@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