Monster stats with high BAB but only 1 attack listed on full attack.

[Oryan77]

I notice many monster entries in 3.5 WotC books that list the monster with a BAB higher than 6, but it only shows 1 attack on a full attack.

Are these creatures supposed to still get additional attacks due to a high BAB? Or is there a reason that say, a Thaskor from Miniature Handbook pg 70 only gets 1 attack on a full attack even though it has a +13 BAB?

[Zaq]

Those monsters are using natural weapons, or rather, a single natural weapon. Natural weapons don’t get iteratives, but if you have more than one, you also get to use all of them (with a penalty for the secondary ones) on a full attack.

[Uncle Pine]

This is also why many "big brute" vanilla monsters can significantly improve their damage output simply by picking the Improved Unarmed Strike feat: with just that, the full-attack routine of a thaskor goes from "Slam +22 melee (2d8+15, average 24, be)" to "Unarmed strike +22/+17/+12 melee (1d4+10, average 12.5) and slam +17 melee (2d8+5, average 14)". Note that this doesn't reduce the damage of a standard action slam from the thaskor and lets it benefit up to four times from any Power Attack penalty it may decide to take in a turn in which it full attacks.

[Thurbane]

For monsters with a bite, a Mouthpick weapon (LoM p.46) can also give iterative attacks.

Having said that, the Thaskor is a bit of an odd duck. Most large creatures attacking with a slam get two attacks, rather than one (Djinni, Efreeti, Guiardinal, Hollyphant, Solamith etc.). It wouldn't be OP to house rule a Thaskor as having two slams rather than one. In that case, thought, the damage would be 2d8+10 each rather than 2d8+15. I'm guessing the creator was picturing it's slam as more of a shoulder-charge than with it's forelimbs, though.


Thaskors delight in charging into combat and slamming their opponents with the full weight of their massive bodies.
...although:


Though it appears quadrupedal, like an elephant it can rear up on its short hind legs to gain better reach with its forelegs.

You might also rule that it could manipulate weapons with it's "hands", which which case it could wield a melee weapon for +22/+17/+12. Outsiders are automatically proficient with martial weapons. A large greatsword at +22/+17/+12 (3d6+15, 19-20/x2) is much more impressive than it's slam attack...

[StevenC21]

For monsters with a bite, a Mouthpick weapon (LoM p.46) can also give iterative attacks.

Having said that, the Thaskor is a bit of an odd duck. Most large creatures attacking with a slam get two attacks, rather than one (Djinni, Efreeti, Guiardinal, Hollyphant, Solamith etc.). It wouldn't be OP to house rule a Thaskor as having two slams rather than one. In that case, thought, the damage would be 2d8+10 each rather than 2d8+15. I'm guessing the creator was picturing it's slam as more of a shoulder-charge than with it's forelimbs, though.


...although:



You might also rule that it could manipulate weapons with it's "hands", which which case it could wield a melee weapon for +22/+17/+12. Outsiders are automatically proficient with martial weapons. A large greatsword at +22/+17/+12 (3d6+15, 19-20/x2) is much more impressive than it's slam attack...

Large creatures getting more slam attacks is RAW.

[Thurbane]

Large creatures getting more slam attacks is RAW.

As much as I would like that to be the case, do you have a citation?

[StevenC21]

Natural Weapons
Natural weapons are weapons that are physically a part of a creature. A creature making a melee attack with a natural weapon is considered armed and does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Likewise, it threatens any space it can reach. Creatures do not receive additional attacks from a high base attack bonus when using natural weapons. The number of attacks a creature can make with its natural weapons depends on the type of the attack—generally, a creature can make one bite attack, one attack per claw or tentacle, one gore attack, one sting attack, or one slam attack (although Large creatures with arms or arm-like limbs can make a slam attack with each arm).

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#naturalWeapons

[Thurbane]

Natural Weapons
Natural weapons are weapons that are physically a part of a creature. A creature making a melee attack with a natural weapon is considered armed and does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Likewise, it threatens any space it can reach. Creatures do not receive additional attacks from a high base attack bonus when using natural weapons. The number of attacks a creature can make with its natural weapons depends on the type of the attack—generally, a creature can make one bite attack, one attack per claw or tentacle, one gore attack, one sting attack, or one slam attack (although Large creatures with arms or arm-like limbs can make a slam attack with each arm).

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#naturalWeapons

Cool. :smallsmile:

So yes, Thaskor should probably have two slams be default.

[PraxisVetli]

Natural Weapons
Natural weapons are weapons that are physically a part of a creature. A creature making a melee attack with a natural weapon is considered armed and does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Likewise, it threatens any space it can reach. Creatures do not receive additional attacks from a high base attack bonus when using natural weapons. The number of attacks a creature can make with its natural weapons depends on the type of the attack—generally, a creature can make one bite attack, one attack per claw or tentacle, one gore attack, one sting attack, or one slam attack (although Large creatures with arms or arm-like limbs can make a slam attack with each arm).

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#naturalWeapons

I did not know this either, awesome little tidbit!