I am contemplating a bugbear way of the astral self monk, because I like the idea of 15ft. reach unarmed strikes, and it fits the design I had for the character for them to be a bugbear!
I just want to be sure that I get these interactions right:
1: Can I wield weapons in my ordinary hands whilst using my astral arms? I can't see anything that says otherwise.
2: If I have the Polearm Master feat, and am wielding a Glaive, I have a reach of 15ft. with the weapon and moving into 15ft. of me gives me an opportunity attack, but nowhere does it say this must be with the weapon - only that it must be within range of the weapon. Does this mean that I can make opportunity attacks with my Unarmed strikes from my astral arms (dealing force damage) when I am holding a glaive and an enemy comes within 15ft?
3: Regardless of the weapon used, am I correct that I can use a Stunning Strike as part of an attack of opportunity?
1. Yes. As you note, there's nothing in those rules saying you must be unarmed or have one or more free hands. Obviously, the astral arms would not be wielding and striking with those weapons if you use their bullet point features.
2. No. The Bugbear Long-Limbed trait reads "When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal." It's a bit of a meme joke out there that the Bugbear's limbs somehow extend on it's turn and shrink outside it's turn but unless the opportunity attack somehow occurs on your turn, you only have 10 feet of reach with your Glaive and the Astral hands. However if they come within those 10 feet, you can make opportunity attacks with the hands instead of the Glaive.
I am contemplating a bugbear way of the astral self monk, because I like the idea of 15ft. reach unarmed strikes, and it fits the design I had for the character for them to be a bugbear!
I just want to be sure that I get these interactions right:
1: Can I wield weapons in my ordinary hands whilst using my astral arms? I can't see anything that says otherwise.
2: If I have the Polearm Master feat, and am wielding a Glaive, I have a reach of 15ft. with the weapon and moving into 15ft. of me gives me an opportunity attack, but nowhere does it say this must be with the weapon - only that it must be within range of the weapon. Does this mean that I can make opportunity attacks with my Unarmed strikes from my astral arms (dealing force damage) when I am holding a glaive and an enemy comes within 15ft?
3: Regardless of the weapon used, am I correct that I can use a Stunning Strike as part of an attack of opportunity?
Thanks!
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1. Yes. As you note, there's nothing in those rules saying you must be unarmed or have one or more free hands. Obviously, the astral arms would not be wielding and striking with those weapons if you use their bullet point features.
2. No. The Bugbear Long-Limbed trait reads "When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal." It's a bit of a meme joke out there that the Bugbear's limbs somehow extend on it's turn and shrink outside it's turn but unless the opportunity attack somehow occurs on your turn, you only have 10 feet of reach with your Glaive and the Astral hands. However if they come within those 10 feet, you can make opportunity attacks with the hands instead of the Glaive.
3. Yes. The wording of "Stunning Strike" is simply hitting with a melee weapon attack and unarmed strikes count as melee weapon attacks so Stunning Strike would work.