New WotC FAQ on flurry of blows

[Tazawa]

Isn't a centaur large?

Umm, yes he is. Apparently I'm the fallible one here. But the hoof attacks should still be at the same bonus as the final flurry attack: +8/+8/+3 flurry, +3/+3 hooves.

 

[Piratecat]

Interesting idea... My Monk character (4th) uses a glaive for 10ft reach and unarmed kicks when within 5ft of a foe.

Presumably he could, should he so choose, get TWF and use his kicks as his primary flurrying weapons and take his "off hand" attack with the glaive, with all attacks being at -4 because the "off hand" weapon is not a light weapon? It is a heck of a penalty but it could make for interesting "kung-fu-like" scenes

Oh. Oh my. If you got your glaive enchanted to be considered a light weapon, just like the sunsword is both a bastard sword (iirc) and a short sword, you could open up a whole can of monk whupass. I love the idea of the monk using the glaive as a pole to swing around!

Lord knows what it would cost, though.

 

[Feyd Rautha]

Here's a stumper... what about a druid/monk in wildshape. The second question about natural attacks would lead one to believe that if the creature cannot normally make weapon attacks it cannot use unarmed strikes and natural attacks at the same time.

A druid can make weapon attacks, however, in any form if given the chance (a spear being wielded in the muzzle might have a -4 or -8 penalty to hit, but it is really just a matter of intelligence to do so). Therefore, can a druid/monk in wildshape make unarmed strikes as normal and then make her natural attacks at -5? So a Dire Ape wildshaped druid/monk w/ BAB +6 could make six attacks? +9/+9/+4 (flurry unarmed strikes) and +4/+4/+4 (claw/claw/bite)?

If that same Dire Ape picked up a medium club to use one handed (light weapon w/ -2 penalty) he could make seven attacks? +7/+7/+3 (flurry w/ unarmed strike), +5 (club), and +3/+3/+3 (claw/claw/bite)?

Mmm... behold the power of cheese!

 

[Lamoni]

Here's a stumper... what about a druid/monk in wildshape. The second question about natural attacks would lead one to believe that if the creature cannot normally make weapon attacks it cannot use unarmed strikes and natural attacks at the same time.

How I understand it... if the creature can make an ordinary full-attack action with a normal weapon and also use natural attacks, then the same creature could use flurry of blows (if a monk) with a monk weapon and also use natural attacks. In your case, if the druid could pick up a shortsword or another weapon and full-attack with it and also get natural attacks in, then there is no reason why they wouldn't also be able to get the natural attacks in after a flurry of blows.

As far as two weapon fighting goes, it didn't seem to clarify whether or not you could use two weapon fighting while not carrying a weapon (since your fists count as light weapons). So could a monk arbitrarily choose whether or not to get an extra attack on top of the flurry by taking a -2 penalty for TWF?

 

[Ranger REG]

My thoughts on the matter:

A monk using FoB must use unarmed strike or special monk weapons ONLY for that round. Meaning that the other attack granted by TWF must fall within those FoB paramaters and natural weapons cannot be used.

The FAQ directly contradicts me, and thus sucks . I'll be sticking with my interpretation for now.

So you're sticking with the interpretation that FoB and TWF do not stack, correct?

Meh. I've decided to allow them to stack.

 

[Hypersmurf]

So you're sticking with the interpretation that FoB and TWF do not stack, correct?

No, he's not.

He's fine with TWF and FoB stacking... but the FAQ is quite happy for the monk to use a bastard sword for his off-hand attacks in the same round as he flurries, for example.

It hinges on your interpretation of 'as part of a flurry of blows'.

Drunkmoogle (and me, as it happens) considers off-hand attacks, haste attacks, Rapid Shot attacks, etc, etc to be 'part of a flurry of blows' if they occur in the same full attack action as your extra flurry attacks.

Andy Collins obviously doesn't consider such extra attacks to be 'part of a flurry of blows', or hoof attacks would be prohibited.

-Hyp.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Just for my own sanity, a monk can use a quarterstaff in combination with unarmed strikes in a flurry of blows (so long as the total # of attacks is not surpassed), correct?

 

[angry monkey]

Correct. Or any monk weapon (including shruiken)

 

[Ranger REG]

It hinges on your interpretation of 'as part of a flurry of blows'.

Drunkmoogle (and me, as it happens) considers off-hand attacks, haste attacks, Rapid Shot attacks, etc, etc to be 'part of a flurry of blows' if they occur in the same full attack action as your extra flurry attacks.

Andy Collins obviously doesn't consider such extra attacks to be 'part of a flurry of blows', or hoof attacks would be prohibited.

Well, the way I see it, the extra off-hand attack is separate from the extra FoB attack. So if you intend to use two fists (or whatever combination of two body parts to make unarmed strikes), The off-hand fist strike only do half-Str bonus to damage, that is in addition to a FoB fist strike that will do full-Str bonus to damage. IOW, a 1st-level monk can make three fist attacks: 1 from primary hand (BAB), one from FoB, and one from off hand (apply half-Str bonus to damage).

 

[Saeviomagy]

Weigh me in on the side of "a flurrying monk cannot use his natural weapons as well"

Either you flurry, and get only your unarmed attacks, or you don't and you get your basic unarmed attacks plus your natural ones. Even the FAQ itself says this: "The monk can’t use his natural weapon attacks as part of a
flurry of blows, but he may make natural weapon attacks in addition to his flurry." Someone hasn't realised that if an attack is being made in the same round as a flurry, then it's part of the flurry.

And if a druid/monk turns into a critter with a listed attack that includes "greatsword +x" or the like, then fine, he can do his monk attacks then the rest of his natural attacks. Otherwise you just assume that it's too unwieldy/too unhuman.

OTOH, this will make the sor1/mnk4/DD6 in our group extremely happy - 2 extra offhand attacks each round is pretty good.