Monks of 4th level or higher cant take Vow of Poverty

[Kris Strife]

Vow of Poverty states you cant have a magical item in your possession, but a monk (the class given in the BoED example) has unarmed strikes that count as magical.

[sonofzeal]

Vow of Poverty states you cant have a magical item in your possession, but a monk (the class given in the BoED example) has unarmed strikes that count as magical.
....for the purposes of overcoming damage resistance.

[Myou]

Vow of Poverty states you cant have a magical item in your possession, but a monk (the class given in the BoED example) has unarmed strikes that count as magical.

His body does not count as an item.

[Kris Strife]

....for the purposes of overcoming damage resistance.

Hush you... And fine, the Kensai PrC cant use VoP.

This thread is not meant to be serious, though I'm sure at least 1 DM has tried this)

[SoD]

Vow of Poverty states you cant have a magical item in your possession, but a monk (the class given in the BoED example) has unarmed strikes that count as magical.

Yes, they count as magical. Why do they count as magical? Because they wouldn't need to count as magical unless they were magical. The book doesn't say they are magical, because they're not, they only count as magic.

[Curmudgeon]

Magic Item Basics

Magic items are divided into categories: armor, weapons, potions, rings, rods, scrolls, staffs, wands, and wondrous items. Creatures with class levels do not fall into any of these categories; here's the glossary definition (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/glossary&term=Glossary_dnd_creature&alpha=C)
creature

A living or otherwise active being, not an object. The terms "creature" and "character" are sometimes used interchangeably.

[Kurald Galain]

Vow of Poverty states you cant have a magical item in your possession, but a monk (the class given in the BoED example) has unarmed strikes that count as magical.

I suppose that means that Warforged can't take VOP, because they technically are items that own themselves? :smallwink:

[Kris Strife]

I suppose that means that Warforged can't take VOP, because they technically are items that own themselves? :smallwink:

Exactly! And I think theyre magically animated to boot! Finally, someone gets into the spirit of the thread

[Quietus]

I may be mistaken, but if you follow this to the end of its own claim, a character with Vow of Poverty and above a certain level automatically loses his Vow of Poverty - because they gain a +1 bonus on all attacks and damage as if they were using a +1 weapon.

[Kylarra]

I may be mistaken, but if you follow this to the end of its own claim, a character with Vow of Poverty and above a certain level automatically loses his Vow of Poverty - because they gain a +1 bonus on all attacks and damage as if they were using a +1 weapon.At 4th level. :smallwink: I mean if we take it out of context in the same way...

in effect, any weapon the character uses becomes a +1 magic weapon

it clearly has the same ramifications outlined in the OP! :smalleek:

[Keld Denar]

Does it matter much since anyone with more than 2 brain cells to rub together wouldn't take VoP? What a big steaming pile of T-Rex leftovers...

[The Rose Dragon]

Does it matter much since anyone with more than 2 brain cells to rub together wouldn't take VoP? What a big steaming pile of T-Rex leftovers...

Unless you're playing in one of my campaigns, in which case every character will kill* to get it.

*Not literally, since they still have to be Exalted.

[monty]

Does it matter much since anyone with more than 2 brain cells to rub together wouldn't take VoP? What a big steaming pile of T-Rex leftovers...

Well, some people like to play characters for flavor, rather than optimization. Like that time I played a swordsage who wore nothing but a pair of pants (and the rest of the party had to fight for that much). He died two sessions later, but it was still fun to play, and not noticeably underpowered.

[theMycon]

So, if a monk gets the Holy enchantment on his attacks, does that mean an evil character grappling him gains a negative level?

[Sstoopidtallkid]

So, if a monk gets the Holy enchantment on his attacks, does that mean an evil character grappling him gains a negative level?That depends on how the heck he's doing that. The standard Monk inability to get weapon enchants on their best attack is one of the prime weaknesses of the class.

[monty]

That depends on how the heck he's doing that. The standard Monk inability to get weapon enchants on their best attack is one of the prime weaknesses of the class.

Kensai, or arguably a Necklace of Natural Weapons.

[Chronos]

Does it matter much since anyone with more than 2 brain cells to rub together wouldn't take VoP? What a big steaming pile of T-Rex leftovers...Vow of Poverty is either an incredibly underpowered feat (one of the worst in the game) or an incredibly powerful feat (second only to Leadership), depending on why you're taking it. If your approach is "I want power. I know; I'll take Vow of Poverty instead of items to give me more power", then yes, it sucks. On the other hand, if your approach is "I want to play a character without items. But playing a character without items in D&D sucks; I'd just drag my party down", then Vow of Poverty is a huge help, because it turns that character from "sucks so bad that it ruins the game for everyone else" to "just barely viable", which is a bigger jump in power than almost any other feat.

In other words, the choice isn't items or VoP; it's no items and no VoP or no items and VoP. Of those choices, the Vow is clearly the better option.

[VirOath]

Kensai, or arguably a Necklace of Natural Weapons.

There are two easy ways of dealing with it ontop of these, though these require some talking with the DM about.

First is adding leather gloves to the game under weapons. Counts as an Unarmed Strike, can be masterworked, wearing them takes the Gloves bodyslot and requires a full round action to change.

-A pair of thin leather gloves without fingers.


Second way is 'borrowing' from the EQD20 game. They thought ahead and actually gave Monks magic weapons that counted as Unarmed strike


Yeah, not RAW. But sure as heck RAI, the way I see it.

[Fixer]

I suddenly had the amusing idea of putting an invisible pearl of the sirines on the sleeping VoP monk and watching them wonder why their VoP powers no longer work... Since, according to the OP, the description says they cannot possess an item.

Of course, this is BS. The description of VoP does NOT state they cannot have a magic item in their possession. It says they cannot OWN, USE or BORROW an item with above a certain value (which I think is 10gp or something). They can carry an item which does not benefit them (if an ally needed their help, for example, to carry something for a short duration). They can have an item used on them by another player (staff of curing on the VoP character used by someone else). If someone offered them a potion they couldn't drink it, but if they were fed the potion (due to being unconscious or tied up or something and unable to resist) it wouldn't break the vow.

The purpose of the vow is to forgo material possessions and the benefits they offer. It is a vow of self-sacrifice that must be 'true' in order to work. If a character who has taken a VoP attempts to circumvent the vow but doesn't actually break it, they should receive some warning from the powers that be (maybe some of their VoP powers don't work for a while) to remind them of the whole point behind the vow.