Stunning Fist and Paralyzing fist

[Hal0Badger]

Paralyzing Fist (Drow of the Underdark) feat requires you to make more than once successful stunning fist attack at the same round against a target:

"When two or more of your Stunning Fist attacks succeed in stunning a single foe in the same round, that creature must make another Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 your character level + your Wis modifier +1 for each successful Stunning Fist attack). On a failure, that creature is paralyzed for 1d2 rounds instead of being stunned for 1 round. Creatures that are not subject to extra damage from critical hits and creatures that are immune to stunning cannot be paralyzed in this manner."

However, by Stunning Fist descripton, you can only make 1 stunning fist attempt per round:
"You may attempt a stunning attack once per day for every four levels you have attained (but see Special), and no more than once per round."

How can you use paralzying fist if you cannot make more than 1 attempt per round? Am I missing something?

[Karnith]

How can you use paralzying fist if you cannot make more than 1 attempt per round? Am I missing something?

It is possible to make multiple Stunning Fist attempts in a round, e.g. with the Rapid Stunning feat (Complete Warrior, pp. 104-105), but you are correct that the ability is not particularly useful under normal circumstances. Or even when you do have Rapid Stunning, really

[Andezzar]

There is also the possibility that more than on character hits with a stunning fist attack.

[Karnith]

There is also the possibility that more than on character hits with a stunning fist attack.

It does specify two or more of your Stunning Fist attacks, so absent Body Outside Body (etc.) shenanigans I don't believe that will work. And even with BoB, ehhh

[Hal0Badger]

It is possible to make multiple Stunning Fist attempts in a round, e.g. with the Rapid Stunning feat (Complete Warrior, pp. 104-105), but you are correct that the ability is not particularly useful under normal circumstances. Or even when you do have Rapid Stunning, really

So there is not reason to take Paralyzing Strike, unless you have Rapid Stunning?

[Andezzar]

Sorry, I overlooked the pronoun. I guess someone did not read the rules for stunning fist before making that feat.

So it should go into the Dysfunctional rules thread, if it isn't there already.

[Karnith]

So there is not reason to take Paralyzing Strike, unless you have Rapid Stunning?

Rapid Stunning or a similar ability (though I'm not aware of any others), yeah. DotU was pretty late in 3.5's development cycle, and the books from around that time have a reputation for being poorly edited.

[StreamOfTheSky]

Or you could just ask the DM to remove the 1/round restriction. Or at least let that Paralyzing feat include it as well for free. It won't break anything....

[Thurbane]

Would extra actions, like a Belt of Battle or Factotum ability, get around this restriction, or not, due to its wording?

[Andezzar]

Would extra actions, like a Belt of Battle or Factotum ability, get around this restriction, or not, due to its wording?

No it wouldn't because the limit is per round. It does not matter how many actions you get.