Natural Attack Questions

[bookrat]

Hi Pathfinder Fans!

When using Natural Attacks, the rules state that for primary attacks you are at full BAB and full Strength bonus. For secondary attacks you are at BAB-5 and 1/2 Str bonus. If you only have one natural attack (not if you have multiple and only choose to use one), then you are at full BAB and 1-1/2 Str regardless if the attack was originally a primary or secondary.

What happens when we add in Weapon Finesse? Do secondary nat attacks go at 1/2 Dex to hit and 1/2 Str to damage? If you only have a single nat attack, does it get 1-1/2 dex to hit and 1-1/2 str to damage? This seems right, but I can't seem to find it in the rules.

What happens when we get iterative attacks from a high BAB (obviously this would be for player characters, not monsters)? Say a 6th level fighter with +6/+1; does he get an addition primary attack at +1? Or does going the natural attack route for PCs mean sacrificing iterative attacks at higher levels?

I apologize if this has already been covered; my google-fu seems weak today.

[Lakesidefantasy]

Extra iteritive attacks only apply to attacks made with manufactured weapons (as well as unarmed strikes?), and you get them in addition to your natural attacks. However, if you're using a hand to wield a manufactured weapon you can't then also use that hand to deliver a claw attack, but you could use the other hand to deliver a claw attack.

[Lakesidefantasy]

As for weapon finesse, I think you would just replace you strength bonus with your dexterity bonus on attack roils. Weapon finesse has no effect on damage rolls.

However, I'm not sure if natural attacks are considered light weapons or not.

[blackbloodtroll]

Weapon Finesse does not change damage.

[nick murray 549]

bookrat wrote:

Hi Pathfinder Fans!

When using Natural Attacks, the rules state that for primary attacks you are at full BAB and full Strength bonus. For secondary attacks you are at BAB-5 and 1/2 Str bonus. If you only have one natural attack (not if you have multiple and only choose to use one), then you are at full BAB and 1-1/2 Str regardless if the attack was originally a primary or secondary.

What happens when we add in Weapon Finesse? Do secondary nat attacks go at 1/2 Dex to hit and 1/2 Str to damage? If you only have a single nat attack, does it get 1-1/2 dex to hit and 1-1/2 str to damage? This seems right, but I can't seem to find it in the rules.

What happens when we get iterative attacks from a high BAB (obviously this would be for player characters, not monsters)? Say a 6th level fighter with +6/+1; does he get an addition primary attack at +1? Or does going the natural attack route for PCs mean sacrificing iterative attacks at higher levels?

I apologize if this has already been covered; my google-fu seems weak today.

Natural attacks only effect you BAB and not your stat to hit. Weapon finesse doesnt effect smg at all and you use str no matter if you have it or not for dmg.

[Rhatahema]

bookrat wrote:

What happens when we add in Weapon Finesse? Do secondary nat attacks go at 1/2 Dex to hit and 1/2 Str to damage? If you only have a single nat attack, does it get 1-1/2 dex to hit and 1-1/2 str to damage? This seems right, but I can't seem to find it in the rules.

Sounds like you're a bit confused about attack bonuses and damage bonuses. Normally, for natural attacks, it's...

Primary Attack Bonus: + Base Attack Bonus + Strength Modifier
Primary Damage Bonus: + Strength Modifier
Primary Damage Bonus (single): + (Strength Modifier * 1.5)
Secondary Attack Bonus: + Base Attack Bonus + Strength Modifier - 5
Secondary Damage Bonus: + (Strength Modifier * .5)

So with weapon finesse, you replace your strength modifier with your dexterity modifier when determining your attack bonus, but your damage bonus remains unaffected.

[bookrat]

Thank you! That's what I was missing: you don't modify strength bonus to the attack rolls, only the damage rolls. After rereading the section of the book, it's plain as day; I was just missing it somehow when I was reading it.