Spell Combat & "Full-Attack" with Natural Weapons FAQ Phrasing


Rules Questions

Grand Lodge

I don't know how broad or how narrowly I am reading the FAQ here...

Quote:

When using spell combat, can the weapon in my other hand be an unarmed strike or a natural weapon?

Yes, so long as the weapon is a light or one-handed melee weapon and is associated with that hand. For example, unarmed strikes, claws, and slams are light melee weapons associated with a hand, and therefore are valid for use with spell combat. A tail slap is not associated with a hand, and therefore is not valid for use with spell combat.

[...]

If I use spell combat, how many weapon attacks can I make?

You can make as many weapon attacks as you would normally be able to make if you were making a full attack with that weapon. For example, if you are an 8th-level magus (BAB +6/+1), you could make two weapon attacks when using spell combat.

This is a revised ruling about how haste interacts with effects that are essentially a full attack, even though the creature isn't specifically using the full attack action (as required by haste). The earlier ruling implied that spell combat did not allow the extra attack from haste (because spell combat was not using the full attack action).

See, it says that my character needs to have a hand with which to cast spells and a hand with which she can attack. It specifies that this attack can be a natural attack if it's a natural attack made with that limb.

However, I am confused with the wording of the second ruling. It says that I can make "as many attacks as you would normally be able to if you were making a full attack". For natural weapons, this can be in combination with your hand rather than seperate from it. However, it goes on to say that "with that weapon". Do I need to read that as "with that weapon" as "including that weapon" or "exclusively that weapon"?

English is not my native language.


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as it stands (if i'm reading it correctly):

one hand is used for spellcasting.
the other hand is holding the "weapon" with which you attack.
that "weapon" can be a natural attack like a slam or a claw.

so, if you have 2 claws, one on each hand, you can cast with one of your hands, and attack with the other, giving you only 1 attack (you won't do claw/claw).

however, there is the "natural spell combat" arcana, which basically allows you to select natural attacks to add to your routine.

if you have this arcana selected with claws, you could do spell/claw/claw (instead of spell/claw)
you can even pick it up multiple times to go with other natural attacks.

Grand Lodge

Perfect, that answers my question. As a follow up, though...

Quote:

Natural Spell Combat (Ex)

Benefit: The magus can use his spell combat class feature with a natural attack of his choice. If he does, he gains a +2 bonus on concentration checks. If the natural attack is made with an appendage that would normally hold a weapon (such as a claw attack), the magus cannot wield a weapon in that appendage while making natural attacks with it. If the natural attack is a bite or other attack that does not require a free appendage to make, the magus can use the natural attack in addition to all of the attacks he could make with his melee weapon, if he has one.

A magus can select this arcana more than once. The bonus on concentration checks does not stack. Each time he selects this arcana, he selects another natural weapon. For example, a magus could select this arcana twice, choosing claw attacks and bite attacks. This would allow him to use a full-round action to make all of his claw attacks with his free hand and all of his bite attacks in addition to casting a spell. This arcana otherwise functions exactly like the spell combat class feature.

Quote:

Prehensile Hair (Su)

Effect: The witch can instantly cause her hair (or even her eyebrows) to grow up to 10 feet long or to shrink to its normal length, and can manipulate her hair as if it were a limb with a Strength score equal to her Intelligence score. Her hair has reach 10 feet, and she can use it as a secondary natural attack that deals 1d3 points of damage (1d2 for a Small witch). Her hair can manipulate objects (but not weapons) as dexterously as a human hand.

The hair cannot be sundered or attacked as a separate creature. Pieces cut from the witch’s elongated hair shrink away to nothing. Using her hair does not harm the witch’s head or neck, even if she lifts something heavy with it. The witch can manipulate her hair a number of minutes each day equal to her level; these minutes do not need to be consecutive, but must be spent in 1-minute increments. A typical male witch with this hex can also manipulate his beard, moustache, or eyebrows.

Quote:

White Hair (Su)

At 1st level, a white-haired witch gains the ability to use her hair as a weapon. This functions as a primary natural attack with a reach of 5 feet. The hair deals 1d4 points of damage (1d3 for a Small witch) plus the witch’s Intelligence modifier. In addition, whenever the hair strikes a foe, the witch can attempt to grapple that foe with her hair as a free action* without provoking an attack of opportunity, using her Intelligence modifier in place of her Strength modifier when making the combat maneuver check. When a white-haired witch grapples a foe in this way, she does not gain the grappled condition.

If I take Natural Spell Combat, do I need to specify what type of hair I'm taking the Magus Arcana for or does it apply to both? This as a White-Haired Witch with a Hexcrafter Magus dip.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

as it is worded, once would suffice.

since p.e. you only need to pick it up once for both claws, or once and cover as many bite attacks as you have, and etc.

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