Unarmed strikes have always been weapon attacks. Here’s where the confusion comes in: your unarmed strike (fist, elbow, knee, butt, etc.) is not considered by the rules to be a weapon the way a longsword is a weapon.
Can monk unarmed strike sneak attack?
An unarmed strike isn’t a weapon, so it doesn’t qualify. In contrast, a rogue/monk can use Sneak Attack with a monk weapon, such as a shortsword or a dagger, that has one of the required properties. Strictly speaking, unarmed strikes are not finesse weapons and cannot be used for Sneak Attack.
Can you use unarmed strikes on a monk?
Keep in mind that the Monk’s bonus attack granted by the Martial Arts feature and both Flurry fo Blows attacks granted by the Ki feature are made with unarmed strikes, rather than with the weapon you’ve used in the Attack action. This means those attacks may be made at a d4 or d6, rather than the weapon’s d8.
Can a stunning strike be used as an unarmed attack?
The first quote from Stormknight does say unarmed strikes count as a weapon attack. It specifically says you can use unarmed instead of a weapon attack in such cases where a weapon attack is needed. So when Stunning Strike says melee weapon attack you can use unarmed in instead of a weapon and it will still work.
Can you use dexterity on an unarmed strike?
You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes and monk weapons. The Attack must use a Finesse or a ranged weapon. While unarmed strikes count as weapon attacks, they are not weapons.
Can a rogue’s sneak strike work with an unarmed strike?
Given that rogue’s sneak attack must use a ranged or finesse weapon, PHB, page 96: The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon. I ruled that unarmed strike, for a monk, essentially has the finesse property as per Martial Arts, and thus makes it eligible for sneak attack.
