[3.X] Increasing Size, Effective Size, Unarmed Damage, Reach

[Person_Man]

As part of my melee combo guide, I'm working on a list of ways to increase your actual size (Enlarge Person), effective size (Improved Natural Attack), Unarmed Damage/Monk levels (Monk's Belt), and reach (reach weapon).

These four things are closely related and tend to overlap. And they can be central to improving your threatened area, improving a battlefield control combo, and/or damage output.

Here's what I've got so far:

Increasing Actual Size: Increases space, reach, Str, base damage. Decreases Dex, AC, and To-Hit. Note that magical means of increasing your size do not stack. If you're using transparancy, magical and psionic means of increasing your size don't stack. So at best, you can play a big race, and pick one other of the following methods.

• Alter Self: +1 size. PHB.
• Animal Growth: +1 size and other perks to a number of animals. Requires that you have the animal type. PHB.
• Druid 8/15: Wildshape into Large/Huge size.
• Enlarge Person: +1 size. PHB.
• Entomanothrope: As Lycanthrope, but changes into a vermin. Superior in that vermin are immune to mind-affecting effects. +2 LA +vermin hit dice. Online.
• Expansion: +1 or +2 size. XPH.
• Giant Size (Wu Jen 7, Comp Arcane pg 109): Grow to Huge size or bigger (depending on caster level). Comp Arcane.
• Giant Hide Armor: You grow to the size of a specific type of Giant (up to Huge size), once per day for 15 minutes. Pathfinder.
• Half-Minotaur: If small or medium, your base size increases by one size category. +1 LA. Dragon 313.
• Half-Ogre template: If small or medium, your base size increases by one size category. +1 LA in Dragon 313 or Savage Species, +2 LA in Races of Destiny (most recent).
• Landforged Walker: Plant Shape ability allows you to Wildshape into plants, sizes Small to Huge. Notable in that your effective Wildshape level is based on your character level, and that you can turn into a Huge size at ECL 10. Secrets of Xen'driks.
• Lycanthrope: Many can change into a larger form. +2 LA + animal hit dice. MM.
• Metamorphosis: As Polymorph, but psionic. XPH.
• Metamorphosis, Greater: As Metamorphosis, but more awesome.
• Mountain Rage: Goliath Barbarian 1 Substitution Level: +1 size and +2 Strength bonus while in a Rage (replaces normal Rage bonuses, and Goliath is a +1 LA race). Races of Stone pg. 150.
• Polymorph: Turn into a creature of any size, within the spell's HD and other limitations. Note that this spell has a range of touch, not personal. So it's often most effective when a caster uses it on a melee build, not himself. PHB.
• Polymorph Any Object: As Polymorph, but potentially permanent. PHB.
• Righteous Might: +1 size. PHB.
• Shapechange:As Polymorph, but more awesome. PHB.
• Titanic template: Size becomes Gargantuan. Only effects Animal or Vermin of medium size or smaller. MMII.

Increasing Effective Size: Note that Monk unarmed strikes count as natural weapons and manufactured weapons. Also note that things that allow you to carry a larger weapon (Monkey Grip, Powerful Build, Strongarm Bracers) don't stack.

• Battlefist: +1 effective size to unarmed damage. Requires that you be a Warforged with 1 level of Monk. Eberron Campaign Setting.
• Claws of the Beast: Claw damage scaled to the amount of power points you put into it AND your size. Basis of the King of Smack. XPH.
• Claws of the Wyrm soulmeld bound to hand chakra slot: +1 effective size to claw damage from claws of the wyrm (may not combine with some other abilities). Dragon Magic pg 83.
• Earth Hammer (Cler 5, Pal 3): +1 effective size for any 1 melee weapon, and it counts as adamantine for overcoming DR. Races of Stone pg 162.
• Ectoplasmic Fist: +1 effective size to unarmed damage. Can only be embedded in Kalashtar characters. Others could arguably use it with the Use Psionic Device Skill. ECS, pg 264.
• Empty Hand Mastery (OA): +1 effective size to unarmed damage. (OA, pg 80)
• Fanged Ring: Grants Improved Unarmed Strike feat, Improved Natural Attack (unarmed strike) feat, 1 Con damage if unarmed strike deals critical hit. Dragon Magic.
• Giant's Stance: Level 5 (Warblade, Swordsge, or Crusader 9) Stone Dragon stance. +1 effective size, maximum Large, for damage only, and it ends of you move more then 5 ft. Sucks. Tome of Battle pg 83.
• Goliath: Has Powerful Build, allowing you to use a weapon one size catagory larger. Doesn't effect reach. +1 LA. Races of Stone.
• Half-Giant: Has Powerful Build, same as Goliath. +1 LA. XPH.
• Improved Natural Attack: +1 effective size with any one natural weapon. MM.
• Jotunbrud Feat: Whenever you receive a modifier based on your size on an opposed roll (such as during grapple and bull rush attempts), you are treated as Large if that's advantageous to you. You are also considered to be Large when determining whether a monster's special attacks based on size (such as improved grab or swallow whole) affect you. This is weaker then most real/effective size increases, because you specifically count as Large (not "one size larger"), and thus it doesn't stack with any further size increases. And it doesn't effect damage, just opposed checks. And it has the racial pre-req of being Damaran or Illuskan human from campaign specific regions. But it's only one Feat. Races of Faerun, p. 166.
• Mighty Wallop (Wiz 1): +1 effective size with any one blunt weapon. Races of the Dragon pg 115.
• Mighty Wallop, Greater (Wiz 3): Up to +5 effective size increases (based on caster level) with any one blunt weapon, max Colossal. (This is actually a big limitation, given how many size increases are available). Races of Dragon.
• Monkey Grip: Lets you use a weapon one size category larger, but you take a penalty to hit. I suggest you ignore it and just buy Strongarm Bracers. Complete Warrior.
• Mortal Hunter 7 (Claws of the Overfiend): +1 size on all natural attacks. Book of Vile Darkness (3.0 material) pg 65.
• Powerful Wildshape: Allows you to carry over Powerful Build from your normal form to your Wild Shape. Races of Stone.
• Sharptooth (Wiz 4): +1 effective size with one natural weapon. Draconomicon.
• Shillelagh (Drd 1): +2 effective size with a quarterstaff.
• Strongarm Bracers: Lets you use a weapon one size category larger. Magic Item Compendium.
• Sling of the Dire Wind: Provides a scaled bonus (+2 size increases at 8th level, up to +5 size increases at 20th level) to the effective size of any stone or bullet slung from this sling. At 18th level, you also impose a Bull Rush (up to 5 feet) on any creature you hit, and it grants a few other useful X uses per day abilities. It's also a magic sling, eventually scaling up to +5 Giant Bane. Unfortunately, this is a Legacy Weapon, which means you have take a To-Hit penalty, Will Save penalty, and Hit Point penalty, in addition to taking a Feat and fulfilling rituals in order to use it. Might be worth the tradeoff though with the right Legacy Champion build.
• Titan Bloodline (Major): Use Oversized Weapon ability lets you use a gargantuan two-handed warhammer (but oddly, not any other weapon) regardless of your current size without penalty. Remember that the size of your weapon doesn't effect reach, so it's possible to have a Fine character with 0 ft of reach using a using a 25 ft (?) long warhammer. Essentially +3 LA, but Bloodlines have unique and somewhat funky rules you should read through if you're seriously considering this. Unearthed Arcana.
• Totem Avatar soulmeld bound to shoulders chakra slot: +1 effective size with all natural weapons. Magic of Incarnum pg 90.
• Touchstone: This is a really odd feat. You essentially get Powerful Build, but with a weird and somewhat limited use and recharge mechanic. See Darrin's posts for details. Sandstorm pgs 53-55.
• Warshaper 1: +1 effective size with all natural weapons while Wildshaped, Shifting, etc. Comp Warrior, pg 90.
• Wary Swordknight Halfling Paladin substitution level: Allows a Halfling Paladin to be treated as one size larger when its advantageous to them. Replaces Aura of Courage. Champions of Valor pg 52.
• Weretouched Master: Increase natural weapon by one die size. Which natural weapon depends on your choice of animal type. Explicitly stacks with Shifter traits and Improved Natural Attack. This PrC is also noteworthy in that the pre-errata version is ridiculously powerful. Eberron Campaign Setting pg 85.

Increasing Unarmed Damage/Monk levels: Note that depending on your DM and the wording of the individual feat, ability, or item, certain things may not stack. For example, a Monk's Belt may not stack with Superior Unarmed Strike depending on your DM's interpretation.

• Ascetic Hunter: Ranger levels stack with Monk levels to determine unarmed damage. Comp Adventurer.
• Ascetic Knight: Paladin levels stack with Monk levels to determine unarmed damage. Comp Adventurer.
• Ascetic Rogue: Rogue levels stack with Monk levels to determine unarmed damage. Comp Adventurer.
• Ascetic Stalker: Ninja levels stack with Monk levels to determine unarmed damage. Comp Adventurer.
• Atavist: Levels stack with Monk to determine unarmed damage. Races of Eberron
• Bones of Li-Peng: Increases effective monk level by 5. Note that Weapons of Legacy require you to permanently sacrafice a number of gp, hit points, To-Hit, damage, Skill checks, and/or Saves in order to use their powers. The vast majority of them are not worth it, including this one. Weapons of Legacy.
• Cloud Anchorite: Levels stack with Monk to determine unarmed damage. Frostburn.
• Dragon Descendant: Levels stack with Monk to determine unarmed damage. Dragon Magic.
• Enlightened Fist: Levels stack with Monk to determine unarmed damage. Complete Arcane.
• Fist of the Forest: 2 step increases up Monk unarmed scale (see text). Complete Champion.
• Gauntlets of the Talon: Increases effective monk level by 5. Complete Divine, pg 97.
• Haztaratain: Levels stack with Monk to determine unarmed damage. Secrets of Sarlona.
• Initiate of Pistis Sophia: Levels stack with Monk to determine unarmed damage. BoED.
• Monk of the Long Death: Levels stack with Monk to determine unarmed damage. PGtF pg 65.
• Monk. Scaled damage based on Monk level. The baseline for many unarmed damage related classes and feats. PHB.
• Monk's Belt: Increases effective monk level by 5. DMG.
• Monk's Tattoo: Increases effective monk level by 4. Magic of Faerun, pg 163.
• Ronove vestige: Grants you Improved Unarmed Strike and unarmed damage equal to a Monk of your effective Binder level, and your unarmed attacks count as magic and cold iron. This is actually a fairly handy vestige for a mid level build because it also grants you Swift Action Mage Hand with a Str equal to your Binder level, which can be very handy for moving objects around the battlefield to block line of sight. Tome of Magic.
• Sacred Fist: Levels stack with Monk to determine unarmed damage. Complete Divine.
• Shadow Sun Ninja: Levels stack with Monk to determine unarmed damage. Tome of Battle.
• Shou Disciple: Levels stack with Monk to determine unarmed damage. Unapproachable East.
• Sun Soul Monk: Levels stack with Monk to determine unarmed damage. Waterdeep.
• Superior Unarmed Strike: Increases effective monk level by 4. Tome of Battle, pg 33.
• Swift Scion 2: (Unearthed Arcana): +4 levels. Unearthed Arcana.
• Swordsage: Variant can gain unarmed damage as a Monk. Tome of Battle.
• Tashalatora: Monk levels stack with a psionic class to determine unarmed damage. Great combo with Psychic Warrior for Expansion fun. Secrets of Sarlona.
• Tattoed Monk: Levels stack with Monk to determine unarmed damage. Complete Warrior.
• Zerth Cenobite: Levels stack with Monk to determine unarmed damage. Complete Psionic.

Reach Increases:

• Reach weapon: Doubles reach.
• Aberration Blood -> Inhuman Reach feats: +5 ft. Lords of Madness.
• Bloodstorm Blade 2: Ranged attack rolls with thrown weapons count can melee attacks, allowing things like Power Attack and Knockback to apply to them. This essentially increases the range of your melee attacks to however far you can accurately throw, though it does nothing for your threatened area. Tome of Battle pg 100.
• Blood Wind (Cler/Wiz 1): Swift Action spell that lets you make a full attack with natural weapons or unarmed strikes as if they were ranged weapons with an increment of 20 ft. Spell Compendium pg 33.
• Dancing Blade Form (Iron Heart 5 stance): +5 ft during your turn only (ie, doesn't help with AoO). Doesn't stack with other manuevers. Tome of Battle pg 67.
• Extended Reach feat(req tentacle like limbs, provided by Inhuman Reach): +5 ft. Savage Species.
• Long Reach feat: 5 to 10 ft of reach with shortspear or spear, 10 to 15 ft of reach with longspear. Both only work on your action and do not increase your threatened area. Poorly written, because by RAW if you're Fine/Tiny/Large/Huge/etc, using Long Reach still gives you 5-15 ft of reach without changing your threatened area. But a reasonable DM will just give you +5 ft of reach. Regional requirement. Unapproachable East pg 44.
• Lunge feat: -2 to AC to increase reach of melee attacks by 5 ft until the end of your turn (ie, doesn't help with AoO). Pathfinder.
• Master of Vipers 5: Can extend snake hands 2 ft per Master of Vipers level (so max of 20 ft at level 10). Weird Yuan-Ti only PrC. But a nice DM might let others use it. Serpent Kingdoms pg 163.
• Reach psion/wilder/psychic warrior 2 power: +5 reach, manifested as a Swift Action, for a limited number of rounds (or minutes, when augmented).
• Warshaper 3: +5 ft with natural weapons. Comp Warrior.
• Willing Deformity -> Deformity Tall feats: +5 ft. Heroes of Horror.

Other related:

• Grappling in general is a good tactic for unarmed and/or natural weapon builds, because it replaces an attack roll with a Grapple check, which is improved by your size modifier. And as clarified in the Rules Compendium, a Grapple check is an attack action, so you won't lose any attacks by using Grapple.
• Scorpion's Grasp feat: Gives you a free Grapple check when you hit an enemy (similar to Improved Trip). This basically gives you double damage on your first attack against an enemy - your base damage followed by the unarmed damage that is dealt from a successful Grapple attempt. Not always worth it (after all, it's mathematically essentially the same as just getting an extra attack that you must use for a Grapple) but worth it if you're already going to take Improved Grapple and Improved Unarmed Strike. Sandstorm.
• Drunken Master 5: Improvised weapons deal unarmed damage +1d8. Comp Warrior.
• Frostrager 5: Slightly improves unarmed damage (though it doesn’t stack with anything) and adds 1d8 cold damage, plus the Rend ability. Frostburn.
• Hammerfist, feat: Add 1.5*Str to unarmed damage, cannot flurry or TWF. Races of Faerun.
• Heavy Weapons: Increases the damage die of the weapon based on a set chart. Requires Exotic Weapon Proficiency to wield correctly. Magic of Faerun, pg. 179.
• Initiate of the Draconic Mysteries 4 and 8: Offers a total of two die increases in unarmed damage. Vaguely worded - what happens when you get to d20? Draconomicon.
• Martyred Champion of Ilmater: Gets Improved Unarmed Strike with very similar Monk wording (counts as natural and manufactured, can use any part of your body, etc), but uses it's own damage progression which sucks, and doesn't explicitly stack with Monk levels. Player's Guide to Faerun pg 185).
• Stone Fist (Cler 2/Pal 2): Unarmed damage don’t provoke AoO (as per Improved Unarmed Strike), and unarmed damage is changed to set level (not effective size increases) based on your actual size. Races of Stone pg 163.
• Whips/Dagger Whips and a few other exotic weapons have 15 ft of reach.
• Mauling Gauntlets soulmeld: 2 + (2 * essentia invested) Morale bonus to Strength checks. If you bind it to your hands chakra slot, the bonus also applies to Unarmed Damage, and you get the Improved Unarmed Strike feat. Magic of Incarnum pg 78.
• Girillion Arms soulmeld: 2 + (2 * essentia invested) Competence bonus to Grapple and Climb checks. Magic of Incarnum.
• Zagon vestige: Grants Improved Grapple, Constrict, and you Large for the purpose of your opposed Grapple checks (which is hilarious for small, tiny, and fine sized characters), plus Snake Bane and Aversion (limited Antipathy). Tome of Magic.

Comments/additions/corrections?

[Eldariel]

Fist of the Forests is unclear; it increases the die size by two categories, but whether it's in the Monk Unarmed Progression or Size is never specified. Size categories are obviously more useful, but yeah.

[Douglas]

For example, a Monk’s Belt does not stack with Superior Unarmed Strike.

Debatable, and imo clearly false. Rather than rehashing this argument yet again and derailing the thread, please put a note to that effect. I suggest replacing the quoted sentence with "For example, a Monk's Belt may not stack with Superior Unarmed Strike depending on your DM's interpretation. This particular combination is open to debate, and you should ask your DM which interpretation he favors."

[Keld Denar]

It should also be noted that GMWallop only restricts the WEAPON to max colossal size when cast. Since you can apply bonuses in whatever order is most beneficial, you could GMW a normal Greatclub up to Colossal size, then Giant size yourself from medium to Colossal and your Greatclub would be Colossal++++ (thats 4 sizes larger than Colossal). Thus, it wouldn't really stack with Great Reach Bracers, Powerful Build, or Heavy, but it would still stack with actual size increases like Enlarge Person, Giant Size, Righteous Might, etc, and it should also stack with other spells that increase effective size like Earth Hammer (note that the Adamantine part only functions if you're a Dwarf).

[zagan]

Heu, it's me or did you manage to forget enlarge person in Increasing Actual Size ? Or you just didn't want to repeat it from the post header ?

You can also add Weretouched master from the eberon campaign setting p85 It increase the effectize size of your natural weapon and stack with improve natural attack at level 1.

[Person_Man]

Debatable, and imo clearly false. Rather than rehashing this argument yet again and derailing the thread, please put a note to that effect. I suggest replacing the quoted sentence with "For example, a Monk's Belt may not stack with Superior Unarmed Strike depending on your DM's interpretation. This particular combination is open to debate, and you should ask your DM which interpretation he favors."

Agreed. I wouldn't allow it, but I know many smart Playgrounders who do, so it's certainly debatable.

It should also be noted that GMWallop only restricts the WEAPON to max colossal size when cast. Since you can apply bonuses in whatever order is most beneficial, you could GMW a normal Greatclub up to Colossal size, then Giant size yourself from medium to Colossal and your Greatclub would be Colossal++++ (thats 4 sizes larger than Colossal). Thus, it wouldn't really stack with Great Reach Bracers, Powerful Build, or Heavy, but it would still stack with actual size increases like Enlarge Person, Giant Size, Righteous Might, etc, and it should also stack with other spells that increase effective size like Earth Hammer (note that the Adamantine part only functions if you're a Dwarf).

Also agreed. That reminds me, I have to add in all of the Power Build related stuff.

Thanks to both.

[Tanaric]

Blood Wind might be worth a note. Allows a subject to use natural weapons at 20ft range for a round. as though they were thrown weapons with 20ft range increments.

[Douglas]

The Bones of Li-Peng from Weapons of Legacy increase Monk unarmed damage by 5 levels. I can't check the exact wording at the moment to comment on how it compares to Monk's Belt/Superior Unarmed Striking for arguments on stacking.

[Eldariel]

It should also be noted that GMWallop only restricts the WEAPON to max colossal size when cast. Since you can apply bonuses in whatever order is most beneficial, you could GMW a normal Greatclub up to Colossal size, then Giant size yourself from medium to Colossal and your Greatclub would be Colossal++++ (thats 4 sizes larger than Colossal). Thus, it wouldn't really stack with Great Reach Bracers, Powerful Build, or Heavy, but it would still stack with actual size increases like Enlarge Person, Giant Size, Righteous Might, etc, and it should also stack with other spells that increase effective size like Earth Hammer (note that the Adamantine part only functions if you're a Dwarf).

Hm, I can't see how Giant Size and GMW could stack. I mean, Giant Size doesn't increase the weapon's size category; it just makes you, and your weapon Colossal. GMW alters the effective size for damage, which by default has to be applied atop your base size, so it seems to me like, as Colossal is your base size after Giant Size, that you cannot utilize GMW with said spell.

[Sir Giacomo]

Good stuff, Person Man!

Right now, the only other things I can think of are:

1. Larger size
- animal growth (get morph effect to become an animal first)
- shapechange/polymorph any object/wildshape (just to complete the morhping list)

4. Reach
- I guess there is a ToB stance that increases reach (but only for attacking purposes, not for AoO) - but I forgot how it is called.

For more inspiration, there is an old WoTC thread here. There also used to be one that illustrated how to theoretically reach 96d100 damage for a monk, but unfortunately that got lost in the WoTC board server changeover.

Additionally, I guess the usual rules for the maximum damage expansion are provided in the SRD for the improved natural attack feat description
This could be interpreted as a limit to base damage at 24d8 from the official side in the case of a 20th level monk damage (2d10 starting damage).

- Giacomo

[Fluffles]

Tauric Brown Bear Half-Ogre/Goliath/Half-Minotaur/Half-Giant Psionic Warrior 8.

Base size: Large
Effective Size: Huge
Expansion Size: Huge
Augmented Expansion size: Gargantuan

If you could find some way to get powerful build to stack with Expansion, you could be counted as colossal

Or: Hippopotamus lycan Half-Ogre/Goliath/Half-Minotaur/Half-Giant Psionic Warrior 8
Base Size: Huge
Expansion size: Gargantuan
Augmented Expansion size: Colossal
This takes a lot more LA+RHD to get though. So it's not very practical unless you are playing gestalt, with only one side getting the RHD+LA.

Then get yourself a reach weapon. Fun stuffs :)

[Starbuck_II]

List the size increasing templates.
1/2 Ogre
1/2 Minotaur
Titanic (only affects animals/vermin so unless you can find out how to count as a vermin...)

[Fluffles]

List the size increasing templates.
1/2 Ogre
1/2 Minotaur
Titanic (only affects animals/vermin so unless you can find out how to count as a vermin...)

Go Titanic animal, then get awakened!

[Person_Man]

Major update, now with linky goodness. Thanks for all the tips. Things I still have to look up and add:

Maneuvers that increase reach.
Magic Items that increase reach.
Everything that provides or stacks for Wildshape.
All the various Polymorph-lite spells that increase size.
Any else I might be missing.

Any and all help is appreciated.

Also, the more I work on this, the more I realize how important (and easy) it is to get 20ish+ feet of reach via any efficient method. Yet 90% of melee builds I see on the boards still don't use reach weapons, or mention the need for Enlarge Person, Alter Self, etc. I wonder why.

[Fluffles]

Major update, now with linky goodness. Thanks for all the tips. Things I still have to look up and add:

Maneuvers that increase reach.
Magic Items that increase reach.
Everything that provides or stacks for Wildshape.
All the various Polymorph-lite spells that increase size.
Any else I might be missing.

Any and all help is appreciated.

Also, the more I work on this, the more I realize how important (and easy) it is to get 20ish+ feet of reach via any efficient method. Yet 90% of melee builds I see on the boards still don't use reach weapons, or mention the need for Enlarge Person, Alter Self, etc. I wonder why.

Well, a lot of my good melee build use monstrous races, so I can't use enlarge person. So I typically take Psionic Warrior instead. (And depending on the build will take 8 levels instead of my normal 4, assuming Psionics is allowed) I also don't use reach weapons because of a personal preference. (I like muh greatswords. Yes, that is intentionally plural)

EDIT: I also feel the need to mention that Half-Ogres are in SS at +1 LA, and in Races of Destiny at +2 LA.

[Kaiyanwang]

4. Reach
- I guess there is a ToB stance that increases reach (but only for attacking purposes, not for AoO) - but I forgot how it is called.

Dancing Blade Form, IH stance (lvl5?): but pay attention, does not stack with other effetcs (IIRC).

Effective size: in Magic of Faerun, there is a way to make metal weapons heavier through use of magic gold or platinum. Should stack with everything (just adapt the table of advancement to 3.5, and it's done).

[Fluffles]

Dancing Blade Form, IH stance (lvl5?): but pay attention, does not stack with other effetcs (IIRC).

It's level 5.

[Curmudgeon]

Fist of the Forest generally does not provide 2 steps up the Monk progression. It provides its listed unarmed damage, or

If your unarmed attack already deals this amount of damage, increase the base damage to the next step indicated on the monk class table.

It will only be 2 steps up the progression if you start with 1d6 unarmed damage and take 3 levels of FotF. At that time the replacement value is 1d10, which is 2 steps up on the Monk table. If you're already at 1d10 you get 2d6, which is the next step up from 1d10 on the Monk table; that's 1 step of increase. There is no provision for an unarmed damage increase if you already exceed the FotF value (only if you deal just the listed value) so if you're above 1d10 damage you get 0 steps of increase.

[monkey3]

I would normally not nitpick. But this post is so great that I think it will be used as a reference for some time to come. So, lets make it perfect:

1) Ascetic Rogue: Monk levels stack with Monk levels to determine unarmed damage.
Obviously, the first "Monk" should say "Rogue"

2)Ectoplasmic Fist: +1 effective size to unarmed damage. ECS, pg 264.
Quori Embedded Shards such as the above can only be embedded in Kalashtar characters. This makes them incompatible with other race-restrictive tools such as Battlefist.

[Darrin]

Touchstone site in Sandstorm... Sunken City of Pazar. Grants an ability very similar to Powerful Build for 1 minute a certain number of times per day.

Titan Bloodline, Oversized Weapon (Ex): Wield a gargantuan two-handed warhammer regardless of your current size. (I've got an itch to surprise my players with a Hengeyokai Sparrow with this ability sometime...)

[PinkysBrain]

Quori Embedded Shards such as the above can only be embedded in Kalashtar characters. This makes them incompatible with other race-restrictive tools such as Battlefist.

Arguably UPD can make them work.

[Douglas]

I have just checked the wording on Bones of Li-Peng, and it states explicitly "higher than your actual monk level". Therefore it unambiguously does not stack with any other effect that also includes such wording. I would argue, however, that the contrast of this with the Monk's Belt and Superior Unarmed Strike, both of which omit "than your actual monk level", is a point in favor of the Belt and SUS stacking, and the principle outlined in the FAQ of applying effects in whichever order is most beneficial when no other guideline is given would then mean that both the Belt and SUS also stack with the Bones because you can apply the Bones increase first and then the other two on top of that.

I'll leave it at that, as this isn't the right place to hold an extended debate on the subject. If anyone wants to argue this, we should take it to another thread. I think there's an existing one that hasn't hit the necromancy threshold yet.

[Person_Man]

Thanks for the updates and corrections guys.

Effective size: in Magic of Faerun, there is a way to make metal weapons heavier through use of magic gold or platinum. Should stack with everything (just adapt the table of advancement to 3.5, and it's done).

I wasn't able to find this. Do you know where it is and what it's called?

[Deth Muncher]

Metamorphosis/Greater Metamorphosis links are broken.

[Cieyrin]

I wasn't able to find this. Do you know where it is and what it's called?

Heavy Weapons are in Magic of Faerun, pg. 179. They require their own Exotic Weapon Proficiency to use, on top of normal proficiency for the weapon (i.e. you'd need EWP(Heavy Longsword), in addition to MWP(Longsword)).

And now, for a correction and an addition or two.

Correction: You never specify what Haztaratain stacks with for monk levels. I can't exactly check, as I don't have that book.

Additions: (1) Powerful Wildshape from Races of Stone allows you to carry over Powerful Build from your normal form to your Wild Shape, increasing your natural attack damage by 1 size category, among other benefits of Powerful Build.

(2) The Kaiju template from Dragon #315, only applies to Animals and Vermin. Like Titanic Creature but with more awesome in it!

[PhoenixRivers]

Note: Wild shape keeps type. You can still benefit from enlarge person.

[Person_Man]

Metamorphosis/Greater Metamorphosis links are broken.

Fixed. Thanks.

Heavy Weapons are in Magic of Faerun, pg. 179. They require their own Exotic Weapon Proficiency to use, on top of normal proficiency for the weapon (i.e. you'd need EWP(Heavy Longsword), in addition to MWP(Longsword)).

Hmm. Nice catch. Haberdash will be using them soon.

You never specify what Haztaratain stacks with for monk levels. I can't exactly check, as I don't have that book.

Haztaratain is a prestige class. It requires Flurry of Blows and the ability to cast or manifest certain spells/powers, plus a couple of feats. Your Haztaratain levels stack with Monk levels to determine Monk unarmed damage, Flurry, AC, unarmored speed, Slow Fall, and Stunning Fist uses. (Basically everything except new class abilities). So a Monk 3/Psychic Warrior 2/Haztaratain 5 would deal unarmed damage as a 8th level Monk. FYI, it's class abilities are quite weak.

The Kaiju template from Dragon #315, only applies to Animals and Vermin. Like Titanic Creature but with more awesome in it!

Do you know the requirements, LA, and effects of this template? I couldn't find it on crystalkeep.

[Lycanthromancer]

Polymorph cannot make you larger or smaller than 1 size category beyond your normal state.

Metamorphosis, however, can.

[edit] Also, the Talashtora feat (from Secrets of Sarlona) lets a single psionic class stack with monk levels for speed, AC, flurrying, and unarmed damage. Excessively awesome when paired with psychic warrior (or egoist and Carmendine Monk).

[Cieyrin]

Haztaratain is a prestige class. It requires Flurry of Blows and the ability to cast or manifest certain spells/powers, plus a couple of feats. Your Haztaratain levels stack with Monk levels to determine Monk unarmed damage, Flurry, AC, unarmored speed, Slow Fall, and Stunning Fist uses. (Basically everything except new class abilities). So a Monk 3/Psychic Warrior 2/Haztaratain 5 would deal unarmed damage as a 8th level Monk. FYI, it's class abilities are quite weak.

Ah, well that explains it.

Do you know the requirements, LA, and effects of this template? I couldn't find it on crystalkeep.

It's in the 3.0 part of Crystal Keep for some reason. Also it's actually in Dragon #289. Stupid Google search failing me. As I don't have access to my Dragons, I can't give you further details, unfortunately. =/

[Foryn Gilnith]

Is there a particular reason Improved Natural Attack (unarmed strike) isn't here? Does it have wording problems?