The new Unarmed Fighting fighting style, introduced in Tasha’s, states that: “Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier on a hit. If you aren’t wielding any weapons or a shield when you make the attack roll, the d6 becomes a d8.”
What I want to know is: if you choose a race such as a Tabaxi or Leonin, which gives your character claws, and you gain this fighting style, do you get to roll a d6 + str (or d8 unarmed) when attacking using claws?
It's always been a little fuzzy to me whether multiple unarmed strike options present a menu of features to select from and mix n' match, or whether you're handed a list of alternatives. A monk would normally strike for bludgeoning damage that scales with Martial Arts... a Tabaxi has a d4 slashing that is strength based.... can you make Dex-based Slashing Monk Damage strikes or nah? I've never bothered splitting hairs, I just let any unarmed strike use any of the various unarmed strike enhancements a character has available, mixed and matched...
But be careful about Beast Barbarian Claws, they are not unarmed strikes, unlike the Lycan's claws, or any of the racial claws, bites, and horns. Nor are Monster Manual Claws attacks, they're just Natural Weapons, and Natural Weapons are not generally Unarmed Strikes, except for when they tell you they are.
Okay, a Tabaxi's claws call out that the d4 slashing claw strike is made instead of the bludgeoning damage of a typical unarmed strike, not necessarily in addition to it. The Unarmed Fighting Style calls out, specifically, that it does bludgeoning damage and has no special conditions that allow you to deal other damage types using the fighting style. I'd say that, RAW, the two don't combine...
That said... who cares? The functional difference between slashing and bludgeoning is pretty slight, and most DM's won't care if you choose to deal one over the other.
I think the order of operations is to first identify what unarmed strike modes you have, and then identify what unarmed strike modifiers you have, and whether those apply equally to all strike modes or just some of them. And looking through the various Unarmed Strike modifications... I kind of think that Unarmed Fighting style is the only one that is worded in a way that might lock the d6/d8 to its damage type (bludgeoning) and ability score (strength). But... its complicated enough wording that I think "just throw your unarmed strike modes and modifiers in a blender, and use the best combo you can pull out" is my preferred approach, rather than focusing on differences of wording from one sourcebook to another.
Unarmed Strike Modes:
All character have a 1+Str bludgeoning unarmed strike. Makeable with any part of your body.
Tabaxi also has a 1d4+Str slashing unarmed strike/natural weapon. Makeable only with your claws (hands) specifically (so, no doing 1d4 slashing if you're dual wielding or something, because need a hand free. Would need to fall back on default 1+Str bludgeoning)
Lizardman also has a 1d6+Str piercing unarmed strike/natural weapon. Makeable only with your bite (mouth) specifically. This bite can heal, but other general unarmed strikes don't get that ability, so no healing off of bludgeoning damage.
Minotaur also has a 1d6+Str piercing unarmed strike/natural weapon. Makeable only with your horns (head) specifically.
Aaarakocra also has a 1d4+Str slashing unarmed strike/natural weapon. Makeable only with your talons (feet) specifically.
Modifiers:
Tavern Brawler: "your unarmed strikes" (in general) "uses a d4." So you now can choose d4+Str bludgeoning (any body part), or something like d4+Str slashing (hands) as a Tabaxi that you could already do. And, don't need to stick with Strength if you have a different option somehow, to use this d4.
Unarmed Fighting Style: "your unarmed strikes" (in general) "can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + Strength modifier on a hit." The bludgeoning and the 1d6 and the Strength seem to be part and parcel here, I'm not sure if RAW you could keep the d6 but switch to Dex with a different option (see monk below), or do d6+str slashing with a claw... as written, it seems like bludgeon+str based would overwrite any other quality for that strike if you wanted to benefit from the d6???
Unarmed Fighting Style: "if you aren't wielding any weapons or a shield, the d6 becomes a d8." While empty hands is the upgrade qualifier, isn't to say that the attack is made with those empty hands, so feel free to continue to describe as a headbut, horn slam, bite, etc. But still think d8 is locked to bludgeoning and str, no matter what body part, see above.
Monk Martial Arts: "you can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes" (in general). So here's the issue... Unarmed Fighting style was explicit about Str, does this modify Unarmed Fighting Style, or just the base Unarmed Strike modes you have?
Monk Martial Arts: "you can roll a [scaling dX] in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike" (in general). But is the "normal damage" the base modes (1+Str bludgeoning, 1d4+Str slashing hands)? Or, whatever damage you would do without this feature (including modifiers from other features)? Kind of a distinction without a difference, unless you had a feature that also changed a damage type like "Fire Hands: Your unarmed strikes deal d4+Str fire damage instead of the normal 1+Str bludgeoning" that you were trying to merge with monk damage scaling. Can table this as a pointless question maybe, since no such feature exists... but "normal damage" is still a super problematic phrase for them to have used. :/
Blood Hunter Lycan: "You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes" (in general). "Your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 slashing damage." All your Unarmed Strikes, not just specifically claws like you're probably picturing.... but is that optional? It's not "can deal ... slashing", have you lost your ability to bludgeon?
Dragonborn do not, by default, have any special or unique form of attack (aside from their breath weapon), so it depends on your class and feat combinations to determine how you perform unarmed attacks.
However, Dragonborn do have access to the unique Dragon Hide feat, which, among other things, gives them retractable claws that can be used to attack, dealing 1d4+STR slashing damage.
Dragonborn do not, by default, have any special or unique form of attack (aside from their breath weapon), so it depends on your class and feat combinations to determine how you perform unarmed attacks.
However, Dragonborn do have access to the unique Dragon Hide feat, which, among other things, gives them retractable claws that can be used to attack, dealing 1d4+STR slashing damage.
thx maybe we can play together
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The new Unarmed Fighting fighting style, introduced in Tasha’s, states that: “Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier on a hit. If you aren’t wielding any weapons or a shield when you make the attack roll, the d6 becomes a d8.”
What I want to know is: if you choose a race such as a Tabaxi or Leonin, which gives your character claws, and you gain this fighting style, do you get to roll a d6 + str (or d8 unarmed) when attacking using claws?
If a feature allows you to use a natural weapon as an unarmed strike, it will say so. There are several that do.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
It's always been a little fuzzy to me whether multiple unarmed strike options present a menu of features to select from and mix n' match, or whether you're handed a list of alternatives. A monk would normally strike for bludgeoning damage that scales with Martial Arts... a Tabaxi has a d4 slashing that is strength based.... can you make Dex-based Slashing Monk Damage strikes or nah? I've never bothered splitting hairs, I just let any unarmed strike use any of the various unarmed strike enhancements a character has available, mixed and matched...
But be careful about Beast Barbarian Claws, they are not unarmed strikes, unlike the Lycan's claws, or any of the racial claws, bites, and horns. Nor are Monster Manual Claws attacks, they're just Natural Weapons, and Natural Weapons are not generally Unarmed Strikes, except for when they tell you they are.
dndbeyond.com forum tags
I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
Okay, a Tabaxi's claws call out that the d4 slashing claw strike is made instead of the bludgeoning damage of a typical unarmed strike, not necessarily in addition to it. The Unarmed Fighting Style calls out, specifically, that it does bludgeoning damage and has no special conditions that allow you to deal other damage types using the fighting style. I'd say that, RAW, the two don't combine...
That said... who cares? The functional difference between slashing and bludgeoning is pretty slight, and most DM's won't care if you choose to deal one over the other.
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It definitely doesn't break anything to change the damage type, so why not?
id like to try
I think the order of operations is to first identify what unarmed strike modes you have, and then identify what unarmed strike modifiers you have, and whether those apply equally to all strike modes or just some of them. And looking through the various Unarmed Strike modifications... I kind of think that Unarmed Fighting style is the only one that is worded in a way that might lock the d6/d8 to its damage type (bludgeoning) and ability score (strength). But... its complicated enough wording that I think "just throw your unarmed strike modes and modifiers in a blender, and use the best combo you can pull out" is my preferred approach, rather than focusing on differences of wording from one sourcebook to another.
Unarmed Strike Modes:
Modifiers:
dndbeyond.com forum tags
I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
im a dragonborn so what do i do?
Dragonborn have the following additional unarmed strike options:
So you can do all the stuff a normal human can do, plus that.
Dragonborn do not, by default, have any special or unique form of attack (aside from their breath weapon), so it depends on your class and feat combinations to determine how you perform unarmed attacks.
However, Dragonborn do have access to the unique Dragon Hide feat, which, among other things, gives them retractable claws that can be used to attack, dealing 1d4+STR slashing damage.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
thx maybe we can play together