War horses get to attack with front hooves but are quadra-peds.
You could build your eidolon either way (quad or bi ped) so long as your stats are right for that form. If you build it biped, you can describe it moving like a monkey (using the forearms too) just so long as you don't try to claim any of the mechanical benefits of being a quadra-ped without, you know, actually being a quadra-ped.
It would be a quad, you can add claws on their front legs to attack with. The problem is that these have to be "legs" and cannot be used to grab things as if they had hands.
Otherwise you can just make a biped and SAY he runs that way, though it won't give mechanical benefits.
I'd use Quad base form and say it rears up to attack things. It works for bears.
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Flavorwise, you can have your Eidolon attack however it wants, as long as you're not doing anything ridiculous
Mechanically, you have to make sure that you're following the rules for the base form you chose, so you can't for example say that you have a quadruped with pounce and enhanced movement, but once it gets to the target, it rears up and suddenly gains reach like a biped. Likewise, you can't have your biped run along the ground on 4 limbs and then argue that using it's arms to run gives it a speed boost like it had 4 legs. Those are mechanical limitations.
Remember that each base form is pretty much the same, only a slight few differences.
Bipeds gain 5 feet of reach every time they increase size and are the strongest
Quads can take Rake and Pounce and are faster
Serpentine can Constrict
I think a gorilla could be similar too, I would consider them bipeds who walk on their knuckles.
I think everyone nailed it though saying there is no mechanical difference but your eidelon can pretty much look like whatever you want :D
As far as flavor goes, you should have no problem. I would say pick the base form that you'd consider it looking like more often. Otherwise, its speed and forms of attack won't change except with what you want it to.
That said, Elamdri is correct. Unless your GM is cool with it, you should be careful on what abilities it gets. No pouncing if you start with quadruped base form, for example, and no manipulating objects in those 'hands' if you go with quadruped.
For your example, it sounds like you'd want to start with Biped (since they get the claws), but either one can work fine, I think.
I would just make it a quadruped, give it two arms via evolutions, and describe it as having four limbs, not six (it's fore-legs can be used as hands as easily as feet).
In the end, it's all just flavor. Just don't break any actual rules without your GM's permission.
It can run on all fours, but switch to standing on hind legs when using Knowledge skills.
It only stands to reason.
:D
Limbs are either legs or arms, not both. Arms have hands, legs have feet.
You can have one attack on your legs, but a strict RAW reading of the rules lets you get both one set of claws and one set of hooves on two pair of legs. I'm not sure that is RAI, but it doesn't matter that much, as hooves are s@*@ty anyway, there is only one kind of build were I could see this working well.
Height is an odd thing, there are no rules to support it. So that question, and how it works, is up to the GM.
Yes, and I'm telling you the rules don't work that way. Limbs are either arms or legs. It is clearly stated so.
You can fluff it so that it walks on his hands, but there are no speed increase, no bonus to stability, nothing changes rulewise. The rules are very clear.
If you can convince your GM otherwise, sure, go for it, but it is not how the rules are written.
If you don't want to hold items with the front feet everything should be fine even if you use the quadraped base form. If you do I'm not sure you're out of luck either though. It strikes me that dragons are quadrapeds but can manipulate items with their front claws.
I wouldn't be surprised if grasping stuff in Claws like a dragon would is permissible too. The eidolon model for dragon-like eidolons is a quadraped with Claws, and I'd imagine it being able to grasp objects (though maybe I'm wrong)
Dragon
The eidolon appears to be a Medium dragon. Making a Small dragon eidolon creates a fairy dragon or pseudodragon. Large or Huge dragons can be created by exchanging one or more of the evolutions below for the large evolution.26 points: Base Form quadruped; Primary Evolutions claws, tail, tail slap; Secondary Evolutions basic magic (any), blindsense, breath weapon, flight, frightful presence, immunity, magic attacks, minor magic (any), spell resistance, wing buffet.
I wouldn't see allowing a quadraped eidolon with the Claws evolution to grasp items as being overpowered since the Claws themselves have a cost and most worthwhile uses of being able to grasp items will require other abilities which cost skill ranks, evolution points, or feats. I guess going by the strictest interpretation of RAW maybe it wouldn't be possible though.
As a sidebar item, I wonder how folks would feel about an eidolon grasping items with a tentacle. An Alchemist tentacle can grasp, but based on Animal Archive an octopus tentacle apparently can't. The eidolon Tentacle evolution doesn't say anything, so I guess by RAW maybe it can't grasp even though grasping things is kind of what tentacles do.
To be fair, you should be asking your DM, not the boards, because of the ambiguity. We can give your reasonable arguements for and against, but we won't be running the game or have final say on it. The rule set doesn't allow for what you want in a strict reading as has been mentioned. Pitch the idea to the DM and see what they say.
Are there any rules for a quadruped standing only on hind legs?
To my knowledge there aren't. Its not something you get a penalty or a bonus from, its just sort of something that happens because why not?
There should be nothing wrong with using a biped for the idea. Have it walk on its limbs (arms) as well, fluff them to look like whatever, and not gain the extra movement. Nothing wrong with that, as you don't gain anything.
Edit: It's even kinda within the rules, as the rules does state that you can make the eidolon look like almost whatever you choose.