Monk Musings... (not a good reply from WotC)

[shai-hulud]

I am not sure what to make of this response from WotC. Are they answering the question at all?

Answer from WotC:
You get your flurry of blows (5 attacks) plus your off hand attacks

See page 13 of the D&D v.3.5 FAQ for a description on what is possible with a flurry of blows and two-weapon fighting. In fact, it answers your questions almost exactly. (You can further extrapolate for Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting.)

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/er/20030221a



Although I think that we have come up with the correct solution here, I sent this question asking for further clarification:
Thank you for your response, but the FAQ does not go into Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting, which is an epic feat. It describes a 20th level monk, but not a 21st level monk. I am confused by the wording of Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting. It does not follow the same wording as the other Two-Weapon Fighting Feats. Instead, it claims that you gain, "as many attacks with your off-hand weapon as with your primary weapon, using the same base attack bonus." A monk making a flurry of blows attack gains extra attacks from his flurry of blows. Are those counted as attacks made with his primary weapon? If so, the monk gains off-hand attacks for each extra attack granted by his flurry. If not, the monk does not gain off-hand attacks for each extra attack granted by his flurry. This is not covered anywhere in the FAQ.

 

[shai-hulud]

The response from WotC was actually fairly useful. The epic rules are 3.0, so integrating them into 3.5 is rather tricky. While they did not come right out and say it, they insinuated that the best thing to do would be to house rule them to follow the pattern of the other two-weapon fighting and multi-weapon fighting feats.

 

[Quartz]

I dislike the FAQ's answer. For me, Flurry acts as an alternative to the TWF tree for the monk. I'd therefore suggest that it also acts as an alternative to MWF. Either you flurry or you MWF. Looking at the SRD, there is no Improved MWF feat, no Greater MWF feat, no Perfect MWF feat. Such feats would be too good to not take. They're game-breaking. Can you imagine a marilith with 30 attacks? 9 is bad enough.

 

[SlagMortar]

They are in the Epic section of the SRD. Unless the marilith also has pounce, I doubt it would ever get a chance to use all 30 attacks. Same goes for the thrikeen monk.

 

[Nail]

Unless the marilith also has pounce, I doubt it would ever get a chance to use all 30 attacks.

In our experience with Mariliths, they do get full-round attacks -- at least once during the fight. There are various tricks to get this, none of which require the Pounce ability.

Thirty attacks. Yoowza.

Once, when DMing, I made up a creature called an "A-joke-a". It was an insectoid humanoid based on a centipede.....a hundred arms means a hundred attacks, right?...... Silly 3.xe natural attacks rules.

 

[Quartz]

Even the epic monster Hecatoncheires tops out at 15 attacks against a Size M opponent, and that has the special ability - note that it's not a feat - of Superior Multiweapon Fighting. No way I'm going to allow a marilith with 30 attacks, much less a TK.

 

[Klaus]

Even the epic monster Hecatoncheires tops out at 15 attacks against a Size M opponent, and that has the special ability - note that it's not a feat - of Superior Multiweapon Fighting. No way I'm going to allow a marilith with 30 attacks, much less a TK.

AND the Hecatoncheires have 100 arms!

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Are there any guidelines for multi-weapon fighting, or as a DM, am I supposed to make my own ruling?

KNOW this:

As DM your job is to make your own rulings. WotC does not run your game. If you want "official" answers that's one thing but you STILL have to decide if what they say is "official" is what you want and need for your game.

Read the sig:

 

[Nail]

Read the sig:

Awwwww....so cute!

 

[Quartz]

I had to come back to this thread. I believe I've found an official answer: according to page 62 of Sword and Fist, you can only wield one double weapon simultaneously. S&F goes on to say that if it takes the Multitasking feat, a multi-armed creature can perform partial actions with each pair of arms.