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As a monk, I make a Flurry of Blows:

Make two unarmed Strikes. If both hit the same creature, combine their damage for the purpose of resistances and weaknesses. Apply your multiple attack penalty to the Strikes normally. As it has the flourish trait, you can use Flurry of Blows only once per turn.

I choose an orc with Ferocity as the target of my first Strike, hit and deal enough damage to drop the orc to 0 HP.

What happens next?

  • Does the orc's ferocity immediately trigger? If yes, can I use my second Strike to attack the orc again, possibly killing the orc?
  • Or maybe the orc "waits" with dying until I choose who to target with my second Strike, and orc ferocity only triggers after both Strikes are made (so targeting the orc again with the second Strike would be pointless)?
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1 Answer 1

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The Ferocity triggers immediately after the first hit

Flurry of Blows lets you make two separate Strikes, unlike Swipe for example. Picking the target is part of the Strike, not Flurry of Blows.

So the sequenece of events is:

  1. Pick Orc as target
  2. Make attack roll (and succeed)
  3. Deal damage, modified by weakness or resistance
  4. See the result (enemy is still up, no matter the reason)
  5. Pick Orc as target again
  6. Make attack roll (and succeed)
  7. Succeed
  8. Deal damage, without weakness or resistance

(If you pick another target in step 5, you of course consider the weaknesses and resistances in step 8)

I understand how the part about "combine their damage for the purpose of resistances and weaknesses" seems to imply that they happen simultaneously, but having the usual Multiple Attack Penalty implies the opposite.

So because these attacks are not explicitly exempt from the usual targeting rules, they are not.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Why do you deal damage without weakness or resistance in step 8 if you hit the orc again? \$\endgroup\$
    – Honey Battery
    Commented Feb 14 at 11:06
  • \$\begingroup\$ @HoneyBatter: Flurry of Blows says: "If both hit the same creature, combine their damage for the purpose of resistances and weaknesses". If the first damage is higher than the resistance (it usually is), it is sufficient to subtract the resistance only from that \$\endgroup\$
    – András
    Commented Feb 14 at 19:09
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    \$\begingroup\$ I remain skeptical about the described method of damage application. The 'Flurry of Blows' text clearly states that if both strikes hit, their damage should be combined into a single source. Consequently, this combined damage would then trigger ferocity in the usual manner \$\endgroup\$
    – Francesco Rogo
    Commented Feb 15 at 8:05
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    \$\begingroup\$ @FrancescoRogo In your interpretation, what if the target orc has Shield Block? Would he choose whether to use it or not when he receives damage after the first Strike (in which case that information would be available to the Monk as she chooses whether to Strike the orc one more time) or only after all is done? \$\endgroup\$
    – Petr Hudeček
    Commented Feb 15 at 18:00
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    \$\begingroup\$ @FrancescoRogo, the damage is only combined "for the purpose of resistances and weaknesses". Shield Block gives neither, so you block separately \$\endgroup\$
    – András
    Commented Aug 14 at 21:47

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