[Rules Question] Boar Style and Crane Riposte

[ThatOneShrroth]

So, I'm working on making a Master of Many Styles monk, likely focusing on Boar Style and Crane Style. That's all fine and good, but there's a bit of wording I'd like to know about. For the style feat "Boar Style", it says:


Benefit: You can deal bludgeoning damage or slashing damage with your unarmed strikes—changing damage type is a free action. While using this style, once per round when you hit a single foe with two or more unarmed strikes, you can tear flesh. When you do, you deal 2d6 bleed damage with the attack.

For Crane Riposte, it says:

Benefit: You take only a –1 penalty on attack rolls for fighting defensively. Whenever you are fighting defensively, and you use Crane Wing to add a dodge bonus against an opponent, that opponent’s first attack that misses you provokes an attack of opportunity from you. In addition, when you deflect an attack using Crane Wing while taking the total defense action, you may make an attack of opportunity against that opponent (even though you could not normally do so while taking the total defense action).

So what I'm wondering is...Let's say the round has started up. The enemy attacks my character (who is in Crane Style), and its attack misses, prompting an AoO from Crane Style, which connects. My character's turn comes up next, and he/she hits with another unarmed strike. Would this prompt the 2d6 damage from Boar Style? I've hit a single enemy with two unarmed strikes in one round, so it seems like it would work fine, but the DM is iffy and wants a second opinion.

[icefractal]

The wording is a little ambiguous. First off, let's eliminate Crane Style from the discussion; it's only relevant in that you get an AoO. So then, the question is - what does "hit a foe with two or more unarmed strikes" mean?

The fact that it's "or more" would eliminate the idea that it had to be literally simultaneous, even if TWF is interpreted as simultaneous. So hitting them with 2+ attacks during your turn would easily work. As for hitting them with multiple attacks outside a single turn - it depends on the phrasing. You can read it as either:

(once per round)(when you hit a foe with two or more attacks)
A) Applies for any two attacks, even if one of them was last round (or a year ago).
B) The two attacks have to be "close enough" together.

(once per)(round when you hit a foe with two or more attacks)
The criteria is clear, the attacks need to be in the same round.

So by the second reading, or the first variant of the first reading, it definitely works. By the second variant of the first reading, it's undefined and up to the DM what constitutes close enough together.

Personally, I'd allow it, but that's because I consider the end result to be a reasonable effect from spending a feat, not because of the wording. For that matter, IMC, I'd just allow Boar Style to deal the damage if you hit even a single time - it's only ~7 damage once a round after all.

[upho]

I actually don't find the wording ambiguous at all, but that may be because English isn't my native language. In my view, the part "once per round when you hit a single foe with two or more unarmed strikes" (my emphasis) clearly states: a) that the time frame is one round, and b) that (if) 2+ unarmed strikes hits the same enemy within that time frame (you deal the bonus damage). Anyhow, at least beyond the very first level, I totally agree that an extra 2d6 damage per round isn't worth fuzzing about, and I would also grant it just for hitting once. Especially since most monk builds are typically under-powered.

Tip: in case you missed them, have a look at Pummeling Charge (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/pummeling-charge-combat), Dragon Style (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/dragon-style-combat)/Ferocity (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/dragon-ferocity-combat) and Horn of the Criosphinx (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/horn-of-the-criosphinx-combat). Those make up a quite awesome little combo which can turn a MoMS monk into a very viable damage dealer.