I apologize in advance if this question has surfaced on the internet already (or in these forums), but I have been unable to find a concrete answer to a question I've been asking myself, and it is this: is it possible to make two attacks (when you are able to make more than one) at the exact same time? I have been unable to locate any canon information on the mechanics surrounding this question and its implications for making multiple attacks in a round, particularly for flavor.
The foremost example (at least in my mind, as I identify primarily as a Monk) is this: suppose that I take the Attack action against an enemy (and, if I have the Extra Attack feature, it would be the second of those two attacks), with a Quarterstaff, specifically. Immediately after my Attack, I execute Flurry of Blows to make two Unarmed Strikes against an enemy (we'll say that it is the same enemy, for simplicity's sake). Now, if I am a Monk who has chosen the Way of the Open Hand tradition, I may apply a STR saving throw to knock an enemy back or a DEX saving throw to knock an enemy prone.
My question is this: can I make two Unarmed Attacks, with my feet - individually - (for flavor and because I am wielding my Quarterstaff with two hands), to impart both of those Open Hand effects to an enemy, such that they are knocked back and laid prone if they both roll in my favor?
A more general question that may pertain to this situation revolves around the use of more than one weapon at the same time. If one is wielding two weapons at the same time, can one attack with both of them at once, making each attack roll and damage roll separately, but allowing for any mechanical situations which may arise and benefit a player as a result of making two attacks in this way? Nothing immediately comes to mind, as I am not an expert in most things outside of the scope of Monk abilities, but I am thinking about some Battle Master abilities (forgot what they are called).
Thank you for your time. Good theorycrafting to you all.
A lot of your question will fall under DM interpretation or description flavoring. Considering that an entire round is only six seconds, you can easily consider everything that happens during a round to be near instantaneous. Thus your descriptions of the attacks will determine more about them than anything else most of the time. Mechanical benefits of such attacks would be the one area where the DM will more responsible for telling you what happens as a result of your attacks.
Based on how the Monk's features are written, the concept is that in order to use Flurry of Blows, you must have already taken the Attack action prior to Flurry being available as a Bonus Action. So there would be no way for your Quarterstaff attack(s) to benefit from the Prone effect from Open Hand Technique.
But after you've completed the Quarterstaff attack(s), you can activate Flurry of Blows with your bonus action, and make your 2 Unarmed Strikes. Based on how the Open Hand Technique feature is written, you are free to use any 2 of those 3 options, or apply any one of them twice. So if you chose to do so, you could use the first to knock the target Prone if it fails the save, then shove them away with the second if it fails the save.
Granted, your DM may wish to override this if there is a thematic reason to do so in a particularly memorable fight. I'm not exactly sure what your end goal is you're thinking you might or might not be able to achieve here, but I hope this helps.
This is really the DM’s call. Most of the time it shouldn’t make a mechanical difference and should be purely flavor, and for that reason I’d happily allow it. The mechanics don’t change, it’s just how you narrate your character’s actions.
That said, in your specific Open Hand example, it’s actually to your disadvantage to make the attacks simultaneously. The better play would be to knock the target prone first, granting you advantage on the second melee attack which you can then use to push them back. If the attacks are made simultaneously, you wouldn’t receive that benefit.
I guess my follow up question, to SagaTympana more than anyone (and drag0n_77), is this (well, it's more of a statement): I guess I didn't realize that you could apply a knockback to a creature that is already prone. I guess there isn't any rule saying that you couldn't, but it just strikes me as, uh, weird, I guess, that, as an opponent lay flat on their back, I could strike them in such a way that they would slide across the ground for 15 feet.
However, in light of Jhfffan's note about the time elapsed in any given round, it might be fair to say that those attacks happen so close together that, generally speaking, you might hit a falling creature with your second flurry before he actually hits the ground, thus benefiting your second flurry by way of the prone condition that your opponent is currently "developing," while also applying a knockback with a little more physics-friendly demonstration than the slide that was previously mentioned.
I guess my follow up question, to SagaTympana more than anyone (and drag0n_77), is this (well, it's more of a statement): I guess I didn't realize that you could apply a knockback to a creature that is already prone. I guess there isn't any rule saying that you couldn't, but it just strikes me as, uh, weird, I guess, that, as an opponent lay flat on their back, I could strike them in such a way that they would slide across the ground for 15 feet.
How I imagine it going in my head, relative to your scenario of using legs/feet for the Unarmed Strikes, is that your first Strike would "sweep the leg" to knock the target Prone, but before they've actually fallen to the ground from the first Strike, you're already doing your second Strike to do the shove-kick to push them away, while they are falling. This would track mechanically and thematically, because when you're suspended in the air during a fall, you're not in any position to stop someone from pushing you around, if they are hitting you faster than gravity is pulling you down.
Good evening,
I apologize in advance if this question has surfaced on the internet already (or in these forums), but I have been unable to find a concrete answer to a question I've been asking myself, and it is this: is it possible to make two attacks (when you are able to make more than one) at the exact same time? I have been unable to locate any canon information on the mechanics surrounding this question and its implications for making multiple attacks in a round, particularly for flavor.
The foremost example (at least in my mind, as I identify primarily as a Monk) is this: suppose that I take the Attack action against an enemy (and, if I have the Extra Attack feature, it would be the second of those two attacks), with a Quarterstaff, specifically. Immediately after my Attack, I execute Flurry of Blows to make two Unarmed Strikes against an enemy (we'll say that it is the same enemy, for simplicity's sake). Now, if I am a Monk who has chosen the Way of the Open Hand tradition, I may apply a STR saving throw to knock an enemy back or a DEX saving throw to knock an enemy prone.
My question is this: can I make two Unarmed Attacks, with my feet - individually - (for flavor and because I am wielding my Quarterstaff with two hands), to impart both of those Open Hand effects to an enemy, such that they are knocked back and laid prone if they both roll in my favor?
A more general question that may pertain to this situation revolves around the use of more than one weapon at the same time. If one is wielding two weapons at the same time, can one attack with both of them at once, making each attack roll and damage roll separately, but allowing for any mechanical situations which may arise and benefit a player as a result of making two attacks in this way? Nothing immediately comes to mind, as I am not an expert in most things outside of the scope of Monk abilities, but I am thinking about some Battle Master abilities (forgot what they are called).
Thank you for your time. Good theorycrafting to you all.
A lot of your question will fall under DM interpretation or description flavoring. Considering that an entire round is only six seconds, you can easily consider everything that happens during a round to be near instantaneous. Thus your descriptions of the attacks will determine more about them than anything else most of the time. Mechanical benefits of such attacks would be the one area where the DM will more responsible for telling you what happens as a result of your attacks.
Based on how the Monk's features are written, the concept is that in order to use Flurry of Blows, you must have already taken the Attack action prior to Flurry being available as a Bonus Action. So there would be no way for your Quarterstaff attack(s) to benefit from the Prone effect from Open Hand Technique.
But after you've completed the Quarterstaff attack(s), you can activate Flurry of Blows with your bonus action, and make your 2 Unarmed Strikes. Based on how the Open Hand Technique feature is written, you are free to use any 2 of those 3 options, or apply any one of them twice. So if you chose to do so, you could use the first to knock the target Prone if it fails the save, then shove them away with the second if it fails the save.
Granted, your DM may wish to override this if there is a thematic reason to do so in a particularly memorable fight. I'm not exactly sure what your end goal is you're thinking you might or might not be able to achieve here, but I hope this helps.
This is really the DM’s call. Most of the time it shouldn’t make a mechanical difference and should be purely flavor, and for that reason I’d happily allow it. The mechanics don’t change, it’s just how you narrate your character’s actions.
That said, in your specific Open Hand example, it’s actually to your disadvantage to make the attacks simultaneously. The better play would be to knock the target prone first, granting you advantage on the second melee attack which you can then use to push them back. If the attacks are made simultaneously, you wouldn’t receive that benefit.
I would use the Rule of Cool. Describe it well and I let you do it.
Thank you all for the feedback.
I guess my follow up question, to SagaTympana more than anyone (and drag0n_77), is this (well, it's more of a statement): I guess I didn't realize that you could apply a knockback to a creature that is already prone. I guess there isn't any rule saying that you couldn't, but it just strikes me as, uh, weird, I guess, that, as an opponent lay flat on their back, I could strike them in such a way that they would slide across the ground for 15 feet.
However, in light of Jhfffan's note about the time elapsed in any given round, it might be fair to say that those attacks happen so close together that, generally speaking, you might hit a falling creature with your second flurry before he actually hits the ground, thus benefiting your second flurry by way of the prone condition that your opponent is currently "developing," while also applying a knockback with a little more physics-friendly demonstration than the slide that was previously mentioned.
Cheers.
How I imagine it going in my head, relative to your scenario of using legs/feet for the Unarmed Strikes, is that your first Strike would "sweep the leg" to knock the target Prone, but before they've actually fallen to the ground from the first Strike, you're already doing your second Strike to do the shove-kick to push them away, while they are falling. This would track mechanically and thematically, because when you're suspended in the air during a fall, you're not in any position to stop someone from pushing you around, if they are hitting you faster than gravity is pulling you down.
Excellent. Thank you very much for your response.