Belt of the Brawler Unarmed Strikes

[malcolm_n]

So, if this is correct, I absolutely love this item when making monk and fighter unarmed strikers. From what I can tell, because the belt (title) allows me to make improvised attacks (including unarmed attacks) as if armed with a club, can I benefit from powers that state, "if you're wielding a club..."?

It seems like it would work, and I can find no reason not to allow it, since it would only make unarmed strike count for something with fighters (other than just the brawler build).

On the other hand, and a lot more clunky, would it not work because the monk unarmed strike isn't an improvised attack? and if so, wouldn't that mean I'm better off with the belt in most cases than the strike?

Thoughts, rules, suggestions? Thank you.

 

[Kirnon_Bhale]

Hmmm... yea - I would probably allow it thus allowing the Monk to use that feat to grant +2 damage on his flurry. However the belt also makes unarmed attacks into club attacks +2 proficiency bonus and only 1d6 damage.

There are upsides and downsides to using it - that is why I don't believe I would have any issues with allowing it to stack with the spear feat.

 

[malcolm_n]

So then, from the sound of it, and I think I like this, the monk would have a choice between making an unarmed strike with +2 prof and 1d6 damage that counts as a mace or making a monk unarmed strike with +3 prof and 1d8 (1d10 with a feat) that doesn't count as anything.
It's a good option, and I'd probably just make my player declare which he was using before attacking in case it mattered. A lot of the fighter powers add Con to damage, so it's very likely a high Con character (Goliath, dwarf) might choose one most of the time (the eternal defender ED would bring the damage with the belt to 1d8 since it would count as a large mace), whereas characters with moderate or low Con would be better off going without.

As a side note, it would be really cool if they'd make monk feats like this. They could make one for axes and one for light blades, and the monk could be a potential mc for more classes than it is now.

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

That said, if its a choice between a monk fist from the class, and a club fist from the belt, wouldn't it be a whole lot cheaper to give the monk a club rather than spending a whole swack of cash for a magical belt? Sure, it takes up a hand, but for a monk I really don't see that as a problem.

Or is it simply a flavour issue, of wanting to get the mechanical benefits of using a club while the monk beats on people with empty hands?

 

[Mithreinmaethor]

I dont think that making an attack "as if it were a club" and using powers that are effected by you wielding a club will work with this belt.

 

[malcolm_n]

We've established that it does work that way; but you can't count it as a club and do unarmed strike damage, so no +3 prof d10 club for the monk.

 

[Mithreinmaethor]

We've established that it does work that way; but you can't count it as a club and do unarmed strike damage, so no +3 prof d10 club for the monk.

Actually there is a thread on the WOTC site that has established the exact opposite of your position. So where does that leave us?

 

[malcolm_n]

I dismiss your reality and substitute my own.

Where is this thread? If you mean "Belt of the Brawler + Crashing Tempest Style?" I've been following that thread as well, and they're just as on the fence about it as we are.

For what it's worth, CSR did say it worked as we've described above; but of course that's to be taken with a grain of salt. Regardless, thank you everybody for offering your opinions. For now, I'm still going to allow it as long as the monk is willing to take the decrease in damage/prof bonus.

 

[vagabundo]

I'm messing about with a old style Dwarvan Battlerager and I was thinking of using this belt and kitting him out with Spiked Gauntlets. I pluged it into CB last night and tried a power with some Mace (Clubs are part of the Mace group) options, but it didn't seem to recognise the combo..

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Well, seeing as how the spiked gauntlet is actually a weapon (rather than an improvised weapon) of course it/they wouldn't work with the club... its like having a character with a club and an axe, and expecting the club abilities to trigger when using the axe and vice versa.