Disarm

Combat Maneuvers

A Disarm attempt knocks an item from the target's hand, sending it skidding to the ground. Whether using a blade to flick a sword away or a bare hand to snatch a wand, Disarm is one of the fastest ways to neuter a heavily armed opponent — but failure carries risk.

Performing a Disarm

Action Standard action, or in place of a melee attack during a full-attack sequence
Provokes AoO Yes, from the target — unless you have Improved Disarm
CMB modifiers +4 if attacking with a two-handed weapon
–4 if attacking unarmed or with a natural weapon
Check d20 + CMB (with any weapon modifiers above) vs. target's CMD

Results

Success (CMB ≥ CMD)

  • The target drops one held item of your choice into its space.
  • The item lands in the target's square (or adjacent square if its space is occupied).

Exceed CMD by 10+

  • You may take the item for yourself rather than letting it drop.
  • The item lands in your hand immediately.

Fail by 10+ (CMB ≤ CMD – 10)

  • You drop your own weapon in your space.
  • This does not apply if you attempted the Disarm unarmed.
Retrieving a Dropped Item. Picking up a dropped item is a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity. A creature adjacent to the dropped item can attempt to kick or pick up the item as a free action — the GM decides whether this is reasonable. The target of a successful Disarm is not automatically prevented from retrieving the weapon on its next turn.

Key Feats

Feat Benefit Prerequisite
Improved Disarm Does not provoke AoO when disarming; +2 bonus to CMB and CMD for Disarm INT 13, Combat Expertise
Greater Disarm When you disarm a foe, the dropped weapon lands in a square of your choice adjacent to the foe Improved Disarm, BAB +6
Two-Weapon Disarm When you hit with both weapons on a full attack, attempt a free Disarm at no penalty Improved Disarm, Two-Weapon Fighting

Weapons with the Disarm Property

Some weapons (such as the sai, whip, and nunchaku) have the disarm weapon property. These weapons do not impose any additional CMB bonus by themselves, but if the wielder is disarmed during the attempt, the weapon cannot be used to disarm the wielder in return (the weapon's geometry makes counter-disarms difficult or impossible). Check each weapon's entry for specifics.