Hello all, as I have seen in other posts people are saying the Monk does not get 1.5x damage when power attacking with unarmed strike. The problem I'm running into is when using Hero Lab when you click on power attack it DOES give the monk the extra 1.5. Does anyone have any experience with this, if so please help I don't want my player thinking I'm nerffing his character.
You only get 3 bonus power attack damage for the -1 penalty while wielding a two handed weapon.
A monk while flurrying always deals strength damage (except for specific feats which change this like Dragon Style). Even if a monk were wielding a temple sword two handed she would deal 1.0 strength damage.
However, while using power attack that same temple sword wielding monk would get +3 damage for -1 penalty while wielding that temple sword two-handed while flurrying.
However, unarmed strikes cannot be two-handed. I'm not sure what is generating your error in HeroLab, but I'm fairly certainly it doesn't generally do this (as I also own HeroLab).
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.
This bonus to damage is increased by half (+50%) if you are making an attack with a two-handed weapon, a one handed weapon using two hands, or a primary natural weapon that adds 1-1/2 times your Strength modifier on damage rolls.
Power Attack's extra 50% bonus is tied to wielding a one or two-handed weapon in two hands. Even though a monk never deals 1.5 STR in a flurry, even with a two-handed weapon, attacking with a temple sword in two hands still triggers the extra language in Power Attack.
Seems a little silly to me, but that's how it works.
Thanks guys. I made a new monk in Hero Lab myself and it did not add the extra damage, ill have to check into his and see why its happening.
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First thing, while Hero Lab is a very useful tool, it is not a rules source, and it is possible to make illegal things in hero lab due to a bug or user error.
You want to make sure you do not have any house rules enabled as that can cause problems to appear. You also need to specify you are using two hands on the temple sword. If it's not equipped or only equipped in one hand, it's going to show the default 1:2 power attack progression instead of the 1:3.
Regardless of what's written, I'm pretty sure the way a monk flurrying with a two-handed weapon should work is just like any other with unarmed strike or one-handed weapon, add STR x1 and Power Attack should be 1:2.
Btw, there's this Seven-Branched Sword (1d10/x3 monk) that let's you make a trip attack that leaves the target flat-footed instead of prone.
Does he have Dragon Style and Dragon Ferocity?
That would allow the 1.5x damage on Power Attack.
It's not the same as wielding a weapon in two hands, but it takes advantage of Unarmed Strikes counting as Natural Attacks for the purpose of effects.
Slightly different angle.
Regardless, the second part of the sentence clears up the meaning. I never knew that about monks. Strange.
Full means that it is not reduced, not that it is set to a specific amount. Nobody in the real world uses the word "full" to imply a restriction or diminish something.Full is indeed equal to 1.0 (aka 100%).
If your Strength is 18, and your modifier is +4, then dealing your "full Strength bonus to damage" is dealing +4 damage.
+4 damage for an 18 Str is not reduced.
But you're not normally doing +6.
You're doing full damage at +4.
+6 is what happens when you apply a modifier beyond that, which multiplies your full damage by 1.5.
If I have a container which holds 4 apples, and put 4 apples in it, it is fully.
If I then multiply the contents of the container by 1.5, I now have 6 apples.
But my container is still full with only 4.
STR Bonus = X
Full means maximum capacity. Sure, it can also mean not lacking anything, or "complete". But not lacking something is not the same as exceeding your maximal value. That means "full STR bonus" is X.
That you can typically do 1.5 STR with two-handed weapons doesn't mean that 1.5 STR is "full STR bonus", such an argument is pure sophistry.
1.5 X is not "full"; it is half again full.
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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.
Stupid argument.
For the record, the RAW is that a monk attacking with a temple sword wielded in both hands (or any other two-handed weapon) deals 1 x strength modifier damage, not 1.5 as other characters get. The text for Power Attack clearly states that any weapon used two-handed gets a 1:3 damage bonus, not 1:2, and does not name any exceptions. GMs may house-rule otherwise, but by RAW a monk using a weapon two-handed will get the full bonus of Power Attack the same as anyone else.
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For the record, the RAW is that a monk attacking with a temple sword wielded in both hands (or any other two-handed weapon) deals 1 x strength modifier damage, not 1.5 as other characters get. The text for Power Attack clearly states that any weapon used two-handed gets a 1:3 damage bonus, not 1:2, and does not name any exceptions. GMs may house-rule otherwise, but by RAW a monk using a weapon two-handed will get the full bonus of Power Attack the same as anyone else.
Just to be clear - this is for a flurry. Monks obviously still get 1.5 STR with a two-handed weapon on a regular attack.