Monk w/hands full question

[Clear Dragon]

This question has been bugging me for a bit so I thought I would throw it out and see if anyone bites.

Say a monk has his or her hands full, a wounded comrade, keg of ale, important object being recovered, a ranged weapon or so forth. Anyway, what penalties to attack(s) would he/she suffer (obviously relying on kicks and such) and does he/she still threaten the area around him/her. I have my own thoughts, but I would like to read what others think first, as it is late and I doubt I would form any sort of coherent arguement.

 

[Crothian]

No penalities, and he still threatens the area around him.

 

[the Jester]

The monk would just use his feet, elbows, head and whatever else. No penalties or anything; he'd be fine.

 

[saucercrab]

I don't post here a lot, so I don't know how much the official FAQ is appreciated or unappreciated.

Anyway, the FAQ has a question & answer which can apply to this thread:

From the Official D&D FAQ (on page 6, currently):
If a monk is holding something (say a lantern, a torch, or even a crossbow), can she still make her normal unarmed attacks?

Monks are assumed to use their whole bodies-hands, feet, knees, elbows, and so on-when making unarmed attacks. Holding an item in one hand makes unarmed attacks only slightly more difficult.
A monk who is holding an item (not wielding a weapon) in one hand and wants to make multiple attacks can give up her best unarmed attack and make the remainder of her normal number of unarmed attacks in a turn. For example, a monk with an unarmed attack bonus of +8/+5/+2 could make two unarmed attacks (+5/+2) while holding a torch.
The monk in the example above can also use the flurry of blows option, giving up one of her best attacks from the flurry. The monk in the previous example could use flurry of blows while holding the torch and attack at +6/+3/+0.
A monk holding an item in two hands uses the same procedure but gives up her two best attacks.
If a monk does not want to give up one of her best attacks, she can always attack at the normal rate instead of the faster unarmed attack rate: For example, a monk with a base attack bonus of +8 could simply make two attacks at +8/+3.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

This time it's me to disagree with the FAQ. I wouldn't let him lose an attack. And he quite surely would not lose the best attack he has.

 

[Crothian]

It's not like the FAQ to make up new rules on the spot like that. I would never run it that way, as it really doesn't make any sense. Monks can either use any body part or not, why should they be punished for it?

The FAQ is ussually ;looked upon in favor, at least by me. This is one of the rare instances where I disagree with it.

 

[Gizzard]

That rule captures the spirit of being a Monk somewhat better than allowing no penalty I think. If you've seen a sequence where a master Monk fights while holding a teapot (or some other object) you can see that it is some strain, but not debilitating.

I cant imagine a beginning Monk being able to fight at all while holding a teapot. (Or walk on rice paper without leaving a trace, or grabbing the pebble from another Monk's hand. ;-)

Of course, trying to extrapolate a concrete set of rules from a hundred different fantasy movies is probably a hopeless exercise.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Yea. And not that I think of it, this rule would make a monk with a torch in hand unable to use his unarmed attacks (unless he flurries). I think that's way to harsh. A general -2 penalty or something, OK, but that? It is said that he can use anything he wants. So he could fight only with his feet.

 

[dcollins]

This is a FAQ ruling that I'm perfectly happy with. It's balanced, quasi-realistic, and compliant with the rules as written. It's also one of the rare times when I think it's actually useful -- a truly ambiguous area of the rules, where an official clarification is helpful to the community.

 

[Crothian]

I think there is a difference with fighting with a tea pot that you are trying to not damage, and fighting with a piece of wood.

And no other class has these such restrictions. A fighter doesn't loose any attacks if he decides to kick someone while holding anything.