Claw attacks

[Razer]

There's plenty of ways to gain claw attacks. Either through raging, mutagen dragon bloodlines or from demonic aspects. Now I'm wondering is there actually any use for them? If you're dual wielding, they do nothing. If you're two handing, they do nothing. In fact do they only do something if you gimp yourself and wield a small weapon in your main hand and nothing in the off hand?

I like the idea of claw attacks, but there seems to be no way to use them effectively. The monk doesn't have Feral Combat Training as far as I'm aware so even the unarmed class cannot get these things to be useful... in fact from reading up online it's actually detrimental if an unarmed monk gets claw attacks because those claw attacks do not use monk boosts.

So is there any use for these things?

[Drake]

Warpriest, feral champion archetype, weapon focus on claws. You can even use the sacred weapon buff while transformed. Don't do dual wield or 2h, focus on maneuver in animal form, like trip, or demoralize and shatter defence.

[Stink Bug]

An ES magus can use them as an extra attack while they’re using Spell Combat, although the hit chance and damage won’t be that good. As natural weapons they can discharge held charge spells on attack, though since Owlcat did not implement Chill Touch or Frostbite you’ll have limited opportunity to take advantage of that. My first Character was a Rampager Druid who was nicely effective using his claws from early to mid game, and in chapter three you can (could?) get an amulet of mighty fist +4 fairly quickly. But aside from Rampager and that Warpriest archetype with scaling claw damage you’ll have limited use for them as a main weapon more than likely.

If those claws of the sacred beast gloves added the bonus damage to your main attacks instead of as a separate one (thus being subject to separate DR) they would increase claw effectiveness as well.

[Razer]

Ok interesting. So how about a bloodrager? Almost all of the bloodlines give claw attacks, but I don't see a use for them. Same with Eldritch Scion...

[mbradtke]

claw attacks can be useful while you are still low level, it are 2 attacks which get full bonus from heavy attack feat, full BAB, both attacks get 1.0x str multplier instead of 0.5x for the offhand while you dualweild and they can be further buffed via some spells and gear, also barbarians can use rage and rage powers to buff the attacks further, however usually there are better options when u hit around level 6+

[amiablequinn]

One little known benefit of claw attacks: they greatly benefit bite stacking (not sure with gore). Bite attacks are treated as "secondary" and are thus at a -5 attack is you are wielding a weapon or are fighting wiht your fist. However if you are using claw attacks then all your "natural weapon" attacks are considered primary and your bite attack occurs at your highest BAB.

[Razer]

Originally posted by Drake:

Warpriest, feral champion archetype, weapon focus on claws. You can even use the sacred weapon buff while transformed. Don't do dual wield or 2h, focus on maneuver in animal form, like trip, or demoralize and shatter defence.

Bit late in the response because I didn't understand the archetype. Does this mean the Fervor bonus to weapon damage applies to the claw attacks in this case? so you'd be swinging around 6d6 claws or something similar?

[Razer]

Originally posted by amiablequinn:

One little known benefit of claw attacks: they greatly benefit bite stacking (not sure with gore). Bite attacks are treated as "secondary" and are thus at a -5 attack is you are wielding a weapon or are fighting wiht your fist. However if you are using claw attacks then all your "natural weapon" attacks are considered primary and your bite attack occurs at your highest BAB.

Good to know. Thanks.

[Drake]

Originally posted by Razer:

Originally posted by Drake:

Warpriest, feral champion archetype, weapon focus on claws. You can even use the sacred weapon buff while transformed. Don't do dual wield or 2h, focus on maneuver in animal form, like trip, or demoralize and shatter defence.

Bit late in the response because I didn't understand the archetype. Does this mean the Fervor bonus to weapon damage applies to the claw attacks in this case? so you'd be swinging around 6d6 claws or something similar?

Yes that's exactly the point of the archetype.

[Razer]

Originally posted by Drake:

Originally posted by Razer:

Bit late in the response because I didn't understand the archetype. Does this mean the Fervor bonus to weapon damage applies to the claw attacks in this case? so you'd be swinging around 6d6 claws or something similar?

Yes that's exactly the point of the archetype.

Oh that's pretty cool. Do you need or can you add 2W fighting for more attacks on these things?

[Razer]

I just checked and it doesn't seem like claw attacks get extra itterative attacks from BAB. That sucks. Is there a way to fix that? A feat or ability?

[Drake]

You get weapon focus bite and gore and you add bites and gore to the rotation. The feral champion is not limited to claws, you can extend the blassing to bites and gore by picking weapon focus for those.
Just stack bite, claws, gore (slam if you can too), using animal form and other class features or even mythic paths (demon has a very good synergy).

[Aurumworks]

Kitsune (or Motherless) Primalist Serpent Bloodline Demon Mythic. That's two claws, three bites and a gore. Guess you could go Half-Orc, too, with Razor Tusks. I think that's perfectly valid.

Question: How many and what type of attack do you get when Hasted?

[Razer]

Originally posted by Aurumworks:

Kitsune (or Motherless) Primalist Serpent Bloodline Demon Mythic. That's two claws, three bites and a gore. Guess you could go Half-Orc, too, with Razor Tusks. I think that's perfectly valid.

Question: How many and what type of attack do you get when Hasted?

It would add another primary (claw) attack. Also Sohei adds more claw attacks as well. so you could dip 1lvl of sohei and 5 lvls of fighter and take natural attack weapon training and you get another attack with flurry of blows. At least that's how it worked when I tested it.

But with all those extra secondary attacks it still feels lackluster, because those secondary attacks (gore, bite, etc) also work when wielding a weapon, but with a weapon you get more attacks in total. Feels like they forgot to implement some feats.