Monster Manual feats for Monks?

[Legildur]

Flicking through the SRD for the 3.5E Monster Manual, I notice a couple of General feats that I can't help but think could be useful for monks.

Firstly, assuming a monk took the Stunning Fist feat, could they then take Ability Focus (stunning fist) to increase the DC of the saving throw by 2?

ABILITY FOCUS [GENERAL]
Choose one of the creature's special attacks.
Prerequisite: Special attack.
Benefit: Add +2 to the DC for all saving throws against the special attack on which the creature focuses.
Special: A creature can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time the creature takes the feat it applies to a different special attack.

Secondly, would a monk's unarmed strike qualify as a natural weapon for the purposes of the Improved Natural Attack feat?

A monk’s unarmed strike is treated both as a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons.

IMPROVED NATURAL ATTACK [GENERAL]
Prerequisite: Natural weapon, base attack bonus +4.
Benefit: Choose one of the creature's natural attack forms. The damage for this natural weapon increases by one step, as if the creature's size had increased by one category: 1d2, 1d3, 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 2d6, 3d6, 4d6, 6d6, 8d6, 12d6.
A weapon or attack that deals 1d10 points of damage increases as follows: 1d10, 2d8, 3d8, 4d8, 6d8, 8d8, 12d8.

 

[DM_Matt]

Flicking through the SRD for the 3.5E Monster Manual, I notice a couple of General feats that I can't help but think could be useful for monks.

Firstly, assuming a monk took the Stunning Fist feat, could they then take Ability Focus (stunning fist) to increase the DC of the saving throw by 2?

Secondly, would a monk's unarmed strike qualify as a natural weapon for the purposes of the Improved Natural Attack feat?

No on the first, unless the monk's race has it. Special Attacks is a monster stat block entry.

Yes on the second, since monk attacks are explicitly called natural attacks.

 

[Nightfall]

Agreed with Matt. Ability focus is a MONSTER SA, not a human SA.

 

[Shazman]

I'm pretty sure that SKip Williams covered this question about ability focus in a Dragon. Monk's can use it for their stunning attack and assassains can use it for their death attacks. Pretty much any special attack that requires a saving throw to avoid can have this feat applied to it. There's nothing in it's description that would imply otherwise. I don't know about the improved natural attack. Monks are considered armed when unarmed. Thier bodies are considered weapons not natural weapons.

 

[Fingers Boggis]

i made a feat the same as the second one for my players in a previous campaign. he was a fighter that wanted to fight primarily unarmed, and wanted to do so despite me saying that its not exactly an optimum concept. in that situation it wasnt too unbalancing, in the hands of a monk though it might be

Fingers

 

[the Jester]

I'd prolly allow both of these to a monk. Keeping in mind that monks don't hit too often, and even when they do their damage is probably not really on a par with a fighter's, and that they miss the chance for taking another different feat, I think it'd be fine.

 

[Wolffenjugend]

I think there's a feat in Complete Warrior or Miniatures HB that allows adding +2 to DCs of special abilities for characters.

 

[pawsplay]

Ability Focus is a General Feat, and thus is open to anyone who meets the prereqs.