Are a commoner's (not monk's!) unarmed strikes natural weapons?

[Hypersmurf]

Natural weapons sometimes use the BAB attack sequence instead of the special attack sequence, however. See Monk class

If unarmed strikes are considered natural weapons, they're natural weapons for everyone, but also treated as manufactured weapons by monks for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve manufactured weapons.

If unarmed strikes are considered manufactured weapons, they're manufactured weapons for everyone, but also treated as natural weapons by monks for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve natural weapons.

The monk class makes no comment as to whether unarmed strikes (outside of the context of the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons) are natural weapons or manufactured weapons for monks; it makes even less comment as to whether unarmed strikes are natural weapons or manufactured weapons for non-monks!

So the monk class is not an example of a natural weapon receiving iterative attacks with a natural weapon, unless everyone's unarmed strike is a natural weapon receiving iterative attacks. And if we were certain that everyone's unarmed strike is a natural weapon receiving iterative attacks, we wouldn't need the monk as evidence.

-Hyp.

 

[Knight Otu]

Going by the SRD, unarmed strikes seem to be natural weapons that are so different from other natural weapons that they require an entirely different ruleset, which is assumed to be separate from that of natural weapons unless both are called out in any given description.

Align Weapon
Transmutation [see text]
Level: Clr 2
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Weapon touched or fifty projectiles (all of which must be in contact with each other at the time of casting)
Duration: 1 min./level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless, object)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless, object)
Align weapon makes a weapon good, evil, lawful, or chaotic, as you choose. A weapon that is aligned can bypass the damage reduction of certain creatures. This spell has no effect on a weapon that already has an alignment.
You can’t cast this spell on a natural weapon, such as an unarmed strike.
When you make a weapon good, evil, lawful, or chaotic, align weapon is a good, evil, lawful, or chaotic spell, respectively.

Magic Weapon
Transmutation
Level: Clr 1, Pal 1, Sor/Wiz 1, War 1
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Weapon touched
Duration: 1 min./level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless, object)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless, object)
Magic weapon gives a weapon a +1 enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls. (An enhancement bonus does not stack with a masterwork weapon’s +1 bonus on attack rolls.)
You can’t cast this spell on a natural weapon, such as an unarmed strike (instead, see magic fang). A monk’s unarmed strike is considered a weapon, and thus it can be enhanced by this spell.

The glossary isn't too helpful, either.

[glossary]Unarmed Attack[/glossary]
[glossary]Unarmed Strike[/glossary]
[glossary]Natural Weapon[/glossary]
Perhaps it is the intend that Natural Weapons are a subgroup of Unarmed Attacks?

 

[Sejs]

Nope, they're not natural weapons.

They use the commoner's iterative attack sequence: natural weapons don't use iterative attacks.

They provoke an AoO if used against an armed opponent: natural weapons don't.

They are made using an unspecified bodypart (knees, head, feet, fists - don't matter): natural weapons use a specific body part, such as a claw or tentacle.

Natural weapons use a specific set of rules. Unarmed strikes do not use these rules, ergo they are not natural weapons