I had an idea for a Tabaxi warlock and was wondering if the 5e rules let Tabaxi use their claws for Pact of Blade or Hexblade. I know the rules as written state that the pact weapon can't be a two-hander (maybe versitile too) BUT I also know the rules as written are kinda weird with natural weapons. Take to some of the people I play with and they seem to agree it would work, just wondering if theres an official ruling.
The rules do not allow this, no, because Tabaxi claws are not weapons. They're not even the vaguely defined "natural weapons". The Tabaxi species feature "Cat's Claws" changes how much damage (and what type) your unarmed strikes do, but they're still explicitly unarmed strikes. Both versions of Pact of the Blade, as well as the Hexblade's Hex Warrior feature, only work with actual weapons.
That said, if you wanted to house-rule something like this, it seems to me like it's probably fine. If Tabaxi claws were a weapon, they wouldn't be a particularly good one — there are much better choices on the actual weapon list even if you're limited to only Simple Weapons — so I don't think you'd be breaking anything. Talk to your DM about it.
In "Humblewood Tales" there is a warlock patron called "The Predator," a subclass that lets the warlock turn into a beast form that sprouts sharp teeth and claws that they can use as natural weapons for unarmed strikes, and the warlock gets proficiency with said natural weapons and gets to use their Charisma modifier for the attack and damage rolls.
There's also an Eldritch Invocation for warlocks in that book that lets any warlock with the Pact of the Blade do almost the same thing, sprouting beast claws that can be used for unarmed strikes and letting the warlock use their Charisma modifier rather than Strength for the attack and damage rolls, with the claws acting as pact weapons and as light weapons for the purposes of two-weapon fighting. You might look into those for inspiration as they sound like what you're going for.
I had an idea for a Tabaxi warlock and was wondering if the 5e rules let Tabaxi use their claws for Pact of Blade or Hexblade. I know the rules as written state that the pact weapon can't be a two-hander (maybe versitile too) BUT I also know the rules as written are kinda weird with natural weapons. Take to some of the people I play with and they seem to agree it would work, just wondering if theres an official ruling.
The rules do not allow this, no, because Tabaxi claws are not weapons. They're not even the vaguely defined "natural weapons". The Tabaxi species feature "Cat's Claws" changes how much damage (and what type) your unarmed strikes do, but they're still explicitly unarmed strikes. Both versions of Pact of the Blade, as well as the Hexblade's Hex Warrior feature, only work with actual weapons.
That said, if you wanted to house-rule something like this, it seems to me like it's probably fine. If Tabaxi claws were a weapon, they wouldn't be a particularly good one — there are much better choices on the actual weapon list even if you're limited to only Simple Weapons — so I don't think you'd be breaking anything. Talk to your DM about it.
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In "Humblewood Tales" there is a warlock patron called "The Predator," a subclass that lets the warlock turn into a beast form that sprouts sharp teeth and claws that they can use as natural weapons for unarmed strikes, and the warlock gets proficiency with said natural weapons and gets to use their Charisma modifier for the attack and damage rolls.
There's also an Eldritch Invocation for warlocks in that book that lets any warlock with the Pact of the Blade do almost the same thing, sprouting beast claws that can be used for unarmed strikes and letting the warlock use their Charisma modifier rather than Strength for the attack and damage rolls, with the claws acting as pact weapons and as light weapons for the purposes of two-weapon fighting. You might look into those for inspiration as they sound like what you're going for.
That sounds perfect thank you!