Isn't a Full attack an attack with all natural weapons? Meaning in the case of a weretiger, they'd use both claws and a bite during a full attack? What is the difference between this and multi-attack?
I'm rather new to D&D, so forgive if this is a silly question. Also, I'm not entirely certain how iterative attacks work either. Maybe I should understand that before I try and determine if the build I'm going for is possible, lol.
A full attack is just an attack action that enables you to use more than one attack. It's basically known as a full round action and that enables you to make attacks.
Think of it this way: all characters have a certain number of actions in the course of a round. They could get the equivalent of one swift action, one standard action, one move action, and any number of free actions (within reason). A single attack is generally a standard action (same with casting most spells, etc). To get multiple attacks, you basically have to trade in the normal standard action you get plus the move action and mash them together into the full round action in order to make the attacks. Standard action + move action = full round action. A full round action in which you are taking multiple attacks = a full attack.
So the full attack entries in the Monster Manual list all the attacks the monster makes when he's staying put and whaling on the PCs. But some monsters, particularly ones that fight like PCs (with weapons, are basically humanoid) are quirky and add iterative attacks into the mix.
Iterative attacks are how most PCs take full attack actions once they get a base attack bonus of +6 or higher. It allows them to make multiple attacks but at decreasing bonuses (-5 per additional attack, in fact). In essence, it's 3e's rules for allowing multiple attacks. It's great to get them, but you have to make a trade-off between getting those attacks, each of which is less likely to hit, or moving faster around the battlefield. Against opponents that are hard to hit, it may be better to forego the extra attacks and be able to move. But against softer opponents, it might be better to stay put and lay out tons of punishment.
Iterative attacks and natural attacks can be mixed together into PCs that use weapons as well as have natural attacks. Think of a centaur fighter with a sword and also lashing out with his hooves. You pretty much need to figure the iterative attack bonuses and the natural attack bonuses separately. They're two distinct subsystems of attacks. They can be used together, but calculate them separately based on the character's BAB.
For example, with a 11th level centaur fighter, Strength 18:
Iterative: look at fighter table and get a BAB of +11/+6/+1 (3 attacks/round)
Add 4 for his strength, maybe +1 for weapon focus (sword), +2 for magic sword, -1 for being large and you get +17/+12/+7. His first attack in the round with that weapon is at +17 to hit, his second at +12, third at +7.
Natural: for the same character, his BAB of +11, Strength of 18, +1 for weapon focus (hooves), and large size adds up to +15. Since the hooves are actually secondary attacks (in this case to the sword), both hoof attacks drop by 5 to +10.
Both of these types of attacks can be used together in a single full attack action yielding sword +17/+12/+7 and hooves +10 (with each hoof) for a total of 5 attacks.
Multiattack, as it's used here, is actually a monster feat that replaces the -5 penalty for secondary natural attacks and replaces it with a -2. His hooves in the above example would be +13 with multiattack in effect (if he could get it, he only has 2 natural attacks, so technically centaurs can get it).
Unarmed strikes, with improved unarmed strike or not, behave like iterative weapon attacks. It's one of the byproducts of being humanoid and fighting like a PC. You can get multiple attacks but there's a mild intellectual disconnect between punching and clawing that the rules impose as a result.
Does this help some. I fear I'm not structuring this the best way I can.
