Half-fiend Skum


Rules Questions


Recently I ended up creating a half-fiend Skum while converting an older DnD module and ran into a strange problem while using Herolabs. The short of it was when I applied the Half-fiend template to the Skum it had 2 bites and 4 claw attacks. I searched online to see if that was how it was supposed to be or not but I was unable to figure out if the Skum was supposed to have 1 bite, 2 claws or 2 bites and 4 claws.


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber

This sounds like a bug in Herolabs.

I have always read the rules for Half-Fiend and other such templates that

Quote:
gains two claw attacks and a bite attack

as meaning that the creature gained this if it did not have them, not that it gained them in addition to the ones it already had. It would be nice if the Half-Fiend rules included language like that for Skeletons that says

Quote:
A creature with hands gains one claw attack per hand...

to make it clear if a Half-Fiend Kraken had eight claws, instead of only two.

The Skeleton template also includes language of

Quote:
If the base creature already had claw attacks with its hands, use the skeleton claw damage only if it's better.

which suggests that the claws in general are not additional, and makes clear that Skeleton claws are only augmentations. Other claws gained by templates might actually reduce your claw damage.

But, the final logic for me is that you do not gain limbs with the Half-Fiend template, and you do not get to use natural attacks multiple times without some other Special Ability or Special Quality.


That's actually why I was wondering since it doesn't have language that says to not add additional claw attacks, though logically it makes sense that it wouldn't I wanna make sure before hand.

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