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Malacode
2008-12-30, 02:40 AM
I'm playing a Wendigo Barbarian (Well, there are actually five classes involved, but Barbarian is easier to say) who uses his fists rather than a manufactured weapon. One level of monk JSYK. I was wondering if there was a way of getting various magical effects onto my unarmed damage without losing the 3d8 I've already got. So my question is this: What equipment (Not feats or classes, I'd really not do another build from the ground up) and spells can help me out here? I remember reading something about a glove that can have spells cast into it or something, but I'm not sure if that's applicable in this situation.

Edit: Can you enchant an item with True Strike? *Doesn't have ANY books at the mo, has terrible memory*

Curmudgeon
2008-12-30, 03:10 AM
What you want is a Necklace of Natural Attacks, from Savage Species and also here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fc/20060707a) at the bottom of the page. You can add all the weapon enhancements you want.

Malacode
2008-12-30, 03:15 AM
Hey, that's perfect! Thanks, I'll definitely use that. (Hmm... Only a Monks FISTS are treated as natural weapons, IIRC... No adding this damage to my Snap Kick. Oh well, that's what One-Two Punch is for!)

Curmudgeon
2008-12-30, 03:25 AM
No, all parts of a Monk are used for their unarmed attack (their single natural attack).
Unarmed Attacks

Striking for damage with punches, kicks, and head butts ... And you can also make a Snap Kick with any unarmed strike -- even a head butt!

Malacode
2008-12-30, 03:55 AM
*grin* Awesome. Ok, a full attack with this guy, using benefits from Leap Attack (Meaning I have to be charging), Pounce, Rend, Flurry, Snap Kick and One-Two Punch while Raging is... 20,20,20,20,15,10 each doing 4 (Leap attack) + 1 1/2 STR (Rend, and +18 thanks to Bear Warrior) + 3d8 + 1d6 cold... Heeheehee. This at level 16 is just, well, cool. What's more is he can do it every round with a DC 16 Jump check to jump the ten feet straight up required by Leap Attack (Or even just a normal charge). 'Course, that provokes an AoO, but eh. Now I add a few enchantments to my +1 Amulet of Natural Attack. *cue maniacal laughter*

The image of a half-wolf jumping up and down on someone while pummeling them with every (And I mean every) appendage is something I'll probably never forget

Superglucose
2008-12-30, 04:38 AM
Max AB is 20 at level 16? Good luck hitting, well, anything. Starting at cr 13 you're hitting only on natural 20s. (http://forums.gleemax.com/showpost.php?p=12991290&postcount=7)

KKL
2008-12-30, 04:44 AM
RIP OFF YOUR RIGHT ARM (OR LEFT, IF THATS WHAT YOU REALLY WANT) AND REPLACE IT WITH A BATTLEFIST FROM SOMETHING OF EBERRON

IT INCREASES YOUR UNARMED ATTACK DIE BY ONE SIZE. YES, YOUR HEADBUTTS ARE POWERED BY YOUR ARM TOO, AS IS YOUR KICKING.

I forget the penalties for the graft, but they're generally not that severe at all I think. Also, do it anyways, since you have a metal arm.

Clothesline!

Malacode
2008-12-30, 05:10 AM
Yeah, but that's before any magic or equipment, other than the Amulet. I'm happy with it, at any rate

Edit: Increases unarmed DAMAGE or unarmed DIE? The first is an increase from 3d8 to 4d8, but the second to 3d10. It doesn't fit with the DM's houserules or the character concept either way, but still, interesting

EDITEDIT: I'm an idiot. It's 4d8 either way *slaps self*

Telonius
2008-12-30, 08:42 AM
Regarding True Strike - yes, you can do it. But it's extraordinarily expensive. The mythical "Ring of True Strike (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20050118a)" costs about 400,000gp. What you could do is make a Wondrous Item that granted the effect x/day, and that would be cheaper.

Darrin
2008-12-30, 08:54 AM
Hey, that's perfect! Thanks, I'll definitely use that. (Hmm... Only a Monks FISTS are treated as natural weapons, IIRC... No adding this damage to my Snap Kick. Oh well, that's what One-Two Punch is for!)

You can also use a gauntlet, which can be enchanted as a weapon but still uses your unarmed strike damage. The downside is you can't flurry with a gauntlet because it isn't a special monk weapon. You can fix that by picking up the Unorthodox Flurry feat (Dragon Compendium, p. 109) to designate any light weapon as a special monk weapon. Another drawback is you would have to attack with the hand wearing the gauntlet, so you couldn't carry something else there (such as a secondary weapon, shield, etc.) or try to claim you are using a foot/head/elbow as an unarmed strike. However, you could still use Snap Kick since the feat doesn't specifically say you're using a kick, just an unarmed strike, and the gauntlet should still count for that.

Another option would be Dragonfang Gauntlets (MIC, p. 95). 8610 GP, +2 enhancement to strength, and improved sunder 3/day. If you have Improved Unarmed Strike, you can bypass DR/magic and use your unarmed strike damage instead of spiked gauntlet damage. They are treated as masterwork spiked gauntlets, and although they don't have any enhancement bonus or weapon abilities, you could probably enchant them further if you wanted to.

Another good way to increase your unarmed strike damage is the Fist of the Forest PrC (Complete Champion). Only 3 levels, and it increases your unarmed strike damage twice.

The best way to increase your unarmed strike damage is to increase your size. Improved Natural Attack is one of the easier ways. Superior Unarmed Strike may also help, although if you already have monk levels it may not be able to scale up your strike damage by character level. There's also a soulmeld, Totem Avatar (Magic of Incarnum, p. 91), that can increase your unarmed strike damage and stacks with Improved Natural Attack, but it requires at least two feats (Shape Soulmeld and Open Lesser Chakra) and isn't available until 12th level. If you pick up a Touchstone feat (Planar Handbook or Sandstorm), there's a Touchstone location, Sunken City of Pazar, that allows you attack as if you were one size larger, but the effects don't stack, and it's limited to 1 min/day.

If you have a spellcaster handy with Craft Wondrous Item, see if they'll make you a "belt of enlarge person" or something similar. By the book, a command word activated item with unlimited uses of enlarge person should only cost 1800 GP (1 minute duration when activated). Avoid the Belt of Growth in the MIC, 3000 GP for 3/day is a ripoff.

Malacode
2008-12-30, 09:01 AM
Already got FoF (Mostly for the Con to AC, but the Unarmed damage increase was definitely a factor), but the rest of the stuff is new to me. And we do have a wizard in the pary, one with manymany craft feats. The Imp Nat and Imp Unarmed are already there too... But that soulemeld is certainly interesting, as is the equipment you've listed. Thanks!

PinkysBrain
2008-12-30, 09:02 AM
Custom magic items are outside of the rules IMO (controversial opinion, but I think most DMs are going to agree ... even from the ones who allow a character like yours). That said, I would personally allow standard action activated items of true strike and even swift action activated items of true strike (priced as if it's a 5th level spell, to include the quicken effect).

PS. I think all the baddies with limited use items of swift activated true strike you would run into all the time might change your mind about how smart it is to ask for custom magic items though.

Darrin
2008-12-30, 09:13 AM
Regarding True Strike - yes, you can do it. But it's extraordinarily expensive. The mythical "Ring of True Strike (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20050118a)" costs about 400,000gp. What you could do is make a Wondrous Item that granted the effect x/day, and that would be cheaper.

For True Strike... the sticking point there is it's usually a standard action to activate, so wasting a round of attacks to get +20 usually isn't worth it. If you have to have it... Glove of the Master Strategist (Ghostwalk, p. 71) has true strike 1/day, and can be used as a Glove of Storing for a very affordable 3600 GP.

No DM with any shred of sanity should let you create an unlimited use-activated true strike item... but even x/day is probably going to be expensive. Still, might not hurt to ask... not sure how you'd price x/day, though.

Another option might be adding the pseudonatural template on yourself for true strike 1/day (and maybe some SR), but it still takes a standard action to activate a supernatural ability.

Malacode
2008-12-30, 09:18 AM
Pseudonatural, eh? That's in Lord of Madness, which I have. I like this idea, i like this idea a lot.... The SR on it's own is cool (As I think I'm the only one in the party still without any), but the True Strike is just awesome. Though the 1/day and 1 sa to use is a little bit of a letdown, it's still pretty cool

PinkysBrain
2008-12-30, 09:47 AM
There are a couple of ways artificers can get quickened true strikes out of wands (some controversial, but there is also a completely raw way) and there is a bracelet which lets you share spells in the DMG2 ... so with the leadership feat you could get a lot of quickened true strikes.

But then ... there is very little an artificer can't do :)

Darrin
2008-12-30, 10:02 AM
Pseudonatural, eh? That's in Lord of Madness, which I have. I like this idea, i like this idea a lot.... The SR on it's own is cool (As I think I'm the only one in the party still without any), but the True Strike is just awesome. Though the 1/day and 1 sa to use is a little bit of a letdown, it's still pretty cool

Unfortunately, there's no Level Adjustment listed for Pseudonatural... although if you just eyeball it, it's not quite as powerful as Celestial/Fiendish, so somewhere around +1 LA would probably work.