Blood wind item idea for monk

[schreier]

There is a level one spell, Blood Wind, that grants someone the ability to make a full attack at range with a 20' range increment. I am considering making an item for our monk that grants continuous use of the spell. It seems like it would only cost 2,000 gp as an ability.

Does that track? Am I missing anything? Seems incredibly powerful and useful and cheap.

Based on reading the spell though, it would only allow a full attack action.

[Gruftzwerg]

Imho it would be to cheap due to throwing enchantment having a +1 cost (varies due to the nature of +X costs).

Blood Wind is balanced around the fact that the caster uses an standard action just to enable a target to take (not free!!!) a full attack where it can throw it punches. In most scenarios this will delay the effect to the next round since a fighter is more likely to already had their turn (due to higher initiative). Further it has 20ft range increment while the regular throwing enchantment only gives 10ft. A permanent item therefore should be at least as expensive as a +1 throwing enchantment if not even more.

Imho going directly with the regular throwing enchantment would be the more elegant way.

Or let him enter the Bloodstorm Blade prc. While a prc is a much higher build resource cost, it lets the ranged attacks count back a melee attack, thus enabling power attack, flurry and such kind of stuff.

[schreier]

I have seen both of those suggestions, but both throwing and bloodstorm blade seem to let you throw weapons.

Throwing ability says "can be thrown by a wielder proficient in its normal use." Bloodstorm Blade revolves around throwing weapons as well. I find it hard to say that a monk is throwing their unarmed strikes at a distance since they stay attached.

I see no way it is RAI, and a very good argument could be made that it is not even RAW since you cannot let go of your fist.

[Maat Mons]

Footnote 2 of the table on page 285 of the DMG says to give the price a x4 multiplier due to the duration. You could get around this by making the item at-will instead of continuous, but then the Monk would need to spend his swift action in every round that he wants to attack at a distance.

[Saintheart]

Imho it would be to cheap due to throwing enchantment having a +1 cost (varies due to the nature of +X costs).

Blood Wind is balanced around the fact that the caster uses an standard action just to enable a target to take (not free!!!) a full attack where it can throw it punches. In most scenarios this will delay the effect to the next round since a fighter is more likely to already had their turn (due to higher initiative). Further it has 20ft range increment while the regular throwing enchantment only gives 10ft. A permanent item therefore should be at least as expensive as a +1 throwing enchantment if not even more.

Savage Species has Blood Wind as a standard action, but the Spell Compendium version updated it to a swift action casting.

[AvatarVecna]

Blood Wind doesn't work as a continuous item, primarily because it's Instantaneous duration. A proper item would be At-Will Command Word (or At-Will Use-Activated), which would cost 1800 gp or 2000 gp. Either way, this allows you to spend a standard action to make a full attack with natural weapons that (in addition to the action economy benefits) acts as ranged weapons with 20 ft range increments instead of how it normally works as melee weapons.

EDIT: I was mistaken, it seems that Spell Compendium changed it from standard/instantaneous to swift/1 round duration, for whatever reason. So a continuous item of it would cost 8000 gp I suppose?

[schreier]

It sounds like even at 8k gp, it would be a good deal for almost any monk. Having constant ranged attacks potentially out to 100' is pretty useful.

Based on the reading of the spell, it would only allow full attacks - does everyone agree there? So no single attacks ... I can even logically account for that as it could require concentration to do the attack.

I can't tell if it should have it's range extended by feats or items - the spell says "The subject can take a full attack action to use all of its natural weapons or unarmed strikes as if they were thrown weapons with a 20-foot range increment." Far Shot says "When you use a thrown weapon, its range increment is doubled." I am torn, but am tempted to allow the feat to effect the attack - what do you think?

[Seerow]

It sounds like even at 8k gp, it would be a good deal for almost any monk. Having constant ranged attacks potentially out to 100' is pretty useful.

Based on the reading of the spell, it would only allow full attacks - does everyone agree there? So no single attacks ... I can even logically account for that as it could require concentration to do the attack.

I can't tell if it should have it's range extended by feats or items - the spell says "The subject can take a full attack action to use all of its natural weapons or unarmed strikes as if they were thrown weapons with a 20-foot range increment." Far Shot says "When you use a thrown weapon, its range increment is doubled." I am torn, but am tempted to allow the feat to effect the attack - what do you think?

I mean "as if they were a thrown weapon" sounds pretty clear cut to me. Anything that would boost the range of the thrown weapon works. Farshot, Distance property on a amulet of natural attacks. Maybe 4 levels of a Fighter equivalent for Ranged Weapon Mastery. Get those full attacks at 160ft range increment. Because nothing says monk like punching a fool from 800ft away.

Edit: Oh and since it's specifically as a thrown weapon, Gauntlets of Extended Range work. For an extra doubling. Gives potential 320ft range increment.