Iron Nails

These special gauntlets are fitted with sharp iron nails, giving the wearer a claw attack.

Ultimate Equipment Guide II

Author Greg Lynch, J. C. Alvarez
Publisher Mongoose Publishing
Publish date 2005

Unarmed Attacks (Simple)
Weapon	Cost	Damage (S)	Damage (M)	Critical	Range Increment	Weight	Type	Special
Iron Nails	25 gp	1d4	1d6	18-20/x2	/-	1 lb	Slashing or Piercing	/ –

They look like black leather gloves, except that each finger ends in a one-inch long, slightly curved steel blade. Noticing the blades on these gloves requires a successful Spot check (DC 15 while the gloves are worn; DC 10 if they are found separately).

Iron nails originated as a variation on the equipment of certain assassins and spies, which used fake steel claws to Climb walls and make treacherous attacks. By taking out Climbing usefulness and focusing on stealth and deceit, modern weaponsmith’s achieved this design, allowing the wearer to appear unarmed by hiding his claws. The resulting blades are weaker yet much more vicious, as they are built only for combat.

Iron nails are specially designed for attacks striking the opponent’s weak spots, such as eye gouging or throat-slitting. This, combined with the increased control given by the weapon’s direct link to the wearer’s fingers, gives iron nails an increased critical threat range. Iron nails may be used to automatically damage an opponent during a grapple, instead of the normal unarmed damage.

A character fighting with iron nails (and no other weapon) counts as being unarmed in all respects; attacks made with iron nails are considered unarmed attacks, though the character benefits from the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, if he has it, when wielding them. Iron nails allow the character to wield other weapons without penalty, though he cannot make an iron nail attack with the same hand he is wielding a weapon with. A character with iron nails in one hand and another weapon in the other may fight as if wielding two weapons. In this case, iron nails count as light weapons. A character wielding iron nails as weapons gains a +4 circumstance bonus on all checks to avoid being disarmed.