Way of the Open Hand - Open Hand Technique

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

Nexus6

Oct 19, 2014 21:46:47

It states that when you hit with ONE of your flurry of blow attack, you can can impose ONE of the listed effects:  knocked prone, push, or no reactions.

 

Question came up tonight is if you hit MORE than one creature, or hit one creature MORE than once, can you impose MULTIPLE effects, or just one?  i.e.  the wording could be interpreted a couple ways.

 

 

 

 

#2

2Chlorobutanal

Oct 19, 2014 22:34:32

The meaning can be somewhat ambiguous in English, but my initial reading of the feature was to allow the Monk two opportunities to use the ability per Flurry of Blows.  Essentially, it follows the same rules as Stunning Strike / Fist (I forget the name), except it is restricted to the two "Flurry of Blows" attacks only.

 

If you Flurry and hit an ogre twice, you could attempt to knock the ogre prone and prevent its reactions.

 

If you Flurry and hit two orcs once apiece, you could attempt to push both of them.

 

Even though this may be a "more powerful" way to interpret the ability, I feel that it is within the scope of the other powers of a Monk (their ability to stun on potentially every melee attack they make).

#3

Noctaem

Oct 20, 2014 7:40:08

2Chlorobutanal wrote:
#4

BRJN

Oct 24, 2014 5:46:55

Keep in mind this uses ki, of which lower-level monks don't have enough to spray around like that.  Except against a Solo BBEG...

I would rule it to allow the player to be awesome once, then a rest is in order.

#5

Noctaem

Oct 24, 2014 5:51:22

You get all your ki back during a short rest.  It's really not that bad to use the resource since you can regain it potentially multiple times per day.

#6

BRJN

Oct 25, 2014 12:35:20

Yah, and I also saw that putting the effect on your target does not expend even more ki.  (Sometimes typing chunks of the rulebook onto a computer file is a good thing.)  So:

Hit one target with two FoB attacks - put two statuses on him

Hit two targets, each one time, with FoB attacks - put one status on each. 

 

You do not have to put the same status on both.  Nor do you have to put a status on anybody.

But if you want the guy in front to have no reactions (while your Party runs past him with Dash) and you want the guy in back knocked 15 feet away from you (and also away from the lever that controls the trap door) you can do that.

Until I can read the MM, I'm going to prefer 'no reactions' only because I don't know which monsters have good STR or DEX checks, that would let them save out of my efforts to mess them up.