I have a Monk. She's partial to the quarterstaff. Level 4. I heard that at a certain point martial arts damage die overtakes quarterstaff (or at least matches it) starting at around like level 6.
But I don't like the style as much. So in any situation such as this is there anything from the official rules that say I can't
Roll hit/damage die for unarmed strike but for aesthetics and RP the attack is described with the quarterstaff or any other weapon that has similar effects/properties (bludgeoning)?
Or is it the case that if I do unarmed strike attack it HAS to RPly also be unarmed strike.
I am definitely NOT asking if I can cheese an extra unarmed strike bonus action as per monk skills and roll any die - hit or damage - that isn't unarmed strike's die for my applicable level. It's purely aesthetic.
I also want to note that I am not looking for a "I don't see any problems with that if it's just aesthetic" or "depends on your DM!". I'm looking for rule lawyers to come up here and say "yeah right here it says RPly you also have to do it as described so no you can't" or "Nope, nothing preventing you!" or even "Actually says here that you CAN describe things aesthetically while rolling for a different attack!" or something like that.
There are no rules that ever tell you that you must role play anything a certain way. As far as the rules are concerned you make an unarmed strike, roll the attack, deal the bludgeoning damage, all done. If you and your table of players want to imagine that you have struck with your hands, feet, quarterstaff, psychic energy, a rat corpse you picked up, your unusually heavy necklace, whatever - that's up to you kids.
Just remember that whatever you are pretending, it will grant no mechanical advantage/change unless the DM decides. Your magic flaming quarterstaff will not make magic flaming unarmed strikes. I think you already understand and agree to that though.
I was under the impression that monks can already explicitly choose to use their Martial Arts damage with any monk weapon.
[EDIT] I was correct. Read the actual description of the Martial Arts feature:
”You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike or monk weapon. This die changes as you gain monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table.”
So at 11th level for example, you can use a d8 instead of a d6 with your quarterstaff, or with any other monk weapon.
Up to DM. In general, shouldn't be a problem, but when you use your "staff" to attack something that does damage to the weapon or person that hit it and that damage passes straight to you... Might break immersion a bit.
Also, the staff should either do more damage or the same damage as unarmed strike since it is a monk weapon (like SagaTympana pointed out).
If I can have Ki (a kind of monastic life force thing: based on qi) that's roleplayed as just experience in advanced fisticuffs tactics for a non-monastic monk who's a sailor that's simply just good at brawling, then considering a staff as improvised weaponry set to be equivalent to an unarmed strike for roleplay purposes isn't too outlandish to me.
As mentioned, communicating between DM and players is always the best approach. This is a game based mostly on communication and a little bit on dice (though I know a few who think it's the other way around).
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Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
Thank you @RegentCorreon, @EricHVela, and especially @SagaTympana for the actual quote from the book! Much appreciated.
@DxJxC you broke the rules and thus I'm reporting you for breaking the rules of this post!!! Jkjk. I did say pretty specifically that I didn't want answers that were basically "Ask your DM". But thanks for your input anyway! I know sometimes we just don't know if there really is any other answer apart from that for these strange obscure questions.
@DxJxC you broke the rules and thus I'm reporting you for breaking the rules of this post!!! Jkjk. I did say pretty specifically that I didn't want answers that were basically "Ask your DM". But thanks for your input anyway! I know sometimes we just don't know if there really is any other answer apart from that for these strange obscure questions.
I justified my answer in the rest of my comment. Besides, all the good answers were taken, especially by Saga.
well you can replace damage dealt by weapons for martial arts dice, so you dont need to worry about loosing damage potential, an d8 will not be topped until you reach 11th level, so until then it is still worth it
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i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
As you level, you could be getting access to better quarterstaffs. A quarterstaff +3 will always be better than unarmed +0. One thing I wish were different with the monk. Fists eventually count as magical, but don't get the bonus of an actual weapon.
As you level, you could be getting access to better quarterstaffs. A quarterstaff +3 will always be better than unarmed +0. One thing I wish were different with the monk. Fists eventually count as magical, but don't get the bonus of an actual weapon.
well, magic items may be nice but they are distinctly not necessary in an campaign, also in-world, what kind of fool goes shall make an ledgendary weapon, but what type of weapon? ah yes, i will make it an magic stick! and then makes an magical +3 quarterstaff?
Insignia of Claws exists, and can just as easily be provided in +3 form as +1 form. If your DM is seeding a magic weapon for the monk, it is no more difficult for that to be an enhancement to Unarmed Strikes than it is for it to be a Quarterstaff or anything else.
Above answers are all taken, but to add one more bit: an Unarmed Strike is not a punch, or even a kick, but really any attack using any part of your body. Every one of your Unarmed Strikes could be described as headbutts, or knees to the groin, or bites, or whipping them with your pony tail, or really anything your imagination dictates. Describing them as Quarterstaff jabs or whatever is asking very little, especially since your Quarterstaff and your Unarmed Strikes will do exactly the same damage once you reach higher monk levels.
By this I mean aesthetically.
I have a Monk. She's partial to the quarterstaff. Level 4. I heard that at a certain point martial arts damage die overtakes quarterstaff (or at least matches it) starting at around like level 6.
But I don't like the style as much. So in any situation such as this is there anything from the official rules that say I can't
Roll hit/damage die for unarmed strike but for aesthetics and RP the attack is described with the quarterstaff or any other weapon that has similar effects/properties (bludgeoning)?
Or is it the case that if I do unarmed strike attack it HAS to RPly also be unarmed strike.
I am definitely NOT asking if I can cheese an extra unarmed strike bonus action as per monk skills and roll any die - hit or damage - that isn't unarmed strike's die for my applicable level. It's purely aesthetic.
I also want to note that I am not looking for a "I don't see any problems with that if it's just aesthetic" or "depends on your DM!". I'm looking for rule lawyers to come up here and say "yeah right here it says RPly you also have to do it as described so no you can't" or "Nope, nothing preventing you!" or even "Actually says here that you CAN describe things aesthetically while rolling for a different attack!" or something like that.
Thanks!
P.S. First.
There are no rules that ever tell you that you must role play anything a certain way. As far as the rules are concerned you make an unarmed strike, roll the attack, deal the bludgeoning damage, all done. If you and your table of players want to imagine that you have struck with your hands, feet, quarterstaff, psychic energy, a rat corpse you picked up, your unusually heavy necklace, whatever - that's up to you kids.
Just remember that whatever you are pretending, it will grant no mechanical advantage/change unless the DM decides. Your magic flaming quarterstaff will not make magic flaming unarmed strikes. I think you already understand and agree to that though.
I was under the impression that monks can already explicitly choose to use their Martial Arts damage with any monk weapon.
[EDIT] I was correct. Read the actual description of the Martial Arts feature:
”You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike or monk weapon. This die changes as you gain monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table.”
So at 11th level for example, you can use a d8 instead of a d6 with your quarterstaff, or with any other monk weapon.
Hope that’s rules lawyer-y enough for you :p
Up to DM. In general, shouldn't be a problem, but when you use your "staff" to attack something that does damage to the weapon or person that hit it and that damage passes straight to you... Might break immersion a bit.
Also, the staff should either do more damage or the same damage as unarmed strike since it is a monk weapon (like SagaTympana pointed out).
If I can have Ki (a kind of monastic life force thing: based on qi) that's roleplayed as just experience in advanced fisticuffs tactics for a non-monastic monk who's a sailor that's simply just good at brawling, then considering a staff as improvised weaponry set to be equivalent to an unarmed strike for roleplay purposes isn't too outlandish to me.
As mentioned, communicating between DM and players is always the best approach. This is a game based mostly on communication and a little bit on dice (though I know a few who think it's the other way around).
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
Sorry for the late replies!
Thank you @RegentCorreon, @EricHVela, and especially @SagaTympana for the actual quote from the book! Much appreciated.
@DxJxC you broke the rules and thus I'm reporting you for breaking the rules of this post!!! Jkjk. I did say pretty specifically that I didn't want answers that were basically "Ask your DM". But thanks for your input anyway! I know sometimes we just don't know if there really is any other answer apart from that for these strange obscure questions.
+1's to all!
I justified my answer in the rest of my comment. Besides, all the good answers were taken, especially by Saga.
well you can replace damage dealt by weapons for martial arts dice, so you dont need to worry about loosing damage potential, an d8 will not be topped until you reach 11th level, so until then it is still worth it
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
As you level, you could be getting access to better quarterstaffs. A quarterstaff +3 will always be better than unarmed +0. One thing I wish were different with the monk. Fists eventually count as magical, but don't get the bonus of an actual weapon.
well, magic items may be nice but they are distinctly not necessary in an campaign, also in-world, what kind of fool goes shall make an ledgendary weapon, but what type of weapon? ah yes, i will make it an magic stick! and then makes an magical +3 quarterstaff?
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
Insignia of Claws exists, and can just as easily be provided in +3 form as +1 form. If your DM is seeding a magic weapon for the monk, it is no more difficult for that to be an enhancement to Unarmed Strikes than it is for it to be a Quarterstaff or anything else.
Above answers are all taken, but to add one more bit: an Unarmed Strike is not a punch, or even a kick, but really any attack using any part of your body. Every one of your Unarmed Strikes could be described as headbutts, or knees to the groin, or bites, or whipping them with your pony tail, or really anything your imagination dictates. Describing them as Quarterstaff jabs or whatever is asking very little, especially since your Quarterstaff and your Unarmed Strikes will do exactly the same damage once you reach higher monk levels.
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.