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Do Dhampir fangs get 1.5x STR if you don't have any other natural attacks?
On occasion, a dhampir may inherit his father’s lengthy canines. Whenever the dhampir makes a grapple combat maneuver check to damage an opponent, he can choose to bite his opponent, dealing 1d3 points of damage as if using a natural bite attack. As a standard action, the dhampir can bite a creature that is bound, helpless, paralyzed, or similarly unable to defend itself. This racial trait replaces the spell-like ability racial trait.
It's not a normal natural attack, because you can't make a normal attack with it. But when you can attack with it in a grapple, it says "as if using a natural bite attack." So it should get 1.5x STR, right? That would make it a little more useful.
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As long as it is your only natural attack, and the only attack you make in a round, it should get 1.5x Str on damage.
On a related note, you'd be better off with Unusual Heritage Dhampir if you want to be a bitey vampire-kin.
to be clear, yes if its your only natural attack and you do not attack with anything else. If you attack with any other weapons that round, your bite is treated as secondary and only gets half strength and -5 to hit. :)
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I hadn't seen that feat. Interesting. I don't know if I can fit it in, but it is obviously better than the racial trait.
I know how a bite would work in a full attack with manufactured weapons. Where I'm unsure here is that I'm making a grapple check, not a full attack with manufactured weapons. So I don't think the fangs impose a -5 to the grapple check or become secondary. I mean, I can only use them with a grapple check, so it seems like they would have mentioned that if it were the case.
The build will normally use unarmed strikes in a grapple (at 1d6 from Unchained Monk dip). I'm going to get a Sapping Amulet of Mighty Fists, so will normally be doing non-lethal. In cases where I want/need to do lethal instead, at 5th level and +4BAB 22STR 1d6+6[STR]+4[Power Attack] (Avg 13.5) isn't quite as good as 1d3+9[STR]+6[PA] (Avg 17). So if the latter is how it works, it would be helpful to know. At higher levels the disparity becomes bigger. It almost evens out with the +7 avg from Sapping and would make me wonder if I should go with a different choice for the amulet that would apply to both unarmed strikes and fangs.