Stuff I should know but dont

[Matt2VK]

Staggered condition - Can you take a 5 foot step and attack while staggered?

What exactly is a Slam attack?
Actions it uses?

[Orfamay Quest]

Matt2VK wrote:

Staggered condition - Can you take a 5 foot step and attack while staggered?

What exactly is a Slam attack?
Actions it uses?

Yes, you can 5-foot step and attack while staggered.

A slam is a melee attack, just like a punch or a dagger thrust, except delivered with a combat-ineffective limb. Most humanoids don't use them because fists are more effective.

[Theconiel]

An Earth Elemental, for example, uses a slam attack. It can neither make a fist nor wield a weapon; it simply swings its "arm" to hit its opponent.

[Matt2VK]

Thanks,
What I thought but wanted to make sure.

[Soporific Lotus]

I believe you can take a 5 foot step while staggered. The staggered condition makes no mention of it but the 5 foot step reads, you can take a 5-foot step before, during, or after your other actions in the round. You can still move and attack while staggered if you have an ability that lets you move as a swift or immediate action so you are not limited in that way while staggered.

A slam attack is a kind of primary natural attack so it uses a standard or full round action to use. It seems to use both arms if a creature has them so you cannot wield weapons and make a slam attack. For example see the witchwyrd.

http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/additionalMonsters/witchwyrd.html#_witch wyrd

[Hawktitan]

Soporific Lotus wrote:

It seems to use both arms if a creature has them so you cannot wield weapons and make a slam attack. For example see the witchwyrd.

While I don't think it's called out anywhere this has always been my impression too. You can also see Eidilons - only one slam attack is allowed per set of arms.

[MacGurcules]

The physical action defined by a slam is suggestive at best. You've got creatures that fairly clearly use one slam attack per arm, such as the marilith; creatures that get just one slam regardless of how many arms they have, like the vampire; or monsters with no limbs at all that use a slam attack anyway, like the mimic.

The intention here is made somewhat clearer by the recent FAQ response that indicates a slam attack is associated with a hand. The fact that a slam can be used in spell combat gives more weight to the idea that it uses only one hand. That doesn't really help for creatures like the Gelatinous Cube that manage it without any hands at all.