Superior Unarmed Strike

[the_mighty_agrippa]

It should be made clear that the feat does not replace the monk's signature fighting ability. The feat only provides additional damage - it does not enhance the ability to penetrate DR, execute flurries of misses, etc.

 

[Zephiel7]

Would a twentieth level monk taking this feat gain absolutely nothing? It says a monk gets the unarmed attack damage of a monk 4 levels higher, right? With this, improved natural attack, and giant stance, it could help boost the monks damaging abilities to come close to a more melee oriented build.

 

[Arkhandus]

Monks higher than 20th-level do not acquire greater unarmed damage (per the Epic Level Handbook, their unarmed damage does not increase any further past 20th level), so yes, a 20th-level monk who acquired the Superior Unarmed Strike feat would gain no benefit from it. Best to take only 16 levels of monk, and 4 levels of swordsage or something else, if taking Superior Unarmed Strike and wanting to specialize in unarmed combat.

 

[Dheran]

Best to take only 16 levels of monk, and 4 levels of swordsage or something else, if taking Superior Unarmed Strike and wanting to specialize in unarmed combat.

Of course the Monk's Belt bumps both your Monk's unarmed damage and AC 5 levels. At 15th level it's probably cheaper than a feat. And since Monks can take Improved Natural Attack (unarmed strike) to get a much bigger boost to their unarmed damage, I wouldn't waste a feat on Superior Unarmed Strike as a Monk.

 

[albatrossen]

superior unarmed strike

Hi. I got a problem, my Goliath is about to take on "The vow of poverty" at 12 lvl. He is 2nd lvl monk/2nd lvl fighter/2nd level barbarian/5th lvl Reaping mauler and now he has to gain a new class, any suggestions? but my real question is: as he is a Goliath, he hits as if he is large! but what will it do to his unarmed attack- damage, if he take the feat "superior unarmed damage" ?
I think that his unarmed damage should be 2d8 as the feat on page 33 in "book of nine swords" states that a 12 lvl character mediumsized then hits with a D10 and converted to a large weapon that would mean 2D8. But it also states that a monk hits 4 lvl higher than his classlevel states in phb page 40. So if I am to follow that rule he would have a Damage saying 2D6´s.
so when Arkan stonerider thulaga becomes 12 lvl and he gets his next feat "superior unarmed strike" will his damage be 2D6 or 2D8 ???

 

[emoplato]

Hi. I got a problem, my Goliath is about to take on "The vow of poverty" at 12 lvl. He is 2nd lvl monk/2nd lvl fighter/2nd level barbarian/5th lvl Reaping mauler and now he has to gain a new class, any suggestions? but my real question is: as he is a Goliath, he hits as if he is large! but what will it do to his unarmed attack- damage, if he take the feat "superior unarmed damage" ?
I think that his unarmed damage should be 2d8 as the feat on page 33 in "book of nine swords" states that a 12 lvl character mediumsized then hits with a D10 and converted to a large weapon that would mean 2D8. But it also states that a monk hits 4 lvl higher than his classlevel states in phb page 40. So if I am to follow that rule he would have a Damage saying 2D6´s.
so when Arkan stonerider thulaga becomes 12 lvl and he gets his next feat "superior unarmed strike" will his damage be 2D6 or 2D8 ???

A general rule of thumb is if both options follow the rules take the better one so since you are low level monk you instead take the superior unarmed strike's damage. The four levels higher clause is if got more unarmed damage for another source and allows it to stack by that much.
If you got goliath barbarian substitution levels then during mountain rage most would agree he deals 2d8 as he actually grows during the rage other wise no. Powerful Build only acts as if you are one size larger for CMB checks, mal-effects, weapon use, and encumbrance, not size. On another note what feats/skills do you have lined up? The typical Vow of Poverty power scale really dies off at this point. If you are dead set on having this there are a couple of prestige classes that could help you deal with the loss of gold.

 

[Sekhmet]

Albatrossen casts Resurrection on 5 Year Old Thread!

Powerful Build doesn't affect your Unarmed Damage, according to Wizards. I know some DM's houserule it the other way, though.
As a level 6 Monk, you'd deal 1d8 damage.
As a level 12 character, you'd deal 1d10 damage.

So use the better of the two, meaning 1d10.

 

[Wyvernhand]

Wow, this was an old thread.

Powerful Build does NOT count your UAS damage as large. It allows you only to wield a weapon one size larger. UAS damage is a function of your size only, not what size weapon you could wield, so it doesn't help.

SUAS does one of 2 things. It either gives you UAS damage per the table, OR it gives you UAS damage equal to a monk 4 levels higher, if you have monk levels. So, your monk has levels, and thus would have the UAS damage of a medium sized 6th level monk, which, IIRC is 1d8.

Also, Reaping Mauler is terribad. I hope you don't have the Mountain Rage ACF from Races of Stone (the book goliaths are from). If you do, when you rage, you become large, your Clever Wrestling feat turns off, and you lose all of your Reaping Mauler abilities forever. And that's not even counting other enlarging effects like Polymorph.

I'd suggest looking at Complete Champion for the PRC Fist of the Forest. It will give you 2 size bumps on your UAS damage, along with Con to AC which will stack with your monks Wiz to AC. Or take some levels in Warblade and pick up the Crushing Roots of the Mountain stance.

 

[Sm!le]

D&D 3.5e - Tomb of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords; Page 33
SUPERIOR UNARMED STRIKE [GENERAL]
Your unarmed strikes have become increasingly deadly, enabling you to strike your foes in their most vulnerable areas.
Prerequisite: Improved Unarmed Strike, base attack bonus +3.
Benefit: You deal more damage with your unarmed strikes, as shown on the table below.
Special: If you are a monk, you instead deal unarmed damage as a monk four levels higher.