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TWF with offhand attacks
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<blockquote data-quote="Kiehtan" data-source="post: 3746628" data-attributes="member: 4273"><p>The description of the flurry of blows ability says</p><p>there’s no such thing as a monk attacking with an off-hand</p><p>weapon during a flurry of blows. What does that mean,</p><p>exactly? Can the monk make off-hand attacks in addition to</p><p>flurry attacks?</p><p>Actually, the text to which you refer appears in the entry</p><p>for unarmed strikes. When a monk uses her unarmed strike</p><p>ability, she does not suffer any penalty for an off-hand attack,</p><p>even when she has her hands full and attacks with her knees</p><p>and elbows, using the flurry of blows ability to make extra</p><p>attacks, or both.</p><p>The rules don’t come right out and say that a monk can’t</p><p>use an unarmed strike for an off-hand strike (although the exact</p><p>wording of the unarmed strike ability suggests otherwise), and</p><p>no compelling reason why a monk could not do so exists.</p><p>When using an unarmed strike as an off-hand attack, the monk</p><p>suffers all the usual attack penalties from two-weapon fighting</p><p>(see Table 8–10 in the Player’s Handbook) and the monk adds</p><p>only half her Strength bonus (if any) to damage if the off-hand</p><p>unarmed strike hits.</p><p>To add an off-hand attack to a flurry of blows, stack</p><p>whatever two-weapon penalty the monk has with the penalty (if</p><p>any) from the flurry. Attacks from the flurry have the monk’s</p><p>full damage bonus from Strength, but the off-hand attack gains</p><p>only half Strength bonus to damage. If the off-hand attack is a</p><p>weapon, that weapon isn’t available for use in the flurry (if it</p><p>can be used in a flurry at all, see the previous question). For</p><p>example, a 4th-level monk with the Two-Weapon Fighting feat</p><p>and a Strength score of 14 decides to use a flurry of blows and</p><p>decides to throw in an off-hand attack as well. The monk has a</p><p>base attack bonus of +3 and a +2 Strength bonus. With a flurry,</p><p>the character can make two attacks, each at +3 (base +3, –2</p><p>flurry, +2 Strength). An unarmed strike is a light weapon, so</p><p>the monk suffers an additional –2 penalty for both the flurry</p><p>and the off-hand attack, and the monk makes three attacks,</p><p>each at an attack bonus of +1. The two attacks from the flurry</p><p>are primary attacks and add the monk’s full Strength bonus to</p><p>damage of +2. The single off-hand attack adds half the monk’s</p><p>Strength bonus to damage (+1).</p><p>If the monk in our example has two sais to use with the</p><p>flurry, plus the off-hand attack, she can use both in the flurry</p><p>(in which case she must make the off-hand attack with an</p><p>unarmed strike) or one sai for the off-hand attack and one with</p><p>the flurry. The sai used in the off-hand attack is not available</p><p>for the flurry and vice versa.</p><p></p><p>But...</p><p></p><p>From page 41 in the PHB, in the first paragraph of the Unarmed Strike description:</p><p></p><p>"A monk's attacks may be with either fist interchangeably, or even from elbows, knees and feet. This means that a monk may even make unarmed strikes with her hands full. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a monk striking unarmed."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Kiehtan, post: 3746628, member: 4273"] The description of the flurry of blows ability says there’s no such thing as a monk attacking with an off-hand weapon during a flurry of blows. What does that mean, exactly? Can the monk make off-hand attacks in addition to flurry attacks? Actually, the text to which you refer appears in the entry for unarmed strikes. When a monk uses her unarmed strike ability, she does not suffer any penalty for an off-hand attack, even when she has her hands full and attacks with her knees and elbows, using the flurry of blows ability to make extra attacks, or both. The rules don’t come right out and say that a monk can’t use an unarmed strike for an off-hand strike (although the exact wording of the unarmed strike ability suggests otherwise), and no compelling reason why a monk could not do so exists. When using an unarmed strike as an off-hand attack, the monk suffers all the usual attack penalties from two-weapon fighting (see Table 8–10 in the Player’s Handbook) and the monk adds only half her Strength bonus (if any) to damage if the off-hand unarmed strike hits. To add an off-hand attack to a flurry of blows, stack whatever two-weapon penalty the monk has with the penalty (if any) from the flurry. Attacks from the flurry have the monk’s full damage bonus from Strength, but the off-hand attack gains only half Strength bonus to damage. If the off-hand attack is a weapon, that weapon isn’t available for use in the flurry (if it can be used in a flurry at all, see the previous question). For example, a 4th-level monk with the Two-Weapon Fighting feat and a Strength score of 14 decides to use a flurry of blows and decides to throw in an off-hand attack as well. The monk has a base attack bonus of +3 and a +2 Strength bonus. With a flurry, the character can make two attacks, each at +3 (base +3, –2 flurry, +2 Strength). An unarmed strike is a light weapon, so the monk suffers an additional –2 penalty for both the flurry and the off-hand attack, and the monk makes three attacks, each at an attack bonus of +1. The two attacks from the flurry are primary attacks and add the monk’s full Strength bonus to damage of +2. The single off-hand attack adds half the monk’s Strength bonus to damage (+1). If the monk in our example has two sais to use with the flurry, plus the off-hand attack, she can use both in the flurry (in which case she must make the off-hand attack with an unarmed strike) or one sai for the off-hand attack and one with the flurry. The sai used in the off-hand attack is not available for the flurry and vice versa. But... From page 41 in the PHB, in the first paragraph of the Unarmed Strike description: "A monk's attacks may be with either fist interchangeably, or even from elbows, knees and feet. This means that a monk may even make unarmed strikes with her hands full. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a monk striking unarmed." [/QUOTE]
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