I would like to make a feral monk that can use all monk combat feats while using claws instead of fists. Is this possible?
yes, but it'll eat 3 feats and requires that you start as a race with natural weapons like the Changeling.
Flurry does not work with natural weapons.
Flurry does not work with natural weapons.
it does when you take Feral Combat Training.
Yah, just seems like a bad trade-off with the rules as they are currently. feat taxes and lower damage potential.
Thank you very much for all your input. As far as the eng drop, is there any way of making adjustments using other feats to compensate? Using Eldritch Claws for example.
You're specifically wanting claws to do this damage?
Generally claws are relatively low base damage per animal size, so that might be tricky.
I guess with a high enough STR score and the martial artist monk (which would allow Weapon Specialization), you might get some okay damage, but you'll never be able to keep up with a normal unarmed monk's damage progression. At least I can't think of a way.
Find a race with rend to start or shift into one and start looking for ways to get large size. Before I'd even start I'd check with my dm and see if he'd allow bestiary feats for enhancing natural weapons. The rending claws feat by the creator said that it could be used to qualify for the rend feats without problem, but again you'd have to ask your dm.
You're specifically wanting claws to do this damage?
Generally claws are relatively low base damage per animal size, so that might be tricky.
I guess with a high enough STR score and the martial artist monk (which would allow Weapon Specialization), you might get some okay damage, but you'll never be able to keep up with a normal unarmed monk's damage progression. At least I can't think of a way.
sure you can, you just can't play a monk to do so ; )
It'll eat some feats but it's very possible. And if you enjoy playing the character then go for it. Just remember that you're trading up efficiency for character flavour.
My advice? Just play as a monk and call your fist attacks "claw attacks". If you're hung up on it, ask your GM if you can change your damage type to slashing, and keep everything else the same.
yea that's a good idea. take dragon style to deal slashing damage with unarmed strikes, and then you can work up that feat chain ^_^
Ok i see. Thank you for all your help. I'll go ahead and take everything into consideration and read up on it some more see if i can make something good or drop the idea all together.
I wouldn't say that it couldn't do decent damage. But something to consider your overall claw damage per swing cap is going to be right around 2d8 and you have to give up swings from flurry to multiclass.
The first question for damage efficiency is where are you getting natural attacks?
If I were going to do it I'd probably give up flurry and grab master of many styles and drunken master go from there. That would let you keep any of your other natural attacks at the end of your style chain. The trick would be getting everything to stack functionally higher to compensate for the lost damage. Hmm. I wasn't really sure that I liked my back up character I may just try this idea out for fun.
My advice? Just play as a monk and call your fist attacks "claw attacks". If you're hung up on it, ask your GM if you can change your damage type to slashing, and keep everything else the same.
That is what we are doing in my current campaign. Lizardfolk monk (Master of Many Styles) where his claws will progress as per a monk's unarmed strike progression. As I don't get FoB this will avoid being a level 10 monk only doing 2 x 1d4+ str with his claws.
Coupled with Boar Style the damage output is not bad at level 4 (effectively Monk2). I think when I hit mid levels the overall damge output won't be as good relatively speaking, but I am enjoying the character so optimisation isn't a concern for me.
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That is what I did. Went unarmed fighter to get dragon style, took feral combat training, and dropping a level in master of many styles for dragon ferocity at 3rd level. You can work up to Tiger pounce and power attack with a -1 to +3 ratio as you are doing so with a primary natural weapon that uses 1.5 strength, and with the Tiger pounce feat you will suffer no penalty to attack rolls.
That is what we are doing in my current campaign. Lizardfolk monk (Master of Many Styles) where his claws will progress as per a monk's unarmed strike progression. As I don't get FoB this will avoid being a level 10 monk only doing 2 x 1d4+ str with his claws.
Wouldn't the claws damage scale with the Monk's level if you took Feral Combat Training? "While using the selected natural weapon, you can apply the effects of feats that have Improved Unarmed Strike as a prerequisite, as well as effects that augment an unarmed strike."
Since the the monk's damage buff augements his unarmed damage, so would it the natural attack damage. In conjunction with other feats that could be really cool. Granted, you'd be doing less overall but it wouldn't lag behind too badly.
And sorry for the necromancy :P
That is what we are doing in my current campaign. Lizardfolk monk (Master of Many Styles) where his claws will progress as per a monk's unarmed strike progression. As I don't get FoB this will avoid being a level 10 monk only doing 2 x 1d4+ str with his claws.
Wouldn't the claws damage scale with the Monk's level if you took Feral Combat Training? "While using the selected natural weapon, you can apply the effects of feats that have Improved Unarmed Strike as a prerequisite, as well as effects that augment an unarmed strike."
Since the the monk's damage buff augements his unarmed damage, so would it the natural attack damage. In conjunction with other feats that could be really cool. Granted, you'd be doing less overall but it wouldn't lag behind too badly.
And sorry for the necromancy :P
The way we are doing it avoids the need for FCT - essentially the claws are just fluff. I could have just gone with normal monk unarmed progression but we are just calling them claws for flavour (and fun).
He now is a Monk 2/Fighter (Brawler) 3/Alchemist (Vivisectionist) 2. With Dragon Style, mutagens, enlarge and various other buffs he is lots of fun to play. I'm thinking of two levels of Wild Rager Barbarian for some extra "hulk"-like fun :)