Use a feat to make a sword a flurry weapon?

[Vahktang]

So, I'm watching the wu shu movies and they're using swords in their martial arts.
So, I'm thinking that just like Bastard sword is an exotic weapon for full use, a monk can use an exotic weapon feat to make a special sword useable in a flurry.
Give a D8 base damage and go to town.

What say you all?

 

[aurance]

There is feat that allows just such a thing with longswords in the Eberron Campaign setting. In my opinion, it would not be a terrible problem to allow a feat to do this with generally any selected melee weapon.

 

[IamTheTest]

Id use the Eberron feat mentioned above that allows the Longsword as a monk weapon. I would probably require 2 feats for the bastard sword to be used...it just seems like too much in my opinion.

 

[avr]

Those feats to use a different weapon in flurries all have Weapon focus in that weapon as a prerequisite. If someone was willing to spend a total of 3 feats (Exotic weapon, Weapon focus, feat to use it as a special monk weapon) to flurry with a bastard sword I'd have no problem with that.

 

[Klaus]

So, I'm watching the wu shu movies and they're using swords in their martial arts.
So, I'm thinking that just like Bastard sword is an exotic weapon for full use, a monk can use an exotic weapon feat to make a special sword useable in a flurry.
Give a D8 base damage and go to town.

What say you all?

As others have said, there's a feat in the Eberron Campaign Setting that already allows that (Whirling Steel Strike).

Me? I go another route: I take the stats of a kama and just change the appearance so it looks like a hooked sword, or butterfly sword.

There's also the alternate monk fluff I wrote here: http://www.fierydragon.com/db/2004-10-27.htm

Including these weapons:

 

[Thurbane]

There's a couple of unofficial feats from the Netbook of Feats (http://datadeco.com/nbofeats/)

ARMED FLURRY OF BLOWS [Martial Style]
You can attack with a flurry of blows with any weapon that you are proficient in.
Prerequisite: Monk level 3rd
Benefit: This feat expands on your Flurry of Blows ability, allowing you to flurry with any weapon that you are proficient in.
Normal: Flurry of Blows can normally only be used in unarmed combat or when armed with a kama, nunchaku or siangham.

FLURRY OF BLADES [General, Fighter]
You can strike exceptionally fast with light weapons.
Prerequisite: Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (with Weapon), Base attack bonus +3, Dex 13
Benefit: Choose one weapon that you have Weapon Focus and Weapon Finesse for. When unencumbered, in light armor or less, and wielding this type of weapon, you may make one extra attack per round. The attack is at your highest base attack bonus, but each attack (the extra one and all the normal ones) suffer a -2 penalty. You must use the full attack action. This feat does not stack with other feats/abilities that grant extra attacks, such as Flurry of Blows, two weapon use, double weapons, or creatures that make multiple attacks. It does stack with the iterative attacks of a character with high base attack bonus.
Notes: This is a fencing technique, and fits well in a renaissance-style game.

 

[akbearfoot]

I would be leery of any broad availability of a monk to flurry with anything, however for the use of 1 specific weapon, I don't see a problem if they are willing to spend 2-3 feats for it.

There was a similar thread someplace with a character who wanted to do this same thing as well as make their weapon do monk unarmed damage progression....I highly recommend you do NOT allow a character to do this. I point this out because if they are choosing to us a different weapon, its logical at a certain point to look at your higher unarmed damage and go 'hrmm how can I do that damage with this weapon'.

 

[Shin Okada]

As long as it is a one handed weapon and appropriate prerequisite is taken, there will be not much problems I guess. Monk already has 1d6 weapons. Taking a feat for 1d8 longsword sounds reasonable. And taking two feats (exotic weapon proficiency and bastard sword version of the Whirling Steel feat) for 1d10 sounds reasonable, too. Spending a feat for +1 damage in average can never be overpowered.

But keep it to "treat as a special monk weapon" in every aspect. I mean, even if it can be used two-handed, apply only x1 of one's str bonus like quarterstaff.

 

[jaelis]

But keep it to "treat as a special monk weapon" in every aspect. I mean, even if it can be used two-handed, apply only x1 of one's str bonus like quarterstaff.

That's only in a flurry, though, no?

--
One small point: to get the longsword feat, a pure monk needs to take Martial Weapon Proficiency, Weapon Focus, and Whirling Steel Strike. To get the proposed bastard sword feat would require Exotic WP, WF, and the proposed new feat. So the bastard sword version isn't any more feat-expensive than the longsword version... you might worry that allowing it for bastard swords would make the original feat obsolete.

On the other hand, anyone really going this route would probably invest a level or two in fighter, so in practice it's probably fine.

 

[akbearfoot]

A bastard sword is a martial weapon if used 2 handed....so a monk with a 1 level dip into fighter wouldn't even need exotic weapon prof if they always used the weapon 2-handed....And why wouldnt they because they get x2 strength damage without yet another house rule. And they can still headbutt or whatever if they get grappled.

Seems like too good of a way for monks to increase their weapon damage too high at early levels. Then the weapon can be enchanted with flaming or frost, holy etc...for MUCH cheaper than say the FR bracer thingies that are priced like double weapons....or an amulet of mighty fists. And it's a higher crit range then an unarmed strike, which may lead to other abuses via blood in the water, snap kick, or other stuff I cant think of off hand.


Sure it could be sundered...but most DMs that destroy characters gear don't have very happy players anyways.