Working on a Barbarian Druid Circle of the Moon. I notice that most animal stat charts list their bite, claw, etc attacks as melee weapon attacks. Does this mean they can be used with the Barbarians Reckless Attack, which specifically says melee weapon attack?
Additionally, Is it possible to cast barkskin and then Rage and wild shape to a Brown Bear? I see references online to people doing this, however Rage says you cant concentrate on spells while raging? What am I missing?
What does “melee weapon attack” mean: a melee attack with a weapon or an attack with a melee weapon?
It means a melee attack with a weapon. Similarly, “ranged weapon attack” means a ranged attack with a weapon. Some attacks count as a melee or ranged weapon attack even if a weapon isn’t involved, as specified in the text of those attacks. For example, an unarmed strike counts as a melee weapon attack, even though the attacker’s body isn’t considered a weapon.
Here’s a bit of wording minutia: we would write “melee-weapon attack” (with a hyphen) if we meant an attack with a melee weapon.
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So yes, they'll all count as "weapon" attacks even though the weapon is their body or biological in nature.
Yes, you can use Reckless Attacks when attacking with a beast's natural weapons, so long as they are strength based. Similarly, a Path of the Berserker Barbarian would be able to use their bonus action attack from Frenzy to attack with a beast's natural weapons.
With regards to Barkskin you are correct, Rage prevents you from maintaining concentration. Since Barkskin is a concentration spell, it ends the moment you activate Rage.
Yes, you can use Reckless Attacks when attacking with a beast's natural weapons, so long as they are strength based. Similarly, a Path of the Berserker Barbarian would be able to use their bonus action attack from Frenzy to attack with a beast's natural weapons.
And the trouble on this is that we have guidelines on how to build monsters, but we don't really know how any of the printed monsters are put together. You can usually make some educated guesses, but there are Wild Shape options like ice spider that seem to use dex for attacks, and some like the giant eagle where from the stat block alone you can't tell.
Somewhere - possibly Tasha's - I'm quite certain I've seen a rule strongly implying that all monsters have finesse on their natural weapons, like Monks do on their unarmed strikes. That only matters for legalizing things like Sneak Attack, though - melee weapon attacks always use Strength unless a rule explicitly states otherwise.
Yes, you can use Reckless Attacks when attacking with a beast's natural weapons, so long as they are strength based. Similarly, a Path of the Berserker Barbarian would be able to use their bonus action attack from Frenzy to attack with a beast's natural weapons.
And the trouble on this is that we have guidelines on how to build monsters, but we don't really know how any of the printed monsters are put together. You can usually make some educated guesses, but there are Wild Shape options like ice spider that seem to use dex for attacks, and some like the giant eagle where from the stat block alone you can't tell.
This is indeed a problem and one there isn't a solution for other than ask your DM if the stat line of a given beast doesn't match up with the usual calculation methods. While the numbers in a monster's stat block usually line up with how a player's stats are generated, this is not always the case. My favorite example of monster stats not following the normal calculations is the coven variants of hags like the Green Hag (Coven Variant). It has the spellcasting trait and is explicitly described as being based on Int, however it's spell attack modifier is +5 when it has a +1 Int modifier and a +3 proficiency bonus.
I don't know how often this comes up with a Beast's natural weapons to hit bonuses but I do know that both the Constrictor Snake and Giant Constrictor Snake have DC's to escape their grapple that are higher than you would expect from normal calculations.
As a DM if I had a player that wanted to use Reckless Attacks as an Ice Spider I would allow it so long as the player uses the spiders strength and proficiency bonus to calculate to hit and damage. I would handle it this way because strength is the default way to calculate to hit and damage for melee weapon attacks and as far as I am aware any feature that modifies this still allows the option to use Strength. But this is just how I would rule and it requires a degree of trust with your players to help identify this situation when it comes up.
Somewhere - possibly Tasha's - I'm quite certain I've seen a rule strongly implying that all monsters have finesse on their natural weapons, like Monks do on their unarmed strikes. That only matters for legalizing things like Sneak Attack, though - melee weapon attacks always use Strength unless a rule explicitly states otherwise.
I don't think that's quite true. You're probably thinking about this portion of the Sidekicks rules:
Ability Score Increases
Whenever the sidekick gains the Ability Score Improvement feature, adjust anything in its stat block that relies on an ability modifier that you increase. For example, if the sidekick has an attack that uses its Strength modifier, increase the attack’s modifiers to hit and damage if the Strength modifier increases.
If it’s unclear whether a melee attack in the stat block uses Strength or Dexterity, the attack can use either.
If that's what you're thinking, then I don't think it necessarily means they all have Finesse as a general rule, just that if it's not clear from the numbers which one it is, the DM can just decide to use one or the other.
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Canto alla vita alla sua bellezza ad ogni sua ferita ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
Somewhere - possibly Tasha's - I'm quite certain I've seen a rule strongly implying that all monsters have finesse on their natural weapons, like Monks do on their unarmed strikes. That only matters for legalizing things like Sneak Attack, though - melee weapon attacks always use Strength unless a rule explicitly states otherwise.
I don't think that's quite true. You're probably thinking about this portion of the Sidekicks rules:
Ability Score Increases
Whenever the sidekick gains the Ability Score Improvement feature, adjust anything in its stat block that relies on an ability modifier that you increase. For example, if the sidekick has an attack that uses its Strength modifier, increase the attack’s modifiers to hit and damage if the Strength modifier increases.
If it’s unclear whether a melee attack in the stat block uses Strength or Dexterity, the attack can use either.
If that's what you're thinking, then I don't think it necessarily means they all have Finesse as a general rule, just that if it's not clear from the numbers which one it is, the DM can just decide to use one or the other.
That was likely it. But like I said, that doesn't matter here, because all melee weapon attacks use Strength unless a rule says otherwise, which is what matters for Barbarian powers.
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Working on a Barbarian Druid Circle of the Moon. I notice that most animal stat charts list their bite, claw, etc attacks as melee weapon attacks. Does this mean they can be used with the Barbarians Reckless Attack, which specifically says melee weapon attack?
Additionally, Is it possible to cast barkskin and then Rage and wild shape to a Brown Bear? I see references online to people doing this, however Rage says you cant concentrate on spells while raging? What am I missing?
Yeah, Barkskin requires concentration so it's incompatible with Rage.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/sac/sage-advice-compendium#SA130
What does “melee weapon attack” mean: a melee attack with a weapon or an attack with a melee weapon?
It means a melee attack with a weapon. Similarly, “ranged weapon attack” means a ranged attack with a weapon. Some attacks count as a melee or ranged weapon attack even if a weapon isn’t involved, as specified in the text of those attacks. For example, an unarmed strike counts as a melee weapon attack, even though the attacker’s body isn’t considered a weapon.
Here’s a bit of wording minutia: we would write “melee-weapon attack” (with a hyphen) if we meant an attack with a melee weapon.
************
So yes, they'll all count as "weapon" attacks even though the weapon is their body or biological in nature.
Yes, you can use Reckless Attacks when attacking with a beast's natural weapons, so long as they are strength based. Similarly, a Path of the Berserker Barbarian would be able to use their bonus action attack from Frenzy to attack with a beast's natural weapons.
With regards to Barkskin you are correct, Rage prevents you from maintaining concentration. Since Barkskin is a concentration spell, it ends the moment you activate Rage.
And the trouble on this is that we have guidelines on how to build monsters, but we don't really know how any of the printed monsters are put together. You can usually make some educated guesses, but there are Wild Shape options like ice spider that seem to use dex for attacks, and some like the giant eagle where from the stat block alone you can't tell.
Somewhere - possibly Tasha's - I'm quite certain I've seen a rule strongly implying that all monsters have finesse on their natural weapons, like Monks do on their unarmed strikes. That only matters for legalizing things like Sneak Attack, though - melee weapon attacks always use Strength unless a rule explicitly states otherwise.
That might be true, but I still think in the current rule set you shouldn’t use the as written attack of the ice spider with reckless attack.
This is indeed a problem and one there isn't a solution for other than ask your DM if the stat line of a given beast doesn't match up with the usual calculation methods. While the numbers in a monster's stat block usually line up with how a player's stats are generated, this is not always the case. My favorite example of monster stats not following the normal calculations is the coven variants of hags like the Green Hag (Coven Variant). It has the spellcasting trait and is explicitly described as being based on Int, however it's spell attack modifier is +5 when it has a +1 Int modifier and a +3 proficiency bonus.
I don't know how often this comes up with a Beast's natural weapons to hit bonuses but I do know that both the Constrictor Snake and Giant Constrictor Snake have DC's to escape their grapple that are higher than you would expect from normal calculations.
As a DM if I had a player that wanted to use Reckless Attacks as an Ice Spider I would allow it so long as the player uses the spiders strength and proficiency bonus to calculate to hit and damage. I would handle it this way because strength is the default way to calculate to hit and damage for melee weapon attacks and as far as I am aware any feature that modifies this still allows the option to use Strength. But this is just how I would rule and it requires a degree of trust with your players to help identify this situation when it comes up.
I don't think that's quite true. You're probably thinking about this portion of the Sidekicks rules:
If that's what you're thinking, then I don't think it necessarily means they all have Finesse as a general rule, just that if it's not clear from the numbers which one it is, the DM can just decide to use one or the other.
Canto alla vita
alla sua bellezza
ad ogni sua ferita
ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty
To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me
The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
That was likely it. But like I said, that doesn't matter here, because all melee weapon attacks use Strength unless a rule says otherwise, which is what matters for Barbarian powers.