Long Hu Gui's page

If you take 2 levels of ninja, you can give your mount some other cool stuff including an extra attack when you spend ki. Am I right?

I can appreciate that an attack action is a type of standard action means that any single attack as an action takes up a standard action in a round.

The rules for sunder still only say in place of a melee attack as part of an attack action. If you use sunder as part of a standard action attack action, it is the whole thing, not part of it. Why would it say part of an attack action, if they didn't intend it to be part of something?

The errata to vital strike was written after the combat rules in the core rule book. I can't imagine that they would be able to go back and errata everything else just because of a clarification on a feat that is new to the system.

Also, saying that a full attack action is not an attack action, to me, is like saying a valencia orange is not an orange.

Jason Bulmahn wrote:

Vital Strike is an attack action, which is a type of standard action.

He specifically says an attack action is a type of standard action.

It says vital strike is an attack action which is a type of standard action. That means vital strike is an attack action and vital strike is a standard action. The subject of the sentence is vital strike the two predicates are is an attack action and is a standard action. "Soccer is a sport which is an olympic event." does not mean that "sport" is an "olympic event".

I don't mean to play grammar nazi here, but I think this is an easily misunderstood sentence that means something much less game-shatteringly important than you might think.

It doesn't say that sunder is an attack action anywhere else in the rules or in any errata.

It says sunder can be made in place of a melee attack. The fact that a melee attack is a part of a full attack means sunder can be too.

Further, I don't think Jason Bulmahn intended to change anything about sunder from the RAW by fixing vital strike, which would have otherwise been very wonky.

Here's how sunder reads from the combat section.

"Sunder:

You can attempt to sunder an item held or worn by your opponent as part of an attack action in place of a melee attack. If you do not have the Improved Sunder feat, or a similar ability, attempting to sunder an item provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver."

It doesn't say "as an attack action". It says "as part of an attack action in place of a melee attack".

Unless you think a full attack action is not an attack action, you can clearly sunder in place of a melee attack as part of a full attack, as well as in place of your single attack as part of a standard attack action.

Is there any other way to interpret this?

Since Power Attack adds 50% damage to primary natural attacks that deal 1 1/2 damage, and dragon style makes your first unarmed strike in a round deal 1 1/2 damage; does that mean power attack damage is increased for that attack also?

How about when tiger claws adds half strength to one damage roll?

i guess I will just have to settle with one style or the other. I am thinking crane.

Gotcha. Bummer. Having 2 levels of that combo and running snake and crane style feats together with unbalancing counter would be insane with rogue or ninja levels.

Specifically, I am curious about combining flowing monk with master of many styles. On the chart in the SRD entry it would appear that you cannot, but after looking in my books and reading the entries I am not so sure. It shows that the flowing monk replaces the bonus feat at 2nd level. The master of many styles replaces all bonus feats with a different set of bonus feats. So, would it be possible to combine the two, using the master of many styles' bonus feat list for most levels and just replacing the feat gained at second level with the unbalancing counter class feature at second level?

MASTER OF MANY STYLES:
Bonus Feat

At 1st level, 2nd level, and every four levels thereafter, a master of many styles may select a bonus style feat or the Elemental Fist feat. He does not have to meet the prerequisites of that feat, except the Elemental Fist feat. Alternatively, a master of many styles may choose a feat in that style’s feat path (such as Earth Child Topple) as one of these bonus feats if he already has the appropriate style feat (such as Earth Child Style). The master of many styles does not need to meet any other prerequisite of the feat in the style’s feat path.

This ability replaces a monk’s standard bonus feats.

FLOWING MONK:
Unbalancing Counter (Ex)

At 2nd level, a flowing monk’s attacks of opportunity render a struck creature flat-footed until the end of the flowing monk’s next turn (Reflex DC 10 + 1/2 the monk’s level + Wisdom modifier negates).

This ability replaces the bonus feat gained at 2nd level.

Vital strike reads:
When you use the attack action, you can make one attack at your highest base attack bonus that deals additional damage.

Tiger claws reads:
While you are using the Tiger Style feat and have both hands free, you can use a full-round action to make a single unarmed strike with both hands.

There is no errata posted for Tiger Claws that says it is a special action, and unless I am mistaken, there isn't any reason why you can't take a full round attack action to deliver what is normally considered a standard action attack.

I may not be completely clear on how these rules work, but if it doesn't work, I would still use it with dragon style as a master of many styles for the dragon/tiger shao-lin flavor.