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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Eldritch_Lord" data-source="post: 4362259" data-attributes="member: 52073">Ah, so it's the fact that it's not already there, rather than "OMG that must be broken!"  Gotcha.  A better reason, I think, though I still disagree.Let me see if I can frame my argument to address those concerns, then.  I would have to bring up four points:1) 4e's guiding principle is exceptions-based design.  In the PHB they say you can't have darkvision for PC races because it's too different...then some of the MM races get darkvision.  In the Power Description part of PHB Chapter 3 they state that area attacks affect all creatures in the area...yet many powers state "all enemies in the area" or "all allies in the area."  Abilities such as flight, invisibility, and teleportation are said to be way too good for Heroic-level play...yet Eladrin and Warlocks can get short-range teleportation at 1st level and the Gnome can turn invisible.  And so forth.2) There are no examples of natural armor yet.  I wouldn't be surprised if the eventual druid has a stoneskin ability that grants it, or some race gains natural armor through an ability.  And remember, since bonuses are now classified by source (power, feat, etc.) rather than type (profane, luck, etc.) any racial bonus to AC (or power bonus if the power is a Polymorph ability, assuming they get that working) could be considered natural armor.3) Crunch over Fluff.  Powers are balanced on the assumption that a level X power can have Y effect, whether it's a magical blast, sword swing, fist to the face, or something else.  The Power Description section actually states this time around "The given flavor is optional, change it if you wish."  Thus, as long as a natural weapon has equivalent advantages and disadvantages to a regular weapon, it's basically a regular weapon, and thus nothing new.4) Natural attacks are equivalent to at-will powers.  Getting an at-will (rather than encounter) racial power already exists--human, at least, and perhaps a race in the MM which I don't recall right now.  So consider: If the dragonborn can deal 1d6 damage in a Close blast 3 with +2 to the attack roll as an encounter power, and a human can get magic missile at Ranged 10 and 2d4 damage, I'd say something like, oh, 1d6 damage at Melee 1 with +2 to the attack roll should be about equal to an at-will, right?Based on (1), you shouldn't discount it just because it's not in the PHB; based on (2), you can assume that it will make it into some PHB or other book sooner or later; based on (3), since sunder and disarm are basically out of 4e and you can't enchant natural weapons, the advantages and disadvantages of natural and artificial weapons balance out; and based on (4) the ability is approximately equivalent to racial powers that came before.Better?</blockquote>

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