Aspect of the Beast and Wild shape

[Taenia]

I was looking over the rules for wild shape and polymorph and was wondering if you get claws from aspect of the beast do you get claws in a none claw form you wild shape into? For example if you pick up aspect of the beast at 7th and turn into a dire wolf do you gain a bite/claw/claw attack routine in addition to 2 claw attacks in your normal form? Since its feat based, non polymorph effect causing you to grow claws can you translate this to wild shape?

[mplindustries]

No, the claws are part of your base form.

[Michael Sayre]

While under the effects of a polymorph spell, you lose all extraordinary and supernatural abilities that depend on your original form (such as keen senses, scent, and darkvision), as well as any natural attacks and movement types possessed by your original form.

[Taenia]

I understood that, I was looking more at the aspect of the beast feat which lets you grow claws. Now if this is an effect that occurs only when you pick up the feat and you know have claws, that would be the effect.

I was curious if you could do one of two things, one grow the claws at any time but only grow claws and not one of the other abilities or possibly even grow them in one specific form rather than your own.

[Michael Sayre]

Advanced Player's Guide wrote:

"Aspect of the Beast

Whether by magic or a curse of your blood, some part of you is more beast than man.

Prerequisite: wild shape class feature, see Special.

Benefit: Your bestial nature manifests itself in one of the following ways. You choose the manifestation when you choose the feat, and then you cannot change it.

Night Senses (Ex): If your base race has normal vision, you gain low-light vision. If your base race has low-light vision, you gain darkvision out to a range of 30 feet. If your base race has darkvision, the range of your darkvision increases by 30 feet.

Claws of the Beast (Ex): You grow a pair of claws. These claws are primary attacks that deal 1d4 points of damage (1d3 if you are Small).

Predator's Leap (Ex): You can make a running jump without needing to run 10 feet before you jump.

Wild Instinct (Ex): You gain a +2 bonus on initiative checks and a +2 bonus on Survival skill checks.

Special: A character that has contracted lycanthropy can take this feat without having to meet the prerequisites. A ranger who selects the natural weapon combat style can take this feat without having to meet the prerequisites (even if he does not select Aspect of the Beast as a bonus feat)."

You grow the claws when you take the feat. You don't get Wolverine claws you can pop in and out, you don't get the ability to have normal hands sometimes and claws at others, you just grow claws on your current body. As they are now part of your base form, they would be replaced by the normal features of whatever you choose to polymorph into.

[James Risner]

Ssalarn wrote:

You grow the claws when you take the feat.

Typically I'm inclined to believe that is RAI.

But all other feats that do grant weapons like:
Sharpclaw
Benefit: You gain two claw attacks

Instead of the way Claws of the Beast is worded:
Claws of the Beast (Ex): You grow a pair of claws.

This combined with:
Extraordinary Abilities (Ex): Using an extraordinary ability is usually not an action ... that are actions are usually standard actions

So since they bothered to point out it is an Ex ability, it makes me believe there was at least some intent to allow you to activate it.

[Skylancer4]

EX abilities aren't retained per the polymorph school as was quoted earlier so even if you wormed the Aspect of the Beast as an 'activated' ability it still wouldn't work when poly'd.

As for your bolded word, that is pretty much fluff/flavor text which gives it no mechanical/rules value. The mechanical part is the next sentence.

Quoting the general EX definition doesn't mean anything. The feat explains what it does, gives you two claw attacks. That it is listed as EX means it doesn't disappear when you get hit with Dispel or walk into an AMF, and would disappear when you poly/wildshape. It doesn't say anything about being retractable so there is no reason to even refer to an activation cost/action.

[Diego Rossi]

James Risner wrote:

Ssalarn wrote:

You grow the claws when you take the feat.

Typically I'm inclined to believe that is RAI.

But all other feats that do grant weapons like:
Sharpclaw
Benefit: You gain two claw attacks

Instead of the way Claws of the Beast is worded:
Claws of the Beast (Ex): You grow a pair of claws.

This combined with:
Extraordinary Abilities (Ex): Using an extraordinary ability is usually not an action ... that are actions are usually standard actions

So since they bothered to point out it is an Ex ability, it makes me believe there was at least some intent to allow you to activate it.

No, they where simply saying that the claw don't disappear in a antimagic field.

Sharpclaw is another permanent transformation of your character original body:

PRD wrote:

Sharpclaw (Combat)

Your nails are large and strong.

Prerequisite: Ratfolk.

Benefit: You gain two claw attacks. These are primary natural attacks that deal 1d4 points of damage.

Get polymorphed or reincarnated and you lose it.

The Ultimate Campaign book will have rules to retrain your feats. I am curious to see what they will do with this kind of feats that will make permanent modifications in your character body.