Can I Sunder the fists of a monk?


Rules Questions


I really think it should be possible to break a monks fists so that he cannon use them .... Currently you cannot until you kill him.
Any thoughts?

Shadow Lodge

Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

The closest you get are Called Shot from Ultimate Combat. Normally you cannot attack another creatures limbs. Doing so opens up the door to trying to instant killing baddies by targeting their head, heart, or the like.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Core Rulebook wrote:
Unarmed Strike: At 1st level, a monk gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A monk’s attacks may be with fist, elbows, knees, and feet. This means that a monk may make unarmed strikes with his hands full.

Not sure about the RAW for attempting to sunder part of a creature, but by the time you have done enough sunder damage to make the monk harmless, the monk is very likely incapacitated anyway :-).


3 people marked this as a favorite.

No.

Nor can you disarm him.


I'd have to agree with Lazaro, in order for it to be feasible you'd have to be using the optional called shot rules.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Why does everyone hate Monks so hard?

Dark Archive

Besides, that monk is going to just sit there and flurry the crap out of you while you try to cut its limbs off. The thing doing the sundering is going to look like hammered dammit by the end of the day assuming it even survives. >_>

Grand Lodge

Even if you cut off his hands, the monk is still gonna hit you with his/her stumps. It just means that you're gonna get the monk's blood all over you in addition to your own.

Dark Archive

Don't forget about headbutts.


The Beard wrote:
Don't forget about headbutts.

Oh! I found that one actually.

More seriously, I don't know any rules for literally disarming someone of their you know... arms.

Silver Crusade

MrSin wrote:
The Beard wrote:
Don't forget about headbutts.

Oh! I found that one actually.

More seriously, I don't know any rules for literally disarming someone of their you know... arms.

Strategists and Tactitions has a number of options for violent limb removal via sword or spell(the Sever combat manuever and various explode x spells), but as said earlier it wouldn't take away a monk's unarmed strike.

And now I'm remembering seeing various Crippled Masters martial arts movies lining the racks at Suncoast...


4 people marked this as a favorite.
The Beard wrote:
Don't forget about headbutts.

or pelvic thrusts.

Silver Crusade

3 people marked this as a favorite.
christos gurd wrote:
The Beard wrote:
Don't forget about headbutts.
or pelvic thrusts.

Dammit Voldo.


5 people marked this as a favorite.
Mikaze wrote:
christos gurd wrote:
The Beard wrote:
Don't forget about headbutts.
or pelvic thrusts.
Dammit Voldo.

lets do the time warp again!


3 people marked this as a favorite.
LucasB wrote:

I really think it should be possible to break a monks fists so that he cannon use them .... Currently you cannot until you kill him.

Any thoughts?

uh oh...incoming attacks. I can dodge this...It's just a jump to the left

While you're aiming for his fists, he's flurry kicking you into the ground.

Silver Crusade

Thrusting Voldo wrote:
Mikaze wrote:
christos gurd wrote:
The Beard wrote:
Don't forget about headbutts.
or pelvic thrusts.
Dammit Voldo.
lets do the time warp again!

YOU'RE JUST MASHING BUTTONS I KNOW I-ring out DAMMIT


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Mikaze wrote:
Thrusting Voldo wrote:
Mikaze wrote:
christos gurd wrote:
The Beard wrote:
Don't forget about headbutts.
or pelvic thrusts.
Dammit Voldo.
lets do the time warp again!
YOU'RE JUST MASHING BUTTONS I KNOW I-ring out DAMMIT

give me time, I'll crabwalk my way into your heart.


Sunder his Mighty Fists and Body Wraps and the such, piss him off probably as it'll have cost him so much. Oh, wait, I think I hear a stampede of people demanding wealth by level guidelines....


No you cannot sunder unarmed strikes or natural weapons as already said before. Here are the RAW :

PRD Sunder wrote:

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.

If your attack is successful, you deal damage to the item normally. Damage that exceeds the object's Hardness is subtracted from its hit points. If an object has equal to or less than half its total hit points remaining, it gains the broken condition (see Conditions). If the damage you deal would reduce the object to less than 0 hit points, you can choose to destroy it. If you do not choose to destroy it, the object is left with only 1 hit point and the broken condition.


Ironically enough, the only way I know to actually sever the limbs of characters and monsters was using the old sword of sharpness back in older editions before 3.0. The sword was capable of cutting off limbs. It was how a 2nd edition ranger in one of our Myth Drannor campaigns was able to hack off the limbs of a Pit Fiend in battle. It was bizarre to witness a Pit Fiend fleeing the battle without one of his wings, his tail, his right arm, and his left leg.

Old tales aside, there is the "Called Shots" optional rule, but even then it is not an automatic guarantee that you are severing limbs. If the monk is helpless, cutting off limbs is a simple matter of *sh-thunk*

Argh, I cannot recall correctly, but I think there were some mechanics written for using senbon needles to impair limbs but that might have been for a different rpg system.

If your GM is insane, you can bring back the sword of sharpness for your table. I would not recommend it though - I'm sure you don't want your characters to be without limbs (although the regeneration spell will finally see some use! ;)

CB out.


Mikaze wrote:
Thrusting Voldo wrote:
Mikaze wrote:
christos gurd wrote:
The Beard wrote:
Don't forget about headbutts.
or pelvic thrusts.
Dammit Voldo.
lets do the time warp again!
YOU'RE JUST MASHING BUTTONS I KNOW I-ring out DAMMIT

B*~%% please. Zaslamel is the go-to for nonsense ringouts.

Voldo is 500% skill and you just can't handle it.

Butt-bump of doom 5lyfe.

So was Yoshimitsu until they freakin' butchered him in SC5 *grumble grumble*.


If you hear a monk yell tiger style prepare to be hit hard.

If you hear them yell "crane style!" be prepared to be there for a while.

If you reduce a monk to "TANUKI STYLE!" ...just leave. Quickly.


4 people marked this as a favorite.
BigNorseWolf wrote:

If you hear a monk yell tiger style prepare to be hit hard.

If you hear them yell "crane style!" be prepared to be there for a while.

If you reduce a monk to "TANUKI STYLE!" ...just leave. Quickly.

That last style is just absolutely nuts...


Why anyone would stand still to let a monk Flurry them is beyond me. I'd rather attack then move away. That way, they get only an AOO and maybe one standard attack, both at their non-flurry BAB.


I get monk fists have a hardness of 0 for sunder attempts. After going "Tanuki Style" does that change the hardness rating? How do you determine inches of thickness for HP total? These are things you never want to bring up at your table. Just. Dont. Do. It.


Bizbag wrote:
Why anyone would stand still to let a monk Flurry them is beyond me. I'd rather attack then move away. That way, they get only an AOO and maybe one standard attack, both at their non-flurry BAB.

Failing a fort save vs Stunning Fist, the monk has the Scorpion Style feat, the monk ambushed you and moved into range on the surprise round, the Monk grappled/tripped you on his attack/the attack of opportunity you provoked after trying to leave his threatened area or has grab, you failed to kill said monk with your last full attack, or a giant Sohei monk with a reach weapon?

Basically a more monk-y(ey?) sounding list of reasons fighters/Barbarians get to make full attacks sometime. Nothing wrong with hit and run tactics for sure and they are definitely advisable, but in game situations just come up where monks make full attacks/flurry.

I played some Soul Caliber with some relatives at thanksgiving this year and it was fu-RING OUT .... damnit

Sovereign Court

The only time I would ever allow it, it would be when the monk is helpless and you decide to cut/mangle his fists for some reason.


BigNorseWolf wrote:
Nor can you disarm him.

You can totally disarm the monk. You just have keep pulling hard enough until they come off.


Claxon wrote:
BigNorseWolf wrote:
Nor can you disarm him.
You can totally disarm the monk. You just have keep pulling hard enough until they come off.

Disarming a monk means you've reduced him to 0 or fewer hitpoints. ;) Even that is temporary if his party decides to raise him...


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Claxon wrote:
BigNorseWolf wrote:
Nor can you disarm him.
You can totally disarm the monk. You just have keep pulling hard enough until they come off.

*pat pats claxon on the head*


1 person marked this as a favorite.
BigNorseWolf wrote:

No.

Nor can you disarm him.

Grendel can.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Rynjin wrote:
Why does everyone hate Monks so hard?

Haters gonna hate, they are mostly jealous of the MOnks pure bathrobe wearing fists of doom.

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Rules Questions / Can I Sunder the fists of a monk? All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.