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I'm sort of surprised that this never came up sooner considering that the rules question that I'm about to ask is a valid question pre-ACG Errata, but I'd like an answer on this for my flying blade swashbuckler.
The question is simple: "If I have Slashing Grace with a light or one-handed melee weapon, can I substitute my Dexterity modifier for my Strength modifier when making thrown weapon attacks with my chosen weapon?
Quoted for relevance, with the post-errata modifications:
You can stab your enemies with your sword or another slashing weapon.
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus with chosen weapon.
Benefit: Choose one kind of light or one-handed slashing weapon (such as the longsword). When wielding your chosen weapon one-handed, you can treat it as a one-handed piercing melee weapon for all feats and class abilities that require such a weapon (such as a swashbuckler's or a duelist's precise strike) and you can add your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to that weapon's damage. The weapon must be one appropriate for your size.
Some relevant points:
1) When I throw a melee weapon as a ranged attack, I'm still wielding it in one-hand. If I wasn't, then Two-Weapon Fighting wouldn't work with said thrown weapons. Additionally, the Two-Handed Thrower feat (from Ultimate Combat) notes that thrown weapons can be thrown with one or two hands normally. (You just don't get any bonuses to Strength when throwing a weapon with two hands without the feat.)2) Slashing Grace does not specify the type of damage rolls that it affects, only that it substitutes Dexterity for Strength. There is precedent for feats that function with melee damage rolls and ranged damage rolls, respectively, the most famous of which being the Power Attack and Deadly Aim feats. Slashing Grace does not specify either, so it should function whenever I would normally add my Strength modifier to my damage roll with my chosen weapon.
Another note worth considering is that allowing Slashing Grace to apply to thrown weapon damage rolls does not make Slashing Grace any more powerful than the current king of Dex-to-Ranged-Damage, the gunslinger. The gunslinger easily targets touch AC, has a generally better range with her attacks than most thrown weapons do without serious class option and feat investment, and the gunslinger isn't barred from Two-Weapon Fighting with her pistols (should she choose them with gun training), meaning that she has anywhere from 1 to 6 extra attacks on the swashbuckler. (Six is assuming that she is using the double-barreled pistol as her weapon.)
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When thrown, you are not wielding as a one handed weapon.
Keep in mind, there is table variance on this with the "no" side being very passionate and the "yes" side being more well it could be read that way.
So ultimately it is an Ask your GM question.
You are wielding a thrown weapon as a one handed or light weapon, or else you could not use two weapon fighting with thrown weapons.
don't the rules specifically call out that thrown weapons work with TWFing?
The same rules apply when you throw a weapon from each hand. Treat a dart or shuriken as a light weapons when used in this manner, and treat a bolas, javelin, net, or sling as a one-handed weapon.
it says treat them as, not they are wielded as...
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Ok. Going by the information we have, I think that the post-errata slashing grace does allow dex to damage when when you throw a qualifying weapon such as a dagger or handaxe, but it is not intended to.
The reason I say this is the prerequisites, specifically weapon finesse. When you throw a weapon, it is still one-handed or light, but it is not benefiting from weapon finesse, as it is treated as ranged weapon and not melee.
However, nothing in the feat requires the weapon to be usable with weapon finesse, and nothing in the feat specifies that the weapon must be used in melee.
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Two handed thrower: "Whenever you use two hands to throw a one-handed or two-handed weapon, you gain a bonus on damage rolls equal to 1-1/2 times your Strength bonus."
SO thrown weapons can be one handed or two handed. Second, "When wielding your chosen weapon one-handed" seems to fit perfectly along the feat. Third, nothing in "Choose one kind of light or one-handed slashing weapon" says melee. 4th, the only time melee in mentioned in the feat is "you can treat it as a one-handed piercing melee weapon for all feats and class abilities that require such a weapon" THEN it states "and you can add your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to that weapon's damage."
I'm having difficulty seeing how you can have a RAW interpretation where ranged or melee has any baring on it's dex to damage component.
Requirement: Light or one-handed slashing weapon
Benefits: Treat it as a one-handed piercing melee weapon for all feats and class abilities.
Add your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength.
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It just requires you to select a light or one-handed slashing weapon and use it one-handed.Depends on your RAW interpretation.
Mine, is that it is not a melee one-handed weapon and you are not using it as a melee one-handed weapon when throwing the weapon.
A thrown weapon is not a melee one-handed weapon, yes. But here's some more info:
1) You can pick Weapon Focus (dagger) and use it to satisfy the requirements of the post-errata Slashing Grace. The dagger is categorized as a light slashing melee weapon.
2) When you throw a dagger as a ranged attack, it doesn't stop qualifying for Weapon Focus and it doesn't stop satisfying the prerequisites of Slashing Grace. A dagger doesn't stop being a dagger because you're throwing it.
3) When you throw a dagger, you're still wielding it in one -hand as a one-handed weapon. Ranged weapons make this distinction too, such as the fact that a pistol needs one hand to shoot or a bow needs two hands.
4) Slashing Grace's Dex to Damage benefit doesn't have any wordage that implies that it cares whether the the damage roll is a melee damage roll or a ranged damage roll. Feats exist that do care, and Slashing Grace does not.
5) Slashing Grace also doesn't state that you need to make a melee attack with the chosen weapon. It specifically states that only melee weapons can be selected, but the dagger is a melee weapon with the ability to be used as a ranged weapon.
Ok. Going by the information we have, I think that the post-errata slashing grace does allow dex to damage when when you throw a qualifying weapon such as a dagger or handaxe, but it is not intended to.
The reason I say this is the prerequisites, specifically weapon finesse. When you throw a weapon, it is still one-handed or light, but it is not benefiting from weapon finesse, as it is treated as ranged weapon and not melee.
However, nothing in the feat requires the weapon to be usable with weapon finesse, and nothing in the feat specifies that the weapon must be used in melee.
Slashing Grace never says that the weapon needs to benefit from Weapon Finesse. That's half the point of the feat; to give swashbucklers the ability to apply Weapon Finesse to weapons that usually don't benefit from it. If a fighter meets Slashing Grace's prerequisites, he could choose to take Slashing Grace with the katana and use Strength to hit and Dex to damage. Exactly as how Combat Expertise is a prerequisite for a number of feats, but none of those Improved maneuver feats need Combat Expertise to function.
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When thrown, you are not wielding as a one handed weapon.
Keep in mind, there is table variance on this with the "no" side being very passionate and the "yes" side being more well it could be read that way.
So ultimately it is an Ask your GM question.
You are wielding a thrown weapon as a one handed or light weapon, or else you could not use two weapon fighting with thrown weapons.
I'm aware of Mark's answer, considering that he's quoting a question that I originally poised. (This very question, as a matter of fact.)
There are a couple of reasons that I chose to make this thread any way, despite getting a designer's feedback. They are as follows:
1) I wanted to be able to further extrapolate on the rule, but didn't want to clutter the Advanced Class Guide errata thread with said extrapolations (or the subsequent conversations that were bound to follow).
2) The character in question is my 8th-level PFS flying blade swashbuckler, and regardless of whether the question is ruled in my favor or not, I'd like to see an official answer through official channels. Even if Mark ruled with me, I would have done this because I don't want to have to deal with table variance on my PFS character.
3) I believe that game design is not a democracy, but minds can change when presented with solid, rational thoughts and ideas. We've seen this happen on several other FAQs made throughout the year, so I decided to make this thread, present my case, and see what happened.
This is not the first time this topic (Is a thrown Dagger still a Light Weapon which is a Melee weapon type) has came up. This isn't going to ever be solved to the satisfaction of both parties until we have a FAQ that answers it.
Expect table variance.
While that (is a dagger still a melee weapon when thrown) is an awesome question, that's not what I'm asking.
Slashing Grace specifies that a light or one-handed melee weapon must be chosen, but it doesn't specify that you need to make melee attacks with said weapon in order to gain the benefit of the feat. Not all thrown weapons are categorized as melee weapons. For instance, shuriken are thrown weapons that are listed as ranged weapons.
Owner - D20 Hobbies
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[that's not what I'm asking.
Slashing Grace specifies that a light or one-handed melee weapon must be chosen
It is and it doesn't.
When wielding your chosen weapon one-handed
Are you holding the thrown weapon in your hand? No, it is flying through the air as a "thrown weapon" that you used one hand to throw.
Not a one-handed weapon (a term specific to melee weapons).
Not a weapon you are wielding.
In short, no.
But you differ, and others do. So:
Expect Table Variance.
I'm sort of surprised that this never came up sooner considering that the rules question that I'm about to ask is a valid question pre-ACG Errata, but I'd like an answer on this for my flying blade swashbuckler.
The question is simple: "If I have Slashing Grace with a light or one-handed melee weapon, can I substitute my Dexterity modifier for my Strength modifier when making thrown weapon attacks with my chosen weapon?
Quoted for relevance, with the post-errata modifications:
You can stab your enemies with your sword or another slashing weapon.
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus with chosen weapon.
Benefit: Choose one kind of light or one-handed slashing weapon (such as the longsword). When wielding your chosen weapon one-handed, you can treat it as a one-handed piercing melee weapon for all feats and class abilities that require such a weapon (such as a swashbuckler's or a duelist's precise strike) and you can add your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to that weapon's damage. The weapon must be one appropriate for your size.
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I notice that you left out some of the errata.
You do not gain this benefit while fighting with two weapons or using flurry of blows, or any time another hand is otherwise occupied.
If you make a full-attack action while using Slashing Grace then you have committed to these restrictions for that entire action. So you can't use two weapons, you can't flurry, and you can't let any other hand be occupied. I've been thinking that the first restriction might be relevant here: that you are limited to one weapon.
So I've been considering two example scenarios.
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Example 1: Not using Slashing Grace
A half-orc Flying Blade enters a room with one empty hand, a dagger in the other, and several more sheathed daggers in easy reach. He has a bite attack from the Toothy alternate racial trait, has the Quick Draw feat, and is sufficiently high level to have three iterative attacks. There is an enemy fighter adjacent to him, and an enemy wizard 15 feet away.
He declares a full-attack action and starts by slashing the fighter with his dagger. Then he throws the dagger at the wizard, draws a second dagger as a free action, and throws that dagger at the wizard as well. He wraps things up by biting the fighter (treating the bite as a secondary natural attack).
This seems like a straightforward, non-controversial attack round to me. Now imagine the exact same scenario where you declare that you start the full-attack by declaring that you are going to use Slashing Grace with you drawn dagger. For simplicity I am going to assume that you can use Slashing Grace when throwing, but I don't think it actually matters.
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Example 2: Using Slashing Grace
He declares a full-attack action using Slashing Grace with his drawn dagger. He starts by slashing the fighter with his dagger and, if he hits, he applies his DEX modifier to damage. Now he throws the dagger at the wizard and also apples his DEX modifier to any damage. Using Quick Draw he unsheathes a second dagger and...
Nothing.
He is using Slashing Grace, so he can't use a second weapon. That would mean that he can't use this new dagger or his bite. Once the original dagger is gone, then he can't make any more attacks that round. If he had thrown the dagger in hand as his first iterative attack, then that would be his only attack. He could make all of his iterative attacks by not throwing the dagger until the end, but then it then 'to hit' would be at its lowest level. I do think that a Blinkback Belt would fix this problem since you could just keep throwing the same dagger. Regardless, there would be no way to bite.
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That's the way I read the feat right now. I could be completely off base in my interpretation. Maybe something else was intended, but at the moment I have no insight into the intent. If it does work this way, then throwing your weapon while using Slashing Grace could have a lot of downside regardless of whether S.G. applies to ranged attacks.
[that's not what I'm asking.
Slashing Grace specifies that a light or one-handed melee weapon must be chosen
It is and it doesn't.
When wielding your chosen weapon one-handedAre you holding the thrown weapon in your hand? No, it is flying through the air as a "thrown weapon" that you used one hand to throw.
Not a one-handed weapon (a term specific to melee weapons).
Not a weapon you are wielding.In short, no.
But you differ, and others do. So:
Expect Table Variance.
The following might be useful when considering whether thrown weapons can be wielded.
Distance Thrower (Mythic)
There's virtually no limit to your powerful throwing arm.
Prerequisites: Str 17, Distance Thrower.
Benefit: Thrown weapons wielded by you have twice their normal range.
Snap Shot (Combat)
With a ranged weapon, you can take advantage of any opening in your opponent's defenses.
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Point-Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Weapon Focus, base attack bonus +6.
Benefit: While wielding a ranged weapon with which you have Weapon Focus, you threaten squares within 5 feet of you. You can make attacks of opportunity with that ranged weapon. You do not provoke attacks of opportunity when making a ranged attack as an attack of opportunity.
Normal: While wielding a ranged weapon, you threaten no squares and can make no attacks of opportunity with that weapon.
Last Stand (Ex): At 20th level, a samurai can make a last stand once per day whenever he makes a challenge. While this challenge is in effect, all melee and ranged weapons deal the minimum amount of damage to the samurai, unless the attack scored is a critical hit. In addition, the samurai remains conscious and is not staggered while he is below 0 hit points. While using this ability, the samurai cannot be killed by melee or ranged weapons unless they are wielded by the target of his challenge. Attacks made by opponents that are not the target of his challenge deal no damage when samurai has 0 or fewer hit points. This ability has no effect on spells, environmental effects, supernatural abilities, or any other source of damage other than melee and ranged weapons. Such sources of damage affect him normally and can kill him (although they do not cause him to fall unconscious or to become staggered if they reduce his hit points below 0). This effect lasts until the challenge ends or the samurai takes an offensive action against a target other than the target of his challenge.
These are the first three relevant examples that showed up in my search. There might well be more.
Gisher: Yeah, the Blinkback Belt would solve that particular issue. And because you're using Dex, you won't need a Belt of Mighty Hurling, so you just need to get your stat belt dual-enchanted as a Blinkback Belt.
A bite wouldn't work with it, but to be honest, a bite wouldn't be very good anyway. It's a secondary attack, and you don't get Dex to damage with it.
I just wanted a weapon that didn't require another hand so that I could illustrate my thought process. I wanted to pick a simple option; I didn't really care whether it was a good option. :)
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When wielding your chosen weapon one-handedEither:
1) "one-handed" is referring to how many hands you're using to throw the weapon. In this case, Dex would apply to the damage.
2) "one-handed" is referring to the melee category of weapons. A weapons being thrown isn't being used as a one-handed weapon and thus wouldn't gain Dex to damage.Which is right?
It's honestly impossible to know without official feedback.
+1
Much better said than me.
If you make a full-attack action while using Slashing Grace then you have committed to these restrictions for that entire action. So you can't use two weapons, you can't flurry, and you can't let any other hand be occupied. I've been thinking that the first restriction might be relevant here: that you are limited to one weapon.
So I've been considering two example scenarios.
First, neither of your scenarios have anything to do with the question I posed in this thread. I didn't ask about handedness and Slashing Grace, I asked about whether or not you can apply Slashing Grace's benefit with thrown weapon attacks, since nothing in the rules text (or your analysis) says anything to the contrary. The question also seems to be evolving into a discussion of whether or not you can wield a thrown weapon one-handed (which you clearly can, as referenced by Two-Weapon Fighting, Distance Thrower, Snap Shot, and the samurai's last stand class feature) and whether or not a thrown melee weapon stops being a melee weapon when you throw it.
Second, you seem to be fixating on the "fighting with two weapons" verbage and are evoking its conventional meaning (Weapon A and Weapon B) rather than its game mechanics meaning (using the two-weapon fighting action or the Two-Weapon Fighting feat). Several different FAQs, including one on Two-Weapon Fighting and another on flurry of blows, have clarified that when making iterative attacks during a full-attack action, you can use any combination of attacks that you please without evoking the "fighting with two weapons" rule. "Fighting with two weapons," specifically means, "using your off-hand weapon to gain additional attacks," and as such there's nothing stopping you from using Slashing Grace with multiple weapons as long as you're not using two-weapon fighting.
two weapon fighting is a game mechanic that gets extra attacks at a penalty. fighting with two weapons is exactly what was shown in the FAQ to be possible in an iterative, thus as they have written if you attack with two different weapons it wont work
You can throw daggers with iterative attacks and Quick Draw without using two-weapon fighting. You can combine weapon attacks and natural attacks without using TWF. You can't use slashing grace with TWF or if your other hand is occupied with a shield, but you can use it while fighting with more than one long sword in a round if you drop the first one and Quick Draw another one.
two weapon fighting is a game mechanic that gets extra attacks at a penalty. fighting with two weapons is exactly what was shown in the FAQ to be possible in an iterative, thus as they have written if you attack with two different weapons it wont work
I apologize for being blunt, but you're incorrect. Here's the first FAQ that contradicts you:
You can make all of your attacks with a single monk weapon. Alternatively, you can replace any number of these attacks with an unarmed strike. This FAQ specifically changes a previous ruling made in the blog concerning this issue.
This is why Slashing Grace has to specifically disallow flurry of blows; if it didn't, then the "fighting with two weapons" clause would not apply to it.
Yes. Basically, you only incur TWF penalties if you are trying to get an extra attack per round.
Let's assume you're a 6th-level fighter (BAB +6/+1) holding a longsword in one hand and a light mace in the other. Your possible full attack combinations without using two-weapon fighting are:
(A) longsword at +6, longsword +1
(B) mace +6, mace +1
(C) longsword +6, mace +1
(D) mace +6, longsword +1
All of these combinations result in you making exactly two attacks, one at +6 and one at +1. You're not getting any extra attacks, therefore you're not using the two-weapon fighting rule, and therefore you're not taking any two-weapon fighting penalties.
If you have Quick Draw, you could even start the round wielding only one weapon, make your main attack with it, draw the second weapon as a free action after your first attack, and use that second weapon to make your iterative attack (an "iterative attack" is an informal term meaning "extra attacks you get from having a high BAB"). As long as you're properly using the BAB values for your iterative attacks, and as long as you're not exceeding the number of attacks per round granted by your BAB, you are not considered to be using two-weapon fighting, and therefore do not take any of the penalties for two-weapon fighting.
The two-weapon fighting option in the Core Rulebook specifically refers to getting an extra attack for using a second weapon in your offhand. In the above four examples, there is no extra attack, therefore you're not using two-weapon fighting.
Using the longsword/mace example, if you use two-weapon fighting you actually have fewer options than if you aren't. Your options are (ignoring the primary/off hand penalties):
(A') primary longsword at +6, primary longsword at +1, off hand mace at +6
(B') primary mace at +6, primary mace at +1, off hand longsword at +6
In other words, once you decide you're using two-weapon fighting to get that extra attack on your turn (which you have to decide before you take any attacks on your turn), that decision locks you in to the format of "my primary weapon gets my main attack and my iterative attack, and my off hand weapon only gets the extra attack, and I apply two-weapon fighting penalties."
two weapon fighting is a game mechanic that gets extra attacks at a penalty. fighting with two weapons is exactly what was shown in the FAQ to be possible in an iterative, thus as they have written if you attack with two different weapons it wont workI apologize for being blunt, but you're incorrect. Here's the first FAQ that contradicts you:
You can make all of your attacks with a single monk weapon. Alternatively, you can replace any number of these attacks with an unarmed strike. This FAQ specifically changes a previous ruling made in the blog concerning this issue.This is why Slashing Grace has to specifically disallow flurry of blows; if it didn't, then the "fighting with two weapons" clause would not apply to it.
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Yes. Basically, you only incur TWF penalties if you are trying to get an extra attack per round.
Let's assume you're a 6th-level fighter (BAB +6/+1) holding a longsword in one hand and a light mace in the other. Your possible full attack combinations without using two-weapon fighting are:
(A) longsword at +6, longsword +1
(B) mace +6, mace +1
(C) longsword +6, mace +1
(D) mace +6, longsword +1
All of these combinations result in you making exactly two attacks, one at +6 and one at +1. You're not getting any extra attacks, therefore you're not using the two-weapon fighting rule, and therefore you're not taking any two-weapon fighting penalties.
If you have Quick Draw, you could even start the round wielding only one weapon, make your main attack with it, draw the second weapon as a free action after your first
do you realize that your quotes improve my statement and show that I am correct?
Yes flurry can be done all with one weapon even though it's like 2WF so they had to specifically ban it.And your second one shows very clearly what I stated
two weapon fighting is a game mechanic that gets extra attacks at a penalty. fighting with two weapons is exactly what was shown in the FAQ to be possible in an iterative
You are clearly not using two weapon fighting, but you are clearly fighting with two weapons. It is the latter that is banned, and it includes the first. If they meant only two weapon fighting then they would have said
"You do not gain this benefit while using two weapon fighting, flurry of blows, or any time another hand is otherwise occupied."
But they said, "You do not gain this benefit while fighting with two weapons" SO if you use two weapons, manufactured or natural, then you don't gain the benefit.
You're fine to believe that you have special insight into the minds of the developers and that the Intent was only to stop 2WF but until a dev posts a statement saying that was the intent we should assume that the intent is what is written.
So in any case natural attacks, not being weapons, are allowed. As are unarmed strikes made using TWF, as long as they are kicks, el ow strikes, or attacks with the hand that just threw the dagger.
natural attacks are weapons, they just aren't manufactured weapons. and unarmed strikes are weapons as well, all unarmed strikes are weapons.
Odd then that they aren't valid targets for Magic Weapon, which targets "weapon touched".
EDIT: monk unarmed strikes are weapons, but not unarmed strikes generally. "Natural weapon" is clearly not a subset of "weapon" for MW, why would it be for anything else?
A one-handed double slashing weapon would make this even more complicated…
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Oh, no, no, no.
No Natural Attacks, Unarmed Strikes, or even switching weapons.
No snapping fingers, holding a pretty flower, gripping a rope, or flipping off the enemy.
It's one weapon, used alone, without switching weapons, even for one of the same kind, or using it with martial arts, and your other hand might as well not exist.
Hmn, you guys seem to have gotten off on a tangent, one that I'm having difficulty following.
Could you give an example of a scenario where your interpretations of how combat works differs?
Example 1: Not using Slashing Grace
A half-orc Flying Blade enters a room with one empty hand, a dagger in the other, and several more sheathed daggers in easy reach. He has a bite attack from the Toothy alternate racial trait, has the Quick Draw feat, and is sufficiently high level to have three iterative attacks. There is an enemy fighter adjacent to him, and an enemy wizard 15 feet away.
He declares a full-attack action and starts by slashing the fighter with his dagger. Then he throws the dagger at the wizard, draws a second dagger as a free action, and throws that dagger at the wizard as well. He wraps things up by biting the fighter (treating the bite as a secondary natural attack).
This seems like a straightforward, non-controversial attack round to me. Now imagine the exact same scenario where you declare that you start the full-attack by declaring that you are going to use Slashing Grace with you drawn dagger. For simplicity I am going to assume that you can use Slashing Grace when throwing, but I don't think it actually matters.
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Example 2: Using Slashing Grace
He declares a full-attack action using Slashing Grace with his drawn dagger. He starts by slashing the fighter with his dagger and, if he hits, he applies his DEX modifier to damage. Now he throws the dagger at the wizard and also apples his DEX modifier to any damage. Using Quick Draw he unsheathes a second dagger and...
Nothing.
He is using Slashing Grace, so he can't use a second weapon. That would mean that he can't use this new dagger or his bite. Once the original dagger is gone, then he can't make any more attacks that round. If he had thrown the dagger in hand as his first iterative attack, then that would be his only attack. He could make all of his iterative attacks by not throwing the dagger until the end, but then it then 'to hit' would be at its lowest level. I do think that a Blinkback Belt would fix this problem since you could just keep throwing the same dagger. Regardless, there would be no way to bite.
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That's the way I read the feat right now
So do we do a separate FAQ request for
When Slashing Grace says 'fighting with two weapons,' does it mean:
1) Two Weapon Fighting, or
2) Fighting with anything other than the one specific weapon you were wielding when you declared you were using the feat?
So do we do a separate FAQ request for
When Slashing Grace says 'fighting with two weapons,' does it mean:
1) Two Weapon Fighting, or
2) Fighting with anything other than the one specific weapon you were wielding when you declared you were using the feat?
Usually the PDT reads the entire flagged thread and makes a ruling based on that thread.
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It's a melee weapon that is being thrown. It's not making melee attacks, but it's being used as a melee weapon, because that's what it is. It's only a ranged weapon if it cannot be used to make melee attacks.
Totally don't agree with you mostly because I totally don't agree the rules quote you quoted says this.
A dagger is a melee weapon, a ranged weapon, a weapon, and an object. That means that it can be affected by things that specify any of those types.
Slashing grace allows you to apply your dexterity instead of your strength modifier to "that weapon's damage" under certain conditions. Not "melee damage" or "ranged damage", or even "that weapon's weapon damage". If you can figure out how to add your strength modifier to spell damage from a light or one-handed slashing weapon wielded in one hand, Slashing Grace lets you use your dexterity modifier instead.
Slashing Grace: In the 2nd printing errata, what exactly does it mean that “You do not gain this benefit while fighting with two weapons or using flurry of blows, or any time another hand is otherwise occupied?” Can I use a shield? What about a buckler? Can I use flurry of blows? Brawler’s flurry? Two-weapon fighting? Spell combat? Attack with natural weapons? What if I throw the weapon? What about swordmaster’s flair?
Slashing Grace does not allow most shields, but bucklers work because they don’t occupy the hand. Flurry of blows, brawler’s flurry, two-weapon fighting, and spell combat all don’t work with Slashing Grace. Attacking with natural weapons beyond the weapon you chose for Slashing Grace also does not work. Slashing Grace only works with melee attacks, not thrown attacks with a melee weapon. Swordmaster’s flair should have a sentence added to it that says “Carrying a swordmaster’s flair counts as having that hand free for the purpose of abilities that require a free hand, though you still can’t hold another object in that hand.”
h/t to Jeff Merola.
The only lingering question about this feat now is whether you can use it with weapons that are light but not slashing.