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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Arkhandus" data-source="post: 4783406" data-attributes="member: 13966">Where does it say unarmed strikes are natural weapons then?  Or that they are not simple weapons?Emphasis mine.  Unarmed strikes are listed in the table as Unarmed Attacks, within the Simple Weapons category, because Unarmed Attacks have special rules associated with them, which the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, among other things, is there to address.  But they wanted to allow Weapon Finesse and similar effects to be useable with unarmed strikes, so they included mention that they're treated as light weapons as well as unarmed attacks.Javelins are listed as ranged weapons but their description includes mention that they may be used in melee at a -4 penalty to the attack roll as nonproficient, as an exception.  Arrows are similarly described as useable in melee with certain stats and penalties, as an exception to their normal use, though they are listed as ranged weapons.  Rapiers are listed as one-handed martial melee weapons yet their descriptive text indicates some exceptions and benefits that apply with them beyond the normal rules for one-handed melee weapons: "You can use the Weapon Finesse feat to apply your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to attack rolls with a rapier sized for you, even though it isn’t a light weapon for you. You can’t wield a rapier in two hands in order to apply 1½ times your Strength bonus to damage."  Just because the descriptive text lists an alternative or extra function for a weapon does not make its table entry invalid.If unarmed strikes were merely natural weapons, they would threaten an area and not provoke AoOs, they wouldn't require Simple Weapon Proficiency to use proficiently, and they would be clearly stated as natural weapons, rather than being listed among Simple Weapons.  They are described as being treated as weapons for some purposes just to indicate what effects work on them (Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization, for example), and to indicate how they are treated in the rules despite the logical problem of them not technically being weapons within real-world definitions of such and despite not being manufactured.  But in-game, they are treated as weapons nonetheless, for game mechanical purposes.</blockquote>

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