Melee attacks/unarmed strikes?

[OzDragon]

Ok before I get started I know that Unarmed strikes to not count as Melee weapons.

Now that that is settled why can I make a melee attack with something that is not a melee weapon ( Unarmed strikes) ?
Before you bring up tavern brawler that turns mundane items into improvised weapons which count as melee weapons.

Also why are PC's with natural attacks held back in the melee weapon attack category when monsters are not?(yeah yeah yeah monsters are not PCs..but still why 2 sets of rules)
For those that don't know PCs with natural attacks those attacks are concidered as unarmed attacks.

This seems to me to not make sense. I'm of the opinion that if I'm doing damage with my fists, feet, claws or, bite I'm attacking with melee attacks.

Why does the distinction between melee weapons and unarmed strike exist? I can make melee weapon attacks and kill with both why is one concidered a weapon and the other not?







(on a side note: Why does the Order of the Lycan blood rite not continue on a monk/bloodhunter when the transformation ends)

[Unoriginal]

A fist is not a weapon. However, an unarmed *strike* is by definition, an attack. And since it's a close-quarter attack and not a ranged one, it is a melee attack.

Makes sense, yes?

Now, there are two types of melee attacks in 5e: weapon or spell. Since an unarmed strike is a melee attack, and not a spell, it is categorized as a melee weapon attack.

Also, monsters' natural attacks are also melee weapon attacks.

[Swordslinger]

I recall hearing somewhere that one of the reasons was that if Unarmed Strike counts as a weapon then it would cause issues for some features like the Dueling Fighting Style, since you would be wielding a weapon by RAW.

[djreynolds]

Also unarmed strike can be anything, headbutt, kick or elbow or shoulder bash

Just always have a dagger if multiclass with rogue so you can still sneak attack

Just being able to use monk weapons and unarmed strikes with dexterity is huge

What I would like to see is like a flying side kick as a special attack...