In This thread, it was brought up that you couldn't flurry with most monk weapons.
But this was back in December. I have searched and have come up with nothing.
Is the class expected to use Martial Flexibility or something to gain weapon proficiency to flurry with monk weapons?
It was suggested in the above thread to take a level in Unarmed Fighter.
I have been on the boards long enough that a FAQ requires a lot of people to ask questions but I have only seen the one thread and no one recently has posted about this.
In December people didn't have an answer for this one and I was wondering if a FAQ could be made for this.
Brawler's Flurry Starting at 2nd level, a brawler can make a brawler's flurry as a full-attack action. When doing so, a brawler has the Two-Weapon Fighting feat when attacking with any combination of unarmed strikes, weapons from the close fighter weapon group, or weapons with the "monk" special feature.
Yes, if a brawler wanted to flurry with a monk weapon that is not in the fighter close weapon group, they would need to take proficiency in it first (or just suffer a big penalty).
You get a lot of the light monk weapons since they are also close... but yes, you are missing a lot of nice 2 handed options.
Honestly, taking a level in unarmed fighter does not seem worth it. I mean...how often do you use most of your proficiencies? Do you honestly need the axe knuckle, the kama, or the deer horn knife?
There are only a few monk weapons you would actually want to use mechanically (you might miss out on nunchaku and sais though thematically). Typically a 2 handable one that can be made of special materials would cover all you are missing. A dip into core monk would cover that. Heck, a dip into a class with martial weapons would give you the 9 ring sword and the Sansetsukon (which mechanically, seems way better than temple sword with larger dice and bludgeoning).
I know it might seem odd that there are a wide number of exotic monk weapons no one will ever really use... but lets be honest here... that is the nature of most exotic weapons. There are a couple with nice crit stats, or maybe a single weird trick (BBEGS HATE HIM!) that you may take- MAYBE.... and the rest are forgotten. Heck, that is the nature of many simple and martial weapons too (how many trident builds have you played?)
I know it might seem odd that there are a wide number of exotic monk weapons no one will ever really use... but lets be honest here... that is the nature of most exotic weapons. There are a couple with nice crit stats, or maybe a single weird trick (BBEGS HATE HIM!) that you may take- MAYBE.... and the rest are forgotten. Heck, that is the nature of many simple and martial weapons too (how many trident builds have you played?)
This is sadly true. Exotic weapons are mostly a dumping ground of eastern or other cultural weapons with very little to justify spending a feat. Even classes that get free proficiency with some of them never use them. For example, I've only had a monk player use a siangham once, and that was because they wanted to force me to figure out and describe what it was.
Yeah...there are 2 handed options available to brawlers. But... they can end up ebing a bit silly.
Bayonets when you never intend to use a gun or crossbow (who uses those without 5 levels into some kind of gunslinger?)...I actually tried to think of a character written around a bayonet user that didn't realize what a gun was and just thought it was a weird heavy spear (reason why- inherited from a father that died killing a dragon after he targeted its touch ac with it... the kid got the wrong idea since she never saw the thing used).
And using just a shield...although, admittedly, some forms of dueling shields basically look like spears with a large shield cover stapled to one side (just google dueling shield, it shouldn't be hard to find images of them EDIT- here is a good example from a manuel... be warned- it is very much in use).
Admittedly, temple sword and Sansetsukon can still be mechanically better due to crits and such.
I will admit though- you are not entirely starved for options even without dips or martial flexibility.
So it sounds like Brawler's flurry is broken but there are work arounds. Basically no change from December (the linked thread).
So it sounds like Brawler's flurry is broken but there are work arounds. Basically no change from December (the linked thread).
Oh, nothing is wrong with brawler's flurry at all. As a class feature on its own, it is perfectly fine and functional. You can use a monk weapon in a flurry, and it works perfectly well.
This is just a plain simple proficiencies thing. The brawler has relatively bare bones proficiencies. And you, like the vast majority of characters, are not proficient in most monk weapons. A small, somewhat functional selection are in simple weapons (which almost everyone gets- quarterstaff, cestus, etc.), and after that you would have to look for other ways to get proficiencies if it really mattered that much to you.
But as we said...it doesn't make that much of a difference really. Most of the monk weapons you do not get are the weird ones that you would most likely never ask for if they weren't listed as potential options (deer horn knives, siangham) and they offer little mechanically. For mechanical staples...you have options from simple and close weapons, although they can seem a bit silly.
And this whole discussion changes if quarterstaves can be made of special metals (they are describe as being made of wood in CRB, but there are AP with mithral ones, and various sources describing ones made of metal- it is shaky). If you can get a silver/cold iron/adamantine one, then it has all it needs to fill the passable, non silly 2 hander available from level 1 for brawlers. After that, all monk weapons are just gravy that improve you crit, or add special properties.