Does it seem odd to anybody else that Monks have to take a feat to get access to Crit weapon effects? While all the other martial classes essentially get it for free?
Rangers, Fighters, Barbs, Champions just get their effect for free from class features.
Rangers get it vs their Hunted Prey at lvl 5.
Fighters get it with every wep they have Master prof with, at lvl 5.
Barbs get it with every wep they can use while raging, at lvl 5.
Champions get it as an extra rider on their Blade Ally, at lvl 5.
Monks can get it at lvl 2 if they use a Feat to take Brawling Focus, and that's all the Feat does.
Clerics and Bards, get crit effects for free at lvl 7,13
So Monk's, the masters of unarmed combat, have to take a feat to get something that every other martial class + Bards? gets for free.
It's weird to me, not sure why Monks just didn't get "you gain weapon crit spec in brawling attacks" attached to their weapon expertise. Could even give it a restriction of only when using an attack granted via a Stance if it needs a limiter.
That is... Weird. I don't know why it wasn't given to monk. Odd that. The chance at slowing your enemy on a crit doesn't seem that broken to give the monk, especially considering the wide variety of Crit Effects that Fighters can gain access to.
Does it seem odd to anybody else that Monks have to take a feat to get access to Crit weapon effects? While all the other martial classes essentially get it for free?
Rangers, Fighters, Barbs, Champions just get their effect for free from class features.
Rangers get it vs their Hunted Prey at lvl 5.
Fighters get it with every wep they have Master prof with, at lvl 5.
Barbs get it with every wep they can use while raging, at lvl 5.
Champions get it as an extra rider on their Blade Ally, at lvl 5.
Monks can get it at lvl 2 if they use a Feat to take Brawling Focus, and that's all the Feat does.]
It's not weird at all.
1. Monks are getting access to Crit specialization at level 2. No one else gets it until level 5. Obviously Paizo thinks that's part of the fair trade. Get it 3 levels earlier, but you have to pay for it.
2. Paizo would probably argue that because it is a feat, you don't have to have it on your build if you don't think it's worth it and consequently, it could also be argued that the absence of auto crit spec, opened the door for Paizo to grant Monk the lvl 5 increase to Perception. Given that the crit spec for Brawling is not the compelling, there's a solid argument this works to the Monk's benefit.
So one way to look at it is that you avoid an arguably mediocre crit benefit and get a boost to Initiative instead. If you really want the Crit Spec, it's there 3 levels earlier. That feels very PF2, to me.
I'd argue that since brawling crit spec is not compelling and crits are inherently unreliable forcing Monks to take a feat to get it is poor design. Getting them 3 levels earlier doesn't change anything, Monks are still getting the same % of crits regardless of level since it doesn't change the math.
No other class that gets access to crit effects has to waste a specific feat to get them. Since they're unreliable it makes sense to have them be part of normal progression like other classes.
It's more useful for Monks using Monastic Weaponry, but for just punching things it's a terrible feat. It's made more terrible by the fact that it's on the same tier as Stunning Fist which is actually good.
If it was traded out for getting a bonus to Perception that's not as bad, the feat itself is just so lackluster. Monks have to take a feat to get crit spec in unarmed strikes, while Barbs and Fighters just get it for existing, whose the actual master of unarmed combat?
Am I missing something about champion critical specialization?
Don't they unlock it by lvl 3 with divine blade perk?
oh shit that is level 3 not 5! Sadly can't edit.
Maybe starting by lvl 5, but only while using a stance.
Yea that would match the other martials more closely.
Just add
"you gain the Brawling group crit effect when using an Unarmed Strike granted via a Stance"
To the class feature giving expert wep prof.
As is the feat seems tremendously weak unless you're a Monastic weps Monk and even in that case it's only marginally better.
Just not sure how 5% chance to Slow 1, is comparable to the "55% chance to make enemy have to pass a Fort save or be Stunned 1, Stunned 3 on crit fail"
Stunning Fist is so much better there's no reason to take Brawling Focus over it.
No other class that gets access to crit effects has to waste a specific feat to get them.
Not entirely true. The Barbarian is the only class that gets innate access to unarmed crit specializations. Anyone else who wants to fight unarmed has to pay into it, specifically with this feat.
I'd argue that the Champion is having to use a feat. A Champion gets one shot at getting a weapon crit benefit and it comes at the cost of a Steed Ally or a Shield Ally. The Champion doesn't get to go back and pick it up at a later level.
That's mostly true. The Champion can take Second Ally at level 8 to pick up Blade Ally.
The crit effects for the most part are kind of disappointing to me. I feel like it was an opportunity to do a lot more but they are kind of minimal. Also I think monks should of got like style specific ones.