Latest Dragon and Natural Weapon Attacks

[Aaron2]

In the latest issue of Dragon it has a sidebar about monsters with multiple natural weapons (such as 2 Claws etc). In it, it says that if such a creature only gets one natural attack (say its charging) that it gets 1.5 X its Str Bonus. Is this right?


Aaron

 

[SpikeyFreak]

In the latest issue of Dragon it has a sidebar about monsters with multiple natural weapons (such as 2 Claws etc). In it, it says that if such a creature only gets one natural attack (say its charging) that it gets 1.5 X its Str Bonus. Is this right?


Aaron

Well, I haven't heard of a contrary ruling.

It makes sense, they are putting all of their strength into one attack.

It's a little iffy on normal partial action attacks though. If that were the case there would be a lot of combats that have been run incorrectly by a lot of people (read:everyone).

That rule can also make combat with monsters a lot more complicated.

--Clawed Spikey

 

[Darkness]

Re: Re: Latest Dragon and Natural Weapon Attacks

Well, I haven't heard of a contrary ruling.

It makes sense, they are putting all of their strength into one attack.

It's a little iffy on normal partial action attacks though. If that were the case there would be a lot of combats that have been run incorrectly by a lot of people (read:everyone).

That rule can also make combat with monsters a lot more complicated.

--Clawed Spikey

Two-handed weapons... You don't get an additional attack, but you get 1.5 times your Str bonus - just like the monsters.

 

[Aaron2]

Re: Re: Re: Latest Dragon and Natural Weapon Attacks

Two-handed weapons... You don't get an additional attack, but you get 1.5 times your Str bonus - just like the monsters.

But they aren't using a two handed weapon. Just one claw (or bite even). Why give them 1.5 STR when they are only attacking with 1 claw?


Aaron

 

[SpikeyFreak]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Latest Dragon and Natural Weapon Attacks

But they aren't using a two handed weapon. Just one claw (or bite even). Why give them 1.5 STR when they are only attacking with 1 claw?


Aaron

Think about a boxer (or pugelist, or whatever you want to call it).

If he is already standing close and is going to make several punches, they all have x amount of strength behind them.

Now think about if he is only going to make one punch. The bell is about to ring, or his foe is reeling, or he sees a really good opening, for whatever reason he is going to take one swing. Is that one swing going to have the same force behind it that a normal jab or hook?

No, it's going to have a lot more power to it. He's putting more of his body into it.

That's what natural attacks get 1.5x str when they are only making one attack. They aren't worried about hitting with any more attacks, so they are putting everything into that one attack.

Now as to whether or not it fits the rules, I don't know. But it makes real world sense to me.

--Descriptive Spikey

 

[Savage Wombat]

Nah

I think they mean that a creature that only has one attack gets the 1.5x STR mod. It's in the Dragon article on writing up your own monsters.

Unless the Sage comes out and calls me wrong, I'd assume that a monster with a partial action still only gets the normal (listed) damage for the attack.

 

[Tempuswolf]

This Isn't New

This rule isnt new. Look at the following animals from the MM: lion, crocodile, and elephant. The lion's (Str 21) claw attacks only have a +5 damage modifier. Either of the crocodile's (Str 19) single attack routine attacks, bite or tail slap, have a + 6 damage modifier. The elephant (Str 30) has two alternate attack routines, either slam/stamp/stamp or gore. The slam has a +10 damage mod and the gore a +15. If a natural weapon is the only weapon in an attack routine, it is by default a "two-handed" weapon as far as damage modifiers.

EDIT: Also, the converse of that last sentence is true. A natural weapon is a "two-handed" weapon as far as damage modifiers if and only if it is the only weapon in an attack routine. This rules out a lion making a single claw attack for 1.5 damage.