Can an Animal Companion take the Improved Unarmed Strike feat?

[Eigengrau]

Why I'm asking this is because of my Bobcat companion. If anyone has seen cats fight, half the time they're fighting they are rolling around on the ground clawing/biting and jumping etc...
What I'm after by hopefully getting IUS, is Monkey style and Monkey Moves feats. To me it matches up with how I think cats would fight.

[Melkiador]

It's not in the list of animal feats, so your companion would need an intelligence of 3 or better to take that feat.

[Quantum Steve]

Animals aren't proficient in any weapons, either, so it would have to take Simple Weapon Proficiency as well.

[Eigengrau]

Quantum Steve wrote:

Animals aren't proficient in any weapons, either, so it would have to take Simple Weapon Proficiency as well.

Not sure how this even relevant, there is no prerequisite to get Improved Unarmed Strike.

@ Melkiador, my cat does have an Int of 3 currently.

[Imbicatus]

Quantum Steve wrote:

Animals aren't proficient in any weapons, either, so it would have to take Simple Weapon Proficiency as well.

Any creature can make an unarmed strike and is proficient in it, regardless of whether they have simple weapon proficiency or not.

[Nefreet]

Your Bobcat can already make unarmed strikes. Any creature with a corporeal body can. They simply provoke when doing so, and deal nonlethal damage.

If you need Improved Unarmed Strike as a prerequisite for another feat, your Bobcat would simply need an Int of 3 (which I just saw that you have).

Sounds like you're good.

[James Risner]

+1 Nefreet

[Calth]

This might fall under the blog post prohibiting non-natural weapon usage for animal companions since unarmed strikes are sort of in a grey area for that. You could still take the feat for prerequisites but I would guess the design team would have an issue with trying to combine a full set of iteratives with a full set of natural weapon attacks on an animal companion.

[graystone]

Calth wrote:

This might fall under the blog post prohibiting non-natural weapon usage for animal companions since unarmed strikes are sort of in a grey area for that. You could still take the feat for prerequisites but I would guess the design team would have an issue with trying to combine a full set of iteratives with a full set of natural weapon attacks on an animal companion.

The blog really isn't a ruling one way or the other. "the GM should feel free to restrict such choices if he feels that they take away from the feel of his campaign." Is pretty much letting the DM know he can rule 0... Since the 'design team' said it was "left a little vague to give the GM the latitude to make the call that's right for his campaign" it would seem they are fine with some using the feats with their companions.

[Calth]

graystone wrote:

Calth wrote:

This might fall under the blog post prohibiting non-natural weapon usage for animal companions since unarmed strikes are sort of in a grey area for that. You could still take the feat for prerequisites but I would guess the design team would have an issue with trying to combine a full set of iteratives with a full set of natural weapon attacks on an animal companion.

The blog really isn't a ruling one way or the other. "the GM should feel free to restrict such choices if he feels that they take away from the feel of his campaign." Is pretty much letting the DM know he can rule 0... Since the 'design team' said it was "left a little vague to give the GM the latitude to make the call that's right for his campaign" it would seem they are fine with some using the feats with their companions.

The blog post (called Monkey See Monkey Do for those unfamiliar with it) is somewhat vague, yes, but it is clearly against allowing non-natural weapons and it was followed with a PFS specific ban. It isn't just a reminder of rule zero. The vagueness is more along the lines of "its impossible to go feat by feat to tell you what to ban" than "its ok to say no" to me at least.

In addition, for this specific question, there arises the question of how you get an animal companion to use a style feat. There's no trick for it to spend the action to enter the style. Remember officially by the rules animal companions are GM controlled. The rules for high int animal companion feats are basically the same as custom magic items: ask your GM.

Edit:Ultimate Campaign follows up on this stating that all feats not on the basic list are subject to GM approval even for high int animal companions.

[graystone]

Calth wrote:

It isn't just a reminder of rule zero.

But it is. It even comes out and says "you could interpret the rules in this way" for the feats being usable. It seems clear that the author, Jason Bulmahn, doesn't like the options but he stopped short of banning them.

So, yeah, it WAS a rule zero reminder. The rules allow it but the DM can ban it: That's rule 0. There is also the "capable of use" issue but as I already pointed out, armor spikes means any companion that can wear armor is "capable of" using a weapon.

As to PFS, I have no clue there. they could have banned animal companions for all I know about it.

PS: The reasoning in the for the blog is also questionable. A MINDLESS skeleton has no issues wielding a sword and swapping between it and natural attacks but a 3 int animal is too confused to do it without being told?

[Texas Snyper]

graystone wrote:

PS: The reasoning in the for the blog is also questionable. A MINDLESS skeleton has no issues wielding a sword and swapping between it and natural attacks but a 3 int animal is too confused to do it without being told?

It's about what is in their nature. A mindless skeleton was created with a manufactured weapon in mind for it to use. It was created with that purpose. Animals have their natural weapons and it is in their nature to use those. Even the animals IRL that use tools for tasks (e.g. primates) don't use created weapons when they fight.

[Loengrin]

Texas Snyper wrote:

graystone wrote:

PS: The reasoning in the for the blog is also questionable. A MINDLESS skeleton has no issues wielding a sword and swapping between it and natural attacks but a 3 int animal is too confused to do it without being told?

It's about what is in their nature. A mindless skeleton was created with a manufactured weapon in mind for it to use. It was created with that purpose. Animals have their natural weapons and it is in their nature to use those. Even the animals IRL that use tools for tasks (e.g. primates) don't use created weapons when they fight.

And a mindless skeleton is magic... This explain a lot... :p

[thelemonache]

Melkiador wrote:

It's not in the list of animal feats, so your companion would need an intelligence of 3 or better to take that feat.

this guy is 100% correct if you need more supporters. :) Technically speaking from the words of a dev somewhere a gelatinous cube can make unarmed strike, you don't need fists.