Question about "Attacking from Above"

[JMason]

Exploits p. 38 states, "If you land on someone, resolve damage to yourself and your target separately from your attack."

So, lets say a giant spider drops down from the ceiling. Looking to land on a PC and bite them. Do they get to make that attack (at -2), and also get a "free" slam for falling on them?

I've always treated attacks from above as sort of "pounces" and the normal attack only comes on the following turn(s), at least with animals.

[Kromm]

Falling on someone uses the rules in paragraph 3 of Falling Objects (Exploits, p. 67). This may damage one or both parties. It isn't a slam – it's just physics at work. The attack (if any) you make when you use this fall as your "step" is a whole other thing, and comes after resolving harm from smashing into someone.

[JMason]

Hm, okay. How does Jumping fit in to this (if at all)? The write up for Acid Spider states: "it lurks in dark cracks [...] jumps on its quarry, biting with fangs that can penetrate plate armor and injecting fast-acting corrosive venom that partially digests its prey."

Would the described action be a Move and Attack or two rounds of combat? I'd be tempted to allow a jump to count as the movement portion of an All-Out Attack, but I'm not sure that is RAW.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by JMason

Hm, okay. How does Jumping fit in to this (if at all)? The write up for Acid Spider states: "it lurks in dark cracks [...] jumps on its quarry, biting with fangs that can penetrate plate armor and injecting fast-acting corrosive venom that partially digests its prey."

Would the described action be a Move and Attack or two rounds of combat? I'd be tempted to allow a jump to count as the movement portion of an All-Out Attack, but I'm not sure that is RAW.

Exploits p. 20 has Move Manuevers for broad jumps in combat. Although I think Move and Attack should also be allowed.

[Kromm]

Treat the initial jump into an ambush as any combat maneuver that makes sense: Attack, All-Out Attack, whatever. Combat time hasn't started at that point, so the creature has loads of time to set up and technically isn't even taking a combat maneuver. In combat time, jumping is just another way to move, so it's Move and Attack.

Acid spiders do not attack from above, though. They're jumping spiders that lack webs on which to descend and that are too large for Spider Climb to work without magic (which they lack). They just lurk 20' or 30' down a dark side tunnel and rely on Stealth.