I think what they want is to force you to use a full-round action, but they don't want to say "as a full-round action, you may style strike" because that would make it exclusive with flurry. So, must be part of a flurry, which is its own full-round action.
Or maybe they want the flurry restrictions on weapons to apply (UAS and monk weapons only) so you don't style strike with a greatsword.
Either way, you're reading correctly, you cannot make a style strike as a standard action.
Well, one option is an additional attack, and you're not about to get a free attack on a standard action - even a nerfed one.
One of the other options helps with the issue main of flurry - movement. That's another reason.
It doesn't feel like that big a deal to me. Using some on AoOs, for maneuvers/conditions, sure. But some wouldn't be appropriate either.
I could maybe see a case-by-case thing, but I'm not convinced it is worth it.
Do you have a specific problem in mind ?
Possibly/maybe? I'll have to look at the style strikes.
The main two you need to keep an eye on are
Hammerblow: The monk links his hands together, swinging both arms like a club and dealing tremendous damage. If the attack hits, the monk rolls his unarmed strike damage twice, adding both rolls together before applying Strength and other modifiers to the damage. This bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit. The monk must attack with a fist to use this style strike, but must have both hands free.
You'll need to decide how you want that extra damage dice to interact with Vital Strike is it just added to the total or is it treated as the base before adding VS.
Shattering Punch: The monk delivers a brutal punch that can penetrate defenses. If the attack hits, it bypasses any damage reduction or hardness possessed by the target of that attack. The monk must attack with a fist to use this style strike.
Being able to use this as an attack action is going to make it really easy to stay on top of things and just ignore their DR even worse with vital strike damage on top of that.
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Shattering Punch (...) Being able to use this as an attack action is going to make it really easy to stay on top of things and just ignore their DR even worse with vital strike damage on top of that.
This is factually wrong. It's a common misconceptions, but things that only affect one attack per round aren't actually better when using Vital Strike.
Unless the DR is so high that normal attack don't do any damage (or only on a good damage roll), Shattering Punch has the exact same benefit with Flurry as with Vital Strike: The value of DR as effective bonus damage, once per round. For instance, against DR 15, Shattering Punch increases that round's average damage done by 15 for either style. An unarmed buld could also simply use Pummeling Style to ignore all DR.
I'd let him count Hammerblow as the base damage for Vital Strike. VS is bad on almost every character, but unMonk is about the least suited full BAB class to use Vital Strike.
Seriously, that character will suck. He needs every bone you can throw him. You might think about offering him VS and iVS as monk bonus feat options at 6th and 10th level, respectively. Maybe even create a custom unMonk archetype that turns the bonus attacks from Flurry into bonus damage instead.
Shattering Punch (...) Being able to use this as an attack action is going to make it really easy to stay on top of things and just ignore their DR even worse with vital strike damage on top of that.This is factually wrong. It's a common misconceptions, but things that only affect one attack per round aren't actually better when using Vital Strike.
Unless the DR is so high that normal attack don't do any damage (or only on a good damage roll), Shattering Punch has the exact same benefit with Flurry as with Vital Strike: The value of DR as effective bonus damage, once per round. For instance, against DR 15, Shattering Punch increases that round's average damage done by 15 for either style. An unarmed buld could also simply use Pummeling Style to ignore all DR.
I'd let him count Hammerblow as the base damage for Vital Strike. VS is bad on almost every character, but unMonk is about the least suited full BAB class to use Vital Strike.
Seriously, that character will suck. He needs every bone you can throw him. You might think about offering him VS and iVS as monk bonus feat options at 6th and 10th level, respectively. Maybe even create a custom unMonk archetype that turns the bonus attacks from Flurry into bonus damage instead.
Except that in the Flurry only one attack gets the bonus from Shattering Punch not every strike meaning that DR 15 against 2 or 3 hits means that 15-30 damage is getting negated from the flurry string if all hit. Where as the Vs build wouldn't have a huge amount of static buffs but all their dice make it through the one hit.
Except that in the Flurry only one attack gets the bonus from Shattering Punch not every strike meaning that DR 15 against 2 or 3 hits means that 15-30 damage is getting negated from the flurry string if all hit. Where as the Vs build wouldn't have a huge amount of static buffs but all their dice make it through the one hit.
Completely irrelevant. We aren't comparing how much damage the DR prevents, but how much Shattering Punch reduces that amount.
Let's say the Flurry build does 25 damage per attack, 3 attacks. The VS build does 40 damage. Both face DR 15. Let's presume all attacks hit for the sake of the argument.
Flurry does 3*(25-15)=3*10=30 damage. With Shattering Punch, Flurry does 25+2*(25-15)=25+20=45 damage, that's 15 more.
VS does 40-15=25 damage. With Shattering Punch, VS does 40 damage, that's also 15 more!
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Also wouldn't making hammerblow the new base damage dice for vital strike to work off of make the unchained monk the best vital striker in the game or is that title reserved for the blood rager with their Blooded Arcane Strike feat?
Well, first, it's only unarmed, so the damage starts similar to other options (large bastard sword does 2d8 same as a 7th level hammerblow, and butchering axe starts with 3d6, just 0.5 average damage below of the 2d10 a hammerblow of 8th to 11th level does).
And second, such a Monk is lacking supporting class features. So many unMonk class features are based on multiple attacks - Flurry, Elemental Fury, Ki Hurricane, Flying Kick, the bonus ki attack - that I think it only fair.Cave Druids, Barbarians with Furious Finish, Warpriests with Greater Weapon of the Chosen and probably others I forget can make powerful Vital Strikes without giving up half their class features.
I don't really have a ranking of Vital Strike builds lying around, though. All I can say is that such an unMonk is still way weaker than a regular one.
Damn, you are very helpful, no matter what thread you post in.
My dear, sweet child. That's what I do. It's what I live for. To help unfortunate forumfolk, like yourself; poor souls with no one else to turn to.
My dear, sweet child. That's what I do. It's what I live for. To help unfortunate forumfolk, like yourself; poor souls with no one else to turn to.
Poor, unfortunate souls, yes?
I suppose the player could do the opposite and use their modified save as their default answer. "My save is 20, unless it's not an illusion effect."
Resurrection! Does this mean MoMS can't use style strikes because they trade out flurry?
Edit: clarification.
UnMonk is not allowed to take Monk archetypes unless otherwise specified. Only the 14 archetypes on this list are aviable to unMonk, all of which were released after Unchained.
Apart form that, yes, even if your GM lets you take MoMS for unMonk, you couldn't use Styles Strikes (barring multiclassing into Sacred Fist). MoMS has the same issue with the bonus attack form spending a ki point, by the way (the archetype retains that ability, but can't use it).
To be fair, and its not the strictest RAW, but given how the ki ability for ninja lets them gain the extra attack on any full attack, you probably should be able to use the ki ability for MoMS, as for a regular monk, they have no reason to be full attacking not as a Flurry but, which is just giving them additional attacks and BAB anyway, but as a MoMS, your full attack isn't a flurry.