What's so great about Shuriken?

[Tewligan]

Shuriken, much like guitars, are essential to the flipping out experience.

 

[barsoomcore]

The poster who noted that shuriken take a number of forms is correct. The only shuriken I have seen practiced with are steel "pencils" (for lack of a better description), with a roughly sharpened point, held in the palm of the hand and thrown with a sort of twisting thrust that propels them point-first into the enemy.

One hopes. It is extraordinarily difficult to make them strike point-first with any power at all. We practiced by throwing them into propped-up straw mats and if you threw it successfully they would penetrate quite deeply.

A couple of notes in relation to previous posts -- they are very, very different from darts. The form described above is certainly much more difficult to employ than a dart is -- but then the projectile is heavier for its size and concealability than a dart would be, giving it arguably greater lethality.

The whole question of Exotic versus Martial weapons has more to do with campaign flavour than actual weapon mechanics. In Japana katana ought not to be considered an exotic weapon since anyone trained in fighting will be proficient with it. On the other hand, a rapier would certainly be an Exotic Weapon in the same environment.

 

[hong]

The whole question of Exotic versus Martial weapons has more to do with campaign flavour than actual weapon mechanics. In Japana katana ought not to be considered an exotic weapon since anyone trained in fighting will be proficient with it.

A katana is not an exotic weapon, any more than a bastard sword is.

 

[barsoomcore]

A katana is not an exotic weapon, any more than a bastard sword is.

But there ARE exotic weapons at the Number Five Orange on Railway every night.

Sorry, I meant exotic dancers.

 

[LGodamus]

I like the exotic dancers...they make up the bulk of my dating stock

 

[Klaus]

Four from BAB (multiclassed Monk).
Three from GTWF.
Two from FoB.
One from Rapid Shot.
One from Haste.

Eleven.

-Hyp.

For a Monk using monk weapons (or fighting unarmed) there is no such thing as an off-hand attack. The monk is assumed to attack with either hand (or head, or elbow, or knee) interchangeably. You can't use Two-Weapon Fighting with Flurry of Blows. The same goes for Rapid Shot. To use Rapid Shot you must make a full attack action, while Flurry of Blows is an action by itself (and separate from Full Attack, so a monk can choose to Flurry or not to Flurry).

So a 20th-level monk under haste can throw 6 shuriken in a round while flurrying.

 

[Hypersmurf]

For a Monk using monk weapons (or fighting unarmed) there is no such thing as an off-hand attack.

You're making up a rule.

The rule is "There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a monk striking unarmed." The "or using monk weapons" is your own addition.

To use Rapid Shot you must make a full attack action, while Flurry of Blows is an action by itself (and separate from Full Attack, so a monk can choose to Flurry or not to Flurry).

"When unarmored, a monk may strike with a flurry of blows at the expense of accuracy. When doing so, she may make one extra attack in a round at her highest base attack bonus, but this attack takes a –2 penalty, as does each other attack made that round. A monk must use a full attack action to strike with a flurry of blows."

"RAPID SHOT [GENERAL]
Benefit: You can get one extra attack per round with a ranged weapon. The attack is at your highest base attack bonus, but each attack you make in that round (the extra one and the normal ones) takes a –2 penalty. You must use the full attack action to use this feat."

They're both defined the same way. When you're using the full attack action, you may elect to take a -2 penalty to gain an extra attack.

Flurry of Blows is not "an action by itself". It's an ability that allows an extra attack with a full attack action.

... just like Rapid Shot.

-Hyp.

 

[Unseelie]

You're making up a rule.

The rule is "There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a monk striking unarmed." The "or using monk weapons" is your own addition.



"When unarmored, a monk may strike with a flurry of blows at the expense of accuracy. When doing so, she may make one extra attack in a round at her highest base attack bonus, but this attack takes a –2 penalty, as does each other attack made that round. A monk must use a full attack action to strike with a flurry of blows."

"RAPID SHOT [GENERAL]
Benefit: You can get one extra attack per round with a ranged weapon. The attack is at your highest base attack bonus, but each attack you make in that round (the extra one and the normal ones) takes a –2 penalty. You must use the full attack action to use this feat."

They're both defined the same way. When you're using the full attack action, you may elect to take a -2 penalty to gain an extra attack.

Flurry of Blows is not "an action by itself". It's an ability that allows an extra attack with a full attack action.

... just like Rapid Shot.

-Hyp.

If both require a Full Attack action, I'd rule that you couldn't Flurry and Rapid Shot at the same time... or am I not understanding the problem?

 

[MerakSpielman]

HS has a point (he usually does). Both actions require a full attack action to trigger, but there's no limit on the number of such actions triggerable by a single full attack action. This is barring DM ruling, but HS seems to have the rules on his side.

I personally didn't know that Flurry could be used with missile weapons, but HS's quote seems to dispel that nonbelief.

 

[Hypersmurf]

If both require a Full Attack action, I'd rule that you couldn't Flurry and Rapid Shot at the same time... or am I not understanding the problem?

"Multiple Attacks: A character who can make more than one attack per round must use the full attack action (see Full-Round Actions, below) in order to get more than one attack."

"When making a full attack action, a hasted creature may make one extra attack with any weapon he is holding."

Are you arguing that since you need to use a full attack action to gain extra iterative attack due to BAB, you cannot use iterative attacks and Rapid Shot at the same time?

Since the extra attack from Haste only applies when making a full attack action, are you arguing that a Hasted monk cannot gain the extra attack from Haste and from Flurry of Blows at the same time?

If you're using the Full Attack Action, you can gain extra attacks from various sources. They are not exclusive, except in certain cases - Haste and Weapon of Speed, for example, or a monk-striking-unarmed and off-hand attacks.

-Hyp.