Natural Weapons

Natural Weapons

AX.C.08.01.02

Biological offensive capability present at all times. Natural Weapons function as melee weapons requiring no equipment.

Damage format: Natural Weapons add bonus dice to the attack pool (Attribute + Strike + Natural Weapon bonus). They do not replace the attack pool; they enhance it. A character with Claws using Body 3D + Strike 2D + Claws 1D rolls a 6D attack pool.

Unarmed vs Natural Weapons: A character without a Natural Weapon perk makes unarmed attacks using only their Attribute + Strike pool with no bonus. Natural Weapons represent a genuine biological advantage over unarmed fighting.

Claws

Effect: Add +1D to melee attack pools. Claws deal Slashing damage. The character is never considered unarmed.

Activation: Passive, always available as a melee attack option.

Scope: Touch (melee).

Genre Note: Predator lineages, retractable blade implant, hardened exoskeletal striking surface, mono-filament finger extensions.

Bite

Effect: Add +1D to melee attack pools when the target is Grappled (Restrained condition) or within Close range and the attacker has not moved this Turn. Deals Piercing damage. Cannot be used simultaneously with other Natural Weapon attacks.

Activation: Passive, available when grapple or proximity condition is met.

Scope: Touch (melee).

Genre Note: Reptilian lineages, shark-hybrid, reinforced jaw implant, crushing mandibles.

Horns / Tusks

Effect: Add +2D to melee attack pools on a charge attack, a move of at least Near range followed immediately by a melee strike in the same Turn. Outside of a charge, Horns/Tusks add only +1D. Deals Bludgeoning or Piercing damage (choose at lineage creation).

Activation: Passive, always available. Charge bonus requires movement condition.

Scope: Touch (melee).

Genre Note: Bovine or cervid lineages, rhinoceros-hybrid, ram-plating implant, hydraulic impact strut.

Tail Strike

Effect: Add +1D to melee attack pools against targets within Close range behind the character (180° arc behind facing). The character does not need to turn to face a target to make this attack; it may be used as a Reaction against a creature that has moved into the character's rear arc. Deals Bludgeoning damage.

Activation: Passive as a standard attack. Reaction use: once per Turn without costing the character's Reaction slot (the tail acts semi-autonomously).

Scope: Close range, rear arc.

Genre Note: Lizardfolk, draconic lineages, scorpion-hybrid, hydraulic tail strut implant.

Venomous Bite / Sting

Effect: On a successful melee attack (Touch), the target must make a Body Save vs Threshold 3. On failure, the target suffers a Moderate Body Condition (−2D to Body-based rolls) for the scene. On success, no Condition is applied. The attack itself deals no separate damage, the venom is the primary effect. The venom can be delivered alongside another Natural Weapon attack in the same Turn (one delivery per Turn maximum).

Activation: Free Action to deliver venom on a successful hit, must be declared before the attack roll. Scope: Touch (melee).

Recovery: Once per Short Rest, the character can deliver venom once between rests before the gland requires time to replenish.

Genre Note: Serpentine lineages, arachnid-hybrid, venomous amphibians, subdermal toxin injector implant, nanite delivery sting.

The Condition type and Save Threshold may be adjusted by the Genre Catalog to reflect different venom profiles (paralytic, hallucinogenic, necrotic).

Razor Spines

Effect: Any creature that successfully grapples this character (applies the Restrained condition via physical contact) immediately takes 2 Health damage from the spines, no attack roll required. Additionally, on any Turn the character is Grappled, the grappling creature takes 1 Health damage at the start of the character's Turn. The character may not use Razor Spines as an active attack, they are purely reactive.

Activation: Automatic, triggers on grapple initiation and at Turn start while grappled.

Scope: Touch (reaction only).

Genre Note: Porcupine-hybrid, urchin lineages, spine-based predator deterrent, mono-filament surface implant, shock-discharge exoskeleton.