It’s clear natural weapons of monsters qualify for smite, but player race natural weapons specify they are used to make unarmed strikes, which might be different. your claws are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes.
Does improved divine smite work on thrown weapons?
Improved Divine Smite works with any melee weapon, whether you strike with it in melee or throw it. #DnD. Interesting element of 5e is that a thrown weapon isn’t a “ranged weapon”, it’s a melee weapon you happen to be throwing.
Are natural weapons melee weapon attacks?
It counts as a simple melee weapon for you, and you add your Strength modifier to the attack and damage rolls when you attack with it, as normal. This completely excludes it from working with any feature that requires an unarmed attack.
When do natural melee weapons trigger improved divine Smite?
Improved Divine Smite. By 11th level, whenever you hit a creature with a melee weapon, the creature takes an extra 1d8 radiant damage. Do natural melee weapons from racial traits trigger Improved Divine Smite?
Can you use divine smite with a javelin?
Improved Divine Smite works on attacks with melee weapons (sometimes called “melee-weapon attacks”), so it works when you throw your javelin. However, Divine Smite itself specifies a melee weapon attack, which means “not a spell attack and not a ranged attack”, so it doesn’t work with thrown javelins.
Can a divine Smite work with an unarmed strike?
So, while general rule that unarmed strikes can’t work with Improved Divine Smite because unarmed strikes aren’t weapons, the rule for races like the Aarakocra, specifically says that the relevant anatomy is a natural weapon. This would allow it to work with abilities that require a weapon despite the fact that an unarmed strike is being made.
What’s the difference between improved Smite and regular Smite?
It’s a melee attack that is made with an unarmed strike, melee weapon, improvised weapon, etc. And of course any game feature that uses the term to describe a melee weapon attack, like a dragon’s claws. Improved smite calls out to hit with a weapon, as do most of the smite spells.
