Please correct me on this, by telling me which, if any, of these statements are wrong:
1. When a PC gains a slam attack, they may attack as business is usual (with their weapon or whatnot).
2. However, they may optionally do -a- slam attack, regardless of what their BAB.
3. This automatically does 1.5x their str mod, as this counts as a primary natural attack.
3. If they have two arms, and the overhand chop feat, they may instead do 2x their str mod.
4. If they are large size, and two arms, they may instead do 2 attacks, one with each arm, one at 1.5x str mod, and one at 0.5 str mod.
5. Because they are not considered unarmed, they may take the improved grapple feat, but are restricted to their one grapple attempt per round, regardless of their BAB.
6. If they take the unarmed attack feat, their natural weapons may be used as manufactured weapons, and thus they may use their BAB to determine how many attacks they get, and how many grapple attempts they may make.
7. If they have the unarmed attack feat, and they have two arms, they may then take two-weapon fighting, improved two-weapon fighting, etc, so long as they qualify.
8. Any special attributes that the slam attack has transfers over to the unarmed attack, but if it requires a save, it only transfers once per round per allotted use of the ability, unless otherwise specifically noted.
Thus, a monk vampire spawn may flurry his 5 attacks, but only absorbs one negative level if 1 hits, and thus 5 hp, and does not instead absorbs 5 negative levels if all 5 hit, and thus 25 hp.
And yes, monk vampires can exist - vampires are formed from corpses, not living characters. Immediately if killed via blood drain, 1d4 days after burial if by energy drain from attack.
Lycanthropy can be considered differently, however.
Comments? Contradictions?
Please correct me on this, by telling me which, if any, of these statements are wrong:
1. When a PC gains a slam attack, they may attack as business is usual (with their weapon or whatnot).
2. However, they may optionally do -a- slam attack, regardless of what their BAB.
3. This automatically does 1.5x their str mod, as this counts as a primary natural attack.
This is all correct as far as I know.
3. If they have two arms, and the overhand chop feat, they may instead do 2x their str mod.
Natural weapons are normally considered light weapons, but a single natural attack does get 1.5 strength. I think this is a reasonable interpretation, but consult with your GM.
4. If they are large size, and two arms, they may instead do 2 attacks, one with each arm, one at 1.5x str mod, and one at 0.5 str mod.
This is definitely wrong. The template/race/spell/whatever that grants the slam attack will either specify one slam attack or two. If it's two attacks, it would be two slams, each using 1x strength. Changing size doesn't change the number of attacks as a general rule. (There are plenty of exceptions, such as dragons.)
You also wouldn't be doing 1.5x strength while making multiple attacks.
5. Because they are not considered unarmed, they may take the improved grapple feat, but are restricted to their one grapple attempt per round, regardless of their BAB.
By a strict reading of the rules, they would still have to take Improved Unarmed Strike before taking Improved Grapple. It does seem counter-intuitive, and many GM's would probably allow you to use the slam attack instead.
Grappling is a standard action, so you're always limited to one attempt per round. If you house rule that high BAB allows additional grapple attempts (and that a slam attack satisfies the IUS prereq), I'd only allow a grapple attempt to replace the slam attack. You could make more grapple attempts, but you wouldn't get the benefit of the feat on those attempts.
6. If they take the unarmed attack feat, their natural weapons may be used as manufactured weapons, and thus they may use their BAB to determine how many attacks they get, and how many grapple attempts they may make.
Unarmed strikes are different from natural weapons. I'm not aware of a feat that grants iterative attacks with a natural weapon. It sounds like your trying to apply monk rules to natural weapons. While there are similarities, they're not the same thing.
7. If they have the unarmed attack feat, and they have two arms, they may then take two-weapon fighting, improved two-weapon fighting, etc, so long as they qualify.
This is true, but it wouldn't help with the slam attack. Assuming a BAB of +6, TWF and IWF, you could full attack while holding one weapon at
+4/-1 (primary weapon)
+4/-1 (unarmed strike)
-1 (slam attack as a secondary attack at -5)
Actually, it's questionable whether you could use the slam attack, since you're already using both hands for other attacks. If you replace the slam with a bite, then the above sequence is allowed.
8. Any special attributes that the slam attack has transfers over to the unarmed attack, but if it requires a save, it only transfers once per round per allotted use of the ability, unless otherwise specifically noted.
Slams and unarmed strikes are different attacks, so attributes of one don't affect the other. If you had a bite attack that include improved grab and swallow whole, you wouldn't expect to be able to swallow someone after punching them.
Thus, a monk vampire spawn may flurry his 5 attacks, but only absorbs one negative level if 1 hits, and thus 5 hp, and does not instead absorbs 5 negative levels if all 5 hit, and thus 25 hp.
d20srd.com says that vampire spawn don't advance, so I think you need a monk vampire. A Monk 11 Vampire could flurry, attacking with +8/+8/+8/+3 (unarmed) plus +3 (slam), but only the slam would inflict negative levels.
And yes, monk vampires can exist - vampires are formed from corpses, not living characters. Immediately if killed via blood drain, 1d4 days after burial if by energy drain from attack.Lycanthropy can be considered differently, however.
I think I understand a bit better now, although the SRD says a vampire attacks with either a) his weapons b) his primary unarmed attack or c) his slam attack. They don't combine. It's just a little tough to wrap your head around a fist attack not being the same as a slam attack.
And Libris Mortis shows an example of where vampire spawn advance, although it's not making an advanced vampire spawn, it's advancing to full vampire spawn.
I also see where it states:
"Would-be player character vampires are limited to advancing as free-willed vampire spawn."
However, in the SRD, it also states that vampires:
"Hit Dice: Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s."
Taking the rules strictly as written, I suppose that vampire spawn top out at max of 12, although it could be house-ruled such that once a vampire spawn you must advance as vampire spawn until you're complete, and then move on. Not that advancement ceases altogether after vampire spawn.
"Actually, it's questionable whether you could use the slam attack, since you're already using both hands for other attacks. If you replace the slam with a bite, then the above sequence is allowed."
According to RAW it's not. DM is free to disagree, but a slam doesn't have to be something done with the hand/arm any more than an unarmed strike does: "Slap or Slam: The creature batters opponents with an appendage, dealing bludgeoning damage."
If you're looking for the ability to gain increased attacks without giving up the flavor of using your natural abilities, ie: claws, slams, etc. then consider Improved Rapidstrike from the Draconomicon. You can take it once per paired set of natural attacks and it allows up to four iterative attacks for that paired set. These attacks follow the usual iterative attack rule of -5 per attack, cumulative.
So if you had two slams and a +15 base (required) you could use your two slams and then have the option of four more slams at +10/+5/+0/-5.
It's a very high level feat though, especially if most of your level comes from LA and you don't have that great a base attack.
Sorry if that's not helpful, but it's the only way to get iterative attacks off your naturals that I know of.
Just in addition to the informations above:
3. This automatically does 1.5x their str mod, as this counts as a primary natural attack.
This is true if the creature makes only a single slam attack during the round (without manufactured weapons attacks, for example, or if the creature cannot make two slam attacks at all) (see the various Golems on the SRD as an example, they add only their Strength bonus x1 to the damage, as opposed to a Dire Wolf which adds its Strength bonus x1.5); otherwise, if it makes attacks with weapons and then adds a slam attack (at -5 or -2, depending if it has the Multiattack Feat), the damage uses only the 0.5 times Strength Bonus (as all secondary weapons do).
Note that in the above case, attacks made with weapons do not suffer penalties to their attack roll.For example, a Vampire Fighter 9° with Str 22 (+6) can either use a single Slam attack (+15 hit, 1d6+9 damage plus Drain), a Longsword Iterative attack (+15/+10 hit, 1d8+6 damage; 1d8+9 if wielded two-handed), or a combo Longsword/Slam (Longsword +15/+10 hit, 1d8+6 damage; Slam +10 hit, 1d6+3 damage plus Drain).
Not sure how correct this is since I just heard this from someone and never actually read whatever it was that my friend read that led him to this, but I've heard that a "Slam attack" is not an actual slam like it sounds but a generic placeholder for whatever makes the most sense. In essence, it's just adding an extra attack whether it be with a weapon, claw, bite, tentacle, unarmed stike or anything else. Since templates can be applied to almost any humanoid or monster, you really don't know what their attack method is going to be. He claims that this is from WoC but I can't personally verify it though.
"Slap or Slam: The creature batters opponents with an appendage, dealing bludgeoning damage."
That's from core.