Unarmed damage and claws

[Zsaber0]

If I have a nice big pair of claws and a high BAB, is there a way to make my "unarmed strikes" deal the damage my claws would deal? While getting numerous attacks from my BAB instead of the limiting 2 claw attacks?

[Answerer]

Yes, there's the Beast Strike feat from Dragon volume 355 that causes your Unarmed Strike to deal damage equal to your normal Unarmed Strike damage plus your Claw or Slam damage. It requires Improved Unarmed Strike, I think, and some BAB. Maybe +6? Not sure.

Alternatively, Rapidstrike and Improved Rapidstrike (Draconomicon) give you more attacks per round with a pair of Claws. Requires that you be one of a handful of (non-humanoid) types, though. I know Aberrations and Dragons qualify; not sure what else does.

[Zsaber0]

I ask because I will be playing a Weretiger Fighter in an upcoming game, and I wanted to fight with my claws instead of a sword. I don't want to be completely useless, but I know that I will soon out level my 2 natural attacks.

[Answerer]

I cannot possibly begin to describe how much I recommend Warblade over Fighter for that kind of build.

[Keld Denar]

Do both.

Unarmed Strikes, while containing many properties of natural weapons, are weapons that make iterative attacks. In the presence of a weapon capable of making iterative attacks, all natural weapons are relegated to secondary status. Thus, you make you're full compliment of UASs per normal, then tack on your two claw attacks at full BAB-5.

Use Fist of the Forest levels to boost your UAS damage.

[Zsaber0]

I cannot possibly begin to describe how much I recommend Warblade over Fighter for that kind of build.

DM doesn't allow ToB, and I dislike it myself. If I want to play a caster, I'll play a caster.



Use Fist of the Forest levels to boost your UAS damage.

I'm not trying to up my damage or optimize. I just want to use my claws instead of a 1d4 attack.

Beast Strike answers my questions just fine. But my DM may not allow it since he is a real stickler about some stuff. Namely tomes and dragon magazine.

[gorfnab]

Levels of Warshaper (Complete Warrior) are nice for natural attack based builds.

[Zsaber0]

Levels of Warshaper (Complete Warrior) are nice for natural attack based builds.

So far I have 1 level in warshaper. Will take more as the game progresses.

[eggs]

Neither replaces Unarmed Strikes with claw damage, but you could aim for Improved Rapidstrike or Shou Disciple to get iteratives with claw attacks. Both have their own difficulties (Rapidstrike needs a typechange and very high BA; Shou Disciple eats levels and turns the claws into Flurry-able weapons, which may not be exactly what you're going for).

[Answerer]

DM doesn't allow ToB, and I dislike it myself. If I want to play a caster, I'll play a caster.
Tome of Battle is, really without anything in the way of competition, the most tighly-balanced and well-designed book WotC ever printed for 3.5.

And initiators are not casters, not by a long shot. Typesetting does not a rule make.