For the Claw Blade weapons, since they just enhance the natural attacks, they don't interfere with flurry of blows, right? And while it seems like RAW that I could simply enhance one Claw Blade and use that one claw for flurry of blows, seems like a pretty cheesy tactic. That's of course if it's possible at all.
If I read it right, the claw blades actually make them manufactured weapons, so they would no longer benefit from feral combat training if you used that with them. Easiest way to do it would probably be to houserule that your claws or clawblades can be used with a flurry anyway. Not too cheesy to enhance just one either, twf is woefully underpowered and your other options for manufactured weapons work just like that, and they can be used two handed for more damage from power attack. Its a cool and flavorful option.
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The catfolk claw specialist monk is actually one of the better monk builds thanks to the Catfolk monk archetype the Nimble Guardian.
The guardian feline ability gives you a wildshape like talent that turns you into a Dire Tiger (starting lvl 7th, you get rake at lvl 9th though).
A dire tiger has 4 claw attacks on a pounce, all primary.
So start off nimble guardian/Master of Many Styles/Qinggong Monk (why not, you are staying in monk, so if you take arcane strike based on your spell like abilities, it progresses as well as a magus or a bard), take feral combat training claws and dragon style/dragon ferocity and all of a sudden you have 4 attacks at your best BaB (which top out a 4d8 damage) with a strength and a half bonus.
If you have a friendly druid, or a DM who isn't on the "Feral Combat training natural attacks can't be enhanced with Improved Natural attack, just because" side of the fence, then your claws can go up to 6d8 damage.
prototype00
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I think prototype00 has the right of it - you're better off going MoMS and taking TWF than using an archetype that keeps "Flurry of Blows" (FoB).
Feral Combat Training (FCT) works better with Unarmed Strikes (UAS) and TWF than it does with FoB.
My Natural Weapon build is a Ranger 10/MoMS 2. He uses Claw/Claw/Bite/UAS/UAS/UAS/UAS in a full attack routine.
Multiattack & TWF make the 3 Natural attacks & first two UAS at Full BAB -2, and the last two UAS are iteratives at -5 & -10.
Because his Amulet of Mighty Fists enhances both natural attacks and unarmed strikes he has 5 attacks each round that are almost guaranteed hits against a CR appropriate foe.
4 of those attacks get 1.5x STR mod damage while the first does 1.5x STR mod + .5 STR Mod in damage. (thanks to Dragon Style/Ferocity)
Plus he has a small cat flank buddy (with Boon Companion) that gets Claw/Claw/Bite.
Does Claw Pounce work with Flurry of Blows?
Natural attacks do not work with flurry of blows, so by taking MoMS, you get to get rid of it for something more impressive.
On the subject of style feats, don't go willy nilly, go for the ones you really want. Dragon Style and Dragon Ferocity (You can probably skip dragon roar), Snake Style and Snake Sidewind, and possibly the Janni Style/Janni Rush ones. Since you will be getting a lot of style feats for free, spend your regular feats on something else.
On TWF, I am not convinced, by lvl 7, you will be doing as many attacks as a barbarian (3) and by lvl 9, you will have 5 attacks on a pounce. I don't think you need to dilute your BaB further by taking regular TWF attacks.
If you really want to just take multiattack and tack on your regular number of attacks onto your 5 extra attacks.
prototype00
Natural attacks do work with FoB with the Feral combat training feat.
And where is everyone getting this bite from? I still don't quite get how Feral Combat benefits TWF, and I don't think it's a route I want to go in but meh.
So is the Nimble Guardian archetype overall pretty good? It seems like the abilities it replaces aren't missed too much, and the Beast Shape thing is cool.
Well... yes? They do work, but you basically sub them in for your iteratives in the FoB, it doesn't seem worth it. I'd rather just go with the natural attack routine, which is missing the -5/-10/-15 iteratives, but makes up for it with 4 attacks at full BaB.
A dire tiger (which you shift into) has a bite attack. 4 claws and a bite on a pounce.
Nimble guardian is one of the best monk archetypes. I'd rank it up there with Zen archer. MoMS makes it really, really good.
prototype00
Does Claw Pounce work with Flurry of Blows?
It should work just fine; Claw Pounce grants a full attack, and the monk entry says Flurry of Blows is "a full attack action."
You can use style feats when you're in tiger form?
Animals can use style feats and everyone, even an ooze, has an unarmed strike.
Also, Dire Lion and Dire Tiger.
The two Rake attacks you get are considered claw attacks, hence 4 claw attacks on a pounce.
As to the damage, yes, that seems about right.
prototype00
Pounce is an exception.
When a creature with this special attack makes a charge, it can make a full attack (including rake attacks if the creature also has the rake ability).
You don't have to grapple.
Why do you think that natural attacks don't crit? Everything that is targeted can crit, even spells, not to say natural attacks.
prototype00
Just remember that feral combat affects one natural attack. I think your cat claws are a different natural attack than shapechanged tiger claws. You would need to pick one or the other.
Just remember that feral combat affects one natural attack. I think your cat claws are a different natural attack than shapechanged tiger claws. You would need to pick one or the other.
As far as the game is concerned they are both claws. They have not changed to another kind of attack. Never mind how silly feral combat training and unarmed fighting rules are in this game.
Just remember that feral combat affects one natural attack. I think your cat claws are a different natural attack than shapechanged tiger claws. You would need to pick one or the other.As far as the game is concerned they are both claws. They have not changed to another kind of attack. Never mind how silly feral combat training and unarmed fighting rules are in this game.
I think I'm going to respectfully disagree. If one creature had multiple claw attacks, one set 1d4, and another 1d6, I would rule that they were different claw attacks. Catfolk claws are very different from other claws. The same is true bites and different polymorph forms. Seems that way from the current wording, or did I miss something.
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I think I'm going to respectfully disagree. If one creature had multiple claw attacks, one set 1d4, and another 1d6, I would rule that they were different claw attacks. Catfolk claws are very different from other claws. The same is true bites and different polymorph forms. Seems that way from the current wording, or did I miss something.
All that matters as far as the game's rules are concerned is that you were using a claw. You take weapon focus with a longsword it doesn't matter if your using a large one in two hands or a small one in one, or if you picked up someone else's longsword, its still a long sword and weapon focus applies. The reason they have different weapon damage is because they're claws of different sizes. That's just how the rules work and your free to rule otherwise in your homegames but its not how it is RAW.
Cool. Thanks for the explanation. It makes sense. Opens up some interesting options.