Eidolon Claws Rules Issue aka Am I Unintentionally Cheating?


Advice


I just bought Hero Lab, and am in the process of importing my PFS character when I discovered an issue. Either I have been unintentionally cheating, or I found an issue with Hero Lab.
My eidolon is a quadruped with the following evolutions
*Bite
*Limbs (Legs) (2)
Claws (2)
Improved Damage - Claws

When I attempt to add the Claws evolution twice Hero Lab freaks out and tells me "You must have a pair of arms to place these claws on".
Per the APG pg60 "This evolution can only be applied to the limbs (legs) evolution once. This evolution can be selected more than once, but the eidolon must possess an equal number of the limbs evolution"

I thought I was fine, per my understanding of the rules. Two pairs of legs, two pairs of claws. Am I misunderstanding the rule or is Hero Lab just being buggy?
I've played this way for a number of levels and never had a GM bat an eye at it, one even suggested I forgo the bite entirely even though it does more damage, and pick up the feat Weapon Focus - Claw and the Rend evolution, as a way to make it more effective.


I don't know about hero lab. but claws usually go on limb arms, not legs. I think hoofs go on legs.. Maybe thats how it's going error?


As far as I know claws on hind legs are commonly referred to as talons in the rules context. It might well by that you can only add claws to the fore legs. But I'm not really versed in eidolon building.


Your problem is right here:

Quote:
*Limbs (Legs) (2) Claws (2)...This evolution[claws] can only be applied to the limbs (legs) evolution once.

You're able to add it once and whilst you must have limbs equal to the claws you're adding normally, you can only add it to legs once.


Rear claws are normally refereed to as a rake attack. It gives you two attacks on a charge but only counts as one for your total number of natural attacks limit.


Physically Unfeasible wrote:

Your problem is right here:

Quote:
*Limbs (Legs) (2) Claws (2)...This evolution[claws] can only be applied to the limbs (legs) evolution once.
You're able to add it once and whilst you must have limbs equal to the claws you're adding normally, you can only add it to legs once.

Ungh, well, that's dumb, as anyone who has ever tried to give a cat a bath will tell you.

Thanks though, I guess its time to go rebuild my eidolon.

Satchmo wrote:
Rear claws are normally refereed to as a rake attack. It gives you two attacks on a charge but only counts as one for your total number of natural attacks limit.

Actually Rake gives you two attacks each time you succeed a grapple check with the target. Grappling, before you get Large, seems to be a complete waste of time to me, since you would be giving up attacks to grapple, and grappling an opponent who is the same size category as you (unless your built for it) is usually a loosing battle.


Thech is right. Probabli Satchmo got confused since pounce let's you rake also during a charge.


Zwordsman wrote:
I don't know about hero lab. but claws usually go on limb arms, not legs. I think hoofs go on legs.. Maybe thats how it's going error?

No, no, the claws evolutions specifically says that you can put them on a single pair of legs.

Admittedly, that rule was written with the idea that you would likely be a quadraped (putting you in line with the stat blocks of creatures such as lions and tigers). But at the same time, you could also buy extra legs for a biped...so the designers just kind of threw their hands up on that one and said 'whatever'. The whole thing was too complicated to put very strict restrictions on things like that. It is not like the biped is getting more out of all that as a pouncing quadraped.

TechGnosis wrote:
Physically Unfeasible wrote:

Your problem is right here:

Quote:
*Limbs (Legs) (2) Claws (2)...This evolution[claws] can only be applied to the limbs (legs) evolution once.
You're able to add it once and whilst you must have limbs equal to the claws you're adding normally, you can only add it to legs once.

Ungh, well, that's dumb, as anyone who has ever tried to give a cat a bath will tell you.

Thanks though, I guess its time to go rebuild my eidolon.

Satchmo wrote:
Rear claws are normally refereed to as a rake attack. It gives you two attacks on a charge but only counts as one for your total number of natural attacks limit.
Actually Rake gives you two attacks each time you succeed a grapple check with the target. Grappling, before you get Large, seems to be a complete waste of time to me, since you would be giving up attacks to grapple, and grappling an opponent who is the same size category as you (unless your built for it) is usually a loosing battle.

You forget: you can use the rake ability if you pounce. So on those full attacks, you might as well have an extra two claws. Makes sense, since rear legs are usually hard to really use as offense, but when you are literally jumping on a fool it is hard to NOT sink those back claws in.


To add to the clarification: when you're giving a cat a bath, you're essentialy graplling with the cat. Hence, the cat is able to use it's rake (aka: rear claws) attack on you. When your cat isn't grappling something, it needs its rear legs to stand on, so can't attack with them.

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