Stronty Girl
Demi-God
TLDR version: 5e Star Wars game. I wanted to trip up a fleeing NPC by sticking out my leg as he ran up the stairs. The GM wouldn't let me because he said there was a feat/exploit/other special ability in another character class which did this, and he couldn't allow a PC who didn't have that special thing to do it.
Is that really a rule in 5th ed???
Longer version: The PCs are protecting a Professor. We spot an NPC trying to break into her office and give chase. Two PCs corner him on the stairs. I'm at the top of the stairs, Player B is at the bottom of the stairs and the NPC is in the middle. We want to TALK to him to find out who he is working for. We 100% do NOT want to KILL him. We're not cops, security guards, stormtroopers or anyone else permitted to stab/shoot people on a peaceful University campus.
The NPC won't talk to us and initiative is rolled. The NPC attacks Player B with a weapon. Player B and me don't draw weapons, because we want this guy alive, not chopped/lasered into little bits. The NPC takes damage from Player B shoving him into the wall with Jedi mind powers. I'm doing entirely non-lethal stuff (distracting the NPC, giving advantage to player B, etc) because I am not a combat character. The NPC hits me with a weapon and tries to barge past me to escape.
My turn in initiative... I want to trip him up to give Player B a chance to run up the stairs and/or grab him. I'm happy to roll dice to do this. I'm happy knowing I'll probably fail, because I only have +2 to hit in unarmed combat.
But the GM won't even let me try to do (in his words) "cool stuff" because he thinks there is a feat/exploit/other special ability in another character class which does the tripping up thing. Therefore he can't allow a PC without that special thing to do it. He couldn't remember which character class it was and said there wasn't time to look it up.
Is that really a rule in 5th ed???
Longer version: The PCs are protecting a Professor. We spot an NPC trying to break into her office and give chase. Two PCs corner him on the stairs. I'm at the top of the stairs, Player B is at the bottom of the stairs and the NPC is in the middle. We want to TALK to him to find out who he is working for. We 100% do NOT want to KILL him. We're not cops, security guards, stormtroopers or anyone else permitted to stab/shoot people on a peaceful University campus.
The NPC won't talk to us and initiative is rolled. The NPC attacks Player B with a weapon. Player B and me don't draw weapons, because we want this guy alive, not chopped/lasered into little bits. The NPC takes damage from Player B shoving him into the wall with Jedi mind powers. I'm doing entirely non-lethal stuff (distracting the NPC, giving advantage to player B, etc) because I am not a combat character. The NPC hits me with a weapon and tries to barge past me to escape.
My turn in initiative... I want to trip him up to give Player B a chance to run up the stairs and/or grab him. I'm happy to roll dice to do this. I'm happy knowing I'll probably fail, because I only have +2 to hit in unarmed combat.
But the GM won't even let me try to do (in his words) "cool stuff" because he thinks there is a feat/exploit/other special ability in another character class which does the tripping up thing. Therefore he can't allow a PC without that special thing to do it. He couldn't remember which character class it was and said there wasn't time to look it up.
