AoOs w/ natural weapons... how many?! (game in 2 hours)

[TrizzlWizzl]

If a creature has a primary attack with multiple appendeges, how many does it get to use for it's Attack of Opportunity?

For example, would running up to a Girallon provoke 4 claw attacks (his primary attack), or just one? Or some other number?

I really can't believe I don't know this. I've always assumed a creautre attacks with the whole primary attack (8 tentecles, 4 claws, etc.), but now I'm not so sure...

My game is in two hours and I'd really like to get this sorted out before then... please help!

P.S. If when responding you could also site the location of the rule, that'd be cool... thanks!

 

[TrizzlWizzl]

test

 

[cloaker]

If the monsters manual says 4 claws under attack, it means he has 4 claws to attack with, but can only use all four of them in a full-round attack.
If he moves (more than 5´) and attacks he only uses 1 claw.
The same thing for AoO. If a monster has a special abilitie such as Improved Grapple when he hits with 1 claw, he could use it with the AoO, but if it needs 2 claws he can´t.

hope this helps, I really dont were the rule is in the books
cloaker

 

[TrizzlWizzl]

You sure about that? If a creature has, for example, an attack routine of [4 claws, bite], then it attacks with all four claws as part of it's standard attack action, even after it moves it's speed. If it has a full round to devote to the attack action then it gets the four claws in addition to it's bite attack.

If I'm wrong about that then I'd love to get some page numbers (the support for my little theory comes from p.28 of the latest FAQ)...

 

[dcollins]

Yes, creatures need to take a full attack action just like PCs to get more than one attack.

The relevant text is on MM p. 7, bottom of left column, under "Natural Attacks"... "If a creature instead chooses the attack option (and thus makes only a single attack), it uses its primary attack bonus."

 

[TrizzlWizzl]

Yes, creatures need to take a full attack action just like PCs to get more than one attack.

I disagree. I'm aware of p.7 MM, but what is meant by 'primary attack' is, in my opinion, the full primary attack of the creature in question. The 'primary attack' of a bear is 2 claws. If the bear takes a standard action to attack, it attacks with both claws at once (thus one would roll twice with a +6). If it took a full attack, it would attack with two claws and a bite.

From p.28 FAQ: "Both claws have a +6 attack bonus because both claws are primary weapons. Creatues with multiple natural weapons are generally hardwired to use all of them simultainiously... an octopus doesn't have one primary tentacle and seven 'off' tentacles."

However, earlier in the question it does indeed point out that in order to get more than one attack a creature would have to use the full attack action to get more than one attack. I submit that what is meant by "attack" here is meant to include the implementation of all appendages within a given creatures "primary attack".

Thus a "single attack" by a bear includes both claws ("hardwired to use all of the them simultainiously").

If you guys are saying that a bear would only attack with one claw (one roll) as a standard action, then that goes against what it says in the FAQ.

 

[Baron Von StarBlade]

If a creature has a primary attack with multiple appendeges, how many does it get to use for it's Attack of Opportunity?

For example, would running up to a Girallon provoke 4 claw attacks (his primary attack), or just one? Or some other number?

An Attacker can only get 1 Attack against the target of an AoO. From Page 122 of the PHB.

An attack of opportunity is a single melee attack, and you can only maske one per round.

A rule of thumb is this: Anytime you take more than 1 attack on your combat turn, you must use a Full Attack Action. Of course the exceptions to this rule are Cleave and Haste. Any other time you would make 2 seperate attacks (ie 2 Claws from a Bear) whether they are directed against the same opponent or not, you must take use a Full Attack.

 

[Celebrim]

You can run your own game any way you feel like. If it suits you to make monsters tougher than they are, go ahead. However, if you are trying to run your game by something like the standard rules then I think you are smoking crack. Single attack means one single solitary attack.

Simply reading the example from the FAQ that you cite shows this.

"A bear, or any other creature, has to use the full attack action to
get more than one attack in a round. (Hydras are an exception.)
... If both claws were part of a single attack, the attack entry would read “claws +6 melee” as they do in the Raven entry."

It sounds to me like you are perfectly happy overturning that rule. If so, more power to you. But don't try to Bill Clinton the rules.

 

[Oracular Vision]

I think, except for Ravens and Hydras, it is understood that animals only get one attack as an AoO, usually this is a bite.

For animals with two or more primary weapons, such as the bear or squid, I don't think it is so clear, but it is easier to just rule that they still get one attack. In the MM, the primary attack is the first one listed, with the provision that if it is plural, i.e., "claws", then that is the primary attack, but if it lists them separately, "claw x 2", then they are separate attacks, requiring the full attack action to use. I don't think they put much thought into this, using the Raven example seems to say any multiple listing for the primary attack that uses plural instead of "x2 or x3" would get that as an AoO. This is in opposition to the FAQ.

Its probably not worth worrying about.