I just make it easy on myself to adjudicate stuff like this. I strip away all flavor and wording from all of it and just look at the numbers. Are the numbers equal to what you'd get if you played a "prototypical" character with whatever class feature you are talking about? Then great... everything balances and I don't give a rat's ass how the "flavor" is defining what your stuff all looks like.
If you are a lizardfolk monk and want to use your Bite as your "main-hand attack"? Go right ahead. If you want to use Martial Arts with it, that's fine too... but those Martial Arts attacks will still do the same d4 to start with like a normal monk. Even if you try and tell me that you want to Bite with your bonus action "off-hand" Martial Arts attack, you're still doing it a d4 even if the Bite normally does more damage. I don't even care that the Bite is supposed to add your STR rather than your DEX... its a die roll + modifier-- if that gives you the same damage that a normal prototypical Monk would get, then Strength/Dexterity/Comeliness-- I don't care WHAT ability score the "flavor" says you use with it. A die roll + a modifier... you're good.
Likewise, if you are a Tabaxi warlock and wish to use Pact of the Blade on your Claws? Considering they are only a d4 damage... if you want to use your Claws as your main weapon but also let them count as magical due to the Boon... go right ahead! Why in the world would I stop you from making that choice? There are literally no balances issues for doing so, and I think its cool that you are making that character choice. In fact... if you actually stuck with that choice of using your Claws as your primary attack, I'd bump the damage die up early on, seeing as how prototypical warlocks can use 1d6 weapons standard. I'm not going to punish you for making the interesting choice of using your Claws as your Pact Weapon. And in fact... at some point in the future those Claws of yours will probably become "magical weapons" at some point too. Because why the heck not?
This is precisely why I find the whole "I HAVE TO USE RAW!!!" thing so baffling. To waste all this time and effort trying to divine what is "legal" according to what is written in the books, when if you just look at the base numbers there are easy standards that classes get. It's a certain random number plus a couple points of modifier. Regardless of how they get to those numbers, if they are all comparable then just let them have it. After all... it's going to make for much more original and varied characters, rather than ending up with twenty-seven different "dual rapier wielding" DEX fighters because it's the supposed "best" prototype character according to the "RAW" that people are so hung up on.
If you are a lizardfolk monk and want to use your Bite as your "main-hand attack"? Go right ahead. If you want to use Martial Arts with it, that's fine too... but those Martial Arts attacks will still do the same d4 to start with like a normal monk. Even if you try and tell me that you want to Bite with your bonus action "off-hand" Martial Arts attack, you're still doing it a d4 even if the Bite normally does more damage. I don't even care that the Bite is supposed to add your STR rather than your DEX... its a die roll + modifier-- if that gives you the same damage that a normal prototypical Monk would get, then Strength/Dexterity/Comeliness-- I don't care WHAT ability score the "flavor" says you use with it. A die roll + a modifier... you're good.
Likewise, if you are a Tabaxi warlock and wish to use Pact of the Blade on your Claws? Considering they are only a d4 damage... if you want to use your Claws as your main weapon but also let them count as magical due to the Boon... go right ahead! Why in the world would I stop you from making that choice? There are literally no balances issues for doing so, and I think its cool that you are making that character choice. In fact... if you actually stuck with that choice of using your Claws as your primary attack, I'd bump the damage die up early on, seeing as how prototypical warlocks can use 1d6 weapons standard. I'm not going to punish you for making the interesting choice of using your Claws as your Pact Weapon. And in fact... at some point in the future those Claws of yours will probably become "magical weapons" at some point too. Because why the heck not?
This is precisely why I find the whole "I HAVE TO USE RAW!!!" thing so baffling. To waste all this time and effort trying to divine what is "legal" according to what is written in the books, when if you just look at the base numbers there are easy standards that classes get. It's a certain random number plus a couple points of modifier. Regardless of how they get to those numbers, if they are all comparable then just let them have it. After all... it's going to make for much more original and varied characters, rather than ending up with twenty-seven different "dual rapier wielding" DEX fighters because it's the supposed "best" prototype character according to the "RAW" that people are so hung up on.
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