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According to the Combat section of the rules, if you mix natural attacks and melee weapons, you suffer penalties as if using two-weapon fighting:
You can make attacks with natural weapons in combination with attacks made with a melee weapon and unarmed strikes, so long as a different limb is used for each attack. For example, you cannot make a claw attack and also use that hand to make attacks with a longsword. When you make additional attacks in this way, all of your natural attacks are treated as secondary natural attacks, using your base attack bonus minus 5 and adding only 1/2 of your Strength modifier on damage rolls. In addition, all of your attacks made with melee weapons and unarmed strikes are made as if you were two-weapon fighting. Your natural attacks are treated as light, off-hand weapons for determining the penalty to your other attacks. Feats such as Two-Weapon Fighting and Multiattack can reduce these penalties.
However, none of the creatures in the Bestiary have two-weapon fighting penalties for their weapon + natural attack routines.
Melee longsword +6 (1d8+6/19–20), bite +1 (1d6+1 plus trip and curse of lycanthropy)
Melee morningstar +2 (1d8+1), bite +0 (1d4), or claw +2 (1d4+1), bite +2 (1d4+1)
Melee bite +8 (1d8+3), slam +8 (1d4+1) or mwk greatsword +9/+4 (2d6+3), bite +3 (1d8+2)
So which is wrong -- the rules in the Combat section, or every example in the Bestiary?
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The rules in the combat section are wrong.
The rules for natural attacks in the Bestiary state that you make your attacks with manufactured weapons as normal, but treat all your natural attacks as secondary.
This is a good question. Coming from 3.5, I never noticed the bolded part, and simply assumed it worked as before, weapons at +0 and natural attacks at -5.
Since I've never had any problems with it 3.5, even with PCs who mixed weapons and natural attacks, I'd have the Bestiary examples and prior experience trump the Combat section rules, but it'd be interesting to hear the designers' intent.
The rules in the combat section are wrong.
The rules for natural attacks in the Bestiary state that you make your attacks with manufactured weapons as normal, but treat all your natural attacks as secondary.
Yes, someone else pointed out a post from James Jacobs saying they'd fix it in the errata. Some day. :-)
Awhile back i had asked this and believe a designer weighed in that Austin's interpretation was correct
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Mariliths have the most numbers of Natural + Weapon Attacks that I've seen.
If you wield a second weapon in your off hand, you can get one extra attack per round with that weapon. You suffer a –6 penalty with your regular attack or attacks with your primary hand and a –10 penalty to the attack with your off hand when you fight this way. You can reduce these penalties in two ways. First, if your off-hand weapon is light, the penalties are reduced by 2 each. An unarmed strike is always considered light. Second, the Two-Weapon Fighting feat lessens the primary hand penalty by 2, and the off-hand penalty by 6.
Going off of RAW, TWF penalties only apply to your designated Main/Primary and Off-Hands, whether you're actually using hands or not.
Natural Attacks don't designate Main or Off-Hands, though.
Instead, Natural Attacks are just straight one-and-done add-ons that aren't given Attack iterations; they're just designated as either Primary Natural Attacks and made at BAB, or Secondary Natural Attacks and made at BAB-5.
Natural Attacks, when made in conjunction with Manufactured and Unarmed Attacks, are all relegated to Secondary status, and all attack at BAB-5 as a result.
However, RAW for all of the above, and interesting thing occurs:
Because Natural Attacks are made at BAB-5 and AREN'T affected by the rules for TWF, they are more accurate than your second attack iteration attacks (which are made, in total, at BAB-7)
So, a lv11 Barbarian with Brawler, Lesser Fiend Totem, Lesser Draconic Blood, Animal Fury, Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, and Greater Two Weapon Fighting goes:
+9 (Unarmed) / +9 (Unarmed) / +6 (Bite) / +6 (Gore) / +6 (Claw) / +6 (Claw) / +4 (Unarmed) / +4 (Unarmed) / -1 (Unarmed) / -1 (Unarmed)
