Chalto's page

I had the same thought. Perhaps its some additional perk of the magic enchanting a rope of knots that makes it also lighter somehow and easier to carry? I'm using one for a Halfling with a STR score of 8 so I'm not complaining :)

Yknow, I read a thread before taking about how inferior Unarmed Fighter is to a normal monk, and I didn't believe it until I just went and looekd at a variant I could do of my character as a Master of Many Styles Monk, and I found that at level 1 I can get EVERYTHING I got from being an Unarmed fighter (besides light armor proficiency) and about a thousand other thigns too XD FML, monks FTW!

So I'm planning a level 1 Unarmed Fighter with the following feats:

Human Bonus Feat: Combat Reflexes
Level 1 Feat: Panther Claw
Unarmed Fighter Bonus: Improved Unarmed Strike
Unarmed Fighter Style: Panther Style

And if my GM allows I'd like to substitute Hero Points for the Bonus feat at first level so:

Hero Point Substitute Feat: Dodge (planning on taking Mobility next level)

My problem is that if I'm goign to be using retaiatory strikes and provoking attacks of opportunity, I need some kickass AC. Try as I may, I just couldn't squeeze in Panther Claw AND Mobility so it was sort of a toss up and I'm still not sure which to pick for sure, but the answer to my question may help me pick.

So my question is more of a clarification, because by my understanding, this should work.

If Panther Claw allows you to make retaliatory unarmed strikes as a free action to any opponent who makes an attack of opportunity at you for moving through their threatened area , then does that mean that I could take a standard action to use Total Defense to gain a +4 bonus to AC, and then take a move action through an opponent's threatened area provoking an atack of opportunity (which should hopefully miss) and then I am allowed to make my retaliatory unarmed strike as a free action agaisnt them, even though I'm using Total Defense?

The reason I ask is because in the definition of Total Defense it says I'm not allowed to make attacks of opportunity, and a retaliatory unarmed strike is A LOT like an attack of opportunity, but technically, its not. So aesthetically it seems like it shouldn't work, but according to the strict wording of the abilities, it should work, right?

Since an unarmed fighter is only proficient in Light armor, my AC would be 17 (10+4(chainshirt)+2(DEX mod)+1(Dodge)) but it would be 21 if I could use Total Defense and 25 by next level when I get Mobility for the extra +4 when moving.

So is this feasible? Or should I just take Mobility instead of Panther Claw and only make one retaliatory unarmed strike a round as a swift action? And if it does work like I think, should I just take Mobiltiy anyway for the 25 AC just to make sure that the 1 AoO doesn't hit?

I appreciate any and all feedback I can get :P Thanks!

It says "you can spend a swift action to make a retaliatory unarmed strike attack against that opponent."

What kind of attack is this? Full attack, standard atttack, attack of oppertunity?

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And second, semi-related question. Do natural attacks count as unarmed strikes and if not, does the feral combat training feat make them count as unarmed strikes?

I do beleive that unarmed strikes count as natural attacks so that something like the Improved Natural Attack feat would work.

As to the Panther Style question: I've been wondering a similar thing. Its just a swift action, so I beleive that it wouldnt count as a standard, full attack, or even an atack of oppurtunity.

It seems to function most like an attack of oppurtunity, but it doesn't say that you use an attack of oppurtunity to do it, just a swift action. If you look at the style feat Crane Ripsote, it says that you get an attack of oppurtunity agaisnt an opponent after you deflect their attack using Crane Wing, so the Riposte wouldnt count as any action, but it would use up one of your attack of oppurunities for the round.

So since Panther Style just says "as a swift action" id say a retaliatory unarmed strike is just a swift action and it doesn't count as anything else.

So here's my question on a related note: if a retalitory unarmed strike from the Panther Style only counts as a swift action, and you have the Panther Claw feat which allows you to make a retaliatory unarmed strike as a free action a number of times equal to your WIS mod, does that mean that I could use a standard action to enter Full Defense (which would not allow me to make attack of opportunities) and then take a move action to move through an opponent's threatened area and still use a retalitory strike because its a free action and not an attack of opportunity?

This is a strange and rare circumstance because usually the RAW disagrees with the reality of if something seems like it should work, but doesnt. In this case The RAW seems to agree with me that this would work, but in reality, if im not allowed to take attacks of opportunity because I'm focused on my defensive actions, why should I then be allowed to make an retaliatory unarmed strike agaisnt an opponent who takes an attack of opportunity agaisnt me?

I'd love to hear oppinions abotu this because so far I haven't heard anyone mentioning a relation between Panther Style, Attaks of Oppurtunity, and Total Defense. Personally, I'm in favor of saying it works and it seems that the RAW would agree with me.