TL;DR SUMMARY AT THE BOTTOM
So after someone in my online group linked a chart that organizes the new Unchained action economy into sections for easier understanding, questions started popping up. First off, Full-Attack actions no longer exist. I scoured for any information on this, and came to the conclusion that since everyone can now make 3 attacks starting from level 1, it's only the late game martial classes that are affected.
And yet, that's when things got complicated and confusing. I tried finding clarification on this by searching around, but didn't have any luck in finding corrections.
Unchained Monks came up.
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.
Alright. There's no full-attack action anymore. Which brought up two variations in our discussions. Either:
- Unchained Flurry is now a 3-act action, and can only function if you spend 3-act points to do it, or- Unchained Flurry now functions similar to TWF (minus the off-hand damage/attack changes), which states:
When you fight with a second weapon in your off hand or with a double weapon, you can make two attacks with the first attack simple action you take during your turn: one with your primary hand and another with your off hand.
~snip~
If you have the Improved Two-Weapon Fighting feat, you can make two attack rolls on both the first and second attack simple actions taken during your turn; both of the attacks made on the second attack action are made at a –5 penalty.
~snip~
If you have the Greater Two-Weapon Fighting feat, you can make two attacks on each of your attack simple actions on your turn, though you take all the normal penalties for two-weapon fighting, as well as the cumulative –5 penalty per attack simple action (all attacks made as part of the same attack action have the same penalty).
~snip~
The flurry of blows class feature works in a similar way. At 1st level, you can make an additional attack with a –2 penalty on your first attack simple action during a turn. At 8th level, you can make an additional attack on both your first and second attack simple actions during your turn. At 15th level, you can make an additional attack on each of your attack simple actions during your turn. You must, of course, take all the penalties associated with those attacks.
...meaning that if use flurry on one attack act, you get two rolls, and if you use flurry on two attack acts (after level 11), you get 4 rolls.
Ok, so, assuming the second variation is correct when comparing it with that block, and the monk being level 11 or higher:
1 act flurry = 2 full-BAB attack rolls (1 flurry, 1 normal)
2 act flurry = 3 full-BAB attack rolls, 1 BAB-5 attack roll? (2 flurry, 2 normal)
3 act flurry = 3 full-BAB attack rolls, 1 BAB-5 attack roll, 1 BAB-10 attack roll? (2 flurry, 3 normal)
And ignoring the -2 penalty since that also seems to be referencing the old non-Unleashed Monk.
But hold on. Unleashed Monks are now Full BAB. However, if everyone gets three attacks regardless of BAB, that means that the benefit is just a BAB progression of 20-15-10, rather than 15-10-5?
SUMMARY
What we're getting from the new Unchained mechanics and action economy is:
1.) BAB determines attack bonus only, and no longer affects number of attacks in a round.
2.) Unchained Monk Flurry of Blows functions similar to TWF (without off-hand penalties or restrictions) in that it can be split into parts, where post-level 11 if you make one attack act in a round you make 2 full-BAB attack rolls (1 flurry, 1 normal), and if you make two attack acts in a round you get 3 full-BAB attack rolls and 1 BAB-5 attack roll (2 flurry, 2 normal).
Is that correct? I believe the confusion is coming from old mechanics and old wordage being used, and in the case of the "clarification" from the book referencing the old Flurry rather than the new one.