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Rend (Ex) If it hits with two or more natural attacks in 1 round, a creature with the rend special attack can cause tremendous damage by latching onto the opponent's body and tearing flesh. This attack deals an additional amount of damage, but no more than once per round. The type of attacks that must hit and the additional damage are included in the creature's description. The additional damage is usually equal to the damage caused by one of the attacks plus 1-1/2 the creature's Strength bonus.

Q: Is the damage from the rend special attack added as bonus damage to the attack that triggered the rend, or is it applied as a separate instance of damage from the triggering attack?

Follow-up QA: If it's applied separately, how is the damage type determined for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction and regeneration?
Follow-up QB: If it's added as bonus damage, how does the strength modifier to damage on the rend interact with the strength modifier to damage on the triggering attack (since this FAQ states these are both strength bonuses, and thus do not stack).

Previous threads relevant to the question:
Rend + Power Attack (1/3/2010)
Rend vs DR (4/29/2011)
Consensus on Rend vs DR (4/19/2015)

Unofficial responses:
James Jacobs has stated his opinion that rend is not a separate source of damage. (1/3/2010)
Mark Moreland has stated rend is a separate instance of damage and that power attack applies. (9/6/2012)
Mark Seifter has run it as a separate source of damage, but has stated the wording is ambiguous. (9/23/2015)

Supplemental:
The stat blocks for the Troll Ripper, Render, and Monarch from Monster Codex illustrate that rend does not receive bonuses to damage as claws do (receiving no benefit from the Amulet of Mighty Fists nor Weapon Training: Natural), except when otherwise noted (such as with rending gauntlets). This seems to be in conflict with Mark Moreland's interpretation. (As an aside, the rend damage on the Troll Fury and Elder Matron seem to be in error, with their rend damage not being adjusted for their slightly higher and lower strength modifiers compared to the bestiary troll.)

Improved Rending Fury adds damage to a rend, but mentions that damage not multiplying on a critical hit. Its Combat Trick allows the damage to multiply on a critical hit. Neither are possible unless rend damage is added to an attack.

So if you'd like to see an answer, hit the FAQ button! Thanks!

So I'm sure there's an answer to this, I'm just not able to find it.

Q: How do you handle contradictory compulsion effects on a single target?

For instance, say a creature is affected by both confusion and song of discord, each of which requires a roll to randomly determine the target's actions. Or, say a creature is affected by two suggestion spells, one telling him to walk 1 mile North, the other telling him to walk 1 mile South.

Thanks!

So, the Cavalier Order of Vengeance is from People of the River (which I don't own). I'm not sure how to handle its challenge.

Challenge: Whenever a cavalier of the order of vengeance issues a challenge against a creature whose kind she has encountered in the past 24 hours, the cavalier gains a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls made against the target of her challenge. This bonus increases by +1 for every 4 levels the cavalier possesses.

What exactly is a creature's kind? Does that refer to creature Type? Faith? Political affiliation?

An encounter is any event that puts a specific problem before the PCs that they must solve.

Seems to me that if you're in combat with a creature, you've encountered their kind in the past 24 hours; you've probably encountered them seconds ago!

So how do you think this challenge is intended to be handled?

So, looking at the buckler gun, I'm having trouble understanding the intended function. Historically, bucklers were held, so it's not too hard to imagine a buckler gun working that way. But in Pathfinder, bucklers are strapped to the arm, allowing for a free hand. So how do you fire the gun? Or, more specifically:

1.)Do you still have a free hand when armed with a buckler gun?

2.)Do you take a -1 penalty to the attack roll when firing a buckler gun, since you're using the off-hand carrying the buckler? Do you lose the buckler gun's shield bonus until your next turn?

3.)To create a masterwork buckler gun, do you pay the costs of both a masterwork shield and a masterwork weapon? Do you determine the hardness and hit points of the item as a buckler or a projectile weapon? How do you handle special materials?

Or maybe you're meant to fire the gun with the hand on which the buckler isn't strapped?

So, I was looking through the PRD, and noticed Table: New Item Craft DCs (scroll down to Field Repair). This table includes the new weapon types introduced in that book (Ultimate Combat), along with the corresponding craft skills and DCs. What the table is missing are craft skills and DCs for the ammunition of one-handed and two-handed firearms, siege firearms, and siege weapons. I posted this as an omission in the Ultimate Combat errata thread, which generated some discussion as to whether or not it was possible to craft firearms or firearm ammunition through any means other than gunsmithing. I insisted you could, but since it was disputed, I've decided to bring the topic here for discussion.

Question A: Can firearms and firearm ammunition be crafted through use of the craft (firearms) and craft (alchemy) skills? Or is the Gunsmithing feat the only option?
Question B: What are the craft skills and DCs for firearm ammunition and siege weapon ammunition? They don't appear on Table 2-2: New Item Craft DCs.

I think the answer to A is Yes. Below are my reasons, as responses to counter-arguments:

At the very least, the table needs craft skills and DCs for siege firearm and siege weapon ammunition, unless I've overlooked it. Apologies in advance if this has been answered or I've made some critical error.

So, I noticed that for the Sound Striker Bard Archetype, neither wordstrike nor weird words mentions an audible or visual component. According to bardic performance, "Each bardic performance has audible components, visual components, or both." It would be easy enough to say that each performance requires an audible component, but it would be nonsense in the case of wordstrike, since audible components are language dependent, making objects naturally immune. Also, since weird words requires a ranged touch attack and a fort save, it doesn't seem like language comprehension should be relevant, or that deafness should render a creature immune. How should these abilities function?

On the same topic, I'm wondering why audible components are language dependent at all. Can't you inspire courage with a drum?

Besides that, I've read that spells and supernatural abilities that deal bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage are subject to damage reduction, but has there been any official word as to whether or not they're considered "magic" for the purpose of overcoming it?

First, let me say that I'm very glad to see alchemical weapons indexed on a weapons table. It's about time! That said, I have a few questions.

1. Table 2-16 groups all alchemical weapons as simple weapons. This seems to contradict the text of throw splash weapon, which states that throw splash weapon requires no proficiency. Perhaps splash weapons are meant to be an exception?

2. Fuse Grenades, and correspondingly Pellet Grenades, are listed as effecting an area, rather than being splash weapons. But the text states "You throw a fuse grenade as if it were a splash weapon." Well, is it a splash weapon or isn't it? Would the bonus damage from the Alchemist's throw anything class feature apply?

3. Pellet Grenades deal 1d6 piercing, 1d6 bludgeoning, and 1d6 fire damage. As far as I know, this mechanic for weapons is unprecedented. Normally, the base damage might be 2d6 B&P, +1d6 fire damage. So what effect does bonus damage from feats such as point blank shot have? Does the bonus damage apply to each damage roll separately, only one damage roll, or to none?

4. Can you craft masterwork alchemical weapons, and likewise enhance them as magic weapons?

So I'm playing an alchemist, and I decided to write up a description for the Tanglefoot Bomb discovery that covers everything, rather than going back and forth referencing the tanglefoot bag. I assume that tanglefoot bombs deal damage in addition to the listed effects, but I'm not certain. At any rate, I wanted to know if this interpretation of the bomb's function was correct. For reference: Tanglefoot Bomb, Tanglefoot Bag