Special Attacks

Aid Another

In melee combat, you can help a friend attack or defend by distracting or interfering with an opponent. If you’re in position to make a melee attack on an opponent that is engaging a friend in melee combat, you can attempt to aid your friend as a Standard Action. You make an attack roll against AC 10. If you succeed, your friend gains either a +2 bonus on their next attack roll against that opponent or a +2 bonus to AC against that opponent’s next attack (your choice), as long as that attack comes before the beginning of your next turn. Multiple characters can aid the same friend, and similar bonuses stack. You can also use this standard action to help a friend in other ways, such as when they are affected by a spell, or to assist another character’s skill check. See also: Aid Another in Character Skills.

Charge

Charging is a special Full-Round Action that allows you to move up to twice your speed and attack during the action. However, it carries tight restrictions on how you can move. Movement During a Charge
You must move before your attack, not after. You must move at least 10 feet (2 squares) and may move up to double your speed directly toward the designated opponent. You must have a clear path toward the opponent, and nothing can hinder your Movement (such as difficult terrain or obstacles). Here’s what it means to have a clear path. First, you must move to the closest space from which you can attack the opponent. (If this space is occupied or otherwise blocked, you can’t charge.) Second, if any line from your starting space to the ending space passes through a square that blocks movement, slows movement, or contains a creature (even an ally), you can’t charge. (Helpless creatures don’t stop a charge.) If you don’t have line of sight to the opponent at the start of your turn, you can’t charge that opponent. You can’t take a 5-foot step in the same round as a charge. If you are able to take only a Standard Action or a Move Action on your turn, you can still charge, but you are only allowed to move up to your speed (instead of up to double your speed). You can’t use this option unless you are restricted to taking only a Standard Action or Move Action on your turn. Attacking on a Charge
After moving, you may make a single melee attack. You get a +2 bonus on the attack roll and take a -2 penalty to your Armor Class until the start of your next turn. A charging character gets a +2 bonus on the Combat Maneuver Check made to Bull Rush an opponent. Even if you have extra attacks, such as from having a high enough Base Attack Bonus or from using multiple weapons, you only get to make one attack during a charge. Lances and Charge Attacks
A Lance deals double damage if employed by a mounted character in a charge. Weapons Readied against a Charge
Spears, tridents, and certain other piercing weapons deal double damage when readied (set) and used against a charging character.

Feint

Feinting is a Standard Action. To feint, make a Bluff check against a DC of 10 + your target's base attack bonus + your target's Wisdom modifier. If your target is trained in Sense Motive, the DC is instead equal to 10 + the target's Sense Motive bonus, if higher. If the check succeeds, the target is denied their Dexterity bonus to their AC against your next attack. This attack must be made on or before your next turn. When feinting in this way against a non-humanoid you take a -4 penalty. Against a creature of animal Intelligence (1 or 2), you take a -8 penalty. Against a non-intelligent creature, it’s impossible. Feinting in combat does not provoke Attacks of Opportunity. Feinting as a Move Action With the Deft Maneuvers feat, you can attempt a feint as a Move Action instead of as a Standard Action.

Mounted Combat

Mounts in Combat Mounts trained for combat riding (see Animal Tricks and Handle Animal) can serve readily as combat steeds. Mounts not so trained, however, are frightened by combat. If you don’t dismount, you must make a DC 20 Ride check each round as a Move Action to control such a mount. If you succeed, you can perform a Standard Action after the move action. If you fail, the move action becomes a Full-Round Action and you can’t do anything else until your next turn. Your mount acts on your Initiative count as you direct it. You move at its speed, but the mount uses its action to move. A horse (not a pony) is a Large creature and thus takes up a space 10 feet. For simplicity, assume that you share your mount’s space during combat. Combat while Mounted With a DC 5 Ride check, you can guide your mount with your knees so as to use both hands to attack or defend yourself. This is a Free Action. When you attack a creature smaller than your mount that is on foot, you get the +1 bonus on melee attacks for being on higher ground. If your mount moves more than 5 feet in a round, you cannot make a Full Attack action with a melee weapon. If your mount charges, you also take the Armor Class penalty associated with a charge. If you make an attack at the end of the charge, you receive the bonus gained from the charge, and are considered charging for the attack. When charging on horseback, you deal double damage with a lance. You can use ranged weapons while your mount is taking a double move, but at a -4 penalty on the attack roll. You can use ranged weapons while your mount is running (quadruple speed), at a -8 penalty. You can make the attack rolls at any point in the mount's movement. You can make a Full Attack with a ranged weapon while your mount is moving. Likewise, you can take Move Actions normally. Casting Spells while Mounted
You can cast a spell normally if your mount moves up to a normal move (its speed) either before or after you cast. If you have your mount move both before and after you cast a spell, then you’re casting the spell while the mount is moving, and you have to make a Concentration check due to the vigorous motion (DC 10 + spell level) or lose the spell. If the mount is running (quadruple speed), you can cast a spell when your mount has moved up to twice its speed, but your Concentration check is more difficult due to the violent motion (DC 15 + spell level). If Your Mount Falls in Battle
If your mount falls, you have to succeed on a DC 15 Ride check to make a soft fall and take no damage. If the check fails, you take 1d6 points of damage. If You Are Dropped
If you are knocked unconscious, you have a 50% chance to stay in the saddle (or 75% if you’re in a military saddle). Otherwise you fall and take 1d6 points of damage. Without you to guide it, your mount avoids combat.

Throw Splash Weapon

A splash weapon is a ranged weapon that breaks on impact, splashing or scattering its contents over its target and nearby creatures or objects. To attack with a splash weapon, make a ranged touch attack against the target. Splash weapons require no weapon proficiency, so you don’t take the -4 non-proficiency penalty. A hit deals direct hit damage to the target, and splash damage to all creatures within 5 feet of the target. You can instead target a specific grid intersection. Treat this as a ranged attack against AC 5. However, if you target a grid intersection, creatures in all adjacent squares are dealt the splash damage, and the direct hit damage is not dealt to any creature. (You can’t target a grid intersection occupied by a creature, such as a Large or larger creature; in this case, you’re aiming at the creature.) If you miss the target (whether aiming at a creature or a grid intersection), roll 1d8. This determines the misdirection of the throw, with 1 being straight back at you and 2 through 8 counting clockwise around the grid intersection or target creature. The distance from the target is equal to 5 feet, plus 5 feet for each 2 points you missed by, to a maximum of 2 range increments. After you determine where the weapon landed, it deals splash damage to all creatures in adjacent squares.

Throwing Items to Allies

Sometimes you might want to throw an item to a character instead of at them, and have them catch it. To do so, you must first make a Ranged Attack against AC 5 to throw the item close enough to be caught. This is considered an improvised thrown weapon with a range increment of 10 feet, and thus suffers a -4 penalty if you do not have the Throw Anything feat, or some other feature to negate it. If the attack succeeds, the target must roll a Dexterity check and add it to the result of the ranged attack roll. If the combined total is 20 or higher, the target has caught the item. If the attempt fails (whether in the throw or catch), roll 1d8. This determines were the item lands, with 1 being straight back at the thrower and 2 through 8 counting clockwise around the target creature. If the attack roll hit an AC 5 or better, the item lands 5 feet away from the target. If it failed, it lands an additional 5 feet away for each 2 points the attack failed by, up to 20 feet away. an item that falls to the ground may be subject to damage or become Broken, depending on the circumstances of the landing. Throwing an item to an ally is typically considered an attack, either requiring a Standard Action or taking the place of an attack in a Full Attack. If the item is not already in hand, an additional action is required to retrieve it. An item may be thrown as a Move Action, but suffers a -10 penalty to the attack roll due to the hasty nature of the throw. Catching an item thrown to you takes an Immediate Action, and requires you to have a hand free with which to catch it. These rules assume a small, easily thrown and caught item. Larger, bulkier, or more delicate items may carry additional penalties or restrictions to successfully throw or catch.

Two-Weapon Fighting

If you wield a second weapon in your off hand, you can get one extra attack per round with that weapon when using a full attack action. You suffer a -6 penalty with your regular attack or attacks with your primary hand and a -8 penalty to the attack with your off hand when you fight this way. You can reduce these penalties in two ways:

If your off-hand weapon is light, the penalties are reduced by 2 each. (An unarmed strike is always considered light.)
The Two-Weapon Fighting feat lessens the primary hand penalty by 2, and the off-hand penalty by 4.

Scenario	Primary Hand	Off Hand
Normal penalties	–6	–8
Off-hand weapon is light	–4	–6
Two-Weapon Fighting feat	–4	–4
Off-hand weapon is light and Two-Weapon Fighting feat	–2	–2

Double Weapons
You can use a double weapon to make an extra attack with the off-hand end of the weapon as if you were fighting with two weapons. The penalties apply as if the off-hand end of the weapon were a light weapon. Thrown Weapons
The same rules apply when you throw a weapon from each hand. Treat a dart or shuriken as a light weapon when used in this manner, and treat a bolas, javelin, net, or sling as a one-handed weapon. Shield Bash Attacks
You can bash an opponent with a light shield or heavy shield, using it as an off-hand weapon. Used this way, a shield is a martial bludgeoning weapon. For the purpose of penalties on attack rolls, treat a heavy shield as a one-handed weapon and a light shield as a light weapon. If you use your shield as a weapon, you lose its AC bonus until your next action (usually until the next round). An enhancement bonus on a shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.

Shield Spikes: When added to your shield, these spikes turn it into a martial piercing weapon that increases the damage dealt by a shield bash as if the shield were designed for a creature one size category larger than you. You can’t put spikes on a buckler or a tower shield. Otherwise, attacking with a spiked shield is like making a shield bash attack. An enhancement bonus on a spiked shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but a spiked shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.