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I have an animal companion (3 int) and I'd like to take with his feats improved grapple (nice for a ranged character). This feat requires improved unarmed attack, but this is a wasted feat for an animal, that got natural attacks.
It seems legit to think that he don't need this req, or that he can take the grab ability with a feat.
What do you think about this?
I have an animal companion (3 int) and I'd like to take with his feats improved grapple (nice for a ranged character). This feat requires improved unarmed attack, but this is a wasted feat for an animal, that got natural attacks.
It seems legit to think that he don't need this req, or that he can take the grab ability with a feat.
What do you think about this?
I'd let you sub in Imp. Wep Profic,but that feat is required for a good reason. Just giving an animal companion IUS is kind of op.
It's just because imp unarmed attack "teach" something that an animal don't need or already knows.
No, they absolutely don`t already know it...
If they did, you wouldn`t be worrying about bypassing that Pre-Req.
You can say that animals don`t `need` Improved IUS, but you can say the same about a Fighter with a Greatsword...
Neither get to bypass Improved UAS Pre-Requisites, and Natural Attacks don`t count as UAS in any way.
Improved UAS absolutely gives them a new capability: they can make Iterative UAS attacks AND all their Natural Attack at -5 (or -2 with Multiattack Feat). They can do that without Improved UAS, but then all those UAS attacks provoke, besides other differences in capability. Improved UAS represents a certain combat capacity that Animals don`t normally have... It is also a Pre-Req for many Martial Arts Combat Styles in Ultimate Combat, that are also inappropriate to allow Animals to bypass the Improved IUS Pre-Req for.
Note that most `Grapple Monsters` don`t even have Improved Grapple... They don`t need it with the Grab ability.
So if you get a Companion with the Grab ability, then you don`t need Improved Grapple to be an effective Grappler. But if you DO want to go the Improved Grapple route, which has it`s own benefits and would stack on top of the bonus from the Grab ability, you DO need to pick up Improved UAS. Note that non-Grab Animals (and anybody else) CAN easily bypass the normal AoO for Grapples if they have a Reach advantage, since the target can`t take the AoO back.
Improved unarmed strike teach you how to fight with your body. Animals know that. They don't provoke if they attack with their natural attacks, humanoids do it instead (usually).
I didn't mentioned martial style, just improved grapple. This open a whole new tread that I don't want to discuss there. I doubt that I will let animals take style feats for human. Maybe I should create some for them.
I never wrote about an animal with grab ability that take improved grapple, I said that maybe an animal could take a feat to have that ability instead of taking improved grapple.
By the way, I dont' want to make a wolf that knows martial arts, and kick people with iterative attack. It's silly... or it's kung fu panda, nice, but...no! :)
A wolf or dog that grab you with a bite it's not so strange, isn't it? It's what every dog like a pitbull or mastiff do every time that bite.
So maybe I should put the question more clear: a creature that already have natural attack that don't provoke could take a feat to grab someone without taking a feat that they don't need? Or worst, that create strange situations? It's not better to let animals take grab like a feat, or improved grapple without improved unarmed strike?