Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Jay_Ibero_911 08-03-07, 07:55 PM	Flurry of Blows clearly states that you can't use it if armored or encumbered, but Decisive Strike makes no mention of such a limitation. I wonder if that was intentional...
ShinAkuma2 08-03-07, 09:46 PM	I suppose it seems fair that it can be used while armored/etc...While Flurry requires a certain range of movement not possible when wearing armor, Strike is just about precision, or focus, or whatever you want to flavor it as. I guess that would make Strike the better choice for "non-Monk Monks", those weird builds that typically just use one or two Monk levels for bonus feats/skill points, but ignore most of the class features in favor of armor.
bitznarf 08-03-07, 10:01 PM	What book is this from?
jstorrie 08-03-07, 11:07 PM	PHBII. This alternate class feature is, honestly, better for authors than for players, because you can stick in on a high-strength beast whose full-attack sequence was hampered anyway by having racial hit dice, like an ogre. PCs will have more trouble getting the fullest from this feat, particularly because it's restricted to monk weapons (which do not have reach or high damage dice) or unarmed strikes (which do not have the two-handed Strength bonus or reach.) The monk-weapons-only clause is good, though, or everyone would be using this acf to get massive damage at level 1 with sugliins. As an added difficulty, most of the special monk weapons are light weapons–which means no Power Attack with them. In fact, the only non-light special monk weapons are the two exotic double weapons in CAdv and CW, the lajatang and the longstaff. And as those aren't one-handed weapons, you can't use Uncanny Blow with them. Cleave, Great Cleave, and a reach weapon would help you maximize the number of double-damage-attacks you get, but there are no reach special monk weapons. So! Fraut with inconveniences, that's for sure. I would aim to do one of the following: a Human Fighter 1 / Monk 2 / Fighter 2-4 / Dervish 8, so you'd have the option of Decisive Strike for the low-levels and then could retrain out to Flurry once you had your third attack, or a Monk 1 / Druid 6 / Warshaper 4 / Nature's Warrior 5, using a Quarterstaff with Spikes, Brambles or Shillelagh and the Stone Form feat.
ShinAkuma2 08-04-07, 04:43 AM	In fact, the only non-light special monk weapons are the two exotic double weapons in CAdv and CW, the lajatang and the longstaff. ...Well, actually you forgot the quarterstaff*. Perhaps a Cleric/Monk of Farlanghan would like to wear some armor? *and Poland
Frumpkis 08-04-07, 06:00 PM	...Well, actually you forgot the quarterstaff*. Perhaps a Cleric/Monk of Farlanghan would like to wear some armor? *and Poland :confused: What does Poland have to do with non-light monk weapons?
ShinAkuma2 08-04-07, 11:46 PM	What doesn't it have?
Jay_Ibero_911 08-05-07, 10:53 AM	PHBII. This alternate class feature is, honestly, better for authors than for players, because you can stick in on a high-strength beast whose full-attack sequence was hampered anyway by having racial hit dice, like an ogre. PCs will have more trouble getting the fullest from this feat, particularly because it's restricted to monk weapons (which do not have reach or high damage dice) or unarmed strikes (which do not have the two-handed Strength bonus or reach.) The monk-weapons-only clause is good, though, or everyone would be using this acf to get massive damage at level 1 with sugliins. As an added difficulty, most of the special monk weapons are light weapons–which means no Power Attack with them. In fact, the only non-light special monk weapons are the two exotic double weapons in CAdv and CW, the lajatang and the longstaff. And as those aren't one-handed weapons, you can't use Uncanny Blow with them. Cleave, Great Cleave, and a reach weapon would help you maximize the number of double-damage-attacks you get, but there are no reach special monk weapons. So! Fraut with inconveniences, that's for sure. I would aim to do one of the following: a Human Fighter 1 / Monk 2 / Fighter 2-4 / Dervish 8, so you'd have the option of Decisive Strike for the low-levels and then could retrain out to Flurry once you had your third attack, or a Monk 1 / Druid 6 / Warshaper 4 / Nature's Warrior 5, using a Quarterstaff with Spikes, Brambles or Shillelagh and the Stone Form feat. This makes me wonder if a medium monk/fighter/barbarian/exotic weapon master could use a small lajatang or longstaff as a one handed exotic weapon in 2 hands to use uncanny blow with decisive strike. Or a large kama, nunchaku, sai, or siangham, making them one handed as well. Really cheesy and stretching the rules, I know...