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<blockquote data-quote="Dannyalcatraz" data-source="post: 5365340" data-attributes="member: 19675">I have never thought of Monks as merely unarmed combatants.&nbsp; Many of the iconic martial artists mix unarmed and armed techniques: Bruce Lee had his nunchuks; Shaolin Monks use swords, spears, halbards, staves, etc.; Jackie Chan uses anything within reach.Some say Steven Segal can kill you with a hoagie.So I mix as well- sure he's got the polearm, but what happens when someone closes?&nbsp; Well, unlike more conventional polearm builds, I don't bother with armor spikes (can't use 'em), Short Haft or similar feats, or switch weapons when foes close- I've got a scaling US that does similar damage.Ditto if my weapon is disarmed, thrown (if I'm using a spear or Greatspear) or if the battlespace is too confined for using a polearm- about the only thing I've lost is Reach.*That's because the Combat Reflexes feat tree isn't weapon specific- I still get all my AoOs and the like- its just that Reach makes that whole tree more effective.Of course, you could always take feats that increase your natural reach instead of being a polearm monk and play essentially the same PC as an unarmed constant- a D&amp;D version of Dhalsim from Street Fighter.* I have 2 different kinds of poearm-using Monk/Kensais: those whose chosen weapon is US and those whose weapon is the polearm.&nbsp; The former sacrifice weapon damage for being an equal threat without it; the second has a nasty weapon with a significant power drop when not using his weapon.&nbsp; Both have their plusses and minuses.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Dannyalcatraz, post: 5365340, member: 19675"] I have never thought of Monks as merely unarmed combatants. Many of the iconic martial artists mix unarmed and armed techniques: Bruce Lee had his nunchuks; Shaolin Monks use swords, spears, halbards, staves, etc.; Jackie Chan uses anything within reach. Some say Steven Segal can kill you with a hoagie. So I mix as well- sure he's got the polearm, but what happens when someone closes? Well, unlike more conventional polearm builds, I don't bother with armor spikes (can't use 'em), Short Haft or similar feats, or switch weapons when foes close- I've got a scaling US that does similar damage. Ditto if my weapon is disarmed, thrown (if I'm using a spear or Greatspear) or if the battlespace is too confined for using a polearm- about the only thing I've lost is Reach.* That's because the Combat Reflexes feat tree isn't weapon specific- I still get all my AoOs and the like- its just that Reach makes that whole tree more effective. Of course, you could always take feats that increase your natural reach instead of being a polearm monk and play essentially the same PC as an unarmed constant- a D&D version of Dhalsim from Street Fighter. * I have 2 different kinds of poearm-using Monk/Kensais: those whose chosen weapon is US and those whose weapon is the polearm. The former sacrifice weapon damage for being an equal threat without it; the second has a nasty weapon with a significant power drop when not using his weapon. Both have their plusses and minuses. [/QUOTE]

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