Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ElyasRavenwood 04-01-08, 11:40 PM	I have a couple of quick rules questions concerning feats and psionic focus. Currently I am playing a 2nd level monk/ 1st level psychic warrior. I took the Decisive strike class feature instead of flurry of blows. For feats I have, improved unarmed strike, Stunning fist, Improved Grapple, Versatile Unarmed strike, Combat reflexes, Combat Expertise, and Tashaltora. I plan to continue to advance as a psychic warrior. The first power I picked was inertial armor. At 4th level I plan to take Improved trip, And at 5 and 6 level, I plan to take the Fists of Iron feat as well as the Psionic fist feat. Here is my question: When my character is engaged in a full attack, he can use his decisive strike class feature. I am fairly sure he can use his stunning fist with that strike. I think this means that he can also use his fists of iron feat, expend one of his stunning fist uses per day, and add extra 1d6 damage to his melee attack. I think that using the Fists of Iron feat would be part of the same decisive strike melee attack. Could my Could my character at the same time, also expend his psionic focus and use his psionic fist feat to add another 2d6 points of damage? This then would be another 3d6 points of damage on top of the Decisive strike. Concerning psionic focus. I understand it is a full round (barring feats like psionic meditation) to regain you psionic focus. When you are focusing you provoke attacks of opportunity. Is there a way to avoid drawing attacks of opportunity while concentrating to regain one’s psionic focus? Can one do something similar to “manifesting defensively?” Thanks.
calronmoonflower 04-02-08, 12:55 AM	Decisive Strike is a unarmed attack, so you can apply anything to it that you can with unarmed attacks. That includes Stunning Fist, heck it even says that it increases the DC of a stunning attack.
Orenmir 04-02-08, 10:21 AM	The combo in question is legal -- you can stack Decisive Strike, Fists of Iron, and Psionic Fist. Yes, it does expend your Psionic Focus and a use of Stunning Fist. And, you get a -2 penalty to the attack at your level. I can't think of a way to focus defensively. You can always do the 5' step waltz -- it works for casters. BTW, you listed Tashalatora in your feats; but, you didn't list Monastic Training. MT is a prereq. /OffTopic
calronmoonflower 04-03-08, 02:24 AM	I can't think of a way to focus defensively. You can always do the 5' step waltz -- it works for casters. Well a bit off-topic, but... The concentration skill lets you use it to avoid attack of opportunity from using skills in combat like say concentration.
TheKeyofE 04-03-08, 08:12 AM	Yeah, but it's so silly and stupid to make a DC 15 concentration check to defensively make a DC 20 concentration check to refocus. By RAW it works, but it's still silly. Of course, if you fail the first check then it voids your second check (I think...), but usually your modifier is high enough that the odds of that happening are low.
Orenmir 04-03-08, 09:58 AM	Well a bit off-topic, but... The concentration skill lets you use it to avoid attack of opportunity from using skills in combat like say concentration. I don't think it's off-topic at all. The OP wants to know how to avoid the AoO from focusing. And, you're right... I reread the rules on Concentration regarding skill checks and focusing. The previous poster is right too, it does seem rather silly to make a concentration check to determine if you can make another concentration check. By RAW, it's allowable. So, let's see if I have this right... To avoid the AoO from focusing, simply succeed at a DC 15 and then again at a DC 20. If either check fails, you do not gain focus; but, you still avoid the AoO. This process takes a full-round, unless you have Psionic Meditation, then it takes a move action. Sound right?
calronmoonflower 04-04-08, 03:15 AM	Looks right. Just think of it as concentrating on your surroundings and your psychic energy. That makes sense to me.
ElyasRavenwood 04-04-08, 09:10 PM	Thank you all for your help. It is very helpful to know that the feats Fist of Iron, Psionic fist and the class feature Decisive strike stack. It is also good to know that I can unleash the effects of both feats on the same melee attack. I think the Fists of Iron will be allow me to use my “stuffing fist” class feature against those giant types, with low ac high hps, and an astronomical FT save. Adding the 2d6 damage from the Psionic fist feat on top of it will help with DR. Also thanks for answering my tangential question about the “DC 15” concentration check to avoid the AO when taking that full round to become psionically focused. I know it may seem silly to make a dc 15 concentration check, only to then try and make a DC 20 concentration check. Usually I would just do the 5’ step shuffle. However when dealing with a large creature with arms that can reach out and smack my character at 10’, I am looking for a way to psionically focus without drawing a beating. Perhaps I am misreading this, but the meaning I am taking from the description of the Talashtora feat in the Secrets of Sarlona is that one of the prerequisites “ monastic training ( psionic class)” means that you have to have some sort of monastic training, and that takes the form of having a level in a psionic class. Perhaps I am misreading this. Perhaps I am missing something obvious. Well there we are. Thanks for your help.
kelvinaw273 04-05-08, 12:07 PM	The only thing you cannot do that you mention is use both Fists of Iron AND Stunning Fist together - you have to choose one or the other. I would also recommend you look up Fiery Fists in PHB II - it adds damage for the entire round, not just one strike, and it's energy (fire) damage, and it leads to a few more feats that can be interesting. Psionic Fist is handy, but I would recommend looking at Unavoidable Strike as a follow-on feat, as this allows you to make your attacks as Touch attacks - very useful for the lower BAB monk. With limited feats available, perhaps Greater Psionic Fist is a better use than Fists of Iron? 4d6 using psionic focus vs. 2d6 using focus and 1d6 using a stunning fist use?
calronmoonflower 04-05-08, 10:31 PM	Monastic Training is a feat that allows you to multiclass the monk freely with another class. I believe that it is in the Eberron Campaign Setting.
ElyasRavenwood 04-06-08, 01:40 AM	Thank you both kelvinaw273 and calronmoonflower for your thoughts. You are right kelvinaw273 I think I can either use Stunning fist (not Stuffing fist :embarrass ) or Fists of Iron when my character expends a "stunning fist use" per day. I think that I meant using the Fists of Iron feat and the Psionic fist feat to modify the same melee attack. I will need to look up fiery fist feat that might be interesting. I realize that with two levels of monk, and most of the rest of my levels as psychic warrior, I wont have many "stunning fist" uses per day unless I get the "extra stunning fist" feat from the complete warrior. Perhaps the Psionic fist Unavoidable strike, and greater psionic fist rout is better. I could toss in Psionic meditation, and what was the other part? By taking the 3rd level psionic power hustle you gain an extra move action correct? Isn’t that the combination which would allow me to expend my psionic focus, and regain it in the same round, so I could effectively keep on using a psionic feat like psionic fist with my melee attacks each round? And Calromoonflower thank you I looked up in the Eberon book and there is indeed a feat Monastic training. I will have to talk with my DM about taking a feat without its pre requisite and weather he will allow me to swap a feat out. What to drop? The DM seems pretty reasonable. At first level I had originally picked power attack and cleave as the two first level feats at first level were combat expertise and Improved trip. I later at third had chosen power attack, and at 4th level was planning to take cleave when I changed my mind. The DM allowed me to swap out the power attack and cleave for versatile unarmed strike, and improved grapple. I think he will go for me swapping for Monastic training. Well there we are, thank you.
turalisj 04-06-08, 01:44 PM	The only thing you cannot do that you mention is use both Fists of Iron AND Stunning Fist together - you have to choose one or the other. I would also recommend you look up Fiery Fists in PHB II - it adds damage for the entire round, not just one strike, and it's energy (fire) damage, and it leads to a few more feats that can be interesting. Psionic Fist is handy, but I would recommend looking at Unavoidable Strike as a follow-on feat, as this allows you to make your attacks as Touch attacks - very useful for the lower BAB monk. With limited feats available, perhaps Greater Psionic Fist is a better use than Fists of Iron? 4d6 using psionic focus vs. 2d6 using focus and 1d6 using a stunning fist use? See, now I'm interested in a monk build made purely for damage using those feats...:D Hm... perhaps an Elan Monk (Elan to satisfy to power point req)?
DracoPhoenix 04-07-08, 11:56 AM	See, now I'm interested in a monk build made purely for damage using those feats...:D Hm... perhaps an Elan Monk (Elan to satisfy to power point req)? If you have the book, an Elan Incarnate 4 / Monk for bound lightening gauntlets could be your friend :)