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Quick Unarmed Strike question
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<blockquote data-quote="GlassJaw" data-source="post: 7820120" data-attributes="member: 22103"><p>For everything that 5E did right, one of my biggest pet peeves is that the designers didn't learn from the mistakes of 3ed and clean up the "unarmed strike" once and for all.</p><p></p><p>There has been numerous discussions, questions, errata, Sage Advice, tweets, etc on the differences between a weapon attack, an unarmed strike, a natural attack, a natural weapon, etc. Ugh it drives me nuts.</p><p></p><p>The RAW has required many clarifications, and that hasn't fully dispelled the confusion. I've done a lot of reading and my understanding is that an unarmed strike isn't actually a melee weapon at all, but you can make an unarmed strike with an melee attack. It isn't Light or Finesse. It also isn't a natural weapon. It's literally its own category. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite12" alt="o_O" title="Er... what? o_O" loading="lazy" data-shortname="o_O" /> It's maddening.</p><p></p><p>There is no doubt that unarmed fighting could greatly benefit from some expanded rules but my gut says that the designers didn't have the stomach for it, nor did they think it was important.</p><p></p><p>I'm firmly in the camp that believes you should be able to make an offhand attack with an unarmed strike. I'm also ok with making it Light and Finesse. I don't think anyone would argue that Dex would help you land unarmed strikes. Whether you should be able to add it to damage could be debated but again, it only does a base 1 point of damage so I don't think it's going to compete with normal weapons.</p><p></p><p>If that's a concern, it's easy enough to create a "Martial Artist" feat that grants the Light and Finesse properties to unarmed strikes, or even a Fighting Style that does the same.</p><p></p><p>I love the big, burly, unarmed Pit Fighter/Wrestler archetype but D&D in pretty every incarnation of its rules hasn't supported it, or at least not without much difficulty. What if I want to punch people but not be a monk?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="GlassJaw, post: 7820120, member: 22103"] For everything that 5E did right, one of my biggest pet peeves is that the designers didn't learn from the mistakes of 3ed and clean up the "unarmed strike" once and for all. There has been numerous discussions, questions, errata, Sage Advice, tweets, etc on the differences between a weapon attack, an unarmed strike, a natural attack, a natural weapon, etc. Ugh it drives me nuts. The RAW has required many clarifications, and that hasn't fully dispelled the confusion. I've done a lot of reading and my understanding is that an unarmed strike isn't actually a melee weapon at all, but you can make an unarmed strike with an melee attack. It isn't Light or Finesse. It also isn't a natural weapon. It's literally its own category. o_O It's maddening. There is no doubt that unarmed fighting could greatly benefit from some expanded rules but my gut says that the designers didn't have the stomach for it, nor did they think it was important. I'm firmly in the camp that believes you should be able to make an offhand attack with an unarmed strike. I'm also ok with making it Light and Finesse. I don't think anyone would argue that Dex would help you land unarmed strikes. Whether you should be able to add it to damage could be debated but again, it only does a base 1 point of damage so I don't think it's going to compete with normal weapons. If that's a concern, it's easy enough to create a "Martial Artist" feat that grants the Light and Finesse properties to unarmed strikes, or even a Fighting Style that does the same. I love the big, burly, unarmed Pit Fighter/Wrestler archetype but D&D in pretty every incarnation of its rules hasn't supported it, or at least not without much difficulty. What if I want to punch people but not be a monk? [/QUOTE]
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