I'm trying to figure out how to make a particular combo work, and I'm having some trouble. What I'd like to do is have a sorcerer/monk cast Flame Whips (SC) and be able to use the whips (as secondary attacks) in combination with unarmed strikes. Flame Whips says that "Your forelimbs transform into flaming whips. You gain two melee touch attacks" that deal fire damage. "Attacks with these flaming whips replace any natural attacks you had with those limbs."
WotC customer service says that if the caster originally had natural attacks with its forelimbs, it can use the flame whips just like it could previously use its natural attacks with those limbs. e.g. it can combine them with other natural attacks or manufactured weapon attacks. If the caster didn't have natural attacks with its forelimbs, then the flame whip attacks aren't natural attacks and can't be combined with any other attacks.
What WotC says is significant here because my DM goes with what they say unless it can be shown to disagree with the RAW.
So, first of all, do the RAW provide any clear rules about how the flame whips would interact with other natural or manufactured attacks, or does it come down to interpretation (which, for my game, means the WotC answer)?
If it comes down to the WotC interpretation, then how can a sorcerer/monk get claw or slam attacks without using anything from the Alter Self/Polymorph chain of spells (which aren't allowed in this game)? Pretty much any 3.5 WotC source is allowed.
Ideally it would be something permanent (e.g. an item or feat) or long-duration, so that it wouldn't require in-combat buffing.
WotC customer service says that if the caster originally had natural attacks with its forelimbs, it can use the flame whips just like it could previously use its natural attacks with those limbs. e.g. it can combine them with other natural attacks or manufactured weapon attacks. If the caster didn't have natural attacks with its forelimbs, then the flame whip attacks aren't natural attacks and can't be combined with any other attacks.
What WotC says is significant here because my DM goes with what they say unless it can be shown to disagree with the RAW.
So, first of all, do the RAW provide any clear rules about how the flame whips would interact with other natural or manufactured attacks, or does it come down to interpretation (which, for my game, means the WotC answer)?
If it comes down to the WotC interpretation, then how can a sorcerer/monk get claw or slam attacks without using anything from the Alter Self/Polymorph chain of spells (which aren't allowed in this game)? Pretty much any 3.5 WotC source is allowed.
Ideally it would be something permanent (e.g. an item or feat) or long-duration, so that it wouldn't require in-combat buffing.