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I've read the other topics on the subject, but I still think I'm a bit confused on Tentacle Discovery that Alchemists can obtain. The most confusing bit is adding another limb that CAN attack, but that, "does not give the alchemist any extra attacks or actions per round."
So, how does that work with natural attacks and the Feral Mutagen? Do you use it in place of a claw attack? If, for example, you have an Alchemist with +10 to hit, do you make a +10 Bite/+10 Claw/+5 Tentacle by using the tentacle attack in place of a claw? Do you need to replace one already existing attack with the tentacle attack?
Do natural attacks just work differently for alchemist PCs than for monsters? Because by RAW, I don't understand why the alchemist couldn't make a bite, two claws, AND a tentacle attack aside from the "does not give the alchemist any extra attacks or actions per round" bit.
The alchemist gets a few options to add an extra limb here and there. But none of these add a new wierds limb options are intended to make some weird monster with 9 attacks by level 5. Basically in asking your question you have stumbled on what the tentacle is intended to not do.
Anyhow looking at it the alchemist becomes always armed ca. Use it to hold things and the grab ability looks nice.
However while I know you cant claw claw bite tentacle. I'm not sure if you can claw claw tentacle.
Its an option to grab INSTEAD of whacking people with your claws. More useful against spellcasters (since you can still bomb them in the face) less useful against martial types.
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Well, it is not so much just that natural attacks work differently for alchemists, but rather that the tentacle and vestigial arm work differently from everything else. Otherwise, everyone plays by the same rules unless something specific says so.
For rules, the specific trumps the general. So if they say it works that way, then it does. These attack limitations prevent abuse and different kinds of unnecessary confusion (would you need to take multiweapon fighting instead of TWF if you are attacking with 3 arms?). The goal of these discoveries were simply to provide another limb that could assist in holding and using items.
The tentacle also has an advantage if it is your only natural attack, since it would become primary and gain 1.5x STR and Power attack bonuses. It also means that you are never unarmed. Since it has the grab ability, you can also grapple as a free action on a hit and get a +4 to the related checks for grappling (pretty much making up for 3/4 BAB, and giving room for you to take control with mutagen boosted strength). The tentacle has uses, but raw damage is not one of them.
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In that case, if I want to use the tentacle as part of a full attack action, can I substitute it out in the place of another attack? For example, can I make a Claw/Claw/Tentacle attack? Can I make a Bite/Claw/Tentacle attack (can I even replace a single claw attack without replacing both)?
I understand the RAI to ensure that an alchemist cannot become a hekatonkheires with an attack for each limb, but I'm still a bit confused as to where exactly the tentacle fits in. If an alchemist needs to sacrifice another, more damaging limb to attack with the tentacle, fine. If the alchemist needs to forgo all other attacks to make a single grab attempt, the tentacle becomes borderline useless.
Well, even if it is the latter, the tentacle is basically a slightly better version of the Improved Grapple feat, since both would take a standard attack to initiate.
So it all depends on whether you want to make a grapple build. So it might only seem useless to you since that is not what you are making. And that is fine, but other might like to grapple. The alchemist's ready access to enlarge self and strength boosting mutagens could make it an interesting and possibly useful build, and rather viable.
I have a question though, since the rules threads I tried to look through seemed rather inconclusive: can you use your free action grapple check when using the tentacle for an AoO. There were compelling arguments for and against. If you can, then it is far more useful to you, Perish Song, since you can catch an opponent and then full attack them on the next turn. We both know how much natural attack builds enjoy full attacks.