Full attack combining melee and ranged natural attacks?

[Sandal Fury]

Would it be legal for a creature (specifically in this case a Pakalchi sahkil) to combine its melee and ranged natural attacks?

For instance, 2 claws, 4 vines, 5-foot step back, 4 thorns. Can she do that, or is there an obscure rule somewhere that she has to decide to use only melee or ranged at the beginning of her full attack?

*EDIT* scrap that, scroll a little further down:

"A pakalchi can fling a volley of poisonous thorns as a standard action (make an attack roll for each thorn). This attack has a range of 100 feet with no range increment."

Standard action, not part of a full attack.

[Claxon]

If a creature has valid ranged options they could be used in conjunction with melee weapons during a full attack. Nothing prevents it.

For example, if you had a javelin and longsword you could as your first attack throw your javelin, draw your longsword using quickdraw and finish making the rest of your attacks with your longsword.

Generally your problem is available hands to wield both melee and ranged weapons at the same time or being able to draw them.

In the case of this monster though, as you note, the ranged attack is its own standard action.

[gnoams]

Yeah, hence the wording. It's the same with other monsters, like "a manticore can loose a volley of four spikes as a standard action."

[ErichAD]

There is one ranged natural attack that I can think of that works within the natural attack routine rules. That would be the venomous spray feat's granted "secondary ranged natural attack".

Maybe there's others, but I can't think of any.

[Quixote]

A simple example would be someone wielding thrown weapons like daggers or axes. If you commit to a full attack and drop the opponent you are threatening with additional attacks remaining, please feel free to huck a couple tomahawk at someone 20ft away.

[vhok]

Sniper Cactus
This single-stalked cactus sports dozens of long, thin needles. Capable of crawling on three stalklike roots, the sniper cactus can fire its thorns with deadly accuracy.
Starting Statistics: Size Small; Speed 20 ft.; AC +2 natural armor; Attack gore (1d4) or thorn* (ranged attack, 60-foot range, 1d8 piercing damage); Ability Scores Str 10, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 1, Wis 13, Cha 6; Special Qualities low-light vision; CMD +2 vs. trip.

4th-Level Advancement: Size Medium; AC +2 natural armor; Attack gore (1d6) or 2 thorns* (ranged attack, 60-foot range, 2d6 piercing damage); Ability Scores Dex +2, Con +2
* This attack gains no bonus from this creature's Strength score on damage rolls.

[JiaYou]

Since it says "or" the implication would be that they are not combinable.

[vhok]

Primal Transformation (Su): At first level, a primal companion hunter can awaken a primal creature from within his animal companion as a swift action. The animal companion gains a pool of 2 evolution points (Advanced Player’s Guide 60) that can be used to temporarily give the companion evolutions as if it were an eidolon. A primal companion hunter uses her hunter level to determine her effective summoner level for the purpose of qualifying for evolutions and determining their effects. At 8th level, the number of evolution points in her pool increases to 4, and at 15th level, it increases to 6.

feat
Evolved Companion
Benefit: Select a 1-point evolution other than pounce or reach from those available to a summoner’s eidolon. Your animal companion gains this evolution. The animal companion must conform to any limitations of the evolution. For instance, only an animal companion of an appropriate size and base form can have the mount evolution.

lots of ways to give your companion more attacks, so even if the gore and thorn can't be used at the same time which is odd and the first time i have ever seen it, then you can use these other ways to get claws or bite etc and use them with thorn

[Meirril]

vhok wrote:

lots of ways to give your companion more attacks, so even if the gore and thorn can't be used at the same time which is odd and the first time i have ever seen it, then you can use these other ways to get claws or bite etc and use them with thorn

Gore is listed among Natural Attacks. Thorn isn't. If Thorn was a natural attack, it should be just listed as a second attack. The way it is formatted, you can't do both. Following the Universal Monster Rules... that implies that Thorn is not a natural attack but an EX or SU ability that requires an (standard) attack action. This would of been cleared up if the creature was stated out as a monster, but unfortunately the only entry for it is as a plant companion.

[AwesomenessDog]

As Meirril said, it is also it's own attack action that gives 4 ranged attacks, therefore it doesn't get the option to make these 4 attacks unless it spends that specific action.

[Derklord]

Basically, there is no such thing as ranged natural attacks. The thorns in question are a special ability following special rules, they don't count as a natural weapon for most rules. Thus, the rule that says you can use all your natural attacks as part of the same full attack doesn't apply.

And just in case because it ways erroneously said twice already, the standard action to shoot the thorns is not the attack action. Something like Vital Strike wouldn't work with it.