Tripping

[Xeon]

I'm creating a charecter that is going to focus on tripping, and I was wondering what kind of things you guys could come up with that might provide a bonus to a trip attempt.

[Kaelik]

I'm creating a charecter that is going to focus on tripping, and I was wondering what kind of things you guys could come up with that might provide a bonus to a trip attempt.

Strength and lots of it. Grab a large Creature low LA template with tons of Str. Then get a BAB +5 as fast as possible using levels in classes that will be suggested to you by other people who know how to get obscure bonuses to Trip. Take Trip and Power Attack/Cleave. Probably get a +6 BAB and then go into Warhulk.

Every level up gives you +1 to your already insane trip score. Now you trip people hard (with a spiked chain? If you want.)

[Hario]

Actually the best tripping builds are generally druids, you only need wisdom and constitution, Wildshape into a dire wolf (level 7) take improved trip and knockdown, and another feat that escapes my mind that allows you to make a a trip when you do more than 10 damage, you will get a huge bonus to trip like +17 and immediatly make trip attack after regular attacks over and over. And have a huge strength and a decent dexterity all day long.

[Goff]

Aww.... When I saw the title I thought this going to be a thread on building a character that hurls stomach lining at his enemies.

[Xeon]

Where is this Warhulk to befound?

[MrNexx]

Actually the best tripping builds are generally druids, you only need wisdom and constitution, Wildshape into a dire wolf (level 7) take improved trip and knockdown, and another feat that escapes my mind that allows you to make a a trip when you do more than 10 damage, you will get a huge bonus to trip like +17 and immediatly make trip attack after regular attacks over and over. And have a huge strength and a decent dexterity all day long.

Knockdown is the feat.

[Xeon]

Aww.... When I saw the title I thought this going to be a thread on building a character that hurls stomach lining at his enemies.

yeah typos make life fun don't they

[BardicDuelist]

Spiked Chain/Improved Trip/Combat Reflexes is a decent choice.

[Vuzzmop]

So this isn't a thread about the disgusting insides of a sheep's stomach?

[Arbitrarity]

*Thinks about half-minotaur goliath psychic warrior with warhulk levels*

Ouch. At level 20, that's +6 BAB, up to 74 str, up to colossal effective size. +52 on trip?

[F.L.]

If one is interested in tripes, take the disemboweling strike feat when you have enough sneak attack dice.

[Kompera]

Spiked Chain/Improved Trip/Combat Reflexes is a decent choice.

A great start.

If you're in a more 'normal' (whatever that means, when I say it I refer to more traditional D&D w/o Warhulks, templates, LA, etc) campaign your best bet is the above Feats:

Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Spiked Chain
Combat Reflexes
Combat Expertise
Improved Trip

Roll a Human (Feats), Fighter (more Feats), focus on STR, and arrange for a friendly caster to cast Enlarge Person on you. This comes together well before level 7 (level 2), so it has some early advantage over the Druid option given above.

At level 3 take Power Attack, and level 5 Cleave, and you'll be doing potent damage as well as confounding your foes with your battlefield control.

[AslanCross]

Where is this Warhulk to befound?

Miniatures Handbook. It requires large size and some other things, though. Warhulk gains NO BAB, but it makes up for that by gaining a stacking +2 STR every level. (Which is practically full BAB)

[Kaelik]

(Which is practically full BAB)

Actually it's lacking one major benefit compared to BAB, iterative attacks (in a more specific case, it lacks the ability to do as much damage as Shock Trooper)

[MrNexx]

Actually it's lacking one major benefit compared to BAB, iterative attacks (in a more specific case, it lacks the ability to do as much damage as Shock Trooper)

It also doesn't qualify you for feats, which can be a major problem, sometime.

[Kaelik]

It also doesn't qualify you for feats, which can be a major problem, sometime.

I didn't mention qualifications because aside from Weapon Supremacy (which it is rare to see taken anyway) I can't think of anything useful over +8 BAB, and only improved crit over +6. Not saying it isn't one of the many disadvantages of Warhulk, just not the Major one. (Which by the way, ever seen a Warhulk with a wand of Divine Power? Ouch to the max.)

[Benejeseret]

I am running a mercenary/war campaign and there is how I have designed the main enemy frontliners:

Race: whatever, say human for extra feat.
Class: Marshal Class in the KEY with HIGH charisma.

Feats: Combat expertise, Improved Trip, Improved Shield Bash, Shield Charge (so either a lvl 6 marshal or a fighter2/Marshal1 for it at lvl3)

Assume maxed Cha and high Str.

1. Charge in using spiked shield charge using Over The Top Aura (and if lvl2 or up marshal Motivate Attack)

2. If it hits you do damage (yay) with +CHA damage mod

3. Swift Action change minor aura to Art of War and then get a trip attack +4 trip +N (charisma modifier...assume +3 to +4) +str

3. Follow up trip with a free attack to the prone opponent.



Why I like this. ADD A SECOND MARSHAL.

With 2 marshalls one uses Over the Top while the second uses Motivate Dex to win initiative --> charge in with shield bashes getting +Cha to damage

One marshal swift changes to Art of War and the second swift changes to Motivate Strength. Now you get +Cha#1 trip bonus and a +Cha#2 strength bonus....if they each have 18 Cha and the impr. trip feat they both get +12 to the trip attempt (even at level one - although missing shield charge etc.)


Finally, getting wonderous items to increase Cha pumps up your boni, and through multiple auras can be very resourceful and flexible to situation.

And this way ALL allies also get those juicy boni as well.


Picture two Marshals leading a band of heavy shield (imp. trip, shield bash) fighters. Throw into the front line some Phalanx Fighting and Shield Slam feats and you can re-enact 300.

[Person_Man]

As others have already mentioned, you want Knock-Down, size.

Knock-Down gives you a free Trip attempt whenever you deal 10+ points of damage. According to the FAQ, it does NOT give you a free follow up Trip attempt after that. The advantage to Knock-Down is that you never have to risk losing an attack (and its damage) if your fail an opposed Trip check. You just attack as normal and the Trip attempts just keep happening for free.

Size can be gotten a number of ways. The two most popular are Expansion and Wildshape. You can also use Polymorph or Metamorphosis (usually gained through Expanded Knowledge), though many DMs I know ban abusing those spells.

You can also stack the deck even more in your favor other ways, though they tend to be inefficient. For example, you can be a Half-Giant or Goliath, but then you have +1 LA to deal with. You can dip one level into Marshal to gain your Cha bonus to Trip attempts, but then you lose a point of BAB without progressing any psionic powers or Wildshape hit die. You can also take Leadership to get one, but I think that's a waste of Leadership. Or you can be a Cleric/War Hulk and cast Divine Power on yourself, but then your DM will bludgeon you to death with the DMG while screaming about Rule 0.

[GolemsVoice]

There was an article describing the building of a 20th level character who could trip anything that could be tripped. Unfortunately, it was in German.