Strongarm Bracers and...*sigh* Monkey Grip...

[Three_Haligonians]

Hey all,

Please point out where what I've missed:

Strongarm bracers [MIC p. 139] state "...you can wield weapons as if you were one size category larger than normal..."

Ok then, take your basic Medium sized character, he can wield a medium sized, two-handed weapon in two hands. He cannot wield a large sized two-handed weapon at all. If he had Monkey Grip - he could.

If he were Large, he could wield that large two-handed weapon in two hands and couldn't wield a huge two-handed weapon at all. If he had Monkey Grip - he could.

So, since the bracers let him wield "as if he were large" he could wield a huge two-handed weapon with monkey grip.. right?

Monkey grip saddles him with a -2 penatly, and powerful build doesn't help here at all.. etc. etc.

Thanks for the proofing!

J from Three Haligonians

 

[blargney the second]

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Mmmm, huge monsters with Strongarm Bracers and Monkey Grip. How much damage does a colossal greatsword do?
-blarg

 

[Innocent Bystander]

Better have a backup that he could wield normally in case he ever walks into an anti-magic circle. Although that'd be pretty funny.

 

[Gloombunny]

Monkey Grip is still only giving an extra d6 of damage for that -2 to hit, which is a worse exchange rate than just using Power Attack, as well as less flexible and costing an extra feat, since he's almost certainly gonna take Power Attack anyway.

Now, if he were already large, and used that trick to wield a gargantuan greatsword, he'd be getting somewhere.

(Size categories and weapon damage are so freakin' weird, I just want to say.)

 

[Hypersmurf]

So, since the bracers let him wield "as if he were large" he could wield a huge two-handed weapon with monkey grip.. right?

Looks like it. If the Bracers were worded the same way as the feat - that is, altering the size of weapons the Medium creature can wield, rather than treating the Medium creature as a Large creature - they wouldn't combine well. But since they effectively alter different aspects, they both apply.

-Hyp.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

What if a medium character had the Powerful Build racial ability + Monkey Grip + Strongarm Bracers?

 

[Thurbane]

Looks like it. If the Bracers were worded the same way as the feat - that is, altering the size of weapons the Medium creature can wield, rather than treating the Medium creature as a Large creature - they wouldn't combine well. But since they effectively alter different aspects, they both apply.

-Hyp.

The exact wording of the Bracers is "you can wield weapons as if you were one size category larger than normal". The description specifically says they don't stack with Powerful Build, but no mention of Monkey Grip.

 

[Hypersmurf]

What if a medium character had the Powerful Build racial ability + Monkey Grip + Strongarm Bracers?

The Bracers explicitly don't stack with Powerful Build, and the mechanics of Monkey Grip and Powerful Build mean they don't increase the size of weapon you can wield any further, so there's no advantage to having all three.

-Hyp.

 

[Carpe DM]

oh god. If the players in my viking campaign (all large weapon wielders) get ahold of this...

 

[Archimedes314]

The exact wording of the Bracers is "you can wield weapons as if you were one size category larger than normal". The description specifically says they don't stack with Powerful Build, but no mention of Monkey Grip.

If this is the wording then I don't think it would stack with Monkey Grip. Monkey Grip allows you to wield a weapon of one size category larger than you actually are for a -2 penalty. The Strongarm Bracer treats you as one size category larger for the purposes of wielding weapons. The Strongarm Bracer does not change your actual size category, just like Powerful Build. And just like Powerful Build, it won't stack with Monkey Grip.