Monks and Gauntlets

[Evilhalfling]

Do gauntlets hamper or help a monks unarmed combat?

The monk in my game just got a single magical gauntlet that projects searing light (as minor circlet of blasting) It is a big clunky thing designed for a fighter or cleric and has an arcane spell failure 10%. If she gets the other gaunlet in the set does anything change?

gauntlet dmg is listed at d3 the same as a non-monk unarmed attack.
gauntlets are not mentioned in monk armor and weapons list.
If monk can use it fully then why bother with amulet of mighty fists, just get cheaper enchanted gautlets.

If it does hamper unarmed fighting then what about gauntlets of ogre power?

 

[Gort]

The gauntlet is being treated as a "weapon", so you can use it, OR you can use your unarmed combat skills.

That's a weird magic item, one that has arcane spell failure. Homebrew, I imagine. Theoretically, spell failure stacks, so the guy would get 20% spell failure.

A monk can use a gauntlet, just takes -4 nonproficiency unless he's proficient, and only does D3 damage, no matter what his unarmed damage is.

So no, they're no good for unarmed combat.

 

[Gort]

I feel THIS strongly about the issue.

 

[DanMcS]

This metal glove lets you deal lethal damage rather than nonlethal damage with unarmed strikes. A strike with a gauntlet is otherwise considered an unarmed attack.

A gauntlet doesn't do 1d3 damage. A person striking unarmed does 1d3 damage. It just lets your unarmed strike do lethal rather than subdual. Ergo, no effect on a monk, whose unarmed strike can already do lethal. There is no proficiency required to use a gauntlet, because it is treated as an unarmed strike.

 

[Kemrain]

The Gauntlet is a weapon, and thus doesn't usually pose an Armor Check Penalty, even if Gauntlets are usually work with armor.

Also, Gauntlets are not on the Monk's list if weapons, and thus they cannot be used to flurry. A monk with gauntlets is pretty SOL if they have to strike with their fists. Fortunately they can strike with any part of their body, so the gauntlets are just a waste of space and not a major hinderance.

Gauntlets of Ogre Power? I'd just call them gloves, otherwise you'd have to describe them as a weapon, and I don't recall any weapons that grant +2 to strength. Is it magical? Does it have a +1 enhancement bonus? If yes, and no, it's probably not a weapon.

Kemrain the Unarmed.

 

[Zephyrus]

Do gauntlets hamper or help a monks unarmed combat?

Only if the guatlets had an enhancemet bonus and the monk was attempting to use that bonus to hit or deal extra damage. In this case A Monk is likly to do more damage with his unarmed strike than the gauntlets will deal. However, if it is a magic weapon then they can penetrate Damage Reduction that requires magic weapons to penetrate. Likewise if the guantlets were flaming or shocking or of frost they would deal their extra energy damage like any other weapon. Further they could be made of adamantine and penetrate DR #/Adamantine long before a monk has the monk ability to do so. Alternatly they could be made of Silver or Cold Iron and harm Lycanthropes or Fey. However the damage suffers cause a Monk's normal unarmed strike is usually greater than the damage caused by gauntlets.

The monk in my game just got a single magical gauntlet that projects searing light (as minor circlet of blasting) It is a big clunky thing designed for a fighter or cleric and has an arcane spell failure 10%. If she gets the other gaunlet in the set does anything change?

Whats the magic of the gauntlet. If it is only to project the searing light then their is nothing wrong with them activating the power and fighting with their feet and other hand. Arcane spell failure means nothing to magic items. IT only effects casting arcane spells (as in your a Wizard, Sorcerer or Bard) with somatic components.

gauntlet dmg is listed at d3 the same as a non-monk unarmed attack. gauntlets are not mentioned in monk armor and weapons list. If monk can use it fully then why bother with amulet of mighty fists, just get cheaper enchanted gautlets.

A Monk, provided they had profiency with the weapon could use it as mentioned above. But would require profiency or suffer non-profiency penalties. A Monk however does not need to use the gauntlet to attack with. It could be worn purely so that the monk can use the searing light power and you could simple say that a guantlet wont inpair a monk's ability to fight unarmed as long as the guantlet was purely a wonderous item and not a weapon (or at least not used as a weapon). Gauntlets take up a magic item slot weather singly or a pair. Thus I wouldent allow a different guantlet on the other hand (even if it was also a solo magic gauntlet).

The benefit of a monk weilding weapons is that they can be made of special materials or have magical enhancements put on them like Flaming, Haste and Holy and thus doing damage or bypassing Damage Reduction normally not gained with monk levels. The Amulet of Mighty Fists allows a monk to use their special unarmed strike damage and gain a enhancement bonus as if they were a manufactured weapon.

If it does hamper unarmed fighting then what about gauntlets of ogre power?

I would let them use the guantlets (gaining the enhancement bonus to STR) without penalty since Gauntlets of Ogre Power are wonderous items and the monk is not attempting to use them as a weapon, just getting the enhancement bonus to an ability.

 

[dcollins]

This was dealt with in the Main 3.0 FAQ, p. 27:

Are gauntlets and spiked gauntlets considered weapons? Could a monk wearing a pair of gauntlets attack and still apply her unarmed attack bonus and unarmed damage? Could the monk use her class abilities that require successful unarmed strikes, such as her stun ability, while wearing gauntlets? How much damage would a monk wearing a pair of gauntlets deal? If the gauntlets had an enhancement bonus (such as a +2 enhancement bonus) or a special ability (such as flaming burst), would a monk wearing these gauntlets gain any benefit? Can gauntlets even have weapon enhancement bonuses or weapon special abilities?

Both gauntlets and spiked gauntlets are weapons (that ’s why they are both listed on Table 7–4 in the Player’s Handbook). A pair of gauntlets or spiked gauntlets can be magically enhanced, just as any other weapon can. Although a nonmonk wearing a pair of gauntlets is still considered unarmed (see the next two questions), a monk wearing gauntlets is using a weapon. A monk cannot use any of her special unarmed attack abilities (unarmed damage, stunning attack, and so on) when using a weapon. A monk can use her unarmed attack rate with a special monk weapon, but gauntlets are not a special monk weapon. A monk wearing gauntlets does not provoke attacks of opportunity when striking an armed foe with gauntlets. The monk deals the same damage as any other character of her size (1d3 points of damage for a Medium-size character). The monk would get the benefits of any magical
properties the gauntlets might have.

 

[krazykid]

As a related aside ....

We allow monks in our campaign to buy gloves with an enchament bouns to hit and damage. A houserule to be sure but it works for us.

We treat them as magic weapons anyone can use as part of an unarmed attack - max +10 enchantment, +5 bonus to hit max. They are just plain silk gloves so they only provide the enchament bonus to hit and damage. They can be used with flurry of blows and allows monk level damage plus the bonuses. So for example +3 shocking, ghost touch gloves are possible.

 

[Master Chr Smith]

The way we have always done it, Gauntlets do not provide additional damage how ever enchantments on the gauntlet may help a monk, IE shocking/flaming/frost would activate normally but Impact (bludgeoning version of keen) would only affect gauntlet and not monk strike, likewise any +x enchantment is on the gauntlet only and so dose not help the monk's unarmed strike. Material affects the monk strike only to bypass damage reduction not to deal additional damage or break through objects. A simple way to bypass all these restrictions would be to take the Armored Monk Feat (wear light armor while maintaining most abilities, loose half Wis mod to AC and half bonus movement speed). There is also the Argent Fist PrC from Faiths of Ebberon

 

[Sm!le]

1. Unarmed Attacks in the Rulebook: The fact that "Unarmed Attacks" are listed as a parent category for both Gauntlets and Unarmed Strikes on the weapons table supports the fact that the damage increase from the monk's "Unarmed Damage" will apply to both gauntlets and unarmed strikes. (PHB116) It is referenced as unarmed attack progression in Dungeon Master's Guide "class abilities such as the monk’s special unarmed attack progression."(DMG207)

2. Monk's Unarmed Damage: As in the player's handbook, a monk's unarmed strikes are versatile, and the monk's Unarmed Damage applies to all unarmed attacks. The monk's Improved Unarmed Strike allows them to use various parts of their body for unarmed strikes, including fists, elbows, knees, and feet. (PHB41)

3. Gauntlets of the Talon: In the case of the Gauntlets of the Talon, the relic power explicitly mentions that it treats you as a monk of five levels higher for the purposes of AC, unarmed damage, and the ki strike ability. This means that when wearing these gauntlets, your unarmed strikes, including those made with the gauntlets, benefit from the monk's increased damage. As well as they can be Bludgeoning or Slashing. (MIC103)

4. "Amulet of Mighty Fists: This amulet explicitly mentions it grants an enhancement bonus of +1 to +5 on attack and damage rolls with "unarmed attacks and natural weapons." Since gauntlets are considered unarmed attacks, Gauntlets would indeed benefit from the enhancement bonus provided by the Amulet of Mighty Fists. (DMG246)

In summary, the damage increase provided by the Amulet of Mighty Fists, Monk's "Unarmed Damage", and the "Gauntlets of the Talon" does include the damage from the gauntlets themselves, It benefits from the monk's Unarmed Damage as specified in the items descriptions. You can use this information to explain to others that the monk's damage increase is not limited to traditional unarmed strikes only but extends to all unarmed attacks, including those made with gauntlets, kicks, elbows, knees, and headbutts.

D&D 3.5e - Magic Item Compendium: Page 103
GAUNTLETS OF THE TALON [RELIC]
Price (Item Level): 4,000 gp (8th)
Body Slot: Hands
Caster Level: 20th
Aura: Strong; (DC 25) transmutation
Activation: —
Weight: 2 lb.

These elegant gauntlets are made of a silvery metal and have a scaly surface. Each finger is tipped with a long talon made of sapphire.

Provided that you are lawful good, lawful neutral, or neutral good, gauntlets of the talon grant you two primary natural claw attacks that count as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Each claw deals 1d6 points of slashing damage (if you are Medium).

Relic Power: If you have established the proper divine connection and already have levels in the monk class, you are treated as if you were a monk of five levels higher than you actually are for the purposes of AC, unarmed damage, and the ki strike ability. This benefit doesn’t stack with similar benefits (such as from a monk’s belt). Also, you can treat your unarmed damage as either bludgeoning or slashing damage (chosen each time you attack).
To use the relic power, you must worship Bahamut and either sacrifice a 3rd-level divine spell slot or have the True Believer feat and at least 5 HD. If you sacrifice a 5th-level divine spell slot or have the True Believer feat and at least 9 HD, the gauntlets also function as ghost touch weapons for the purpose of attacking incorporeal creatures. In addition, you gain a +4 bonus on grapple checks.
Lore: It is said that this silvery set of gauntlets was fashioned by Bahamut himself, then given to the master of a now-defunct order of monks (Knowledge [religion] DC 15).
Members of the order’s inner circle eventually discovered the secret of their manufacture, but they managed to make only a few additional sets before their order was destroyed by followers of Tiamat (Knowledge [religion] DC 20).
Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, Sanctify Relic, righteous might.
Cost to Create: 2,000 gp, 160 XP, 4 days.

Fun Notes:
1. Enhanced Gauntlet of the Talon: The existence of a more expensive version that allows similar functions to stack, akin to the monk's belt, adds another layer of customization for characters who focus on unarmed combat. This provides players with the option to invest more resources for increased benefits.
D&D 3.5e - Complete Divine: Page 97
Gauntlet of the Talon: It is said that this silvery spiked set of gauntlets was fashioned by Bahamut himself, then given to the master of a now-defunct order of monks. A character wearing gauntlets of the talon effectively has natural weapons that deal 1d8 points of slashing damage and count as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. If a monk dons the gauntlets of the talon, she is treated as if she were five levels higher for purposes of AC, unarmed damage (which now counts as slashing), and the monk’s ki strike ability (this function stacks with the similar functions of a monk’s belt). Gauntlets of the talon function as ghost touch weapons for the purpose of attacking incorporeal creatures. Finally, the wearer gains a +4 bonus on all grapple checks. To use this relic, you must worship Bahamut and either sacrifice a 4th-level divine spell slot or have the True Believer feat and at least 7 HD.
Moderate transmutation; CL 11th; Sanctify Relic, Craft Wondrous Item, righteous might, creator must worship Bahamut; Price 20,000 gp; Weight 2 lb.
2. Superior Unarmed Strike Feat: The "Superior Unarmed Strike" feat from the Tome of Battle (Page 33) is a great find. It offers an additional way for characters, especially monks, to further boost their unarmed damage, effectively dealing damage as if they were four levels higher. This can significantly amplify their combat effectiveness in unarmed combat situations.
These additional options highlight the richness of character customization in D&D 3.5e, allowing players to tailor their characters to specific themes or playstyles. It's always rewarding for players to explore different sourcebooks and discover these hidden gems.