Another effigy question

[TYPO5478]

Skills and Feats: An effigy creature loses all skill points and all feats excepts for those feats that improve its attacks (such as Improved Natural Attack, Multiattack, Weapon Finesse, or Weapon Focus).

How do you interpret the phrase "feats that improve its attacks" in this description? Would Power Attack qualify? How about Awesome Blow? Do you consider the list provided in the description to be inclusive or exclusive?

 

[evilbob]

I think the list is inclusive, and I believe they are talking about feats that contribute directly to bettering an actual attack in some way. Power Attack and Awesome Blow are attack options, but they do not contribute toward bettering a specific attack. Weapon Finesse / Focus / Specialization are all feats that make specific attacks better (even if some, like Weapon Finesse, don't mention a single attack, it still helps a specific set of attacks). Another way is to perhaps say that they are not really "optional" attack modes?

Snatch, Improved Disarm, Combat Expertise - these are all feats that I believe would not be included. They do not make specific attacks better, but are attack options that can be used in conjunction with attacks.

However, it's possible that Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot would be included, since they make specific attacks better (ranged shots). But that's a bit shakey; "ranged" includes a very wide variety of attacks, and isn't really a "set" of possible choices.

Improved Grapple / Improved Trip are even trickier. Hmm... Not sure on these.

Other thoughts?