| 16 people marked this as FAQ candidate. Answered in the errata. |
This question has been brought up on the boards but never gotten an official reply as far as I know.
As written, it looks to me like Boar Style, a feat a monk can get at 3rd level, produces a 2d6 bleed effect without a saving throw. Inflicting 2d6 damage that bypasses DR at the start of every round is excessive, so I think there must be something wrong there.
Compounding this is the wording of Boar Shred. Since all bleed damage is ongoing and happens at the beginning of the bleeder's round, what does the 1d6 bleed actually achieve? Bleed damage doesn't stack under normal rules. It says it continues if the attacker changes styles, but the Boar Style bleed doesn't say the 2d6 bleed from that ends if the attacker changes styles.
As I see it, there are two possibilities:
1. The Boar Style bleed effect happens only once, on the round after the attacker hits with two unarmed attacks, and can be avoided by timely application of a healing effect, whereas the Boar Shred bleed effect is a regular bleed that continues until stopped by healing or death, or
2. The Boar Style 2d6 bleed effect is an ongoing effect that ends if the attacker changes styles, while the Boar Shred 1d6 bleed is added to that 2d6 bleed and continues even if the attacker changes styles.
Of those, 1 seems much closer to being balanced (though still VERY powerful). Possibility 2 seems like a gamewrecker. So was the first interpretation what was intended? Or is there a third possibility I haven't even considered?
The 2d6 Bleed damage from Boar Style is not continuous. It is a one time application along with the normal damage you dealt with your attacks. Bleed, in this case, is not referencing the ongoing effect, but rather the type of damage, so that, for example, this Style would not deal extra damage to Skeletons.
Boar Shred adds an actual continuous Bleed effect, so that when you use Boar Style, they take an additional 1d6 at the beginning of next round. The final line of Boar Shred simply clarifies what you already know, that the bleeding (caused by Boar Style, but because of the Boar Shred feat) does not simply stop if you switch styles.
Edit:
To make it clear, let us say your Monk deals 1d8+4 with his unarmed strikes.
He is using Boar Style and flurries. His first attack hits and he deals 1d8+4. His second attack also hits and deals 1d8+4. He now has the option to tear flesh, which deals 2d6 damage. His other attacks all miss. Thus, at the end of the flurry, he has dealt 2d8+2d6+8 damage total.
If he has Boar Shred, the enemy also now takes a regular 1d6 bleed effect starting with his next turn.
Oh, and if this explanation does not make it clear, Boar Style is kind of "meh." It's good, but given that you can only use one style without special features or feats, I don't think I would ever bother using it over some of the others available that are truly quite awesome.
The 2d6 Bleed damage from Board Style I think should be reworded as Rending, but does not affect creatures immune to bleed.
While the 2d6 damage from Boar Style being a single, immediate application of additional damage (more like rend damage) is probably correct, there is no such thing in the rules as a one-time application of bleed unless an exception explicity spells it out. (i.e., "Feat X deals 1d6 points of bleed damage for one round.")
Bleed is an effect that deals the listed damage at the start of the affected creature's turn. It continues until it is healed, unless whatever generated the bleed effect states otherwise. Since there hasn't been any errata or FAQ of Boar Style yet, RAW argument still can say that Boar Shred creates a 2d6 damage bleed effect.
Mplindustries' example is spot-on with how I think RAI is supposed to be on Boar Style. I recommend just pretending Boar Style says to do a 2d6 rend if you hit with at least two unarmed strikes and save yourself a headache until they put something in the FAQ or come out with the Ultimate Combat errata.
(I probably wouldn't bust out Boar Style in a PFS game until there is something official, but there are cooler styles to use imho.)
| 2 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
Official clarification would be nice, the way I understand it to be intended is:
Boar Style grants rend-like damage of 2d6 if you hit a particular target more than once in a round, the flavor is "bleeding", but this has no notable effect (i.e. would work on skeletons as well)
Boar Shred grants an actual 1d6 bleed attack.
| 3 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
I definitely think it needs official clarification, since it's entirely possible to have a perfectly reasonable reading of RAW and conclude that Boar Style does 2d6 ongoing bleed damage and Boar Shred adds another d6 to that total for 3d6 bleed. I don't believe that's RAI -- I believe it was intended to be a one-time application of 2d6 damage, either at the moment or at the beginning of the next round per regular bleed rules. But RAW and RAI are at odds in this one.