How to add dex to damage on Natural attacks?`


Advice

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I have searched through the books but other then being able to use weapon finesse to add Dex to Hit there doesn't appear to be a way to add dex to Damage for natural attacks.

Was curious if there was something I missed, searched older threads and came up empty handed. Any help is appreciated. :)


Agile is +1 Enhancement Bonus that can be placed on an Amulet of Mighty Fists.

While it technically only exists in Pathfinder Society (it's part of the core campaign setting book for PFS), a LOT of DMs allow it in their home games. It's simple and it's balanced, so why not?

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Good point, didn't think about that.

But other than that there is no other way todo it from what I found.

I was looking at Feat or other character option ways to do it. But resorting to magical items isn't a bad thing. :)


Deadly Agility, from Dreamscarred Press' Path of War. If you're open to high quality 3PP stuff.

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Wow, don't have that book but missed that feat in the PFSRD site. Thank you very much. :)


There are other ways as well. Weapon Versatility or Hamatulatsu Strike and Slashing Grace works.


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Lune wrote:
There are other ways as well. Weapon Versatility or Hamatulatsu Strike and Slashing Grace works.

Slashing Grace wouldn't work with natural attacks are they count as light, not one handed.


4 levels of Whirling Dervish Swashbuckler might do it. If your natural attacks are piercing.

Scarab Sages

Four levels of Whirling Dervish Swashbuckler with any light or one handed piercing weapon.

From what I understand, three levels of unchained rogue will give dex to damage, but I don't have the book yet to confim if it works with natural weapons.

An Agile Amulet of Mighty Fists works.

Mythic Weapon finesse works too.


chaoseffect wrote:
Lune wrote:
There are other ways as well. Weapon Versatility or Hamatulatsu Strike and Slashing Grace works.
Slashing Grace wouldn't work with natural attacks are they count as light, not one handed.

You are correct but only because I forgot to include the other part of that puzzle: Swashbuckler's Finesse. Sorry for missing that originally.

Scarab Sages

Lune wrote:
chaoseffect wrote:
Lune wrote:
There are other ways as well. Weapon Versatility or Hamatulatsu Strike and Slashing Grace works.
Slashing Grace wouldn't work with natural attacks are they count as light, not one handed.
You are correct but only because I forgot to include the other part of that puzzle: Swashbuckler's Finesse. Sorry for missing that originally.

Slashing Grace only apples dex to damage on one-handed slashing weapons. The problem with using it for natural weapons is that they are light, not the piercing damage. Swashbuckler's Finesse allows Slashing grace to work with a one handed weapon for finesse, but it doesn't allow the dex to damage.


Ok... what if you have Weapon Finesse + Dervish Dance, and you carry a scimitar in one hand? lets say you have two claws and a bite attack, you could get dex to damage with 1 claw, and 1 bite at full attack bonus... or you could get Dex to damage on 1 scimitar at full attack bonus and 1 claw & 1 bite at -5 (unless you had multiatack, then only at -2)

Dervish dance does not say you only get the dex to damage on the scimitar, and if you have natural attacks, you are not carrying a weapon in the other hand.


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Oddman80 wrote:

Ok... what if you have Weapon Finesse + Dervish Dance, and you carry a scimitar in one hand? lets say you have two claws and a bite attack, you could get dex to damage with 1 claw, and 1 bite at full attack bonus... or you could get Dex to damage on 1 scimitar at full attack bonus and 1 claw & 1 bite at -5 (unless you had multiatack, then only at -2)

Dervish dance does not say you only get the dex to damage on the scimitar, and if you have natural attacks, you are not carrying a weapon in the other hand.

That blatantly violates the RAI of dervish dance so hard that I wouldn't dare suggest that at a table unless the GM was indescribably permissive or I was wearing CRB proof armor.


If anyone finds a way to add dex to damage for natural attacks, it'll be time to really fear those tiny and diminutive creatures!

Therefore, it is unlikely to be possible as a general thing.

Liberty's Edge

Imbicatus wrote:
From what I understand, three levels of unchained rogue will give dex to damage, but I don't have the book yet to confim if it works with natural weapons.

It would, but you'd have to choose just one for it to work with (bite or claws, not both).


Shisumo wrote:
Imbicatus wrote:
From what I understand, three levels of unchained rogue will give dex to damage, but I don't have the book yet to confim if it works with natural weapons.
It would, but you'd have to choose just one for it to work with (bite or claws, not both).

Eventually you can get both though.


Whirling Dervish Swashbuckler gets dex-to-damage with anything that qualifies for Swashbuckler finesse, so you could at least finesse a bite attack.

Liberty's Edge

Scavion wrote:
Shisumo wrote:
Imbicatus wrote:
From what I understand, three levels of unchained rogue will give dex to damage, but I don't have the book yet to confim if it works with natural weapons.
It would, but you'd have to choose just one for it to work with (bite or claws, not both).
Eventually you can get both though.

True, but by the time you're 11 levels in, the thread isn't "How to get Dex to damage with natural attacks" anymore and has instead become "How should I build a natural-attacking rogue?"


2 people marked this as a favorite.
Snowblind wrote:
Oddman80 wrote:

Ok... what if you have Weapon Finesse + Dervish Dance, and you carry a scimitar in one hand? lets say you have two claws and a bite attack, you could get dex to damage with 1 claw, and 1 bite at full attack bonus... or you could get Dex to damage on 1 scimitar at full attack bonus and 1 claw & 1 bite at -5 (unless you had multiatack, then only at -2)

Dervish dance does not say you only get the dex to damage on the scimitar, and if you have natural attacks, you are not carrying a weapon in the other hand.

That blatantly violates the RAI of dervish dance so hard that I wouldn't dare suggest that at a table unless the GM was indescribably permissive or I was wearing CRB proof armor.

It's really good armor though... even gives you DR 5/FAQs


Kaouse wrote:
Snowblind wrote:
Oddman80 wrote:

Ok... what if you have Weapon Finesse + Dervish Dance, and you carry a scimitar in one hand? lets say you have two claws and a bite attack, you could get dex to damage with 1 claw, and 1 bite at full attack bonus... or you could get Dex to damage on 1 scimitar at full attack bonus and 1 claw & 1 bite at -5 (unless you had multiatack, then only at -2)

Dervish dance does not say you only get the dex to damage on the scimitar, and if you have natural attacks, you are not carrying a weapon in the other hand.

That blatantly violates the RAI of dervish dance so hard that I wouldn't dare suggest that at a table unless the GM was indescribably permissive or I was wearing CRB proof armor.
It's really good armor though... even gives you DR 5/FAQs

The lack of immunity to sonic hurts though.

GMs can yell pretty loud when their players pull stuff like this.


Snowblind wrote:
Kaouse wrote:
Snowblind wrote:
Oddman80 wrote:

Ok... what if you have Weapon Finesse + Dervish Dance, and you carry a scimitar in one hand? lets say you have two claws and a bite attack, you could get dex to damage with 1 claw, and 1 bite at full attack bonus... or you could get Dex to damage on 1 scimitar at full attack bonus and 1 claw & 1 bite at -5 (unless you had multiatack, then only at -2)

Dervish dance does not say you only get the dex to damage on the scimitar, and if you have natural attacks, you are not carrying a weapon in the other hand.

That blatantly violates the RAI of dervish dance so hard that I wouldn't dare suggest that at a table unless the GM was indescribably permissive or I was wearing CRB proof armor.
It's really good armor though... even gives you DR 5/FAQs

The lack of immunity to sonic hurts though.

GMs can yell pretty loud when their players pull stuff like this.

Hey, you can at least go with Dervish Dancer Bards and retain Well-Versed. +4 to saving throws against Sonic effects is better than nothing.


Apparently lv3 is the magic level for Rogues getting Dex to Damage now.

No idea on what the exact mechanics on how that works, but we have the magic number at least.

On a related note, it's nice to see that while the Rogue gets Dex to Damage, the Swashbuckler remains the sorta king of it, since a Swashbuckler can get Dex to Damage at lv1


Gilarius wrote:

If anyone finds a way to add dex to damage for natural attacks, it'll be time to really fear those tiny and diminutive creatures!

Therefore, it is unlikely to be possible as a general thing.

It already exists, bro. It was already brought up in this thread.

Agile:
This enhancement can only be placed on a melee weapon which is usable with the Weapon Finesse feat.

Agile weapons are unusually well balanced and responsive. A wielder with the Weapon Finesse feat can choose to apply her Dexterity modifier to damage rolls with the weapon in place of her Strength modifier. This modifier to damage is not increased for two-handed weapons, but is still reduced for off-hand weapons.

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Thanks for all the feedback everyone and ya the Agile enchantment appears to be the quickest albeit more expensive way to what I was looking for without dipping greatly into other classes. But I am enjoying the banter quite a bit :)


A +0 Agile Amulet of Mighty Fists is only 4,000gp.

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

You can do +0? lol

I always thought you had to have a minimum of +1. Gives me more to look in to. :)

Liberty's Edge

Corerue wrote:

You can do +0? lol

I always thought you had to have a minimum of +1. Gives me more to look in to. :)

For weapons and armor, you need the +1. The AoMF has special rules.


Corerue wrote:

You can do +0? lol

I always thought you had to have a minimum of +1. Gives me more to look in to. :)

It says so right out in the description.

Yes, you can have a Flaming, Frost, Shocking, Agile, Vicious Amulet of Mighty Fists. Perfectly legal.

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

@Shisumo & chbgraphicarts Oh... bad assumption on my part. Thanks for the info. :)

In the Path of War book there is the Deadly Agility feat which adds dex to damage that way for any finessable weapon or light weapon. :) - Granted that is 3pp.

Again thanks for the help everyone :)

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