[PF] Help with natural attack ranger

[acid_ninja]

tried searching for this but the forum search tool is cracking the sh*ts

Okay, one of my players is going with the natural attack combat track for his ranger. The rules on natural attacks are a bit confusing. With aspect of the beast, does he get two claw attacks? And they’re both made at his full BAB, right? What about iteratives? At 6th level will he have +6/+6/+1/+1? If so, then natural attack isn’t bad – basically TWF without the penalties and extra feat tax but with less than amazing base damage and no ability to enchant. if it doesn’t work with iteratives it’s gimped and my question is how can I make it better?

Changing the concept is out of the question – the player is dead set on it and I’m all about letting the player have the character they want. Also, there doesn’t seem to be a feat that will grant him a secondary attack. Do you think that would be OP?

[acid_ninja]

Okay, I now realize that this thread is stupid. RTFM: Natural attacks=no iteratives.

[Coidzor]

Only things I know of are 3.5 material like rapid strike feat which had non-humanoid type requirements, I believe, and items like the amulet of mighty fists and the necklace of natural attacks for enhanting natural weapons.

If he wants a natural-attack themed naturey-character, then porting Totemist into PF is not supposed to be all that difficult and is pretty well balanced out of the box.

[HunterOfJello]

Yup, natural attacks don't get extra attacks with a higher bab. Optimized builds based on natural attacks usually focus on gaining more natural weapons in order to obtain extra attacks. A bite, extra arms with claws, tentacles, slams, a stinger, and very rarely a gore attack added to a PC will allow them more attacks with their natural weapons.

Natural weapons are a good way to get nice damage at lower levels, but usually become lackluster at higher levels when other PCs can get the same number of attacks because of high BAB.

[acid_ninja]

I think I'll allow him to spend a feat to get a bite attack - there's a PF feat called razortusk that lets orcs do it and he's flavored as a character whose tiefling nature is manifesting later in life so the fluff is there. He'll end up with three natural attacks - two primary claws and a secondary bite at Full/Full/-2 (with multiattack) which, considering that the game is going to run to about level 17, puts him about on par with the other melee characters (this is a pretty low-op game for noobs). He'll have a much better hit rate but with the heavy feat investment and difficulty of enchanting natural weapons his damage per hit should be lower than say, the THW pally.