Alchemist Questions (Tumor Familiar / Tentacle Combat)

[Pirate Rob]

I've got two separate issues:

First: Does Tumor Familiar qualify for Improved Familiar?

Tumor Familiar:

Benefit: The alchemist creates a Diminutive or Tiny tumor on his body, usually on his back or stomach. As a standard action, the alchemist can have the tumor detach itself from his body as a separate creature vaguely resembling a kind of animal suitable for a familiar (bat, cat, and so on) and move about as if it were an independent creature. The tumor can reattach itself to the alchemist as a standard action. The tumor has all the abilities of the animal it resembles (for example, a batlike tumor can fly) and familiar abilities based on the alchemist’s caster level (though some familiar abilities may be useless to an alchemist). The tumor acts as the alchemist’s familiar whether attached or separated (providing a skill bonus, the Alertness feat, and so on). When attached to the alchemist, the tumor has fast healing 5. An alchemist’s extracts and mutagens are considered spells for the purposes of familiar abilities like share spells and deliver touch spells. If a tumor familiar is lost or dies, it can be replaced 1 week later through a specialized procedure that costs 200 gp per alchemist level. The ritual takes 8 hours to complete.

Improved Familiar:

Prerequisites: Ability to acquire a new familiar, compatible alignment, sufficiently high level (see below).

Second: I'm also trying to figure out what kind of options Tentacle gives me.

Tentacle:

Benefit: The alchemist gains a prehensile, arm-length tentacle on his body. The tentacle is fully under his control and cannot be concealed except with magic or bulky clothing. The tentacle does not give the alchemist any extra attacks or actions per round, though he can use it to make a tentacle attack (1d4 damage for a Medium alchemist, 1d3 damage for a Small one) with the grab ability. The tentacle can manipulate or hold items as well as the alchemist’s original arms can (for example, allowing the alchemist to use one hand to wield a weapon, the tentacle to hold a potion, and the third hand to throw a bomb). Unlike an arm, the tentacle has no magic item slots.

Here SKR states that the extra limb can only be used in place of another attack, not as an extra attack.

Assuming he's correct, lets look at a tusked alchemist (orc trait that gives a natural bite attack).
I find the process confusing and somewhat nonsensical and feel like I'm missing something fundamental to understanding how it works.

I can wield a 2 handed weapon and take my bite but not my tentacle. I could however replace either attack with the tentacle. If I replace the bite with the tentacle everything is nice and simple. If I replace the sword attack with the tentacle then I'm no longer combining natural and manufactured attacks and the bite attack remains primary.

I'm wielding 2 1 handed weapons (or a weapon and shield). I can TWF and attack with both weapons (or weapon and shield), and the bite. I could replace any of these with the tentacle attack. If I replace the bite it's simple once again.

If I replace either weapon attack with the tentacle which of the following scenarios is correct:
Weapon attack with no penalties, bite and tentacle as secondary natural attacks.
Weapon attack with TWF penalties, tentacle with TWF penalty, bite as a secondary natural attack.
Weapon attack with TWF penalties, tentacle with TWF and secondary natural attack penalty, bite as secondary natural attack.

What if I'm wielding a two handed weapon and armor spikes. Is this any different than the above scenario?

Thanks in advance for any help in sorting these out.

[Red Leaf]

Im pretty sure you can take improved familiar, its a familiar so why couldn't you spend a feat on it...

Anyways with the tusks you have the secondary attack issue, which is a natural attack. With the 2h weapons you MIGHT be able to the tentacle as a secondary unarmed attack, not totally sure, but it sounds like a really bad idea due to AOO, the whole unarmed attack thing.

It seems like taking the tentacle discovery gives you more options. I know my Alch. had to drop his weapon on more then one occasion to toss a bomb into the fray. Anyways thats my two cents.

[Pirate Rob]

Are you suggesting that the tentacle is an unarmed attack and not a natural attack?

[Thefurmonger]

Ok, for the first one...

There is a LOT of debate on it over like 5 threads. however most people feel the anwser is yes you can take it. No there is not dev quote saying this (welcome to playing an alchemist)

as for the second....

SKR says that he really ment it to just hold crap. but then you read that already.

as for how it interacts with other attacks?

Dude, I got nothin. I just use it to hold potions and stuff like that.

[Pirate Rob]

How very frustrating. I guess I'll just have to do something else.