How do attacks work for monsters with two primary
attacks, such as a bear? The first attack listed is supposed
to be the primary and the bears first is 2 claws +6 melee.
The secondary attack as the bite +1 melee. Are the two claw
attacks rolled as a single attack at +6, or is it two rolls for
the two claws, each at +6? If its two attacks, then does the
bear need to use the full attack action to get both claw
attacks? Also, why are both claws at +6, and not +6 and +1?
Why dont monsters get multiple attacks like characters
do?
The basics of monster attacks are explained in the Attacks
section of the introduction to the Monster Manual (page 7). 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.)
A bear has two primary natural weaponsŠboth claws. If the
bear uses the full attack action, roll two claw attacks, each at
+6, and one bite attack at +1. If both claws were part of a single
attack, the attack entry would read ieclaws +6 meleels as they do
for the raven. (See page 201 of the Monster Manual.)
Both claws have a +6 attack bonus because both claws are
primary weapons. Natural weaponry does not follow the same
rules as manufactured weaponry. First, creatures with multiple
natural weapons are generally hardwired to use all of them
simultaneously. (As opposed to a human, who has no natural
weaponry at all and doesnt fight well without special training.)
A creature is assigned primary and secondary attacks that
reflect its natural ability and style fighting. Consider a giant
octopus lashing with all eight tentacles. An octopus doesnt
have one primary tentacle and seven ieoffll tentacles. It does
have a secondary attack: a bite. Note that most creatures that
have clawed limbs and a bite usually have all their limbs as
primary weapons and the bite as a secondary, even when the
bite deals more damage. Creatures are usually much more
adroit with their claws than with their mouths.
Natural weapons dont give creatures multiple attacks for
similar reasons. A bear or a lion doesnt make a series of quick
nips with its mouth; it chomps down hard and tears. Also,
natural weapons arent as quick or as handy as manufactured
weapons, so they cant get a high attack rate. Its not hard to
imagine a high-level fighter making multiple swings with a
sword in the course of a six-second melee round, but it would
be pretty wild to see a dragon the size of a freight train
snapping away like some kind of scaly buzzsaw
