@JeremyECrawford Then explain the following: Alter Form giving you natural weapons that alter unarmed strikes, and Aarakorcas.
— Foxy Boxes (@_FoxyBoxes_) July 22, 2016
@_FoxyBoxes_ Those are exceptional abilities that change the nature of a character's unarmed strikes.
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) July 22, 2016
@_FoxyBoxes_ Alter self turns your unarmed strike into a natural weapon. I'm not sure what you're objecting to.
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) July 22, 2016
@JeremyECrawford An Aarakocra NPC has talons that are natural weapons, an Aarakocra PC alters their unarmed strike. By this ruling a…
— Foxy Boxes (@_FoxyBoxes_) July 22, 2016
@JeremyECrawford Monk Aarakocra can use martials arts but a Monk/Druid somehow Wild Shaped as one couldn't.
— Foxy Boxes (@_FoxyBoxes_) July 22, 2016
@_FoxyBoxes_ You can make unarmed strikes in whatever form you're in.
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) July 22, 2016
@JeremyECrawford But an Aarakocra PC has 1d4 slashing unarmed strike and a NPC has a 1d4 slashing natural weapon. Clearly they're the same.
— Foxy Boxes (@_FoxyBoxes_) July 22, 2016
@_FoxyBoxes_ A DM is free to say the PC aarakocra's trait functions as a natural weapon, but that's not how the racial trait is written.
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) July 22, 2016
@JeremyECrawford But it is how the NPC race is written.
— Foxy Boxes (@_FoxyBoxes_) July 22, 2016
@_FoxyBoxes_ A monster stat block has no rules relevance to how a race is played. But again, a DM is free to make connections between them.
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) July 22, 2016
@JeremyECrawford So are you claiming that NPC & PC aarakocras are different races?
— Foxy Boxes (@_FoxyBoxes_) July 22, 2016
@_FoxyBoxes_ The aarakocra's trait is a different matter. It causes your unarmed strike to deal 1d4 damage, instead of 1.
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) July 22, 2016
So a martial artist has fists. Fists are natural weapons. And they will not work with two weapon fight style where you can use your free action to strike with the second huh? So if you want to be a brawler as a fighter and fighters get unarmed combat as a fighting style still, will you still have to use a dagger jankily to get a second strike until level 4/5?