Monk Weapon Proficiencies


Rules Questions

Grand Lodge

Monks are proficient with

Core Rules:
club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shortspear, short sword, shuriken, siangham, sling, spear

Advanced Player's Guide adds:
brass knuckles*, cestus*, temple sword*

There are several weapons added in Ultimate Combat that have are "monk" type weapons, but unlike the APG there is not any description that they are proficient with any of them including:
Martial: Butterfly sword, Jutte, Shang gou, Tonfa, Wushu dart, Broadsword, nine ring, Double chicken saber, Monk's spade, Sansetsukon, Tiger fork
Exotic: Dan bong, Emei piercer, Fighting fan, Nine-section whip, Bo staff, Double-chained Kama, Kusarigama (sickle and chain), Kyoketsu shoge, Sword, seven-branched, Rope dart

What is the official ruling on these additional weapons?

Thanks,
KirbyEF


The "monk" descriptor just means it can be used with Flurry of Blows. If it doesn't specifically say that Monks get proficiency with it, then they do not, as per the FAQ

As a matter of interest, the Unarmed Fighter archetype does get automatic proficiency on any "monk" weapons.


This is why I dipped one level into Unarmed Fighter. Got a free Style I didn't qualify for, a +1 BAB, and was able to use the nine-section chain whip without taking an exotic prof.

No, it doesn't make sense to me that a monk has to take feats or dip into Fighter to qualify for his own weapons.


What these guys said, basically. "Monk" in the weapon description just means you can use it with flurry-of-blows. There are some feats that allows you to use other non-monk weapons with FoB as well.


The ruling does not make sense to me. A monk weapon that they can use flurry of blows but yet do not have proficiency in?


Yes, I know. These weapons aren't exactly high-powered enough to justify a feat to use them either. I mean if a butterfly sword was 1d4 18-20/x2 then I could get it, but it isn't even that good.


Pathfinder PF Special Edition Subscriber

A quick necro (in case this thread is used for rules clarification later) to point out that the Unchained Monk is specifically proficient in weapons with the Monk special property.


TomG wrote:
A quick necro (in case this thread is used for rules clarification later) to point out that the Unchained Monk is specifically proficient in weapons with the Monk special property.

Specific over general. Unchained monk has specific wording to add those, monk does not. Two separate cases as Unchained Monk isn't the same as CRB Monk. Two completely different cases and is quite obvious as such, no "clarification" would reasonably be needed as it is spelled out if you read the two.


TomG wrote:
A quick necro (in case this thread is used for rules clarification later) to point out that the Unchained Monk is specifically proficient in weapons with the Monk special property.

aren't you necro-ing a ton of monk proficiency threads?

Yes. unchained monks get the weapons. It adds nothing to these 4 year old discussions of core monks.

Anyone playing with unchained monks would already pretty much know this, and anyone playing core monks would say 'well, that is nice, but I am playing with core' (with the obvious implication that, sans particular preference due to system mastery involving various archetypes, no one would play the core version of monk over unchained).


Pathfinder PF Special Edition Subscriber
lemeres wrote:
aren't you necro-ing a ton of monk proficiency threads?

Just the top two search results from Google.

What it adds is a reminder to those that had questions (like I did) that UC Monk proficiencies are different from vanilla monk proficiencies. Indeed, these two threads caused me a good deal of confusion until I realized that specific difference between the two classes during a character audit, and I wished to save someone else that particular headache. I don't normally play the monk, UC or otherwise, but some of my players do.

I don't feel strongly about changing the FAQ, for example, but do feel strongly that having a note in prominent rules questions threads is useful as rules change.

These forum threads are not just archived discussion pieces, they are also knowledge bases (especially for PFS, where many rulings seem to exist only in old threads), and as such I believe the occasional necro with new information is useful, especially for thread high in the search results.

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