The Bear Necessities increasing size damage without increasing size. Druid question.

[shadowseve]

Last session as I ran out of spells during a boss fight and went into dire bear mode to consume the rest of the boss' face. The wiz, also low on spells, decided it would be a good idea to cast enlarge person on me thus making me huge. Well we killed the boss but by my wife complained about my big bear ass blocking off the crusader and barbarian. there was no where for me to move that would let them have a shot. So I'm curious if there is a way to increase the size damage of my claw and bite attack (besides improve nat attack) and not really increase my size? Large size is enough.

[Bronk]

Well, the good news for your wife is that by RAW, magical size enhancements usually don't stack (an exception is the Megalodon Empowerment spell). In this case, wild shape is making you large, so another spell won't make you any larger.

As for increasing your damage, you might look into a necklace of natural attacks, and upgrade each attack with weapon enhancements like flaming and so on.

You might also look into the 'Gauntlets of Heartfelt Blows' from Dragon 314, which add fire damage equal to your charisma bonus to each attack.

There are also some claw and bite enhancing magic items in the draconomicon, and I think anything that has a bite or claw can use them.

[shadowseve]

Well, the good news for your wife is that by RAW, magical size enhancements don't stack. In this case, wild shape is making you large, so another spell won't make you any larger.

As for increasing your damage, you might look into a necklace of natural attacks, and upgrade each attack with weapon enhancements like flaming and so on.

You might also look into the 'Gauntlets of Heartfelt Blows' from Dragon 314, which add fire damage equal to your charisma bonus to each attack.

There are also some claw and bite enhancing magic items in the draconomicon, and I think anything that has a bite or claw can use them.

I know that enhancement bonuses don't stack with other enhancement bonus, however; it's the animal that I turn into that's making me large. Sure wildshape gives me the ability to turn into large creatures and so on, however; I've never considered it a size "enhancement" spell.

[Bronk]

I know it seems weird, and I think that it would be a great house rule too. I only bring it up because they went over this pretty thoroughly a few 'Simple Q&A' threads ago.

[Bronk]

Hmm, you could take a level of monk (depending on your alignment) or use a monk's belt to gain the 'unarmed damage of a 5th-level monk'. Then you can make a number of iterative unarmed attacks at a slightly greater damage than normal than your size, followed by natural attacks as secondary attacks.

Once you've got that going, you might use 'mighty wallop' or 'greater mighty wallop' to increase the damage size of your unarmed attacks using the monk's ability to treat their unarmed attack (bludgeoning) as either a natural or manufactured weapon for spell purposes.

[shadowseve]

I know it seems weird, and I think that it would be a great house rule too. I only bring it up because they went over this pretty thoroughly a few 'Simple Q&A' threads ago.
I'll have to read find and read that


Hmm, you could take a level of monk (depending on your alignment) or use a monk's belt to gain the 'unarmed damage of a 5th-level monk'. Then you can make a number of iterative unarmed attacks at a slightly greater damage than normal than your size, followed by natural attacks as secondary attacks.

Once you've got that going, you might use 'mighty wallop' or 'greater mighty wallop' to increase the damage size of your unarmed attacks using the monk's ability to treat their unarmed attack (bludgeoning) as either a natural or manufactured weapon for spell purposes.

It was actually that spell that promped the question. I was reading a post by curmudgeon regarding that spell in a sword sage thread. I'm wearing a monk's belt and I've heard of using my iterative attacks on unarmed strike I've just assumed there was no absolute rule that stated whether I could or not. I already have 6 or 7 attacks thanks to girallon's blessing. 7 attacks if two of my claws hit so I can rake. That would give me 9 possible attacks at my level which is kinda insane.

[Bronk]

Well, when it comes to unarmed iterative attacks, that's always an option, whether you have monk levels or not. It's just that with the monk levels, or a magic item that grants them, or the improved unarmed strike feat, the damage can be lethal and not provoke attacks of opportunity. Then all of your natural attacks would be secondary attacks.

Wizards has a good rundown of it here:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20070403a

So, a level of monk would do it, as would the monk's belt and the fanged ring (which I had forgotten about, but I think is what you were looking for in your first post... it gives you improved unarmed strike, makes all your attacks one size category larger, deals 1 Con damage on a crit, for 10,000g (Dragon 308)).

Girallon's blessing is pretty good, but not perfect... it gives you four claw attacks, but puts two of those on your primary arms, which in your dire bear form would replace your two front claws with wee 1d4 damage claws. Unless your DM ruled that they count as legs, which would be nice. You might look into 'snake's swiftness' and the mass version if you get your friends surrounding something!

[shadowseve]

Well, when it comes to unarmed iterative attacks, that's always an option, whether you have monk levels or not. It's just that with the monk levels, or a magic item that grants them, or the improved unarmed strike feat, the damage can be lethal and not provoke attacks of opportunity. Then all of your natural attacks would be secondary attacks.

Wizards has a good rundown of it here:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20070403a

So, a level of monk would do it, as would the monk's belt and the fanged ring (which I had forgotten about, but I think is what you were looking for in your first post... it gives you improved unarmed strike, makes all your attacks one size category larger, deals 1 Con damage on a crit, for 10,000g (Dragon 308)).

Girallon's blessing is pretty good, but not perfect... it gives you four claw attacks, but puts two of those on your primary arms, which in your dire bear form would replace your two front claws with wee 1d4 damage claws. Unless your DM ruled that they count as legs, which would be nice. You might look into 'snake's swiftness' and the mass version if you get your friends surrounding something!

Girallon's blessing does give the d4 but but from my interpretation as well as what I've seen others interpret it is that the claws would increase in size. So in theory I could transform into a small animal cast the spell, giving me the d4 claws and then shape into a dire bear thus increasing the size of the damage from the claws (In theory) I'll look into the fanged ring and the link you provided.