What benefits does having a natural attack give you?

[CyberThread]

What benefits is their, to having natural claw attack?

[The Dark Fiddler]

When you're disarmed or just don't feel like using a sword you can swipe at whoever's pissed you off.

[Flickerdart]

The benefits are manyfold.


Natural attacks mean you're always armed. Take attacks of opportunity even when you're using a bow or whip!
You can (usually) wield a weapon and still use the natural attack as a secondary attack (-5 to hit, 1/2 STR less to damage than usual) which is basically a free swing.
You can deliver a touch spell with a natural attack - you have to hit regular AC, but deal the natural attack's damage in addition to having the spell go off.

[Hyde]

Multiple natural attacks are frequently (but not always) better than iterative attacks, since they're all taken at your highest BAB.

[Baroncognito]

Even on critical fumbles, you never drop your weapon or worry about it breaking. You can't be disarmed and there aren't sunder rules for breaking a natural weapon (that I've seen). If you're captured and thrown in a prison, they can put you in a muzzle, but they can't take your weapons away. No one can complain too much about you coming armed to a social event.

Finally: Natural weapons don't add to your encumbrance.

[Namfuak]

Even on critical fumbles, you never drop your weapon or worry about it breaking.

This is not the case without houserules. One other advantage to natural weapons is that they can be used in a grapple, if I recall. Some even grant you extra rend or constrict damage.

[Tvtyrant]

Can be used in conjunction with held weapons to maximize number of attacks (drawback of low attack bonus)

[WhatBigTeeth]

The other easy ways of getting extra attacks (TWF, Rapid Shot, Flurry, Snap Kick...) tend to penalize your entire attack routine, natural weapons don't.

[TuggyNE]

Even on critical fumbles, you never drop your weapon or worry about it breaking.

Since critical fumbles more significant than "you miss" are always houserules, I'm not convinced of the universal truth of this; surely there are a number of groups that would, indeed, figure out some way to have you break your claw, strain your jaw muscles, or otherwise disable your natural weapon for a while.

[Baroncognito]

I just know from my gaming experience. A critical fumble with my natural attacks normally means "Okay, you don't get any more attacks this turn."

[HunterOfJello]

They allow you the ability to make 3+ attacks as a Full Attack Action at level 1. Most characters that level will be doing 1 attack per round, while a few will being doing 2 (rapid shot, flurry of blows). Extra attacks can be extremely useful at low levels for pumping out damage and taking on multiple targets.

[Doorhandle]

There are rules for it, but again, homebrew and third party.

Also, if you're a class that specialises in natural weapons, (like a druid or eldion, or some barbarins) you can easily get a LOT of them, and all at higher B.A.B than T.W.F, or even T.H.F

Plus many can deliver nasty condtions, and you don't have to prep them beforehand: things like poison, disease, rake, rend, or constrict. Granted, that's mostly monster stuff, but the before-mentioned classes can still enjoy abusing them.

[Allanimal]

if you're a class that specialises in natural weapons, (like a druid or eldion, or some barbarins) you can easily get a LOT of them, and all at higher B.A.B than T.W.F, or even T.H.F .

Wait- BAB is determined by class levels & racial hit dice, not whether you are using natural weapons, TWF or THF. Those things establish penalties for extra attacks (iteratives, offhand, secondary, etc.) but the BAB doesn't change.

[Talderas]

The bite natural attack is considered slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning.

[Doorhandle]

Wait- BAB is determined by class levels & racial hit dice, not whether you are using natural weapons, TWF or THF. Those things establish penalties for extra attacks (iteratives, offhand, secondary, etc.) but the BAB doesn't change.

True, but if they're all primary natural attacks, they all use your highest B.A.B, and even if they're secondary, they still are effectively using your second-highest B.A.B.

The difference is, quarterstaff vs Teeth and claws, it's 15/10/5 as opposed to 15/15/15

Also, you could get even more attacks than you would have via normal B.A.B if you have enough natural weapons: an eildon can have 7 natural attacks if it belongs to a lv. 20 summoner: and then you are looking at 15/15/15/15/15/15/15, which is quite nasty even without full B.A.B

Downside is, if you have only 1 natural weapon , (like one lone bite), then using it is strictly worse than weaponary on average, as you can only make 1 attack with each natural weapon you have: 15 as opposed to 15/10/5.
And accuracy is decreased by quite a lot if you're using it and the normal full attack at the same time.

[Flickerdart]

I just know from my gaming experience. A critical fumble with my natural attacks normally means "Okay, you don't get any more attacks this turn."
I have literally never encountered this house rule before, so I'm not sure how common it really is.

[Talderas]

True, but if they're all primary natural attacks, they all use your highest B.A.B, and even if they're secondary, they still are effectively using your second-highest B.A.B.

Unless my memory deceives me or some things have drastically changed, all creatures have one primary natural attack with all others being secondary. In most cases this primary attack is one single attack with the notable exception of claws/talons in which two claw attacks are both consider primary.

Primary attacks take no penalty when used and secondary attacks always take a -5 penalty when used. So a dragon (bite primary) who uses a tail slap as a standard action takes a -5 penalty to the attack.

Additionally, the primary attack in the case of "linked" natural weapons like claws does not include both claws in a standard action, you only get to attack with one claw.

[danzibr]

The benefits are manyfold.


Natural attacks mean you're always armed. Take attacks of opportunity even when you're using a bow or whip!
You can (usually) wield a weapon and still use the natural attack as a secondary attack (-5 to hit, 1/2 STR less to damage than usual) which is basically a free swing.
You can deliver a touch spell with a natural attack - you have to hit regular AC, but deal the natural attack's damage in addition to having the spell go off.

Hmm. I didn't know that last one. Interesting.

[Flickerdart]

Hmm. I didn't know that last one. Interesting.
It's a bit of an obscure rule, tucked away in the description of actions in combat (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#touchSpellsinCombat) rather than touch spells. Under holding the charge: "Alternatively, you may make a normal unarmed attack (or an attack with a natural weapon) while holding a charge. In this case, you aren’t considered armed and you provoke attacks of opportunity as normal for the attack. (If your unarmed attack or natural weapon attack doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity, neither does this attack.) If the attack hits, you deal normal damage for your unarmed attack or natural weapon and the spell discharges."

[Greenish]

True, but if they're all primary natural attacks, they all use your highest B.A.B, and even if they're secondary, they still are effectively using your second-highest B.A.B.You keep saying BAB and meaning "attack bonus". Base Attack Bonus is a specific term, and having a penalty to your attacks doesn't change your BAB.

[Amnestic]

Primary attacks take no penalty when used and secondary attacks always take a -5 penalty when used. So a dragon (bite primary) who uses a tail slap as a standard action takes a -5 penalty to the attack.


These can be mitigated with Multiattack and Improved Multiattack (reducing the penalty to -2 and then 0, respectively) though.

[Greenish]

Unless my memory deceives me or some things have drastically changed, all creatures have one primary natural attack with all others being secondary. In most cases this primary attack is one single attack with the notable exception of claws/talons in which two claw attacks are both consider primary.I believe he's thinking PF, which has different primary/secondary rules.

[Person_Man]

You can apply both Power Attack (though it's counts as a one handed weapon) and Weapon Finesse to natural attacks by default.

There are a few classes and prestige classes which can dramatically improve natural attacks - Totemist, Warshaper, Kensai, and a few others I'm forgetting.

It's slightly easier to increase the actual or effective size (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7081777) of natural attacks (and Unarmed Strikes) compared to manufactured weapons, which can make them an effective alternative (or addition) to Power Attack.