Monk: Flurry of Blows (Official if Possible)

[Sirion]

On Page 57 of the Pathfinder Core Rules Books it states:

"a monk can make a f lurry of blows as a full-attack action.
When doing so he may make one additional
attack using any combination of unarmed
strikes or attacks with a special monk
weapon (kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff,
sai, shuriken, and siangham)"

In reading that, it would seem that a (Shuriken) can be used in Flurry of Blows even though it is a ranged weapon.

Question 1: Can it be used as a ranged weapon in a "Flurry of Blows" as the book states?

Later on that page:

"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."

In reading that, it would seem a monk can add his strength bonus to ranged shuriken damage when using flurry of blows.

Question 2: Do we add strength bonus to shuriken when throwing them with flurry of blows?

Thanks for the time guys...

[stormraven]

This subject has been hit in other threads I think, but to repeat (though I'm not official):

Yes you can flurry with shurikens and get your STR to damage.
The attack roll for the throw is DEX based.

You can even take the Rapid Shot feat to get an additional shuriken in the air with the flurry... although with the mods that is a debatable strategy.

[DM_Blake]

Interesting.

I just searched for +shuriken +flurry and got tons of threads on this, but after 10 minutes of sorting through them, not one "official" response.

I would say that the printed text is quite clear, shuriken can be used in a flurry. It says so in the book. Yes, maybe that is a mistake, but until there is an official answer, I would go with the Rules as Written.

However, the Core rulebook officially answers the OP's second question:

Pathfinder SRD, Combat, Damage wrote:

Strength Bonus: When you hit with a melee or thrown weapon, including a sling, add your Strength modifier to the damage result.

So it doesn't matter if he flurries or not, all thrown weapons always get your STR bonus on the damage.

[Morgen]

I don't know why it'd be a mistake, you could flurry with them in 3rd edition D&D and I don't know why they'd change it. It's part of what makes them such good weapons for monks when they're very low damage overall.

They count as ammunition for the purposes of drawing, enchanting and what happens to them when they're used so it's said.

A monk can easily flurry against a melee target, drop it in the first attack and then tug out a shuriken to throw at another target in range all as part of the same action.

You get full strength damage on it too, even if you'd be throwing it with your off-hand since it's a monk weapon like if you had a kama in your main hand and needed to toss a few out there.

Any monk would be smart to carry at least 10 of them.

[DM_Blake]

Morgen wrote:

Any monk would be smart to carry at least 10 of them.

Just 10? Don't forget, these shuriken are made of paper mache, they burst into individual atoms when they hit a target. You only carry 10, then you get 5 rounds of flurry before you have to go back to the store and buy some more.

I know, I don't get it either, but here's the man, James Jacoms, saying so himself. The whole thread is an interesting read, but here's Jame's post.

[Quandary]

Is there really a bunch of threads on this?
It seems 100% clear to me, it's not a mystery that thrown weapons can be used in conjunction with 2WF (which is all flurry is), and applying STR to thrown weapons is how they always have worked.

If the confusion is about the name of the ability (Flurry of BLOWS), #1, that's just the name, #2 clearly many of the listed weapons (and more than that list, since any monk weapon can be used in a flurry) are not bludgeoning weapons so would likewise not be a "blow". The text of the ability is straight forward and works fine. Don't worry. Be happy.

[0gre]

Sirion wrote:

Question 1: Can it be used as a ranged weapon in a "Flurry of Blows" as the book states?

Yes, your own quote lists them as a viable weapon for flurry, Shuriken are a ranged only weapon.

Edit: FWIW Shuriken were also legal for flurry under 3.5.

Quote:

Question 2: Do we add strength bonus to shuriken when throwing them with flurry of blows?

You add strength to all thrown weapon attacks, the text is just clarifying that you apply full strength to all attacks. If you were using TWF you would apply 1/2 damage the off hand attacks.

[PathfinderEspañol]

I guess that the confusion comes from the weapons table, shuriken is a ranged weapon, but the description of the shuriken states that it is a thrown weapon that can't be used in mele and is considered amunition for the purposes of drawing them, etc.

[Brian E. Harris]

PathfinderEspañol wrote:

I guess that the confusion comes from the weapons table, shuriken is a ranged weapon, but the description of the shuriken states that it is a thrown weapon that can't be used in mele and is considered amunition for the purposes of drawing them, etc.

Yes, but it's a special monk weapon, as well, so in this particular case, it can be used.

[Morgen]

DM_Blake wrote:

Just 10? Don't forget, these shuriken are made of paper mache, they burst into individual atoms when they hit a target. You only carry 10, then you get 5 rounds of flurry before you have to go back to the store and buy some more.

Now remember, I said at least 10. 10 being the minimum for a monk to carry even if they only want to focus on close combat.