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So, my question, and I haven't found a succinct, well laid out answer anywhere (if you have, please share), but how many attacks does an unchained monk with natural attacks get, and is it worth flurrying?

The scenario is a level 3 Tiefling Unchained Monk with Maw or Claw Alternate Racial Trait, choosing the 2 claw attacks, and the feats Feral Combat Training and Weapon Focus (Claws). By my understanding, a full attack would allow 1 unarmed attack at +3 (assuming 10 str) and 2 claw attacks at -1 (+3bab, +1 weapon focus, -5 secondary), or:

UA+3, Claw -1, Claw -1

Also by my understanding, a Flurry of Blows would be 1 attack (unarmed or claw), and then the Flurry of Blows attack which also could be an unarmed or claw attack, but at full bab, so it would look like this:

UA+3, FOB UA+3 or Claw+4, FOB UA+3 or even Claw+4, FOB Claw+4

So, you end up with 1 less attack, but at higher chance to hit. Is this accurate? Or am I missing something? And to make sure I'm not missing anything at higher levels, what would level 6, 11, and 16 look like? Ultimately, again, is Flurrying worth it if you have natural attacks?

Pethrax
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1 Answers1

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Whilst Flurrying:

(add your +1 for using claws on any flurried attack instead of unarmed strikes)

  • 3rd level: +3 / +3
  • 6th level: +6 / +6 / +1
  • 11th level: +11 / +11 / +11 / +6 / +1
  • 16th level: +16 / +16 / +16 / +11 / +6 / +1

Whilst using a regular Full-Attack:

  • 3rd level: +3 Unarmed Strike , -1 Claws / -1 Claws
  • 6th level: +6 US / +2 C / +2 C / +1 US
  • 11th level: +11 US / +7 C / +7 C / +6 US / +1 US
  • 16th level: +16 US / +12 C / +12 C / +11 US / +6 US / +1 US

To briefly answer your question about if it is worth taking the fewer attacks for more accuracy:

You have one more attack, with less accuracy - which is much more punishing at lower levels - until 11th level, at which point Flurry of Blows becomes entirely better than your standard full-attack routine.

Playing up to 11th level may give you some mileage where it is preferential to use the standard full-attack routine, but...

... you should also consider your style strikes. The entry for this ability states:

At 5th level, a monk can learn one type of style strike. Whenever he makes a flurry of blows, he can designate one of his unarmed strikes as a style strike.

These give you a definitive reason to use Flurry of Blows over a standard full-attack routine. (Some of these options even give bonus - admittedly nonlethal - attacks!)

At 3rd and 4th level, there is an argument that using your full-attack routine is a better choice.
From 5th level onwards, there is much less of an argument for this, and the entire class starts to lean toward using the flurry of blows routine.

royalmurder
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