[unchained] monk two handed weapon 1.5 STR bonus on flurry


Rules Questions


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Does an unchained monk get two Attacks with 1.5 STR bonus if he uses his 7 bladed sword to do a flurry of blows?


I believe so. Unlike the old monk which when using flurry always only applied strength, there is no line in the flurry ability of the UMonk that says so. It simply says he applies full strength when using unarmed strikes in that ability.

So, when wielding a weapon in two hands he will get 1.5 strength and if using power attack will get +3 damage for -1 to hit. I noticed this when I read through the monks abilities. I also maligned this, because the monk is currently better at dealing damage with weapons, than he is with his unarmed strikes, not including augmentations from ki powers. I haven't been able to look through all the ki powers, but the ones that do a good job of increasing attack and damage seem to be very short (1 round) and a lot of ki to activate (which you don't have much of).

Grand Lodge

The main thing is you have to use an unarmed strike to use a Style Strike, Claxon.

Sovereign Court

My newest monk picked up Crusader's Flurry before the new Unchained came out and is currently using an adamantine trident almost every time over his fists. Flurry with 2 hands, deal 1.5 strength, then free action hold your trident in one hand so you have your free hand to deflect arrows. :P Plus no more dealing with this hardness nonsense in Season 6.

Grand Lodge

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Maar the Volcano Monk wrote:
My newest monk picked up Crusader's Flurry before the new Unchained came out and is currently using an adamantine trident almost every time over his fists. Flurry with 2 hands, deal 1.5 strength, then free action hold your trident in one hand so you have your free hand to deflect arrows. :P Plus no more dealing with this hardness nonsense in Season 6.

If you're using the original monk, you don't get 1.5x Strength when flurrying, regardless of what weapon you're using.


What about flurrying with a staff, but using it as a two-handed, rather than a double weapon? I have a monk/druid with 18 Str + Power Attack. By my understanding, I could cast Shillelagh and PA for 2d6 + 10 (6 str, 3 pa, +1 won). A local PFS GM says that doesn't work for a flurry, because a staff is a double weapon, and the idea of a flurry is based off two-weapon fighting.


Double weapons can be used as a two handed weapon. Period. It's why they exist in the first place, and unchained monk's flurry is nothing like TWF. It's just extra attacks, like a haste that stacks with haste.

Scarab Sages

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kinkoid wrote:
What about flurrying with a staff, but using it as a two-handed, rather than a double weapon? I have a monk/druid with 18 Str + Power Attack. By my understanding, I could cast Shillelagh and PA for 2d6 + 10 (6 str, 3 pa, +1 won). A local PFS GM says that doesn't work for a flurry, because a staff is a double weapon, and the idea of a flurry is based off two-weapon fighting.

The GM is wrong, both on the unchained flurry, and on the core flurry.

Unchained Flurry does not refer to TWF at all, and the core Flurry specifically states all attacks can be made with a single weapon.

Sovereign Court

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Maar the Volcano Monk wrote:
My newest monk picked up Crusader's Flurry before the new Unchained came out and is currently using an adamantine trident almost every time over his fists. Flurry with 2 hands, deal 1.5 strength, then free action hold your trident in one hand so you have your free hand to deflect arrows. :P Plus no more dealing with this hardness nonsense in Season 6.

As Jeff said above - you're doing it wrong. The normal monk's flurry doesn't get 1.5x STR damage.

SRD core monk's Flurry of Blows wrote:

Starting at 1st level, a monk can make a flurry of blows as a full-attack action.

When doing so, he may make one additional attack, taking a –2 penalty on all of his attack rolls, as if using the Two-Weapon Fighting feat. These attacks can be any combination of unarmed strikes and attacks with a monk special weapon (he does not need to use two weapons to utilize this ability).

For the purpose of these attacks, the monk's base attack bonus from his monk class levels is equal to his monk level. For all other purposes, such as qualifying for a feat or a prestige class, the monk uses his normal base attack bonus.

At 8th level, the monk can make two additional attacks when he uses flurry of blows, as if using Improved Two-Weapon Fighting (even if the monk does not meet the prerequisites for the feat).

At 15th level, the monk can make three additional attacks using flurry of blows, as if using Greater Two-Weapon Fighting (even if the monk does not meet the prerequisites for the feat).

A monk applies his full Strength bonus to his damage rolls for all successful attacks made with flurry of blows, whether the attacks are made with an off-hand or with a weapon wielded in both hands. A monk may substitute disarm, sunder, and trip combat maneuvers for unarmed attacks as part of a flurry of blows. A monk cannot use any weapon other than an unarmed strike or a special monk weapon as part of a flurry of blows. A monk with natural weapons cannot use such weapons as part of a flurry of blows, nor can he make natural attacks in addition to his flurry of blows attacks.

On the other hand - the Umonk's flurry has no such language.

SRD Umonk's Flurry of Blows wrote:

At 1st level, a monk can make a flurry of blows as a full-attack action. When making a flurry of blows, the monk can make one additional attack at his highest base attack bonus. This additional attack stacks with the bonus attacks from haste and other similar effects. When using this ability, the monk can make these attacks with any combination of his unarmed strikes and weapons that have the monk special weapon quality. He takes no penalty for using multiple weapons when making a flurry of blows, but he does not gain any additional attacks beyond what's already granted by the flurry for doing so. (He can still gain additional attacks from a high base attack bonus, from this ability, and from haste and similar effects).

At 11th level, a monk can make an additional attack at his highest base attack bonus whenever he makes a flurry of blows. This stacks with the first attack from this ability and additional attacks from haste and similar effects.


Just to be clear on this- an unchained Monk cannot use Flurry and 2-weapon fighting in conjunction to gain more attacks- correct?

sorry if this a tangent


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Moto Muck wrote:

Just to be clear on this- an unchained Monk cannot use Flurry and 2-weapon fighting in conjunction to gain more attacks- correct?

sorry if this a tangent

Unchained Monk wrote:

Flurry of Blows

At 1st level, a monk can make a flurry of blows as a full-attack action. When making a flurry of blows, the monk can make one additional attack at his highest base attack bonus. This additional attack stacks with the bonus attacks from haste and other similar effects. When using this ability, the monk can make these attacks with any combination of his unarmed strikes and weapons that have the monk special weapon quality. He takes no penalty for using multiple weapons when making a flurry of blows, but he does not gain any additional attacks beyond what's already granted by the flurry for doing so. (He can still gain additional attacks from a high base attack bonus, from this ability, and from haste and similar effects).

At 11th level, a monk can make an additional attack at his highest base attack bonus whenever he makes a flurry of blows. This stacks with the first attack from this ability and additional attacks from haste and similar effects.

That's correct. No TWF for extra attacks with flurry.

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