Unarmed Swordsage and Monk PrCs

[umbergod]

Have an interesting concept for a PbP game a friend is going to be running, which makes use of the Enlightened Fist PrC from CA, using primarily sorcerer levels, with a single level of monk, unless unarmed swordsage grants IUS. Is there a clear RAW where the variant gets IUS or is that left to the interpretation of the DM?

[Aegis013]

The variant rule doesn't have explicit details, so it is left to interpretation/agreement between DM and player. I believe it is typically assumed that an Unarmed Swordsage has Improved Unarmed Strike.

[umbergod]

Well thats good, if only because I like the ToB maneuvers. However, if the DM doesn't go with it, I guess 1 level in Monk at first isn't that terrible, and its a good saves booster lol

[Darrin]

Have an interesting concept for a PbP game a friend is going to be running, which makes use of the Enlightened Fist PrC from CA, using primarily sorcerer levels, with a single level of monk, unless unarmed swordsage grants IUS. Is there a clear RAW where the variant gets IUS or is that left to the interpretation of the DM?

The exact text is:

"give the swordsage the monk’s unarmed strike progression"

Most folks around here interpret that as giving Swordsages the Monk's Unarmed Strike class feature as it appears on p. 41 in the PHB. This includes getting Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat, full Str bonus on off-hand strikes, choose lethal/subdual damage, treat as both manufactured/natural weapon, and a reference to the Monk table for increasing the unarmed damage by class level.

If your DM is giving you the progression without the feat or the other features, then it sounds like he's trying to be a d-bag (in which case, just play a Druid and disembowel his campaign). But as far as RAW goes, yeah, it's open to interpretation.

[umbergod]

Haha, well he is an old friend that moved out of state that used to DM for me all the time. If he is a d-bag, I only have myself to blame b/c I would purposely set out to break things in his campaigns XD