Tengu claws and especially the "Improved Unarmed Strike" for feats - any good? How does it work?

[Egrek]

Hi all, so I've been looking into the alternative racial trait:

Claw Attack: Tengus with this racial trait have learned
to use their claws as natural weapons. They gain two claw
attacks as primary natural attacks that deal 1d3 points of
damage, and are treated as having the Improved Unarmed
Strike feat for the purpose of qualifying for other feats.
This racial trait replaces swordtrained.

And am a little confused.
- I love the claws as primary attacks to match the bite giving 3 natural primary attacks.
- But the "Improved Unarmed Strike" for the purpose of feats?

From a look at most of the feats, nearly ALL of the unarmed feats require/alter an unarmed strike.

1) So do your claws count as unarmed strikes?

RAW seems to suggest no.
So most unarmed feats seem useless?
eg Belier's bite: add bleed to unarmed strikes. Doesn't work with the claws. You can buy it, but not use it.
(unless you buy Improved Unarmed strike, or take an AoO, but also can't natural attack with it)

2) So your claws can't do non-lethal damage (as unarmed strike would).

As your claws don't seem to have Improved Unarmed Strike, it looks like you can't do this.

3) What feats do work? So far all I've found is:
- Deflect Arrows.
- Improved Grapple.
- Crane Style (and Crane Wing)

Hmm, after more research (as I write this) it's not a great selection, but better than a kick in the...

Any other thoughts or feats?

[Nefreet]

1) Your claws do not count as Unarmed Strikes
2) Your claws deal lethal damage, or nonlethal with a -4 penalty to-hit
3) I don't understand the obsession these days with complaining about getting something for free

My Tengu Rogue took Snake Style without actually having Improved Unarmed Strike.

I think it's wonderful.

[chaoseffect]

It half qualifies you for Feral Combat Training, which would allow you to fully use those claws with all unarmed fighting feats.

EDIT: Out of curiosity Nefreet are you planning on taking Snake Style to its conclusion? As written it seems like you would be eating an attack of opportunity each time you tried to take your Snake Fang. On a positive note, at least your Amulet of Mighty Fists affects both claws and punches.

[Egrek]

I just wasn't sure it did much at the start - looking into it gave a few more options - so I just wanted to see if I'd understood it properly (it seems now I have - my session of knocking people out with my claws was maybe not within the rules)

And yes, Snake looks good too! :)

I was just looking into the styles when I ran out of time and had to post! :)

But so far it's is looking like it can be of use.

Thanks for the feedback!

EDIT: "If you're unarmed, you don't normally threaten any squares and thus can't make attacks of opportunity" - this causes more problems with many of the feats ;)

[Nikomis]

Sorry to necro a few months later, but one thing to consider is that while you qualify for unarmed feats as if you had Improved Unarmed Strike....you still always threaten with your natural attacks. You are always considered armed (unless grappled or helpless or something, I can't remember the conditions that negate it.)