Primitive Natural Weapon Combatant


Advice


Way back in the prehistory 3.x days when we had to fight of the dinosaurs just to get to school, I played a hobgoblin (might have been a gnoll, I can’t remember for sure now) with the savage species feral template. Kind of the cave many equivalent. Fought with his claws and bite. I really played up the tribal/primitive aspect. Hide armor, stone axe, bone spear, weird superstitions, etc… Wasn’t really quite as stupid as he pretended. Had rhino hide armor glamoured to look like a simple uncured piece of leather. Adamantine axe glamoured to look like a stone axe. Amulet was crafted to look like a primitive fetish. Etc… He really did come from a primitive tribal culture, but he wasn’t an idiot. Just wanted others to underestimate him. But learned what he could from where ever we went and incorporated everything into his image. Didn’t get to play the character for too long, but had a lot of fun doing it.

I’m wanting to try an recreate something kinda like that brutish warrior. I’ve been looking at the ways to get and fight with natural weapons. Monk does not have the primitive warrior feel to me.

The sorc bloodlines and dragon disciple seem too short of duration by themselves. (Though I suppose draconic, abyssal, and the barbarians beast totem would last me most of a day.)
Ranger aspect of the beast gives claws all the time
Tiefling can get maw or claw for a bite or claws
Half-orc can get toothy for a bite attack (the funny thing is a full orc can’t)
Tengu have both a bite and claws
Kitsune have a bite attack in natural form (could have sworn I read that they had claw attacks)
Ratfolk can get sharpclaw for a claw attack (and a tail blade attack)
Catfolk can get cat’s claws for a claw attack
Aasimar could eventual get metallic wings but not until level 11
Synthesist summoner could have the eidolon claws/slam/bite/tail attacks (but I’m not sure this is really what I’m looking for)
Alchemist with feral mutagen (but again, I’m not sure this is really what I’m looking for in the primitive warrior schtick)
Druid shapechanging (but I won’t be able to start with the natural weapon attacks this way)
Alterself into a humanoid with claws or a bite (have to wait for 3rd level and limited by spell duration)

What things have I forgotten? How would you build this?


Barbarians can get claws and bite during rage as well


Feral Child Druid/Superstitious Barbarian?


I think there is also an item, talons of leng or something, that give claws that also have some nasty psychological effects. But that is more of the Cthulhu section than primitive section.

I think ranger, for at least a couple of levels, seems your best bet. It works well with half-orc or tiefling since they get bites.


An aasimar barbarian can have a bite attack from a trait or the animal fury rage power, claws from the lesser beast totem, tail slap from the tail terrot kobold racial trait by taking racial heritage (kobold) and two wing buffets by taking angelic wings and metallic wings. Combine all of them with pounce and you have a winner.

Other than that, a natural weapon style probalby works the best. In order to really shine though, you need a 1lvl dip to MoMS Monk for IUS, Dragon Style and Dragon Ferocity. With these you can take Weapon Focus for your claws and other natural attacks and then Feral Combat training for each of them. At higher lvls when you have multiattack you can combine them with unarmed strikes for lots of damage.

Dark Archive

Sadly Racial Heritage is limited to humans only.


Suthainn wrote:
Sadly Racial Heritage is limited to humans only.

Not if you take the Scion of Humanity alternate racial trait ;)


Yeah, somehow I forgot the barbarian ones.

Barb lesser beast totem gives claws
Barb lesser fiend totem gives horns for a gore attack
Barb animal fury gives a bite

XMorsX wrote:
An aasimar barbarian can have a bite attack from a trait...

I'm not finding this. Where is it?


It might be optimal, but monk is not on for this concept.

Ok, so it's looking like half-orc, tiefling, or tengu to get a bite attack that is always active.

Ranger 2 or tengu to get claws that are always active.

Babarian 2 (or wild stalker ranger 5) to get a gore attack while raging.

I guess, I'm leaning toward
Tengu
Barbarian
Fiend Totem

Any thoughts?


Don't take fiend totem. If you go barbarian you don't want to multiclass and you want the beast totem rage powers because at 10th lvl you can have Pounce. You can have a gore attack with a helm of the mammoth lord.

Above I was talking about a Monk 1/Ranger 19. You can always reflavor the Monk lvl if it does not suit your theme.

Here it is a trait that gives you bite.

However as I recall there is a new ruling that half-orcs are eligible for human feats. Go for a toothy Half-Orc and take racial heritage (kobold) for a better bite attack and a tail slap via the tail terro feat too.

Wild stalker is not good as you lose the combat style feats. If you want a ranger archetype look for the Infiltrator.


Hmm... Yes, I had forgot about the pounce greatness. I do like that.

Quote:
Beast Totem, Greater (Su): While raging, the barbarian gains the pounce special ability, allowing her to make a full attack at the end of a charge. In addition, the damage from her claws increases to 1d8 (1d6 if Small) and the claws deal ×3 damage on a critical hit. A barbarian must have the beast totem rage power to select this rage power. A barbarian must be at least 10th level to select this rage power.

Do you have to be a barbarian and 10th level or do you have to have 10 level of the barbarian class?


Catfolk can get a pounce as well.

And can also get it at ten if they tale a full base attack class.


Nebdel Melfcane wrote:

Hmm... Yes, I had forgot about the pounce greatness. I do like that.

Quote:
Beast Totem, Greater (Su): While raging, the barbarian gains the pounce special ability, allowing her to make a full attack at the end of a charge. In addition, the damage from her claws increases to 1d8 (1d6 if Small) and the claws deal ×3 damage on a critical hit. A barbarian must have the beast totem rage power to select this rage power. A barbarian must be at least 10th level to select this rage power.
Do you have to be a barbarian and 10th level or do you have to have 10 level of the barbarian class?

You have to have 10 lvls of the barbarian class.


Gallyck wrote:

Catfolk can get a pounce as well.

And can also get it at ten if they tale a full base attack class.

Isn't that only with their claws though? (and do not go on about feet or vestigial arms). The kitsune one (get a pounce when you transform from human to foxlike form) does worth though, and it is great for anyone with lots of attacks (such as a natural attack build?)

I vaguely think that you could maybe get the catfolk one to be useful if you go monk, take feral combat training, and flurry. The feat says you can make "a full attack with your claws", and flurry is a full attack action, so this seems somewhat kosher.

I know that a race with a wisdom penalty is usually not a very good choice for a monk, but apparently a recent FAQ found: HERE actually allows a monk with the Sohei in light armor to use flurry of blows. So this means that you can use regular armor options and flurry with those FCT'ed up claws. You might want to multiclass into something else, of course, since pure monks would have to wait until level 14 to get claw pounce.


Regardless, monk is not what I want to do for this character. A Lawful, careful, logical, highly trained (even if it is highly trained to imitate an animal) person is not this concept.

I'm looking for a guy that is very nearly an animal himself.

I'm liking both the barbarian beast totem line and the ranger natural weapon line. And both also have several archtypes that fit the concept.

Barbarian - elemental kin, invulnerable rager, savage barbarian, scarred rager, totem warrior, true primitive, and wild rager

Ranger - beast master, shapeshifter, wild stalker, or even just baseline ranger

decisions, decisions, ...

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