| 5 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
I know it seems a silly question, but there's nothing I see in the Rending Claws description that says the extra precision damage counts as a "rend special attack", which is a prerequisite for the Rending Fury line.
The name of the feat would seemingly self-qualify, but the RAW text isn't there. So, would it qualify?
So far, the cheese includes level dips in Ranger w/Natural Weapon style, MoMS Monk w/Feral Combat training, and possibly Rogue for Sneak Attack dice, with a possible endgame as Dragon Disciple. Am I forgetting any Natural Weapon silliness?
I've had the same question. I can see both sides of it. It doesn't say that it's the "Rend" special attack. But then again, if it's not, what the hell is it?
I wouldn't probably have a problem allowing it, since you need at least four feats to get use of that whole line (and can't get the last one until I think BAB +11). "Rend" is typically a monster thing, but the Rending Fury line is in Ultimate Combat, if I'm not mistaken.
*shrug* FAQ worthy, in my opinion.
Rending Fury line is indeed in UC. And the Rending Claws (from APG) mechanic works identically to the UMR Rend Attack, minus the necessary change from "extra damage" to an "extra damage dice" (monster to PC conversion).
I'd allow it at my table, as well, but since this is for a character that I am designing for myself, I need outside opinions.
I thought about this for a Natural Weapon Ranger of mine. For a class like Fighter, I think the feat chain could make sense. Four feats for +2d6 and +1d6 bleed damage when you hit with one (out of two) claws (once per round) is pretty solid. But for a feat-starved build I think you'd be one-trick-ponying yourself.
Definitely a good setup for an NPC or Monster. Makes for an interesting idea for a character, but I'm not sure ultimately how useful it'd be.
Regardless, that doesn't really address the underlying question of whether you actually can do it.
My personal solution as a GM was to rule that all "Rend" Feats (i.e. Two-Weapon Rend, Rending Claws etc.) qualify as a Rend Special Attack. Seeing as it effectively reproduces the effect of the Rend Special Ability in the Beastiary.
I made this ruling in favor of a Player's Shapeshifter Ranger that had narrowly overcome a case of lycanthropy in his youth. He wanted to make a character that just dove into fights and started ripping people open...
Keep in mind that anything you ask your GM to allow you to pull, you're also allowing him to throw right back at you.
Has Paizo waded in on this yet with an official answer about "Rending claws" giving you the rend special attack? My group is using the Lone Wolf software, which currently does not support the idea that it is.
Not officially. I asked James Jacobs about it a while ago and he said he wouldn't allow it because he thought Rend was too powerful to allow a PC to have.
*shrug*