Monk styles and Combat style master.


Rules Questions


I am in the planning stages of a campaign and have a player asking me for a ruling for a problem we'll face further down the road. He wants to know if, with combat style master, he would be able to start in crane style, switch to pummeling to bypass DR, then switch back to crane to receive his AC bonus.

From what I understand is that even though with CSM feat, and changing styles being a free action. That after he finishes a full round attack he would not be able to use a free action to switch stances. Is this correct?


No.

You can take free actions at the end of your turn. Lots of people will do things like switch hand placement on a weapon.

Seems to work fine.


The GM can of course set a reasonable limit on the number of free actions taken per round.

The player should also remember that action interrupts like AoO, will not give him the opportunity to switch styles.


Bladelock wrote:
The GM can of course set a reasonable limit on the number of free actions taken per round.

And once the DM remebers that reloading a bow is a free action, that reasonable amount of free actions has to near double digits... You should NEVER run into an issue with the number of free actions doing something like swiching styles and swapping weapons: that number just doesn't come close to that of projectile combat free actions.


graystone wrote:
Bladelock wrote:
The GM can of course set a reasonable limit on the number of free actions taken per round.
And once the DM remebers that reloading a bow is a free action, that reasonable amount of free actions has to near double digits... You should NEVER run into an issue with the number of free actions doing something like swiching styles and swapping weapons: that number just doesn't come close to that of projectile combat free actions.

reloading a bow is a non action which is why it doesn't provoke were as free action reloading does

Sovereign Court

It's not really the number of reasonable free actions that bothers me.

What I feel uneasy about is that you weren't in Crane Style when paying the "cost" of Defensive Fighting, but then afterwards you activate it and do get extra defensive bonuses for being in style.

I'd personally rule that you're either completely Fighting Defensively In Crane Style, or not at all.


Ascalaphus wrote:

It's not really the number of reasonable free actions that bothers me.

What I feel uneasy about is that you weren't in Crane Style when paying the "cost" of Defensive Fighting, but then afterwards you activate it and do get extra defensive bonuses for being in style.

I'd personally rule that you're either completely Fighting Defensively In Crane Style, or not at all.

Due to the wording of Crane Style:

Quote:
You take only a –2 penalty on attack rolls for fighting defensively. While using this style and fighting defensively or using the total defense action, you gain an additional +1 dodge bonus to your Armor Class.

Fighting Defensively is an action, and taking that action gives you a defense bonus till the start of your next turn. If you are in Crane Style, when you take that action, that bonus is increased.

Interesting side effect of this is that, well, you don't need to stay in Crane Style to keep the increased AC, you could switch to using something else for your attacks of opportunity or whatever.

Really, as a free action, he could change styles between each attack in a Flurry.

So, as DM, you have to figure out how much a Combat Style Master is actually a master of combat styles. Either way, I think your game will be fine. It is not a problem with actions though.

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