Improved Reach Questions

[Joeri Jean]

I'm creating 4 Level Martial Artists (with the , and came across some problem conserning the Improved Reach ability.

-Can my Martial Artist take the disarm and trip actions within the 5 ft reach?
-Can my Martial Artist take the grapple action within the 5 ft reach?

[LordKruelos]

As I read it, your reach is technically expanded to 10 ft (2 squares) as by default you have 5' reach (1 square).
Grapple, Trip, and Disarm are all classified as Attack actions, so:

Yes to Disarm and Trip -- they can be performed as melee or unarmed.
Grapple requires a bit of thinking:

An unarmed character, or a character holding a 1-handed weapon,
may wrestle with 1 adjacent opponent whose Size is up to 1
category bigger than his own. The character steps into the chosen
opponent’s square and makes an Athletics (Str) check opposed
by an Athletics (Str) check made by the chosen opponent. These
checks possess the Armor Check Penalty and Grasp tags (see page
101).

As written, I'd probably rule that the MA can take a grapple action on a target 2 squares away, but only if they can move into that space (the Improved reach doesn't add an additional 5-foot step).  This is only my initial interpretation and I could easily see an official ruling going either way.

[Crafty_Alex]

The question of Reach vs. adjacency here is important. Some abilities (which, it appears, include grapple) require adjacency, which is tied to the character's footprint/space instead of its Reach. Lord K is right - attack actions are based on reach - but grappling will require the target to be next to you.

[Desertpuma]

I was going to say the same thing actually. ... Grappling requires you to be physically adjacent to the person. I have, in a LSpy game I was running, had to clarify this ruling and state that the bonus 5' step was kept around for instances like this.

[LordKruelos]

While we're on the subject of Reach vs Adjacency, let me see if I can clarify this little bit of crunchy goodness combining Martial Artist 4 and Rolling Moves.

Circle (Trick): You may take a Kick or unarmed Standard Attack action. With a hit, you may move to any unoccupied square adjacent to that opponent.

I understand this to mean that, with the new 10' unarmed reach, I can hit an opponent 10' (2 square) away and THEN transfer to any unoccupied square adjacent to that opponent, including an unoccupied square directly behind that opponent (3 squares away)?

And then, assuming that was just my first Half Action, if there was another target 10' away, I could do the same thing, potentially moving up to 30' while still delivering two Half-Actions of punishment. Yes?

[Desertpuma]

I would think so and a very nice stacking up of movement too. Just think how you can maneouver around the battlefield in this fashion.

[LordKruelos]

And if you happened to have Two-Hit Combo, you can do it 3 times a round...

[Desertpuma]

Stack on Combat Mobility and Surge of Speed to get a 30' head start on getting away if you need to or need to do some serious change of direction.

[Crafty_Alex]

While we're on the subject of Reach vs Adjacency, let me see if I can clarify this little bit of crunchy goodness combining Martial Artist 4 and Rolling Moves.

Circle (Trick): You may take a Kick or unarmed Standard Attack action. With a hit, you may move to any unoccupied square adjacent to that opponent.

I understand this to mean that, with the new 10' unarmed reach, I can hit an opponent 10' (2 square) away and THEN transfer to any unoccupied square adjacent to that opponent, including an unoccupied square directly behind that opponent (3 squares away)?

Yes.

And then, assuming that was just my first Half Action, if there was another target 10' away, I could do the same thing, potentially moving up to 30' while still delivering two Half-Actions of punishment. Yes?

Yes. Requires a bit of serendipity, but that is legit.

[Gentry]

The question of Reach vs. adjacency here is important. Some abilities (which, it appears, include grapple) require adjacency, which is tied to the character's footprint/space instead of its Reach.

This is a little facet of Master Craft potential that's getting attention as I explain it to people. It's little tweaks like this that make the whole thing a most impressive vessel of liquid win.