To clarify point 3, natural weapons are not weapons, but attacks made with natural weapons ARE weapon attacks. The same thing is true of unarmed strikes.
The distinction between a weapon attack and an attack made with a weapon is demonstrated in the Sharpshooter feat, though I can’t think of a similar example for melee (Divine Smite maybe? I’ve never played a paladin).
Everything I am going to say has been said already but:
No
No*
Yes**
No***
*In general, natural weapons, like those of monsters are not unarmed strikes. There are some "natural weapon" traits for characters that specifically augment unarmed strikes, these are still unarmed strikes.
**Natural weapons and unarmed strikes are "weapon attacks" but they are not "weapons." It is a whole deal with WotC's confusing rules language
***They are not monk weapons per se, but the only monk feature I've found that doesn't benefit unarmed strikes as well as monk weapons is level 17 kensei's unerring strike.
so to summarize: an circle diagram would just kinda be three circles next to each other with occasional overlap.
also where exactly can i find the exact rules on all of this?
With these tricky questions with confusing rules language, it is as much about what the rules don't say as it is what they do. The rules mean what they say and no more.
Weapon attacks are never expressly defined (either because they are not important or because someone is bad at writing rules. You know where my vote is). They are mentioned here and their meaning can be derived:
so natural weapons have no rules defined to them by default, and so can be assigned as weapon attacks or unarmed strikes or both as nessesary by the specific feature
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i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
so natural weapons have no rules defined to them by default, and so can be assigned as weapon attacks or unarmed strikes or both as nessesary by the specific feature
No, they're always weapon attacks (unarmed strikes are also always weapon attacks) and never weapons (unarmed strikes are also never weapons). Whether or not something is a weapon attack and whether or not something is a weapon are two different questions.
Universal caveat to the above is that always and never don't hold for any features that specifically say something else, like a hypothetical feature that says "these natural weapons count as weapons." Most (all?) PC race natural weapons have a line that say the natural weapons count as unarmed strikes, for example.
so natural weapons have no rules defined to them by default, and so can be assigned as weapon attacks or unarmed strikes or both as necessary by the specific feature
Not always "No," but usually No. They are weapon attacks, but are only weapons if they are a weapon. The weapon list doesn't necessarily contain all weapons that exist, the DM can decide "a morning star is a weapon even though it is not on the list," for example.
Natural weapons are only unarmed strikes if they are specifically called as such. Unarmed strikes do have a specific definition and set damage.
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as to avoid confusion in the future, can somebody make an circle diagram that can quickly answer any of the following questions?:
are unarmed strikes natural weapons?
are natural weapons unarmed strikes?
are natural weapons weapon attacks?
are unarmed strikes considered monk weapons?
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
To clarify point 3, natural weapons are not weapons, but attacks made with natural weapons ARE weapon attacks. The same thing is true of unarmed strikes.
The distinction between a weapon attack and an attack made with a weapon is demonstrated in the Sharpshooter feat, though I can’t think of a similar example for melee (Divine Smite maybe? I’ve never played a paladin).
Everything I am going to say has been said already but:
*In general, natural weapons, like those of monsters are not unarmed strikes. There are some "natural weapon" traits for characters that specifically augment unarmed strikes, these are still unarmed strikes.
**Natural weapons and unarmed strikes are "weapon attacks" but they are not "weapons." It is a whole deal with WotC's confusing rules language
***They are not monk weapons per se, but the only monk feature I've found that doesn't benefit unarmed strikes as well as monk weapons is level 17 kensei's unerring strike.
so to summarize: an circle diagram would just kinda be three circles next to each other with occasional overlap.
also where exactly can i find the exact rules on all of this?
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
With these tricky questions with confusing rules language, it is as much about what the rules don't say as it is what they do. The rules mean what they say and no more.
Here are the rules for what is a weapon:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb/equipment#Weapons
Weapon attacks are never expressly defined (either because they are not important or because someone is bad at writing rules. You know where my vote is). They are mentioned here and their meaning can be derived:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb/combat#MakinganAttack
Unarmed strikes are defined in here:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb/combat#MeleeAttacks
When a natural weapon is a weapon attack is specified in all monster stat blocks.
so natural weapons have no rules defined to them by default, and so can be assigned as weapon attacks or unarmed strikes or both as nessesary by the specific feature
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
No, they're always weapon attacks (unarmed strikes are also always weapon attacks) and never weapons (unarmed strikes are also never weapons). Whether or not something is a weapon attack and whether or not something is a weapon are two different questions.
Universal caveat to the above is that always and never don't hold for any features that specifically say something else, like a hypothetical feature that says "these natural weapons count as weapons." Most (all?) PC race natural weapons have a line that say the natural weapons count as unarmed strikes, for example.
Not always "No," but usually No. They are weapon attacks, but are only weapons if they are a weapon. The weapon list doesn't necessarily contain all weapons that exist, the DM can decide "a morning star is a weapon even though it is not on the list," for example.
Natural weapons are only unarmed strikes if they are specifically called as such. Unarmed strikes do have a specific definition and set damage.