I really wasn't expecting, based on the discussion in that one long Ulitimate Equipment thread before release, for there to be the slightest bit of relief whatsoever for the monk. That there's anything at all that interacts with monks' unarmed strikes in a beneficial way whatsoever is actually a big big surprise to me. It's clearly their position that it's fine for monks to overpay and that mispriced items in the core books should forever set precedent for how much effects cost; they've stated the latter point explicitly. Anything that helps the monk isn't going to be just a properly priced AoMF.
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The devs have stated that any fixes to monk will not be "stealth fix via items", and will be undertaken after GenCon (read: long after UE was finalized), so anybody expecting UE to be the "Monk Fix Book" clearly needs some training in expectation management. Also, nerdrage control.
...anybody expecting UE to be the "Monk Fix Book" clearly needs some training in expectation management. Also, nerdrage control.
+1
Well said.
The biggest thing you must understand about this, is that there are some items (or for my case, item types,) that are not so great, and that the concept of a Monk is that they themselves are a dangerous foe, and their body is their weapon, not some jock strap they decide to wear.
Except that without a degree in system mastery, they are not when compared to any CR-equivelant or better threat. If you have that degree, they are just about passable.
Well like all others my hopes now rest on a monk fix, which is going to have to be a serious overhaul of the class because nothing else is going to rescue the monk now. I just pray Paizo saved the best for last, because everything else has been serious suckage as far as my favourite class is concerned.
Its great item for a t rex animal companion... assuming they don't have to wear it like a diaper.
Because I'm NOT changing him.
Wow, that's kinda disappointing :(
IF it would cost the same as normal weapon enhancement, and you could wear two of them or so, then I would actually say "Ok, not perfect but close enough"... but like this is pretty much a joke :(
I like the monk, but haven't played one in ages, because compared to comparable classes they're just bad.
Only giving an automatic enhancement bonus to hit for ki-strike can save the monk now!!! Will Paizo deliver? Or will they abandon the monk to absolute suckage for all eternity (or at least until 2nd edition, whenever that will be)?
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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Oh, and of course we cannot forget this gem from the UE previews: the brawling special armor property.
The wearer of brawling armor gains +2 bonus on unarmed attack and damage rolls, including combat maneuver checks made to grapple. her unarmed strikes count as magic weapons for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction. These bonus do not apply to natural weapons. This speical ability does not prevent the wearer's unarmed strikes from provoking attacks of opportunity or make the wearer's unarmed strikes count as armed attacks. The brawling ability can be applied only to light armor.
It is a +1 special armor property bonus. +1!!
The bonus on attack and damage rolls is untyped and stacks with everything . . . but monks can't wear armor. AND they get to apply the bonus to grapple, but monks with an AoMF that they spend up to 200,000 gp on . . . don't. Basically, for +2 suit of armor (+1 bonus and +1 brawling property) that you spend 4,000 gp on, you get a better effect than a +2 AoMF which costs 20,000 gp . . . and that it stacks with.
Yeah. There is NO bias against unarmed fighting monks at Paizo.
Master Arminas
I might be a complete moron here, but can't you just put this brawling armor enhancement on bracers of armor, and BOOM monk can use it? Seems pretty straightforward to me.
Look, I know you guys have a serious b*ner for monks, but I think the rest of us do get a little annoyed hearing about how nerfed they are all the time. They're still completely playable, and fun. No, they're never going to be as powerful as the Fighter, but isn't that okay?
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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Oh, and of course we cannot forget this gem from the UE previews: the brawling special armor property.
The wearer of brawling armor gains +2 bonus on unarmed attack and damage rolls, including combat maneuver checks made to grapple. her unarmed strikes count as magic weapons for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction. These bonus do not apply to natural weapons. This speical ability does not prevent the wearer's unarmed strikes from provoking attacks of opportunity or make the wearer's unarmed strikes count as armed attacks. The brawling ability can be applied only to light armor.
It is a +1 special armor property bonus. +1!!
The bonus on attack and damage rolls is untyped and stacks with everything . . . but monks can't wear armor. AND they get to apply the bonus to grapple, but monks with an AoMF that they spend up to 200,000 gp on . . . don't. Basically, for +2 suit of armor (+1 bonus and +1 brawling property) that you spend 4,000 gp on, you get a better effect than a +2 AoMF which costs 20,000 gp . . . and that it stacks with.
Yeah. There is NO bias against unarmed fighting monks at Paizo.
Master Arminas
I might be a complete moron here, but can't you just put this brawling armor enhancement on bracers of armor, and BOOM monk can use it? Seems pretty straightforward to me.
Look, I know you guys have a serious b*ner for monks, but I think the rest of us do get a little annoyed hearing about how nerfed they are all the time. They're still completely playable, and fun. No, they're never going to be as powerful as the Fighter, but isn't that okay?
Crap. "Can only be applied to light armor."
Okay maybe you guys have a point here. That really REALLY seems like a straight up middle finger to the monk. :-(
Unfortunately, it cannot be put on bracers. Bracers are not light armour.
Yep, they are setting the bar high for the monk re-write, because as I see it they have to match all the goodies they are handing out to other classes in the monk itself and not in equipment. If they don't, they may as well give up now.
Both items, the bodywrap and the brawling armor would have saved my monk/fighter from being replaced by another pc.
But now it's too late.
Both items, the bodywrap and the brawling armor would have saved my monk/fighter from being replaced by another pc.
But now it's too late.
Well said, dude. It's a shame my expectations never were that high to begin with.
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I know that this happens with every new book, and I know that threads with more inflammatory titles garner more responses.
But seriously guys, why is this such a big deal?
I know that this happens with every new book, and I know that threads with more inflammatory titles garner more responses.
But seriously guys, why is this such a big deal?
Because Paizo h8s monks.
(Seriously. That's basically what someone said up above.)
The deal is as big as people have the will to make it.
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I know that this happens with every new book, and I know that threads with more inflammatory titles garner more responses.
But seriously guys, why is this such a big deal?
"Hey, fighter fans. We at Paizo have decided that your Weapon Training ability is too over the top. Therefore, it can only be used when you move 10' or more in a single round. And only with a specific weapon. And for this specific weapon, you have to pay 50% more than a normal magic weapon, but it only applies to 1-4 attacks each round, based on your BAB, so that Combat Reflexes feat that you stacked did nothing. Or you can 150% more and get the same exact stuff a normal magic weapon gives you (only not, since it goes up to just +5)."
"Oh, and we are making the weapons training special ability available for bracers of armor, but not regular armor. That will give wizards and sorcerers and witches an unnamed +2 bonus on attack and damage rolls and combat maneuvers when they use your special weapon."
"Enjoy."
Now how would that feel?
MA
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| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I know that this happens with every new book, and I know that threads with more inflammatory titles garner more responses.
But seriously guys, why is this such a big deal?
"Hey, fighter fans. We at Paizo have decided that your Weapon Training ability is too over the top. Therefore, it can only be used when you move 10' or more in a single round. And only with a specific weapon. And for this specific weapon, you have to pay 50% more than a normal magic weapon, but it only applies to 1-4 attacks each round, based on your BAB, so that Combat Reflexes feat that you stacked did nothing. Or you can 250% more and get the same exact stuff a normal magic weapon gives you (only not, since it goes up to just +5)."
"Oh, and we are making the weapons training special ability available for bracers of armor, but not regular armor. That will give wizards and sorcerers and witches an unnamed +2 bonus on attack and damage rolls and combat maneuvers when they use your special weapon."
"Enjoy."
Now how would that feel?
MA
I would check my blood pressure and call my therapist for an emergency anger management session.
But seriously guys, why is this such a big deal?
I'm guessing it's because it comes so close to what people were wanting, then just barely falls short.
That said, I mean, it's not great, but it does work for some people. I'm actually planning a martial artist who fights with a Fighting Fan plus unarmed strikes (not optimal, sure) for whom this item is useful.
It falls way short of what we would have liked to see.
A). It allows the use of the neck slot, but now competes with the monk's robes, as in you can have one or the other.
B). Then entire 'applies to 1-4 attacks per round based on BAB, but costs 3,000 gp x bonus squared' thing is quite frankly one of the worst game mechanics I have ever seen proposed, let alone in print.
C). While the bodywraps do not obsolete the amulet of mighty fists, the brawling special armor property sure as Hell does! (At least for +1 and +2 AoMF). And it does it for every single Pathfinder class except for the monk.
Master Arminas
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"Hey, fighter fans. We at Paizo have decided that your Weapon Training ability is too over the top. Therefore, it can only be used when you move 10' or more in a single round. And only with a specific weapon. And for this specific weapon, you have to pay 50% more than a normal magic weapon, but it only applies to 1-4 attacks each round, based on your BAB, so that Combat Reflexes feat that you stacked did nothing. Or you can 150% more and get the same exact stuff a normal magic weapon gives you (only not, since it goes up to just +5)."
"Oh, and we are making the weapons training special ability available for bracers of armor, but not regular armor. That will give wizards and sorcerers and witches an unnamed +2 bonus on attack and damage rolls and combat maneuvers when they use your special weapon."
"Enjoy."
Now how would that feel?
Just fine, because I actually spend more of my time playing the game than scouring new releases for speculated rules-fixes. Setting your expectations like that is a sure way to be disappointed.
If they "fixed" the monk with a single magic item release, I would still consider that a problem. No class in the game should be entirely dependent on an item to "function", least of all the monk.
But it isn't the disappointment of some posters that shocks me, it is the overwhelming air of entitlement. I can somewhat understand people who are deep into Society play, the stakes are a bit higher for them. (I still respect a mature response more!) But everyone else should probably say: "This item doesn't look as good as I expected. *shrug* Oh well."
Instead we get hyperbole like "Absolute Suck" and "Sobbing together". I get that it's hyperbolic, but I'd say about 10% of the people who show up here are going to take that as literal, respond in kind, and it only takes 1 in 10 to make things really annoying.
As for me, I'm Øut.
The devs have stated that any fixes to monk will not be "stealth fix via items", and will be undertaken after GenCon (read: long after UE was finalized), so anybody expecting UE to be the "Monk Fix Book" clearly needs some training in expectation management. Also, nerdrage control.
Also, "fixing the monk" can sometimes mean making the monk class weaker instead of stronger (cf. "clarifications" to Flurry of Blows).
Just don't nerf my commoner.Then stop building railguns. [/worriednobility]
The design is flawed. There is nothing to worry about. Move along citizen.
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I know that this happens with every new book, and I know that threads with more inflammatory titles garner more responses.
But seriously guys, why is this such a big deal?
And now for a more serious response.
Basically, certain segments of the forums have whipped themselves into believing that the monk is the absolutely worst class forever and ever and that there is absolutely no way for them to be played. They want Paizo to specifically create overpowered, by definition!, options to replace Core functionality because this segment feels the Core functionality is overpriced, solid game design reasons behind that price be damned! Paizo has repeatedly said they will not be doing this, and yet this segment still held out hope that despite what Paizo said, Paizo would actually create this overpowered, by definition!, thing.
This thread is that segment realizing that when the developers said they wouldn't create an overpowered item as a "stealth fix", they actually meant it. When false expectations are prevalent in certain segments, the cold hard realization that their expectations were false causes supreme disappointment. Same thing occurred when people, for some unknown reason, thought that Ultimate Combat was actually Ultimate Non-Magic.
This segment wanted an item that precisely mirrored the weapon enhancement progression for all attacks. They want the benefits of enhancing two weapons for the price of one. They think this is balanced. The fact is that unarmed weapons have many advantages over manufactured weapons for the simple reason that there is no physical weapon other than the body. Another fact is that Flurry is TWF. It has been since the start.
This item emulates enhancing a single weapon, with the caveat that there IS no tangible separate weapon. You can't make all your TWF attacks with a single weapon. Why would you with this?
BUT BUT COMBAT REFLEXES! All those AoOs that won't be enhan--- wait a minute, this segment will also say to not take Combat Reflexes because of course monks can't hit anything unless they are flurrying. Odd that they're complaining about it now. Now, it is a bit unfortunate that it doesn't work on AoOs, but if that were the case, their hands would be tied. "Well they work with AoOs, and I could make the AoO with my off-hand, so why not use it with my off-hand too?!" Look at what happened with the Brawling enhancement. It was never intended to be for monks. I know this because I asked the original designer. And the first thing people did when they saw this? They complained it wasn't able to work with monks and came up with ways to make it work with the monk. You give them an inch, and they'll take a mile. You let this work with AoOs, and people will just complain even more that since it works with AoOs, it should work with all attacks. And at that point, they have their overpowered, by definition!, item they so desperately desire.
The item is a nice compromise. As with all compromises, it's not the best. It's not the overpowered item that this segment so desires. It's not the amulet of mighty fists. It's a middle ground.
Well said Cheapy, though a little level headed for these forums...outside of PFS I don't see why people can't work with their gm's to enhance monk items to level of playability that is desired. My current gm works with all the players to help provide a fun experience. As long as we don't try to make broken characters he is very flexible with custom rules.
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Honestly, anyone who says the Monk is broken has never DM'd against one. They are a nightmare. Nigh unhittable, virtually spell resistant (and later, literally spell resistant), poison/ disease immune, lightning fast, with the best saves and most special abilities of any class in Pathfinder. They are a spellcasters worst fear, and the bane of any low CR mob, as well as a flanking machine.
The only thing that makes them bearable is the fact that they are the bronze medalist in the DPR Olympics. The fact that they have to spend more to enhance their already good abilities is the price they pay for everything else they get.
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I know that this happens with every new book, and I know that threads with more inflammatory titles garner more responses.
But seriously guys, why is this such a big deal?
And now for a more serious response.
Basically, certain segments of the forums have whipped themselves into believing that the monk is the absolutely worst class forever and ever and that there is absolutely no way for them to be played. They want Paizo to specifically create overpowered, by definition!, options to replace Core functionality because this segment feels the Core functionality is overpriced, solid game design reasons behind that price be damned! Paizo has repeatedly said they will not be doing this, and yet this segment still held out hope that despite what Paizo said, Paizo would actually create this overpowered, by definition!, thing.
Quite false. The monk is NOT the worst class ever and it CAN be played . . . if you know exactly what you are doing within the confines of the rules and build counter-intuitive to the monk's own fluff. Speaking only for myself, I don't want something overpowered, I want something on par with what every other single class in the game game gets.
This thread is that segment realizing that when the developers said they wouldn't create an overpowered item as a "stealth fix", they actually meant it. When false expectations are prevalent in certain segments, the cold hard realization that their expectations were false causes supreme disappointment. Same thing occurred when people, for some unknown reason, thought that Ultimate Combat was actually Ultimate Non-Magic.
This segment wanted an item that precisely mirrored the weapon enhancement progression for all attacks. They want the benefits of enhancing two weapons for the price of one. They think this is balanced. The fact is that unarmed weapons have many advantages over manufactured weapons for the simple reason that there is no physical weapon other than the body. Another fact is that Flurry is TWF. It has been since the start.
This item emulates enhancing a single weapon, with the caveat that there IS no tangible separate weapon. You can't make all your TWF attacks with a single weapon. Why would you with this?
Sigh. Flurry of blows is not Two-Weapon Fighting. Unarmed strike is a single weapon. And it has been such until Sean's clarification, as evidenced by the published work of Paizo itself and their depiction of each and every single monk NPC since Pathfinder was introduced.
We get seperate answers every time we ask why the amulet of mighty fists is priced like it is. One answer is because unarmed strikes cannot be disarmed, sundered, stolen, or taken away (although the amulet itself certainly can be!). Another answer is that the monks unarmed strikes eventually do 2d10 damage! Oh my God. That is SO broken. A third answer is that the amulet applies to natural weapon attacks and it would be too good for druids and NPCs and rangers and Dragons if we cut the cost.
So what we monk-fans have been asking for is something that ONLY applies to unarmed strikes (not natural weapons) and doesn't cost an arm and a leg! That isn't power gaming, Cheapy, that is asking for a level playing ground.
BUT BUT COMBAT REFLEXES! All those AoOs that won't be enhan--- wait a minute, this segment will also say to not take Combat Reflexes because of course monks can't hit anything unless they are flurrying. Odd that they're complaining about it now. Now, it is a bit unfortunate that it doesn't work on AoOs, but if that were the case, their hands would be tied. "Well they work with AoOs, and I could make the AoO with my off-hand, so why not use it with my off-hand too?!" Look at what happened with the Brawling enhancement. It was never intended to be for monks. I know this because I asked the original designer. And the first thing people did when they saw this? They complained it wasn't able to work with monks and came up with ways to make it work with the monk. You give them an inch, and they'll take a mile. You let this work with AoOs, and people will just complain even more that since it works with AoOs, it should work with all attacks. And at that point, they have their overpowered, by definition!, item they so desperately desire.
The item is a nice compromise. As with all compromises, it's not the best. It's not the overpowered item that this segment so desires. It's not the amulet of mighty fists. It's a middle ground.
On the attacks of opportunity . . . the mechanic for these bodywraps is among the worst I have ever seen and I have been playing D&D since 1986. This whole 1-4 attacks for a price higher than a standard magic weapon that is always active is . . . I won't say the word I think it is, so as not to violate the rules of this site.
Brawling. How about when gloves of dueling came out, every class except fighter could use them? And gain that +2 untyped bonus on attack and damage and CMB? But the fighter, for some reason, can't. The brawling property lets other classes get a cheap way of enhancing their unarmed attacks, far cheaper than a monk . . . who is supposed to the master of unarmed combat. That is a bad design decision and a screwed-up slap in the face of every monk-fan out there that has been told time and time again, "we aren't going to introduce anything that obsoletes a core magic item."
News flash: you just did! Brawling armor obsoletes the AoMF +1 or +2 for any class except the monk that may want to fight with their fists or feet. Only better! Because they also get that bonus on grapple maneuvers.
I am so sick of people telling us that we just want everything overpowered: hell, I would like to see some of the OP'd stuff taken out of the game! What I want to see is the classes be on a reasonably balanced playing field. Designed to make players who use them happy that they chose this class. And for the monk, Paizo has dropped the ball time and time again. Best unarmed fighter? Oh, no. The fighter, barbarian, and ranger are better. Mobility specialist? Nope, you get one attack at a lower BAB when you move. Skill monkey? Not even close because you need four other good ability scores before you even get to Intelligence and you don't have the skill points to make up for it.
But they run real fast. Hooray.
Master Arminas
Oh, a Monk thread. How refreshing!
Heh. As always, Gorbacz, your understated irony and sarcasm makes my day. Good to see you as well.
Master Armians
It's hard to find one when you have the rules forum hidden.
LOL.
MA
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Oh, a Monk thread. How refreshing!Heh. As always, Gorbacz, your understated irony and sarcasm makes my day. Good to see you as well.
Master Armians
We totally need a Monk subforum, this stuff is getting out of control.
And alignment subforum.
And a martial-caster disparity subforum.
And a dedicated website to Summoners...
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Another fact is that Flurry is TWF. It has been since the start.
It was not.
Virtually no one, inside or outside of paizo, apparently read it that way. Multiple Professional writers and designers read the same words and made monk NPCs: NONE of which, iirc, used the monk flurry as two weapon fighting. Someone getting the monk wrong is a reading comprehension fail. Everyone reading the monk flurry to allow the monk to smack repeatedly with the same weapon/fist means that the words allowed the monk to smack repeatedly with the same weapon/fist.
The words only mean what they say and they did not say that: they do not carry some platonic vision of one mans intent with them, particularly when they are followed by a hold over paragraph explicitly stating the opposite intent.
The 'clarification' hurt what was already considered a weak class. While the monk class may be just fine, the fact is that that a large part of a martial characters power comes from their itemization. The itemization on the monks is what people wanted to fix (especially after the clarification), not the class (which IMHO got fixed and had oodles of delicious flavor added with the apg)
One weapon, two weapon, three weapons or a full on flurry of hokey pokey fist fist elbow head knee would be irrelevant if the amulet of mighty fists or some monk only equivalent were cheaper. Its not a stealth fix to the class, its a fix to how the class interacts with equipment, which is not an unreasonable expectation from an equipment guide.
Ummmm...how exactly are fighters/barbs/rangers better unarmed fighters than monks? I'd really like to know, because I would love to run an unarmed fighter, but none I've ever built could hold a candle to a monk.
You forgot the Paladin/Anti-Paladin subforum.
MA
BigNorseWolf...just because a whole lot of people read what they wanted to read doesn't mean that their right. Just look at the Commerce Clause of the constitution.
BigNorseWolf...just because a whole lot of people read what they wanted to read doesn't mean that their right.
people looking to do what they think is the right thing will often accept a bad argument that lets them do it, but i don't see any such motivation with the the monks flurry.
I will gladly harangue politics till i'm blue in the face... in the appropriate forums.
Ummmm...how exactly are fighters/barbs/rangers better unarmed fighters than monks? I'd really like to know, because I would love to run an unarmed fighter, but none I've ever built could hold a candle to a monk.
Then you weren't trying.
Just on base unarmed damage, where monks 'appear' to have an advantage (at cap, when monks have their best damage), a Brawler has a d3+11 built into the class (includes weapon spec and a free +5 to attack rolls), which is better than the 2d10 monks get by far.
A normal, base fighter can have unarmed at +6 attack/d3+10 damage with class features, fighter feats, and gloves.
Add in TWF, etc to taste. The idea that monks are 'better' at dealing damage unarmed is an illusion. They just get some fancy bonus feats early and some cool, flavorful tricks useful for gimmicks in and out of combat.
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You may want to check out the ki intensifying special property in ultimate equipment, it's basically allows you to use all ki based abilities that require unarmed strikes to be used by a weapon with this ability, increases the DC to resist by half the weapons enhancement bonus, and allows you to burn a ki as a swift to bull rush/trip/reposition/or disarm as a free action without provoking. To top it off you cannot put it on an amulet of mighty fists or similar non-weapon item.
Ummmm...how exactly are fighters/barbs/rangers better unarmed fighters than monks? I'd really like to know, because I would love to run an unarmed fighter, but none I've ever built could hold a candle to a monk.
Others can do better, I am certain. Here is a build with 8 feats left and more than 250,000 gp left to spend. EDIT: This is just a standard fighter (no archetypes) that could save money and go more damage (or get severals special weapon properties) by switching out that AoMF for a spiked gauntlet, or cestus or brass knuckles, or . . . you get the idea.
Human 20th level fighter (15 point buy)
Str 15 (+2 human, 17), Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10
Putting all five level ups into Strength
Str 22, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10
Items:
Amulet of Mighty Fists +5 (125,000 gp)
Belt of Physical Perfection +6 (144,000 gp)
Boots of Speed (12,000 gp)
Mithral Breasplate +5 (brawling, moderate fortification) (85,000 gp)
Cloak of Resistance +5 (25,000 gp)
Gloves of Dueling (15,000 gp)
Headband of Inspired Wisdom +6 (36,000 gp)
Manual of Gainful Exercise +2 (55,000 gp)
Manual of Quickness of Action +1 (25,500 gp)
Ring of Protection +5 (50,000 gp)
Stone of Good Luck (20,000 gp)
Heavy Shield +5 (25,000 gp)
Total Spent: 583,500 gp (296,500 gp remaining)
Final Stats: Str 30, Dex 20, Con 20, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 10
Weapon Training +4 (Close)
Weapon Mastery (UAS)
Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike, Weapon Focus (UAS), GWF (UAS), Weapon Specialization (UAS), GWS (UAS), Improved Critical (UAS), Penetrating Strike (UAS), Improved Penetrating Strike (UAS), Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Improved Iron Will, Improved Lightning Reflexes, Dodge, plus 9.
BAB: +20
Unarmed Strike: +45/+40/+35/+30 (1d3+27)
Unarmed Strike (w/Power Attack): +39/+34/+29/+24 (1d3+39)
Unarmed Strike (Hasted): +46/+46/+41/+36/+31 (1d3+27)
Unarmed Strike (Hasted, w/Power Attack): +40/+40/+35/+30/+25 (1d3+39)
AC: 39 (+11 armor, +7 shield, +5 deflection, +5 Dex, +1 Dodge)
AC (Hasted): 40 (+11 armor, +7 shield, +5 deflection, +5 Dex, +2 dodge)
Saves: Fort +25, Ref +19, Will +17
Saves (Hasted): Fort +25, Ref +20, Will +17
Do that with a monk.
MA
As much as I want better stuff for the monk, having read Paizo staff comments on what was showing up in Ultimate Equipment, the bodywrap of mighty strikes is actually better than what I expected. What I expected was absolutely nothing for monks at all. So I'm okay, taking note of the following:
I am feeling much too lazy to hunt for links, so you can take or leave this, but I remember Sean or other staff members very clearly saying the following things:
1. They were not going to make an item in Ultimate Equipment that would make the amulet of mighty fists obsolete. Whether the AOMF is a horrible thing or not, it's a core rulebook item and the devs have said they do not want splat items or rules to overrule core items or rules (in two words: power creep -- and no, whole fixing the AOMF may not be power creep but rather power improvement, it still sets a bad precedent for "fixing" other things). I may disagree personally with some of the specifics of their reasoning, but I understand and appreciate the general philosophy there.
And more to the point, their saying this meant we were never, ever, ever going to see an item that improved unarmed strikes in the way the AOMF did for a lesser cost without some kind of other limitation. One may disagree with their decision, but the fact is they made and publicized that decision well before the book was published, so being surprised and angry about it now serves little purpose.
2. They acknowledged that the problems with the monk are not so much with monk items than with the monk class itself. Ergo, the one exception they are thinking of making to "updating core" is updating the monk class itself.
Do I think the bodywrap of mighty fists is underwhelming? Yes.
Am I going to houserule it to be a chest slot item rather than a body slot item so you can also wear it with a monk's robe? Absolutely (especially since the item description notes it wraps around the chest).
Am I going to houserule it that you can apply stuff like weapon blanch or silversheen to it? Probably, it'll take some fluffing but I'll make it work.
Am I going to change the cost? No, actually, because I agree with the argument that an unarmed strike or natural weapon can't be sundered and has other benefits. Moreover, a magic weapon costs a minimum of 2,300 (enhancement plus masterwork bonus) before you get to the individual item cost, so <700 gp more is not that huge of a difference to me.
Am I still glad the monks got at least something in UE? Yes, given again, I expected nothing.
Will I be waiting with baited breath to see what fixes to the monk the design team hopefully proposes within the next year? Absolutely.
Will I be mad if they don't carry through with those changes? Yep.
Will I get over it? Probably.
Unarmed strikes cannot be sundered, or disarmed, Deathquaker, but both the bodywraps and the AoMF can be sundered (maybe even disarmed, but I am not certain of that). And since everyone, player character or NPC has either unarmed strikes or natural weapons, there is no great advantage there!
If a player wants to spend the time, feats, and gold to build an unarmed fighter that is better than a monk, they can. And for cheaper. And that just isn't right.
Master Arminas