Does clawlock work?

[Dragonsworn]

Hello everyone

Long story short, I will be DMing a campaign soon and a player wants to try a clawlock. I checked online to see what it's all about and how it works and I was left with the impression that it doesn't...

Specifically I am referring to the Eldritch Claws + Beast Strike combo

A quick explanation for those not familiar (or who simply have forgotten), Eldritch Claws gives you a pair of claws as natural weapons that deal unarmed strike + eldritch blast damage and Beast Strike allows you to perform an unarmed strike with extra damage equal to your natural weapons', which thanks to Eldritch Claws now contains your original unarmed strike damage plus your eldritch blast, so you end up dealing damage equal to twice your unarmed strike damage + eldritch blast damage.

So here's my question. Can you deliver an unarmed strike while having formed eldritch claws?

I am not sure if this is a mechanical or a fluff question, but it seems to me it's both! How can a person with claws for hands attack with said hands and not use the claws (appart from {{Scrubbed}} slapping the intended target :smalltongue: )?

This of course does not apply to any creature with more than two arms who could form a set of claws and attack with the remaining limbs or anything with at least one level of monk who could form the claws and then kick the target to death or whatever (tough the fluff part of the question remains, as another body part has the claws formed and another one delivers the attack, the mechanical prerequisites for the damage increase are met, which is usually what matters from an optimization standpoint...)

So how does it work?

[Troacctid]

Claw attacks don't prevent you making unarmed strikes, and unarmed strikes don't prevent you making claw attacks. However, you don't double-dip on the eldritch blast damage, as Beast Strike specifically only adds your claw damage to unarmed strike damage when you hit with an unarmed strike or succeed on a grapple check to deal damage, and you're not doing either of those things when you make a claw attack. The main benefit of Beast Strike when paired with Eldritch Claws is it allows you to use your iterative attacks for unarmed strikes and still use both claws as secondary natural attacks, dealing eldritch blast damage on every hit.

[Dragonsworn]

Thank you for replying


Claw attacks don't prevent you making unarmed strikes, and unarmed strikes don't prevent you making claw attacks.

That's my point! I realise mechanically it does not, but shouldn't it? From a logical standpoint?


However, you don't double-dip on the eldritch blast damage

I realise that :smalltongue: It's the unarmed strike damage that gets doubled


The main benefit of Beast Strike when paired with Eldritch Claws is it allows you to use your iterative attacks for unarmed strikes and still use both claws as secondary natural attacks, dealing eldritch blast damage on every hit.

Yeah, I got that part...

[Troacctid]

That's my point! I realise mechanically it does not, but shouldn't it? From a logical standpoint?
I don't think so...I mean, attacking with both hands twice each using Beast Strike doesn't make any less logical sense than attacking with one hand four times using iteratives, right?

[SangoProduction]

https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/933815606913226074/23612D277BDE01E45245725D3E3942C1354B25C5/
Seems fine to me.

[Troacctid]

As you said, Beast Strike is written so that the extra damage is not limited to unarmed strikes that use the same limb that has the claws (or slam). It works with punches but also with kicks, headbutts, knees, elbows, and grapple checks. If the combination stretches verisimilitude, it's because of that, IMO. And I have to think that's a case of deliberately sacrificing some verisimilitude in order to streamline the rules.

[Deadline]

I may be missing something about Beast Strike specifically, but an unarmed strike is not just a punch. It can be a kick, knee, elbow, headbutt, etc. So no, claws don't prevent you from making unarmed strikes.

[Deophaun]

If the combination stretches verisimilitude, it's because of that, IMO. And I have to think that's a case of deliberately sacrificing some verisimilitude in order to streamline the rules.
Plus, you can just refluff it so that there is no breach in verisimilitude; if your entire body is sheathed in eldritch energy, there's no reason any part of your body cannot deal eldritch blast damage.

[weckar]

That is really still a relatively tame combo around the clawlock. I'd let it go.