Pact weapon and natural weapons

[Yamatohekatsue]

I'm wanting to build a warlock hexblade character, and I know the hexblade has the hex warrior ability and a key insert that caught my eye was this
"you can touch one weapon that you are proficient with and that lacks the two-handed property. When you attack with that weapon, you can use your Charisma modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, for the attack and damage rolls. This benefit lasts until you finish a long rest."
Tabaxi are proficient with their natural weapons in this case claws, so could this apply to their claws? Making them deal 1d4+Cha instead of str?

[Pyramid Pug]

Gotta say I like this idea and not just for Tabaxi. Imagine this with a synergy with the cantrip Primal Savagery, flavored as a patron slowly possing/merging with the character changing both physically and mentally. I think it would make for a pretty cool theme.

[Dr. Cliché]

If I was DMing, I'd definitely allow this.

[nickl_2000]

Sure, you would be better off picking a 1d8 damage weapon. I would definitely allow it.

[Chronos]

RAW, it doesn't work, because natural weapons are unarmed strikes, which are a lack of a weapon, not a weapon.

But it doesn't really add any power, and lends itself to cool ideas, so sure, why not?

[JackPhoenix]

RAW, it doesn't work, because natural weapons are unarmed strikes, which are a lack of a weapon, not a weapon.

Natural weapons are NOT unarmed strikes. Some of them (mostly on PC races) can be used for unarmed strikes, but that's exception, not a rule.

[TheUser]

My knee-jerk response is to try and abuse this unique interpretation. Success! Half-Elf Hexblade 1/Moon Druid with Elven accuracy: now has beast attacks that hit far more accurately than a normal druid's would.

Verdict: DENIED

[DarkKnightJin]

My knee-jerk response is to try and abuse this unique interpretation. Success! Half-Elf Hexblade 1/Moon Druid with Elven accuracy: now has beast attacks that hit far more accurately than a normal druid's would.

Verdict: DENIED

They're gonna Wildshape at the end of *each* long rest to pick the beast's natural weapon? I'd be inclined just to let them, to see what the heck they're planning.
Hell, give 'em a cursed item that makes it so they can't leave Wildshape early when they go into it, and watch what happens.

[Dr. Cliché]

They're gonna Wildshape at the end of *each* long rest to pick the beast's natural weapon? I'd be inclined just to let them, to see what the heck they're planning.
Hell, give 'em a cursed item that makes it so they can't leave Wildshape early when they go into it, and watch what happens.

Yeah, plus they need a level in Warlock to pull this off, which is going to make them pretty MAD.

I mean, I suppose they can ignore Strength and Dex if they plan to spend almost all their time wild-shaped, but then either they'll be largely ignoring their spells or else they'll likely come to regret having Cha in place of Dex.

[Errata]

My knee-jerk response is to try and abuse this unique interpretation. Success! Half-Elf Hexblade 1/Moon Druid with Elven accuracy: now has beast attacks that hit far more accurately than a normal druid's would.

Moon Druid doesn't play nicely with multiclassing. You lose most class features while wildshaped into a beast, including the Hexblade ability. There are very few anything/moon druid concepts that actually work out, unfortunately. It doesn't even interact particularly well with your allies abilities (e.g. you can't heal it because it only has temporary hit points). It would be nice if wildshape could be more modular, rather than how awkward it is now. 5e is a nice overall improvement over 3.5e, but some things they oversimplified a bit too aggresively. Wild shape might have fit better as a druid/ranger prestige class, if that concept still existed. And rather than fully polymorphing into a creature and killing any chance of seamless integration with your other abilities, it would be nice if you could pick up specific animal characteristics and upgrade your beast form piecemeal. It should modify your characteristics rather than replacing them, and only suppress abilities that don't make sense in animal form rather than all abilities across the board.

[TheUser]

Moon Druid doesn't play nicely with multiclassing. You lose most class features while wildshaped into a beast, including the Hexblade ability.

I'm genuinely concerned for you as an individual if you managed to read the wildshape ability and come away with that interpretation.



* You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can’t use any of your special senses, such as darkvision, unless your new form also has that sense.


But I'm sure you'll have some delightful rationalizations for us over your 'unique' take on wildshape...

[Pharaon]

It doesn't even interact particularly well with your allies abilities (e.g. you can't heal it because it only has temporary hit points).

In addition to TheUser's point, I don't think I've ever heard this interpretation of wildshape hit points.


When you transform, you assume the beast’s hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed.

Healing from other players can absolutely heal the beast's HP, even if it is essentially a waste. It is true that you cannot heal the druid's HP while he is wildshaped, but that's an entirely other matter from temporary hit points.

[Yamatohekatsue]

I know this was a dead thread not trying to revive it just telling what ruling I went with allowing it because its a D4 weapons opposed to the D8 he could have used with long sword. and he rarely would bond with it he was wondering if the character COULD do it. and I gave them a chance around level 5 the players were arrested by a rival guild (i was running a whole civil war breaking out in Ravnica.) So while locked up in the boros legion encampment the party hand to plan a break out. While being worked to dealth the players actually took time doing things like using wet soap to try and make key molds and use wax to make one time use keys to see what the could get in and out of. this took sessions to do but it felt like watching half a season of prison break. eventually the players made a key to the impounded items storage and slowly smuggled most of their items back and while in there found a portable hold and brought lots of extra things with them including what they thought was a chest full of coins. when they opened the chest in a safe place before the guards got alerted inside was a pair of Claws of the Umber Hulk. it was then that the Tabaxi and wizard knew what to do. the Wizard used Haste on the Tabaxi who used the claws Dig speed to increase the dig speed as much as possible to make a hole through the stone as fast as he could. the party all climbed in the portable hole and held their breath for a few turns til the tabaxi shaw shanked his way out of the prison. outside the prison the guards quickly tried to re apprehend the party the the Tabaxi had no choice but to used his claws for the fight because the umber hulk claws keep you from using any other weapon.

[Peelee]

The Mod on the Silver Mountain: Closed for Necromancy.