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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wyrd One" data-source="post: 1605303" data-attributes="member: 20440">I would imply that the natural attacks count as unarmed attacks, not monk special weapons.  As a human my natural attack would be my 2 fists.  As a Thri-Kreen my natural attacks would be my 4 claws.If I want to do a claw attack I point the pointy end of the claw at you and try to slash it across you.  If I want to make an unarmed strike I can close my claw, or twist it and use the side, which would then functionally be just like using the side of a human hand.  Why shouldn't the Thri-Kreen be able to apply the monk training he has spent his levels attaining?  He would be taught how to deliver the unarmed strikes with the ends of his limbs, elbows, knees, legs, etc...  Just because he happens to have a claw at the end of his arm doesn't mean he can't use it for something else, by common sense at least.As for attacks...The Thri-Kreen has 4 arms.  As a result he should get more attacks than an equivalent human monk.  It sounds like people are saying that a Thri-Kreen who trains as a monk cannot use any of that monk training?  Or that a Thri-Kreen who trains as a monk is only as effective as a human monk, despite the 2 extra arms.  Those 2 extra arms have to give the Thri-Kreen some kind of advantage, especially when coupled with the martial arts training a monk would receive.  How could they not!?  The flurry of blows text says you get to make one more attack than you could normally make, but all attacks are at a -2 penalty.  The Thri-Kreen normally gets 4 attacks.  A TK monk doing a flurry of blows would therefore get 5 attacks, but all at a -2.  His natural instincts let him use his claws to make slashing attacks... his monk training has taught him how to use those claws to make an unarmed strike.  It only makes sense he should be able to choose which sort of attack he is going to make, they're his "hands".  If I spent 5 years learning martial arts, and then I strapped a knife to the back of my hand, should I suddenly be limited to only making a stabbing/piercing kind of attack?  No, of course not.  I could use the side of my hand, the heel of my hand, my elbow, even the back of my hand to strike them in the manner I was trained in for so long.Wyrd One</blockquote>

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