The Player's Handbook describes the bolas as
two or three heavy wooden spheres connected by lengths of cord. Because the bolas can wrap around an enemy’s leg or other limb, you can use this weapon to make a ranged trip attack against an opponent. You can’t be tripped during your own trip attempt when using a set of bolas. (115)
But the weapon is also listed as dealing 1d3 points of nonlethal bludgeoning damage on Table 7–5: Weapons (116-7).
Is the ability of a bolas-thrower to make a trip attack at range a separate and distinct feature of the bolas that must be picked when a set of bolas is thrown or, instead, a feature the bolas-thrower can opt to use in addition each time a set of bolas is thrown? That is, when a creature proficient with the bolas hurls the bolas at a foe, what happens? Below are two possible scenarios.
- The creature picks either to make a normal attack roll with success meaning that the weapon deals 1d3 points of nonlethal bludgeoning damage or to make, like an otherwise normal trip attempt, a touch attack roll yet at range then, if successful, an opposed check (the attack's Strength check versus the better of the foe's Strength check or Dexterity check) with the attacker's victory tripping the foe.
- The creature makes a normal attack roll with success meaning that the weapon deals 1d3 points of nonlethal bludgeoning damage and then makes an opposed check (the attack's Strength check versus the better of the foe's Strength check or Dexterity check) with the attacker's victory tripping the foe.
Answers should feel free to develop additional scenarios beyond these suggestions. I'd prefer hewing as close as possible to the printed rules, but, absent any printed rules (or if they're nonsense or utterly unclear), house rules are fine.
Best Answer
No
…but it's probably fine if you let them.
From a strict reading, bolas can be chucked at an enemy like an overly-elaborate rock to do 1d4 damage, or can be used to make a ranged trip attack.
Since the wording just says "you can use this weapon to make a ranged trip attack", nothing suggests it should operate like the Trip(ex) ability and trigger a trip off a normal attack.
This also matches how e.g. a spiked chain is described: it has a listed damage, and can be used for tripping, but these facts are not directly related.
I would tend toward running it as written. Exotic weapon proficiencies tend to be a high cost for a low return though; if you wanted to soften that cost it might be reasonable to say bolas have a ranged version of Trip (Ex) instead of their ability as written.
On how a "ranged trip attack" works: good question. The trip attack section on tripping with a weapon says "In this case, you make a melee touch attack with the weapon…." However, I would read "ranged" as the more specific rule. Since "make a ranged touch attack with the weapon" parses without any particular difficulty, I would go with that. From there, I would apply tripping exactly as written: