Question on Improved Disarm benefits

[Marathon]

If you have a character with the Spring Attack and Disarm feats, will you still invoke an AoO when making a Disarm attempt? The reason I am asking is that I am building a Greatsword Weaponmaster on a server I frequent with somewhat harsh death penalties (at least to me). If the answer is yes, it might be to my advantage to go ahead and grab improved disarm. If not, and the only benefit is the slight improvement to the attack base, then I may skip it. Any thoughts, on this or disarm in general? I haven't used it much myself, but it seems like a good route to take on a world where pvp matchups can occur.

[robertthebard]

Then you will want improved disarm, it eliminates the AoO's brought on by a disarm attempt. The thing about it is that in a world with a lot of pvp, there will be some really high discipline scores. This will be the thing that will counter disarm attempts, or even improved ones. While I have experimented with it, I usually don't go for disarm, favoring the other combat oriented feats. Even knockdown is kinda wasted depending on the feats selected. With two handed weapons, it's better to focus hard on the weapon, and keep your own discipline skill as high as possible. Items like dragon slippers, if you can get them, will grant you immunity to knockdown, and fear. Immunity to mind spells will also be of great benefit, if you can get it. Cowl of warding will give you that, if you can obtain it. Also, you will probably want to keep your constitution and strength as high as possible. I really hate pvp servers, or pvp in general, depending on how it's implemented, but I have played regularly on servers where it was a concern, and have learned how to deal with it.

[Legolas]

If you're going to use Disarm or Knockdown, it's worth taking the Improved variant as well.
Of the two, Disarm is great in high magic worlds with pvp, and Knockdown is essential in lower magic worlds (i.e. not everyone's immune to it) if you benefit from melee sneak attacks or want to take on wizards.

[Marathon]

Thanks for the input, guys. It's a pretty low magic world, with level restrictions on everything, so I won't be getting that cowl of warding or golden circlet for a long time. I guess I need to wait long enough to find out if Dragon Slippers are commonplace before picking which path to take, although I'm leaning toward disarm. More of a RP reason.

I'm still looking for the answer to this, though: if I have spring attack as a feat, will I still invoke an AoO when using Disarm? Since Spring Attack makes you not invoke AoO when moving through combat, I was hoping it would negate the one you give when trying to disarm. It won't matter much, since I'm pretty sure if I go the disarm route I'll take improved as well. More curious than anything.

[robertthebard]

I haven't seen it in practice, but since a missed disarm attempt provokes the AoO, I'd say yes, because it's not so much from moving around, but more of a weapon positioning, lunge type thing that would lower your defences.

[Legolas]

The answer is no. Spring attack prevents an AoO only if it's caused by walking right past a hostile creature without your being engaged in combat. Mobility gives you a +4 AC bonus against this kind of AoO, Tumble allows you a skill check DC 15 to avoid granting enemies this kind of AoO.

An AoO caused by using Disarm, or by making an Unarmed attack, or by casting spells in combat, or through any cause other than the moving through a battle without fighting is unaffected by the Spring Attack feat.