Versatile Strike -- A Little Broken?

[Luthien Greyspear]

Say a high-level fighter takes Improved Unarmed Strike, Weapon Focus (unarmed), Weapon Specialization (unarmed), and Versatile Unarmed Strike. Could he then take Melee Weapon Mastery (Unarmed) three times, once for each kind of damage his fist is capable of doing, and therefore apply the Weapon Mastery benefit to every weapon he ever picks up for the rest of his life?

If so, wow.

 

[PallidPatience]

I don't see any feat listed there that gives him the ability to use his feats with any weapon but his unarmed strikes. I don't think I understand what would make you think that.

 

[RigaMortus2]

Say a high-level fighter takes Improved Unarmed Strike, Weapon Focus (unarmed), Weapon Specialization (unarmed), and Versatile Unarmed Strike. Could he then take Melee Weapon Mastery (Unarmed) three times, once for each kind of damage his fist is capable of doing, and therefore apply the Weapon Mastery benefit to every weapon he ever picks up for the rest of his life?

If so, wow.

I would have to say yes. But even better, I believe you only have to take Melee Weapon Mastery (Unarmed) once to gain the +2 to hit and damage. Reason being, look at weapons that normally have 2 different types of damage. Say a Morning Star. Let's say you have Weapon Focus and Spec in Morningstar. When you take the Melee Weapon Focus feat, you need to select a either bludgeoning, piercing or slashing. Let's say we pick Bludgeoning. It then states, "Whenever using a melee weapon that has the damage type you selected, you gain a +2 bonus on damage rolls and a +2 bonus on attack rolls." So you have to ask yourself, does a Morningstar do bludgeoning damage? Yes it does... So you get a +2 to hit and damage with it. Now exchange Morningstar with Unarmed Strike. Ask yourself the same question. Does my Unarmed Strike deal bludgeoning damage? Yes it does, so you get a +2 to hit and damage with it. Heck, you don't even have to take Versatile Unarmed Strike because it does bludgeoning damage by default anyway.

Remember, the feat doesn't care what type of damage you are doing at the time, it just cares if you are using a weapon that has that damage type.

 

[PallidPatience]

I'd say that the problem is Melee Weapon Mastery, and not Versatile Strike.

 

[RigaMortus2]

What problem are you all seeing that I am not? The earliest someone could take this is at level 8, and that is a Fighter using their bonus feat, for a measily +2 to hit and damage for a specific weapon that he is specialized in? Hardly an earthshattering feat.

I'd be more worried about the feats that double the damage you can do...

 

[Sejs]

First off, even if he did, only one of the Melee Weapon Mastery-s would apply at a time, depending on what type of damage he was having his unarmed strike do at that moment.

Second, you know what, I have absolutly no problem with a high level fighter spending, what.. 5-7 feats to make his unarmed strike not suck horribly. I'm actually rather happy to see there's a way to be a solid unarmed combatant and not have to be a monk.

 

[hong]

Indeed. 6 feats to get +2 damage is hardly a cost-effective way of doing things.

 

[ElectricDragon]

I don't know, 7 feats to gain +2 attack and +2 damage with every weapon in the book is strong. And for weapons that deal multiple types of damage wouldn't the bonus apply twice; once for each damage type? With a +8 BAB requirement the earliest this (all three weapon damage types) could be gained is 10th level; but +4 attacks and +4 damage with weapons that deal two kinds of damage; potentially +6 attacks and +6 damage for those exotic weapons that deal all three kinds of damage. Add in Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus, and Greater Weapon Specialization for even more fun. Normal weapon with one damage type=+4 attacks +6 damage, two damage types=+6 attacks +8 damage, three damage types=+8 attacks +10 damage. All this is over and above magical pluses and Strength pluses; and it presumably gets multiplied on a critical.

Not IMC.

Ciao
Dave

 

[hafrogman]

And for weapons that deal multiple types of damage wouldn't the bonus apply twice; once for each damage type?

No. Unnamed bonuses do not stack with the same unnamed bonus from the same source, only from different sources.

 

[RigaMortus2]

First off, even if he did, only one of the Melee Weapon Mastery-s would apply at a time, depending on what type of damage he was having his unarmed strike do at that moment.

Not by the wording of the feat.