Blade lash: natural weapons and provocation

[chuffster]

Blade Lash:

Range touch
Target your melee weapon
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

DESCRIPTION

Your weapon elongates and becomes whip-like. As part of casting this spell, you can use this weapon to attempt a trip combat maneuver against one creature within 20 feet, and you gain a +10 bonus on your roll, after which the weapon returns to its previous form.

Let's suppose I have a wand of Blade Lash in one hand and a claw attack in the other. I pass my UMD check to activate the wand and tap my claws.

First question: Do I get to try and trip somebody within 20 feet with my extendo-claws?

My inclination is to say yes because claws are treated like weapons for things like Weapon Focus. The mental image is a little weird but hey, it's magic. I know sometimes people get a little hinky with natural weapons and stuff like this so I wanted to see what your initial reactions are to this scenario.

Second question: Assume I don't have Improved Trip, the target is 20 feet away, and the target can't reach me from 20 feet away. My trip attempt will provoke... can he attack me, or is the AoO doomed to be wasted?

Third question: If I'm wearing a body wrap of mighty strikes +1, can I use it to add its bonus to the trip attempt?

[Azten]

1: Yes. The spell just says melee weapon, not "manufactured melee weapon".

2: If the target can't reach you, it can't take an AoO. Anyone that could reach could take one though.

3: Probably.

[chuffster]

Is all of this just completely non controversial?

[Ascalaphus]

Almost. Azten got #2 partially wrong;

PRD wrote:

Unless otherwise noted, performing a combat maneuver provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of the maneuver.

Only the target of the maneuver might get an AoO.