Unarmed, two-weapon, and natural attacks question.

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

It would work on your unarmed strikes as well (strange as that sounds), unless I'm mistaken.

Yeah, looks like. I guess you smear some on your hands, some on your knees, some on your forehead, some on your feet ...

I'll be sure to check the Draconomicon. Do you have a reference for those spells?

None off the top of my head. I'm sure the Complete Series has them somewhere ...

I ask, because if you could unload all of your attacks except your last (normal or off-hand) unarmed strike, you could grapple or trip with that last strike.

Devious, eh?

 

[Infiniti2000]

I'll be sure to check the Draconomicon. Do you have a reference for those spells?

I seem to recall Touch of Adamantine from the Book of Exalted Deeds.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Not having Draconomicon, I'm not sure about the details of the Rapid Strike feat... but doesn't it add some extra natural attacks?

-Hyp.

 

[Infiniti2000]

One extra natural attack with your primary natural weapon at -5, but only on a full attack action. IIRC.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Not having Draconomicon, I'm not sure about the details of the Rapid Strike feat... but doesn't it add some extra natural attacks?

Good point.

It requires a pair of natural weapons (like, say, 2 Claws) and gives you one additional attack with each at a -5 penalty, when you take the Full Attack action.

I'll look it up definitively when I get home tonight.

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

And, as a DM, you'd be wrong in limiting the use of unarmed strikes when mixed with claw / slam attacks, since you can just as easily headbutt with an unarmed strike as punch.

According to the rules as written, yes, and I understand how it works.

However, the rules-as-written allow for ridiculous, if not necessarily unbalanced, situations, such as a Lizardfolk Monk throwing five unarmed attacks on top of his claw/claw/bite. Regardless of the language of Improved Unarmed Strike... how is that supposed to work?

If you can throw unarmed strikes along with your claws and bites, why can't you throw unarmed strikes along with your armed strikes? After all, using a greatsword doesn't tie up your head and your feet, or your elbows and knees. (Hell, there was a great deal of pommel, elbow, and headbutt work involved in historical greatsword combat.)

If there's nothing stopping you from mixing your unarmed strikes with your weapon strikes, doesn't that make the Ftr1/Monk X with a Greatsword a little overpowered? If not, how does that differ from the Thri-Kreen Monk?

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

However, the rules-as-written allow for ridiculous, if not necessarily unbalanced, situations, such as a Lizardfolk Monk throwing five unarmed attacks on top of his claw/claw/bite. Regardless of the language of Improved Unarmed Strike... how is that supposed to work?

Actually, he can't do that. You can't mix Flurry with natural weapons.

That being said, a lizardfolk warrior can do the same thing with Armor Spikes and his natural attacks - 4 armor spike attacks, three natural weapons.

As for how it works, I'd imagine it works in the exact same way a dragon somehow manages to get a claw, claw, bite, wing, wing, tail slap - or a human manages to get a longsword, longsword, longsword, longsword, longsword, shortsword, shortsword, shortsword attack sequence in.

If you can throw unarmed strikes along with your claws and bites, why can't you throw unarmed strikes along with your armed strikes? After all, using a greatsword doesn't tie up your head and your feet, or your elbows and knees. (Hell, there was a great deal of pommel, elbow, and headbutt work involved in historical greatsword combat.)

You can absolutely mix them - you'll just take two-weapon fighting penalties. Note that unarmed strikes are considered light weapons.

If there's nothing stopping you from mixing your unarmed strikes with your weapon strikes, doesn't that make the Ftr1/Monk X with a Greatsword a little overpowered?

Well, you can't use a greatsword in a Flurry, for one ...

Two, he'll never be as good with his greatsword as a dedicated Fighter.

If not, how does that differ from the Thri-Kreen Monk?

A thrikreen has natural weapons; a human does not.