Monk Unarmed Strike

[nightwyrm]

Yeah, I think this is the big oversight right now. If you're an unarmed monk, you have to use your ki focus as the implement coz your fists are unenchantable. This makes feats and abilities that boosts your fists useless for all intents and purposes.

If your DM uses the inherent bonus houserule (yay Dark Sun), then I think it works fine (at least it does in the CB)...so that's an option before WotC gets around to fixing this.

 

[ppaladin123]

Yeah, I think this is the big oversight right now. If you're an unarmed monk, you have to use your ki focus as the implement coz your fists are unenchantable. This makes feats and abilities that boosts your fists useless for all intents and purposes.

If your DM uses the inherent bonus houserule (yay Dark Sun), then I think it works fine (at least it does in the CB)...so that's an option before WotC gets around to fixing this.

Yeah, that is a good point. You can just use the inherent bonuses as a monk and that will solve that problem. You can then take weapon focus (monk unarmed strike), implement expertise, etc. and have them matter. It doesn't interfere with magic items either because if you use magic armor or neck slot items, the character builder will just use the higher of the enhancement bonuses (inherent or item-based).

 

[Gortle]

You have to choose to use magic weapon properties or ki focus properties on each implement attack when you have both. You can't use a mixture.

The problem is that monk unarmed strike cannot currently by enchanted. So, you could, if you really wanted to use the properties of the unarmed strike in your implement powers (19-20 crit range at epic, +2 damage bonus from the paragon path) but you'd have a +0 enhancement bonus and you'd basically be unable to hit anything. If you use a magic ki focus instead, you lose access to the monk unarmed strike properties.

It is an oversight in the rules that will hopefully be remedied in the October errata.

I agree with your interpretation and the need for errata.

I have a new player who wants to play a monk. For now I think I need to house rule that "monk unarmed strike" properties and feats stack with implement properties and feats and that the monk can benefit from both at once with implement powers. But not allow the implement to combine with any other type of weapon.


That seems to me to bring the monk back inline with other characters. I hate to house rule but without a change like this, none of the unarmed strike feats have any real value, and the core feature of the class is broken.