Can't see anything that says that Claw Blades are a natural weapon or receive the bonuses granted to natural weapon attacks through Feral Combat Training.
Also, you'd still need ki focus claw blades (which are technically impossible to create except for catfolk PCs) to actually use stuff like the Ki Pool extra attack at full BAB or Stunning Fist.
Can't errata a Player Companion.
Can't errata a Player Companion.
They can errata it just not FAQ it from what i understand.
Also Ascetic wouldn't work with the claw blades they aren't in the monk weapon group.
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Still won't work, as you cannot be in both styles. Still, ascetic style is probably better than dragon style and sharp claws combined.
Martial Focus feat (monk weapon group) and Weapon Style Mastery.
Also Ascetic wouldn't work with the claw blades they aren't in the monk weapon group.
No, bu they are monk weapons for catfolk monks who take the favored class option in Blood of the Beast which the OP originally mentioned.
Add 1/2 to the monk’s damage rolls with claw attacks and claw blades. A monk who selects this bonus at 1st level also treats claw blades as a monk weapon. If he is an unchained monk, he can use his style strikes with unarmed strike or claw blade attacks.
And being monk weapons, they qualify for the expanded use of Ascetic Style under the Special section:
Special: A 5th-level monk or character with the weapon training (monk) class feature can use Ascetic Style with any monk weapon, in addition to the chosen melee weapon.
(Just to be clear, I am not saying this is a good build - it's insanely feat intensive and won't come online until like level 9. But that's not what the OP asked for, so I'm just going with it.)
Can't errata a Player Companion.They can errata it just not FAQ it from what i understand.
They'd need to reprint it to do that and t that's been done once
Also Ascetic wouldn't work with the claw blades they aren't in the monk weapon group.No, bu they are monk weapons for catfolk monks who take the favored class option in Blood of the Beast which the OP originally mentioned.
Add 1/2 to the monk’s damage rolls with claw attacks and claw blades. A monk who selects this bonus at 1st level also treats claw blades as a monk weapon. If he is an unchained monk, he can use his style strikes with unarmed strike or claw blade attacks.And being monk weapons, they qualify for the expanded use of Ascetic Style under the Special section:
Special: A 5th-level monk or character with the weapon training (monk) class feature can use Ascetic Style with any monk weapon, in addition to the chosen melee weapon.There is some debate over that line and if it means Monk weapons or Monk weapon group weapons. And based on that can effect what weapons are allowed.
We now have the following:
1. Ascetic style's special line refers to the Monk Weapon Group only. Ramifications: We have a single weapon that a Monk might use that cannot be used with the style, and MoMS cannot use unconventional interactions. Edit here: We have one normal monk weapon plus any additional weapons made monk by feats or traits.
Net effect: Slim to none.
2. Ascetic Style's special line refers to the Monk special property only.
Ramifications: Knuckle Axe now usable with style MoMS can now use style interactions to use unconventional weapons as they might arise. Two weapons in the Weapon Group now only work if they are the chosen weapon.
Net Effect: Still slim to none.
Overall I can see it getting ruled either way and it's not particularly crippling either way.
Next question does anyone know if there is anyway to treat a weapon as if it were in a weapon group?
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I admit I'm not sure what the RAI is, but the RAW is pretty unequivocal. (Also, since this is clearly not a PFS character, what really matters here is what the OP's GM thinks.)
I think, assuming the rules interactions I described are accurate, you can bring the combo online at 7th level as a pure monk, as long as you take the scaled fist archetype so you can get the Dragon Style feats for free.
1st level - Weapon Focus (unarmed), Dragon Style
2nd level - I dunno, pick something. Dodge maybe.
3rd level - Ascetic Style
5th level - Martial Focus (monk weapon group)
6th level - Dragon Ferocity
7th level - Weapon Style Mastery
It kinda reads like pre-errata Feral Combat Training.
It does, but unless you try to shoehorn something in that's not there (i.e. a virtual size increase using the step system), it works just fine. Here's a list of what the feat actually does for a monk - note that you can't use Ascetic Form with Claw Blades, so you can't make the Ki Pool bonus attack with them.
Can't errata a Player Companion.They can errata it just not FAQ it from what i understand.
It's actually the other way around. Errata are tied to print runs and thus don't normally occur for softcover books. Here is the FAQ for Player Companions.
We now have the following:
1. Ascetic style's special line refers to the Monk Weapon Group only.
Nope. There is an official rule for what constitutes a "monk weapon" in the Core Rulebook (pg. 145): "Monk: A monk weapon can be used by a monk to perform a flurry of blows (see Chapter 3)." It's even listed in the index under "monk weapon". So yeah, RAW the special line checks for the monk weapon property, not the weapon group.
Weapon groups are defined as follows
Monk:...
Ascetic style:
Choose one weapon from the monk fighter weapon group.
character with the weapon training (monk) class
So it talks about weapons in the monk weapon group, references weapon training in that weapon training group. But when it opens up to use more weapons it's not using the group it's talked about in the feat up until this point?
Clearly for this feat monk weapon is a weapon in the monk weapon group.
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Eh, I was speaking specifically about the "monk weapon means monk weapon except here where it means monk weapon group" etc. Lots of apparent disagreement on the "special" lines of the style feats. No clear answer, no eratta, and no need for one as its for a home game. Hence, ask the dm what it means. But if we must have it here as well, so be it.
"Martial Focus feat (monk weapon group) and Weapon Style Mastery."
Bad choice. Clawblades are not in the monk weapon group. They are not in any group. Claws are in the Natural group I think, that might work better.
Claw blades aren't in the monk weapon group, but Unarmed is, and Ascetic Style means that any feat that boosts your unarmed strike boosts your selected weapon.
Yes but only if it applies you can't qualify for Claw blades on the feat itself they can only work with a FCB and only on one of the 2 interpretations of the special line.
Fact 1: There are two places in the CRB where the term "monk weapon" is used: Page 57, the Monk's class entry, and page 145, what I quoted above.
Fact 2: The CRB's index lists these two pages under "monk weapons".
Fact 3: The term "monk weapon" does not appear in the Fighter's description (including the weapon groups).
Fact 4: Ascetic Style's special line notably uses a different language than the benefits section.
Fact 5: AS's special line uses a wording that's a prexisting game term.
I say RAW are clear and work fine, so there's no reason not to us them. It even makes sense to allow corner cases like this.
I had worked on similar for a home game, trying to make use of the claw attack rule bits for catfolk monks, but ultimately discarded it all seeing I was jumping through multiple hoops to bring my claw attacks up to par with unarmed strike damage, which was decidedly worse than just two handing a temple sword or sansetsukon.
Same here - the problem is that there isn't much gain. The damage increase from the FCB is less than the bonus from two-handing, and loosing the Ki Pool bonus attack hurts a lot. Two feats for Claw Pounce doesn't really wow me when at that time Flying Kick already has 30ft range (+10 the very next level).
I had the idea was to use Cornugon Smash, Hurtful, and Shatter Defenses, but the feat cost is just to high.The only reason to use claws that I see is: a) Your GM is an ass and disallows Ascetic Style (in which case you should show him that cats are predators and donkeys are prey), b) you want to use Weapon Finesse, and c) your GM allows you equip claw blades post transformation on a Nimble Guardian (they are made to fit cat claws, after all).
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Well, let's see here. Starting stats, with 20 point buy: Str 16, Dex 12 (+2), Con 13, Int 10, Wis 12 (-2), Cha 13 (+2). At 10th level, assuming a +4 belt, a +2 headband, and a set of +3 claw blades, we're looking at:
Attack +19 (1d4+20) and +19/+14 (1d4+17)
That's not record-breaking or anything, but it's pretty solid. If the idea is "I want to play a catfolk monk who fights with their claw blades," you'll be able to fulfill your assigned duties at the table with that mix.