Do Monks need a free hand to attack or flurry?

[Dire Ursus]

Flurry of Blows states: "You can attack rapidly with fists, feet, elbows, knees, and other unarmed attacks. You gain the Flurry of Blows action."

I can see how a GM would rule that you would need a free hand to use something like Tiger Stance, or Wolf Stance. But Dragon Stance in particular calls out using powerful leg strikes. Does that mean a monk could flurry with say a shield in one hand and a potion in the other while in Dragon stance?

[PossibleCabbage]

A monk can make unarmed strikes with any part of their body.

Certain style strikes require a specific part of the body. For example, Dragon Tail attacks are "leg strikes" and you could not use them if your legs were not free. Tiger Claw and Wolf Jaw attacks require use of at least one hand, so you could not use those if your arms are bound. At least, that's how I see it.

[prototype00]

Tiger is actually kinda restrictive. Tiger Slash requires BOTH hands to perform. (So no shields)

[PossibleCabbage]

One thing I'm trying to understand is "what on earth are falling rock strikes"? Other stances tend to specify what part of the body you're using or correspond to real-world or cinematic styles approximately.

[prototype00]

PossibleCabbage wrote:

One thing I'm trying to understand is "what on earth are falling rock strikes"? Other stances tend to specify what part of the body you're using or correspond to real-world or cinematic styles approximately.

RAW, anything apparently. Heavy Shoulders, short front kicks to the shins, vicious backhands, falling elbow drops.

Mountain, for all that it is imitating rock, is remarkably free-style..

[PossibleCabbage]

I guess "the only strikes you can make are falling rock strikes" is thus because "all the strikes you could possibly make count as falling rock strikes."

It's a little harder to justify why you can only make crane wing attacks in crane style, since IRL Fujian White Crane style involves fingertip strikes, wrist strikes, and kicks. I guess "those are all crane wing attacks" since just the stance is about balance, which comes at the cost of being able to put a lot of power behind your strikes.

[Perpdepog]

I usually imagine Falling Rock Strikes as being something akin to a hammer blow, swinging your fists down like they were actual falling rocks, or like you were chopping wood with a hatchet. I find it a bit difficult to imagine Falling Rock Strikes being made with legs given the stance's emphasis on standing rooted on the ground and being basically immovable.

[The Wraith]

PossibleCabbage wrote:

One thing I'm trying to understand is "what on earth are falling rock strikes"?

Bud Spencer's hammer fists to the enemy's shoulders and head.