'm assuming he has) there's no way you could use that as a prerequisite for a feat.

if, on the other hand, you had a magic item that said "the character is treated as having powerful build" (which would be cool) THAT would qualify for me.

but not this.

[nedz]

Er, no — for the reasons listed above.

If you want knockback: create a large character.

[killem2]

bracers no

powerful build yes

level up while under the effect of something making you large yes

[JackRackham]

Yeah, I seem to have missed/forgotten that powerful build gives other benefits not mimicked by the item. I'm going to go ahead and homebrew an item that gives powerful build instead (it's just constant effect Enlarge Person; it should be cheap enough).

Goliath Bracers. Or maybe Goliath's belt. Technically, I think it's supposed to be 4,000 minimum. I'm going to up the CL more than necessary to put iron the 20,000gp range.