Some Ideas for Improving Unarmed Build Possibilities

For various reasons I won't get into now, I've been looking into a Dex-stacking build, and a friend put me onto Hollow Palm Technique. But when I look at the list of skill gems usable when unarmed, the options seem fairly limited, especially for Dexterity-focused builds:

- Consecrated Path
- Cyclone
- Dominating Blow
- Earthquake
- Earthshatter
- Elemental Hit
- Frenzy
- Ground Slam
- Ice Crash
- Infernal Blow
- Smite
- Sunder
- Tectonic Slam
- Volcanic Fissure

Boneshatter

- What could possibly better embody the concept of simultaneously dealing damage to enemies and yourself than beating something to death with your bare hands?

Charged Dash*

- Let me be the Flash! Let me deliver that Supersonic Death Punch!

Double Strike* / Puncture*

- I don't feel like the Bleed synergy necessarily disqualifies these skills, since it's totally possible to cause internal hemorrhaging from a strike with a blunt weapon (like with fists).

Dual Strike

- This one should only be usable with Hollow Palm, since it's otherwise impossible to be "dual wielding" while unarmed, and two-weapon fighting is pretty important to the identity of Dual Strike.

Flicker Strike*

- Literally the definition of "Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru" / "Nani!?"; c'mon GGG, it would be so fun

Frost Blades* / Glacial Hammer

- See: Ice Crash

Heavy Strike / Vigilant Strike

- If an ability makes conceptual sense as being used with a 1H mace, I feel like attacking with the character's fists also works, as a general rule.

Leap Slam

- I'm confused why which weapon held in the main hand would affect the Exile's ability to Goomba-stomp enemies...

Lightning Strike / Static Strike

- See: Smite

Molten Strike

- See: Infernal Blow

Perforate

- The fantasy of this is just like Earthshatter or Volcanic Fissure! You slam the ground with your hands with so much force that spikes erupt from the ground at enemies.

Pestilent Strike* / Reave* / Viper Strike*

- These skills are pretty iconically tied to daggers/claws, but given the existence of Rigwald's Curse, I don't feel like it breaks immersion too much to be able to send out waves of energy or to spiritually corrupt foes with my werewolf cla- I mean... my perfectly normal, human hands.

Rage Vortex

- If you're sending a manifestation of your rage at enemies, why does the held weapon matter...?

Shield Charge / Shield Crush

- Again, if you're attacking with something other than your mainhand weapon (in this case, your shield), why does the weapon (or absence of one) matter?

Sweep

- "Sweep the leg!" I think this one should also only be for Hollow Palm, since the unarmed version of this revolves around that "martial arts" theme.

Vengeance

- See: Riposte

Wild Strike

- See: Elemental Hit

* I could see an argument that these skills should only work unarmed while the user has Hollow Palm, given that the fantasy associated with the unarmed form of these skills evokes a ninja warrior or martial artist, rather than simply punching something. But I also don't think it would be that disruptive for these skills to work while unarmed by default.

Ultimately, the goal of this suggestion is to make building and theory-crafting for unarmed builds exciting. For the time being, when I look at making an unarmed build, I am very much not excited. The selection for a main skill is very limited, and the options currently there don't interest me (though that's a matter of taste).

For GGG, if you'd be willing to elaborate on the reasoning for why one skill or another is very deliberately not available while unarmed, I'd be very interested to hear more about the design process.

For my fellow players, if you have additional ideas for ways to improve the flexibility and build possibilities of the unarmed combat style (or just wanna give a '+1' to my informal petition), feel free to contribute those in the replies here as well!

Thanks for reading, and have a pleasant day.

Any skill currently in the game that does not require a weapon should be able to be used by the hollow palm skill but with one small change to the jewel, If the skill being used is a spell then it would use Intelligence instead of dexterity. For example freezing pulse does not require a weapon.
As it stands there are really only 2 classes that would use hollow palm and that is Ranger and Duellist as large amounts of dexterity are needed but allowing it to be used for spells by adding intelligence to the jewel makes it useable with Witch shadow and Templar.