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I am not saying that. I think as mentioned, I cannot apply those rules to a monster because they do not play by the same rules as players. They receive full specialization on all attacks, even pre-level 3, they do not have feats listed, and their versions of attacks generally have different values than PC versions if they are available.Sorry, I was probably bit too flippant with that comment. I didn't think people actually thought that way, but was trying to illustrate the point that natural weapons are not the same as unarmed strikes. Which you're agreeing with. Natural weapons threaten. Unarmed strikes do not threaten. So what happens when you have a melee natural weapon which is also an unarmed strike? They are completely unrelated rule definitions, by how I read RAW.
I actually wanted to revisit this one last time, just to acknowledge I actually made a mistake in my other reply.
I remembered a creature of relevance, the Broodbrother. Its Cold (Su) mentions its natural weapons, unarmed strikes, and slam attack as all things that get Cold (Su) applied to them. So I had to hunt natural weapons rules specifically.
Natural Weapons (Ex) is in the Alien Archive. Natural Weapons (no Ex) is the player ability, so same name but different things, and it means I mislabeled them.
Natural Weapons (Ex)
Natural weapons (and natural attacks), such as acid spit, bite, claw, or slam don’t require ammunition and can’t be disarmed or sundered.
That's all it says though. Doesn't really change any of the presented information in regards to anything.
There is an option 4 which I think allows for RaW with some some application of RaI.
The text is describing a condition which must exist for you to make an unarmed attack. This conditions is that you have a free hand. This could easily be interpreted as free appendage, leg, tentacle, tail etc.. as not ever entity in Starfinder has a 'hand'.
While it's true that most player characters have an appendage that can be described as a hand, Paizo has released many subsequent publications that have playable races which don't possess hands. I'm looking at you Astrazoans and Bantrids!
If we accept that an unarmed attack would require a free appendage capable of making that attack, it seems to me that this allows for any subsequent races to make such an attack.
In this spirit, if a player has a leg or tail or horn or something else that can make an unarmed attack, then I don't see why this should be disallowed. An unarmed attack isn't a bonus action or free action. Attacks of Opportunity are quite clear on the conditions which allow them. See CRB 248 for AoO and CRB 255 for threatening a square. (You need a melee weapon or a natural weapon and unarmed strikes specifically are called out as not counting for threatening a square.)
Otherwise I don't see this as problematic or any scenario in which this could be abused.
There is an option 4 which I think allows for RaW with some some application of RaI.
The text is describing a condition which must exist for you to make an unarmed attack. This conditions is that you have a free hand. This could easily be interpreted as free appendage, leg, tentacle, tail etc.. as not ever entity in Starfinder has a 'hand'.
Only if the appendage in question is defined as a "hand." For example, Maraqoi have tails that count as a free hand, but a vesk or ysoki's tail does not (they can, however, get the Tailblade from Armory, which specifically allows attacks if one's hands are full at a cost of 2,300 credits).
While it's true that most player characters have an appendage that can be described as a hand, Paizo has released many subsequent publications that have playable races which don't possess hands. I'm looking at you Astrazoans and Bantrids!
Per Armory, all gear can be used by all PC races barring specific listed racial traits, meaning that all races are considered to have two "hands" unless specifically designated otherwise.
If we accept that an unarmed attack would require a free appendage capable of making that attack, it seems to me that this allows for any subsequent races to make such an attack.
In this spirit, if a player has a leg or tail or horn or something else that can make an unarmed attack, then I don't see why this should be disallowed. An unarmed attack isn't a bonus action or free action. Attacks of Opportunity are quite clear on the conditions which allow them. See CRB 248 for AoO and CRB 255 for threatening a square. (You need a melee weapon or a natural weapon and unarmed strikes specifically are called out as not counting for threatening a square.)
PCs are allowed to make an Unarmed Strike with any part of their anatomy that they wish; they just need a free hand (or one of their two hand equivalents, as discussed above) to do it if they don't have Improved Unarmed Strike. Like I said earlier in the thread; nothing about the free hand requirement specifically states that you are using the free hand to make the attack, just that you need it free. It could be used for balance, leverage, or to grab the enemy's neck so you can close for a headbutt. The fluff doesn't matter, but the game mechanics do.
Otherwise I don't see this as problematic or any scenario in which this could be abused.
It is abusable, in that letting PCs do this would invalidate the designated cost (in credits, feats, or class features) of making an Attack of Opportunity while one using a ranged weapon (or even an unwieldy two-handed melee weapon).
OK. So an Astrazoad and Bantrid can't make an Unarmed attack at all as they don't have a free hand. Or any hand at all?
You can't logically say that the rules disallow an unarmed strike if you don't have a 'free hand' and then turn around and say that 'an equivalent appendage works' I have a free horn, or free leg, or free tentacle.. so I guess those work since those are appendages and they are available correct?
OK. So an Astrazoad and Bantrid can't make an Unarmed attack at all as they don't have a free hand. Or any hand at all?
What? No. Astrazoans and Bantrid have two arms and two hands each. All PCs do, unless specifically listed as otherwise. They need one of those two free to make an unarmed strike.
You can't logically say that the rules disallow an unarmed strike if you don't have a 'free hand' and then turn around and say that 'an equivalent appendage works' I have a free horn, or free leg, or free tentacle.. so I guess those work since those are appendages and they are available correct?
I understand where you are going with this, but there is a distinction between a "free hand" that is an equivalent appendage in a game sense and a "free" appendage (as in an unobstructed horn or leg) that is not designated as a hand. An Urog is a big weird bug with a bunch of big weird appendages, but two of its biggest weird appendages are considered "hands" and the rest presumably comprise its two (for game purposes) "feet."
Everybody has the same slots, because of game balance. Just because I can see eight extra legs on that Urog, doesn't mean that it gets eight extra leg slots for augmentation purposes. Now, a Skittermander gets six arm slots, because they are specifically noted in its statblock.
You can't derive game information from the artwork. Everybody uses the same rules, unless their racial statblocks say something different, or there is errata to the effect.
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OK. So an Astrazoad and Bantrid can't make an Unarmed attack at all as they don't have a free hand. Or any hand at all?
I did mention this earlier, about creatures without hands. Bantrids though actually do have "Near the apex of their torsos, bantrids have a pair of appendages that resemble large, flat hands with several thin fingers.".
I digress though, it is more appropriate to describe all creatures as having the ability to weild 2 hands worth of items unless otherwise stated, such as with Kasatha and other 4+ armed races. You need to have 1 hand worth of availability left to make an unarmed strike, unless you have Improved Unarmed Strike.
The biggest question with that description of it comes from the Trox, and I've been dreading bringing them up... Trox have Vestigial Arms, which can manipulate objects, but not make attacks. Unarmed strikes, regardless of Natural Weapons or not, do not specify being done with a hand-aproximate specifically, so if a Trox has a vestigial hand free, can they make an unarmed strike? Or do the rules count that hand as what you're making the strike with?
Either way, it's a balance rule moreso than a logic rule. The developers only wanted PCs to be able to weild/use 2 hands worth of equipment, and they consider an unarmed strike as a 1 handed action basic melee weapon.
EDIT: I had to look it up, yeah. Unarmed strike is listed as a 1 handed weapon on the tables. Starfinder considers them a 1 handed weapon regarless of your appendage, unless you have Improved Unarmed Strike.
Despite artwork, everything has hands or something close enough for state work unless specified otherwise.