
ElMustacho |

Hi to everyone!
Yesterday I discovered that qinggong monks can make ranged flurry of blows due to blood crow strike, starting from level 14.
Level: Cleric: 4; Oracle: 4
Casting Time: 1 round
Components: V, S
Range: medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target: one creature
Duration: instantaneous
Saving Throw: none
Spell Resistance: yes
Mythic: Has Mythic version
Source: Ultimate Magic
Summary: Unarmed strikes create crows that deal fire and negative energy damage.
Your unarmed strikes release blasts of energy in the form of bolts of fire or glowing red crows, which fly instantaneously to strike your target. You can make unarmed strike or flurry of blows attacks against the target as if it were in your threatened area; each successful attack deals damage as if you had hit it with your unarmed strike, except half the damage is fire and half is negative energy (this negative energy does not heal undead). For example, if you are a 14th-level monk, you can use a flurry of blows to attack five times, creating one energy crow for each successful attack against the target, and dealing 2d6 points of damage (plus appropriate unarmed strike modifiers) with each crow.
And from level 16 they can quicken this up to a swift action.
Source: Bestiary
This creature can use one of its spell-like abilities with next to no effort.
Prerequisites
Spell-like ability at CL 10th or higher.
Benefits
Choose one of the creature's spell-like abilities, subject to the restrictions described in this feat. The creature can use the chosen spell-like ability as a quickened spell-like ability three times per day (or less, if the ability is normally usable only once or twice per day).
Using a quickened spell-like ability is a swift action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The creature can perform another action—including the use of another spell-like ability (but not another swift action)—in the same round that it uses a quickened spell-like ability. The creature may use only one quickened spell-like ability per round.
The creature can only select a spell-like ability duplicating a spell with a level less than or equal to 1/2 its caster level (round down) – 4. For a summary, see the table below.
A spell-like ability that duplicates a spell with a casting time greater than 1 full round cannot be quickened.
Normal
The use of a spell-like ability normally requires a standard action (at the very least) and provokes an attack of opportunity.
At the expenditure of 2 points of ki per activation, I can flurry twice per round 3/day.
Let's try to break this with the help of some questions.
1) If I'm hasted do I get more than one attack? (Still 1 extra attack for each flurry)
2) The same questions with Medusa's wrath.
3) The entry of Blood Crow Strike says that for every hit I inflict damage, but I'm allowed to swap any attack with a trip attempt, lets say. Does this means I can combine a "punch" and apply a combat maneuver for each of my attack?
4) If Mr. Wizard casts on me Contingent Action, triggering my "swift flurry" with a free action, can I flurry three times per round?
5) Would a stunning fist affect a ranged attack even if the damage is not physical damage?
6) How can I recharge my 3/day "swift flurry" without resting?
Thanks for your help.

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1) Haste says: "When making a full attack action, a hasted creature may make one extra attack with one natural or manufactured weapon." So you get one extra attack only, and only during the Flurry you declare is not the swift action one.
2) Same with Medusa's Wrath. It specifically states 'During a full-attack action.'
3) Could you link or post where Blood Crow Strike says you can trip if you deal damage? Usually you can swap a melee attack out for some combat maneuvers, but that usually replaces the attack (and damage).
4) From Contingent Action: "The readied action must be a standard, move, or swift action—it cannot be used to cast a spell or use a supernatural ability." While the Monk does not 'cast' per say, this is a little grey. RAW would suggest yes, you can do that, but RAI might disagree.
5) I would say yes, as the attacks count as Unarmed attacks.
6) You could wait 24 hours? Usually these untyped X/day abilities are specifically meant to not be rechargable.

ElMustacho |

1) Haste says: "When making a full attack action, a hasted creature may make one extra attack with one natural or manufactured weapon." So you get one extra attack only, and only during the Flurry you declare is not the swift action one.
2) Same with Medusa's Wrath. It specifically states 'During a full-attack action.'
3) Could you link or post where Blood Crow Strike says you can trip if you deal damage? Usually you can swap a melee attack out for some combat maneuvers, but that usually replaces the attack (and damage).
4) From Contingent Action: "The readied action must be a standard, move, or swift action—it cannot be used to cast a spell or use a supernatural ability." While the Monk does not 'cast' per say, this is a little grey. RAW would suggest yes, you can do that, but RAI might disagree.
5) I would say yes, as the attacks count as Unarmed attacks.
6) You could wait 24 hours? Usually these untyped X/day abilities are specifically meant to not be rechargable.
1) Done.
2) Done.3) It's not about "as I hit with a Blood Crow Strike, I make a trip attempt". It says:" [...]each successful attack deals damage as if you had hit it with your unarmed strike[...]", and since I can substitute any attack of a Flurry with Disarm, Trip or Sunder (and Blood Crow Strikes can be a Flurry), the crow can attempt maneuvers. But does this means that together with the specific description I can apply a maneuver and, if that lands, also apply a damage?
4) You can use scrolls with Contingent Action, isn't this quite the same?
5) Many time ago I read that if a Stunning fist doesn't go past DR then it had to be considered unsuccessful. With the change of type of damage (fire and negative energy), I never go past DR. Am I right?
6) 3/day is a bit (ok, I'm still doubling my attacks), I was thinking about like Recharge Innate Ability.

kestral287 |
I'm interested in this, but I just don't understand what is going on here.
How are you Quicken Spell-like Ability on Flurry of Blows (Ex)?
The Qinggong Monk can obtain the spell Blood Crow Strike as a spell-like ability. Blood Crow Strike lets you make a Flurry of Blows attack, but with some range and dealing fire/negative energy damage.
Since it's a SLA, it qualifies for Quicken SLA.
Qinggongs can actually get some really nasty tricks out of that feat.

fretgod99 |
1 person marked this as FAQ candidate. |

I don't think this lets you make multiple flurries a round. The target of the spell is the target of your attacks. You still have to take a full round action to flurry.
What quickening this SLA would allow you to do is flurry as a full round action in the same round you use the swift action to use the SLA.
Flurrying isn't a part of the action to cast the spell. The spell is its own one round action, the target of which is treated like it's in your threatened area.
Seems like a poorly constructed spell, to be honest. I like the benefit, but the duration is instantaneous. So in theory if the target never dies, you can keep using the benefit against the target whenever you're in range, in perpetuity.
EDIT: Spell's Language for those not wanting to search for it.
School evocation [fire]; Level cleric 4
Components V, S
Casting Time 1 round
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target one creature
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yesYour unarmed strikes release blasts of energy in the form of bolts of fire or glowing red crows, which fly instantaneously to strike your target. You can make unarmed strike or flurry of blows attacks against the target as if it were in your threatened area; each successful attack deals damage as if you had hit it with your unarmed strike, except half the damage is fire and half is negative energy (this negative energy does not heal undead). For example, if you are a 14th-level monk, you can use a flurry of blows to attack five times, creating one energy crow for each successful attack against the target, and dealing 2d6 points of damage (plus appropriate unarmed strike modifiers) with each crow.
Ultimately, the point is there doesn't appear to be anything that allows you to flurry as a part of casting the spell. So all Quicken SLA would do is allow you to flurry in the same round you use the quickened SLA (a nice benefit, but certainly not something that you could then do two or three times in a round, which would be unbelievably broken).

RumpinRufus |

I think the flurry is the spell effect. Upon completion of casting, you instantaneously get a full flurry.
Your unarmed strikes release blasts of energy in the form of bolts of fire or glowing red crows, which fly instantaneously to strike your target.
The Quicken SLA combo seems legit to me. Pretty clever one, at that.

_Ozy_ |
I don't think this lets you make multiple flurries a round. The target of the spell is the target of your attacks. You still have to take a full round action to flurry.
What quickening this SLA would allow you to do is flurry as a full round action in the same round you use the swift action to use the SLA.
Flurrying isn't a part of the action to cast the spell. The spell is its own one round action, the target of which is treated like it's in your threatened area.
Seems like a poorly constructed spell, to be honest. I like the benefit, but the duration is instantaneous. So in theory if the target never dies, you can keep using the benefit against the target whenever you're in range, in perpetuity.
EDIT: Spell's Language for those not wanting to search for it.
BLOOD CROW STRIKE wrote:Ultimately, the point is there doesn't appear to be anything that allows you to flurry as a part of casting the spell. So all Quicken SLA would do is allow you to flurry in the same round you use the quickened SLA (a nice benefit, but certainly not something that you could then do two or three...
School evocation [fire]; Level cleric 4
Components V, S
Casting Time 1 round
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target one creature
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yesYour unarmed strikes release blasts of energy in the form of bolts of fire or glowing red crows, which fly instantaneously to strike your target. You can make unarmed strike or flurry of blows attacks against the target as if it were in your threatened area; each successful attack deals damage as if you had hit it with your unarmed strike, except half the damage is fire and half is negative energy (this negative energy does not heal undead). For example, if you are a 14th-level monk, you can use a flurry of blows to attack five times, creating one energy crow for each successful attack against the target, and dealing 2d6 points of damage (plus appropriate unarmed strike modifiers) with each crow.
Two things suggest you are incorrect. The 'full round' casting time, and the 'instantaneous' duration. Both of these indicate that the flurry of blows is part of the spell.

ElMustacho |

I do think that up to 17 attacks (normal flurry gives 7 + 1 haste + 2 medusa//swift flurry gives 7) are good enough to make this a reasonable investment for very high level games.
24 (I don't know if this is the maximum ever reached) if you use Contingent action.
Oh, and two level before you qualify for Empower Spell-like Ability, allowing you to flurry (once per round, 3/day) at 150% of damage.
If only they could stack...

Quintain |

Two things suggest you are incorrect. The 'full round' casting time, and the 'instantaneous' duration. Both of these indicate that the flurry of blows is part of the spell.
I agree. At the end of the casting, the spell effect allows for a "flurry of blows" immediately.
So, you have a normal full round action (flurry of blows) + swift action to gain a second flurry of blows that is ranged/half fire/half negative.
Had the duration been 1 round, then one could interpret to apply to the full round action on the next round, but instantaneous duration prevents that.

kestral287 |
Isn't expending a ki point a swift action and you can only preform one swift action per round?
No. Using one of the Monk's baseline Ki abilities requires a swift action, but there's no mechanical action cost to "expend a ki point". It's "Activate X" that has "expend a ki point, uses a swift action" attached to it.