Advice on 9th level Monk doing 6d6 damage per strike...

[Nail]

First: The items in Dragon Magazine are routinely over-powered. Why any DM allows them without modification is beyond me.

Second: Goliath's have specific, listed advantages. Having size Large natural attacks are not among them. Specifically:

A goliath can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty.

You'll note it says "can use weapons". It does not say "all attacks are treated as one size category larger." Those are very different things.

Third: The Monk's Belt is no big deal.

Fourth: The INA feat only applies to Natural Attacks. Monks attacks are not natural attacks, despite what the FAQ claims.

Fifth (ant last!): Don't get in the habit of "vetoing" things the players come up with. Instead, read the rules and agree on an interpretation that everyone can live with. Especially intractable players should be reminded that the DM can make munchkin builds too...in fact he's liable to make far more of them than the player. To whose advantage is it - really - to agree to a broken rule?

Hint: It ain't the players......

 

[Nail]

If the Goliath can use a Large Greataxe, then I think they should be able to use the Large damage table for monk's unarmed damage. It seems completely reasonable to me, and I think it is implied in the wording for Powerful Build.

As you can tell, I disagree.

#1) Their attacks are NOT treated as size Large.

#2) They may use size large weapons without penalty.

Two different things entirely.

 

[Artoomis]

Goliath's have Powerful Build...from the SRD



If the Goliath can use a Large Greataxe, then I think they should be able to use the Large damage table for monk's unarmed damage. It seems completely reasonable to me, and I think it is implied in the wording for Powerful Build.

Additionally, the rules (and FAQ), clearly allow INA to stack....and the Monk's Belt is in the rules as well and perfectly reasonable.

However, there is nothing that states (to my knowledge) that the ability from the Fanged Ring has to stack with INA. If you take INA multiple times, it applies to different attacks. And "Monk's unarmed strike" is considered one attack form.

So I would disallow the Fanged Ring from stacking with INA. This should reduce the player to a much more manageable 4d6 damage. Is that a lot of damage? Yes...but broken? In the 'new' game of power builds, prestige classes, oneupsmanship and the like, I don't think it's broken at all.

Cedric

EDIT: I just wanted to add, you can house rule anything you want obviously, I just addressed my post to the rules as I understand them.

FWIW, I fully concur.

Edit: Actually, the Goliath Large damage is not clear at all. Reading the whole thing, it seems implied, but it was not stated clearly one way or the other.

 

[WinnipegDragon]

Yeah, I think 4d6 is certainly more reasonable, but even 3d6 smells a bit cheesy to me. Did I mention that he was trying to use two-weapon fighting unarmed (arguing that his left hand is an off-hand weapon specifically) with flurry to get 5 attacks a round?

This player has been away for a few years and is just coming back into the fold and I'm trying to balance the bad taste in my mouth from this megamunchkin character with his personal enjoyment in rejoining the group.

I'll try going 4d6 and if it's obviously overpowered in play I will deal with it swiftly.

To answer the Fanged Ring question, I think it's 13,000gp, increases unarmed damage by one size and does 1 CON damage on successful critical hits.

 

[Nonlethal Force]

1. No, goliaths don't get a bigger unarmed damage die.

2. Do you regularly allow stuff from Dragon magazine? If not, disallow the ring (although that's not too bad).

3. Decide whether or not you want to allow the improved natural attack feat to work with a monk's unarmed attacks.

This advice is about what I would have typed anyway, so I'll pump IcyCool's ego and quote it!

Personally: I would allow INA, but not the goliath thing and only the dragon magazine thing if you make it a habit of allowing Dragon magazine stuff.

 

[Nail]

Re: Fanged Ring

The effect sounds like a thrid level spell with a duration of 1 hr/level. Put such a spell in a slotted item and make it use activated, such an item should be: 3(Spl Lvl) * 5(CL) * 2000 gp * 1 (duration) = 30,000gp.

As usual, Dragon Magazine got the price wrong. Surprise, surprise.

 

[Cedric]

Fourth: The INA feat only applies to Natural Attacks. Monks attacks are not natural attacks, despite what the FAQ claims.

Ok, not to quibble or argue, but as soon you declare something contrary to the Official 3.5 FAQ, then its clear you are no longer discussing the rules as they are written, but are discussing the rules as you would have them.

How I would house rule something is an entirely different discussion that what are the rules.

EDIT: Of course, if I'm going to use the rules as may as well read them...hehe, according to the FAQ, Powerful Build does NOT address changing the damage dealt by unarmed strikes or natural attacks.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Ok, not to quibble or argue, but as soon you declare something contrary to the Official 3.5 FAQ, then its clear you are no longer discussing the rules as they are written, but are discussing the rules as you would have them.

How I would house rule something is an entirely different discussion that what are the rules.

No, the FAQ is not the RAW. Doesn't the FAQ itself admit that allowing INA on monk attacks is a House Rule?

 

[Cedric]

No, the FAQ is not the RAW. Doesn't the FAQ itself admit that allowing INA on monk attacks is a House Rule?

The FAQ is crystal clear on allowing monk's to take INA and apply it to the monk's unarmed strike damage. But if you note the edit from my post above, it also says that Powerful Build does not allow you to do unarmed strike or natural attack damage as a "Large" creature.

 

[ThirdWizard]

The FAQ is crystal clear on allowing monk's to take INA and apply it to the monk's unarmed strike damage. But if you note the edit from my post above, it also says that Powerful Build does not allow you to do unarmed strike or natural attack damage as a "Large" creature.

Then its another example of the Sage not understanding the RAW.