"Magic of Incarnum" Totemist Questions

1) Totemists have soulmelds that provide them with Natural Weapons. According to the natural weapon rules (especially as explained in MM4), would a 15th level Totemist (base attack +15/+10/+5 ignoring other bonuses) who melds Sphinx claws (giving each hand claws as natural weapons) have two claw attaks each at +15 bab, or one claw attack at +15/+10/+5, with a secondary at +10? I'm thinking it's only two attacks, but at +15 each.

2) If the same totemist was 7th level (BAB +5), would the totemist have two claw attacks at +5 each, or one at BAB +5 and a secondary attack at BAB +0? (Again, I'm thinking the former because of the Natural Weapon rules.)

3) Are the enhancement bonuses from Incarnum provided to a bound Meld considered Magical for purposes of overcoming Damage Reduction? (For instance, Sphinx Claws, which provides a +1 enhancement bonus to hit and damage for each point of incarnum provided to the Meld.)

Jhulae said:

1) Totemists have soulmelds that provide them with Natural Weapons. According to the natural weapon rules (especially as explained in MM4), would a 15th level Totemist (base attack +15/+10/+5 ignoring other bonuses) who melds Sphinx claws (giving each hand claws as natural weapons) have two claw attaks each at +15 bab, or one claw attack at +15/+10/+5, with a secondary at +10? I'm thinking it's only two attacks, but at +15 each.

2) If the same totemist was 7th level (BAB +5), would the totemist have two claw attacks at +5 each, or one at BAB +5 and a secondary attack at BAB +0? (Again, I'm thinking the former because of the Natural Weapon rules.)

3) Are the enhancement bonuses from Incarnum provided to a bound Meld considered Magical for purposes of overcoming Damage Reduction? (For instance, Sphinx Claws, which provides a +1 enhancement bonus to hit and damage for each point of incarnum provided to the Meld.)

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1 & 2) +15 / +15 and +5 / +5 (respectively)
3) yes. I think.

I concur with both answers given above.

Jhulae said:

1) Totemists have soulmelds that provide them with Natural Weapons. According to the natural weapon rules (especially as explained in MM4), would a 15th level Totemist (base attack +15/+10/+5 ignoring other bonuses) who melds Sphinx claws (giving each hand claws as natural weapons) have two claw attaks each at +15 bab, or one claw attack at +15/+10/+5, with a secondary at +10? I'm thinking it's only two attacks, but at +15 each.

2) If the same totemist was 7th level (BAB +5), would the totemist have two claw attacks at +5 each, or one at BAB +5 and a secondary attack at BAB +0? (Again, I'm thinking the former because of the Natural Weapon rules.)

3) Are the enhancement bonuses from Incarnum provided to a bound Meld considered Magical for purposes of overcoming Damage Reduction? (For instance, Sphinx Claws, which provides a +1 enhancement bonus to hit and damage for each point of incarnum provided to the Meld.)

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1+2: They're natural weapons and follow all the rules for such. As per the SRD "Creatures do not receive additional attacks from a high base attack bonus when using natural weapons." So, you guessed right. +15/+15 and +5/+5. However, what You CAN do is use a manufactured weapon using the full attack progression of +15/+10/+5 and ONE claw as a secondary weapon.
3: I'd have to say yes. 'Generic' Magical item bonuses are usually Enhancement bonuses. The spells Magic Fang and Magic Weapon gives +1 Enhancement bonuses. Etc.

A Totemist can get ridiculous depending on the soulmelds and feats you take...

Feats
Double Chakra (Hands)
Double Chakra (Totem)
Power Attack (optional)
Leap Attack (optional)

Soulmelds
Threefold Mask of the Chimera (Totem)
Worg Pelt (Hands)
Sphinx Claws (Hands)
Girallon Arms (Totem)

When you make a charge attack, you get to follow it up with 8 attacks (you get 1 bite from worg pelt + 2 bites from Mask of Chimera + 1 gore from Mask of Chimera + 4 claw attacks from Girallon Arms). Now make a Power Attack and add Leap Attack on top of that, and each attack will deal double PA damage.

Threefold Mask of the Chimera
Base: Can’t be flanked
Essentia: +1 comp bonus to Spot and Search
Bind Crown: At end of turn, make 1 extra move action at no cost. Gain a -5 penalty to attacks next round (+1 attack per point essential, up to +5). Limited to Standard or Move Action next turn.
Bind Soul: At end of turn, make 1 extra Standard action at no cost. Ect…
Bind Totem: Gain a bite attack 1d8, bite attack 1d6 and gore attack 1d6. Make 1 attack with any of these for Standard Action. As a full attack action, you can attack with all three heads applying full Str modifier on all three attack rolls. Alternatively, as part of a full attack, you can make a secondary attack with one head at -5 penalty, applying one-half Str modifier on damage roll.

Worg Pelt
Base: +2 comp bonus to Hide and Move Silently
Essentia: +2 comp bonus to Hide and Move Silently
Bind Feet: Base land speed increases by 5 feet, +5 feet per point of essential.
Bind Hands: When you hit with a bite attack, gain a free Trip attempt w/o having to make an additional touch attack or provoking an AoO. If you fail, the opponent doesn’t get to react.
Bind Totem: Gain a bite attack 1d6 damage. Use as prime attack (full Str mod) or secondary attack at -5 to hit (half Str mod). +1 attack and damage per essentia.

Sphinx Claws
Base: +1 comp bonus to Str checks and Str based skill checks.
Essentia: +1 comp bonus to Str checks and Str based skill checks per essentia.
Bind Hands: When using charge action, you may make a full attack using any natural weapons that you have.
Bind Totem: Deal 1d8 points of damage with Sphinx Claws. +1 enhance bonus to attack and damage with claws per essentia.

Girallon Arms
Base: +2 comp bonus to Climb and grapple checks
Essentia: +2 comp bonus to Climb and grapple checks per essential
Bind Arms: If you hit a single target with at least 2 claw attacks, you automatically deal double claw damage, including double Str bonus.
Bind Totem: Gain 4 claws that you can use as natural weapons, dealing 1d4 damage with each claw. You can make a single claw attack as a primary attack, using your full attack bonus and adding Str bonus to damage roll. You can make up to three secondary attacks, following either a primary claw attack or an attack with a weapon. These secondary attacks have a -5 penalty on the attack rolls and apply half Str bonus. Every point of essentia gives you a +1 enhan bonus on attack and damage rolls with claw attacks.

While I think that the soulmelds and feats could technically allow that, the thing is that you only have two hands and one mouth.

It makes sense that you can only make one claw attack per appendage, and one bite for a mouth, with one tail attack (for a belt).

But, that's a nice thought for the future, depending on how dangerous the campaign gets.

Due to the girallon totem bind you have four arms and thus four claw attacks (due to the sphinx hand bind). The Chimera mask has three heads, granting a gore from one head and a bite from the other two. The Worg pelt just grants a free Trip attempt if either of the bite attacks succeed - with no chance for counter-Trip should you fail in your trip. I presume the pelt has a tail that it uses for the trip attack.

So the stated attack is entirely possible. Recall that with these totems bound the PC effectively has the additional arms, heads, etc necessary to make use of the attacks. Perhaps the extra arms, etc are ghostly essence, or perhaps they are animated totem parts, or perhaps they are something else entirely. (It has been a long time since I read MoI, and as it was a friend's book I do not have it with me to look up the relevant details at the moment.)

It sounds more impressive then it ends up. The +1 Bonus per essentia on the arms is nice, but you're still only doing 1d4 base with the arms. Additionally, as they're natural weapons (And mostly SECONDARY natural weapons at that), you're only adding .5 Str damage to all but the primary Girallon arm, and 3 of the 4 are at -5. My preference is going for one of the more 'regular' dual claw melds, skipping the dual arm binds, grabbing one of the +1 bonus/essense bite (I'd rather have an accurate bite+trip then 2 that miss most of the time) and getting either multi-attack or bonus essense

The awesome-ness of Girallon Arms is more in the rend ability.

Rend is nice, but you dont need it bound to the totem chakra to get it. 3 of those attacks would be at -5. You'd still be better off getting one of the more 'normal' claw attacks so both claw attacks are at full attack bonus.