It would be interesting to add in some extra obligation if a player chooses to use his claws, something the PC the has to try to live with.

That would make sense.

Based upon the illustrations and pictures I have seen, I don't really think that the claws of a Wookiee are anywhere as large and pronounced as those of a Trandoshan. I don't think they should give a full bonus, perhaps just a single bonus die on a brawl roll.

At the Star Wars: Identities exhibit yesterday I was able to get a photo of Chewbacca's hand from the original costume. He has nails, but not claws. If there is a way to post photos on the forum I will gladly share.

I seem to recall somewhere that the wookiees use their claws (hands and feet) to climb around the giant trees on their homeworld. I think they deserve some claws. I'm okay with houseruling the Trando-claws to wooks with the social restrictions of not allowed in combat, and the bonus going to climbing, and combat if they decide to risk the "madclaw" stigma.

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you can post photos, when you click reply look under the yellow smiley and youll see a little image of a photograph just click that and add the url where the pic is located

So what we're seeing in this picture is that if you roll a Despair, you get groped by Chewbecca, which I think illuminates everything.

So what we're seeing in this picture is that if you roll a Despair, you get groped by Chewbecca, which I think illuminates everything.

Depends... might have been a Triumph.

Rage covers the claws pretty well. They get hurt, out come the claws. I'm glad they didn't micro rule every little thing about the races. They're furry, no bonus to resist cold? They're tall, no bonus to reach? I'm glad it's not like a DnD elf with a neverending "oh yeah and they got this too" list, while species with less screentime (or tolkien-time for DnD) get "here's your +2...now go get your shinebox."

Rage covers the claws pretty well. They get hurt, out come the claws.

No, it doesn't cover it well at all considering the that most Wookiees don't use their claws even when in a rage.

In the Novelisation of "Return of the Jedi" Chewbacca is described as poking at the meat with his claws left by the ewoks which eventually lead to them to being trapped. Thus "Claws" are canon. But what they are, can be up to interpitation.

We do know that it many EU sources wookies are aboreal and can climb tree's with ease. The claws are not "wolverine" type claws, and we do not know how effective they are in combat since there is not a single source in Star Wars where they were used in combat. Thus describing the strict honor code wookies follow. (In WEG if a wookiee broke this code, he would be forever haunted by his ancestors)

I have often thought of them as versions of Koala Claws. Good for climbing, not much good for anyhting else.

In my games I give the wookiee 2 boost dice when climbing "tree's" or other surface that would allow the claws to be used. Basically this is offset by thier lack of ability to speak basic, and rage.

and a way off topic comment (my 0.02 credits) I really dislike a person who is told a soft rule. like the wookiee claws not being used in combat, and then disrgarding that rule so they can do whatever they want

Best idea I've seen yet? Have them buy a "combat knife." Make it cost like, 10 extra credits and make it immune to disarm and sundering. Bam. +1 damage and a better crit ratio. Or, design a similar weapon idea that gives them the same weapon template as trandoshan claws or whatnot.

Also, wookies can totally wear armor or clothing, even if it isn't common for them on Kashyyk. It usually isn't as comprehensive as on normal people, but it still counts. Look at Snoova or Bowdaar.

I really like Donovan's idea that when a player's Wookiee scores a nasty critical hit, the player has the option of describing it as a claw attack, well aware of the social consequences. It's simple and logical.

Yes, but in my opinion, a tried-and-true Madclaw is going to be using their claws more than for just critical injuries.

I think many of these options are workable dependin on what your group likes.

I would only remind everyone that when tinkering with a races abilities, remember balance issues. Not that anything here is to imbalancing, just a note of caution.

As far as claws go, given the graphic representation, I wouldn't be comfortable giving a wookie a trandoshans claw abilities. If it was a part of a character concept, i would advise a player to roll it into his Obligation/Motivation and focus on brawling. not every aspect of a character neeeds mechanical backing.

I think that, if you are going to give a Wookiee stronger stats for claw attacks, it shouldn't involve the Obligation mechanic, but rather the Destiny mechanic.

A Wookiee who uses his claws (however that works) should have to flip over a Light Side Destiny token, representing the fact that he or she is giving into primal, dangerous wrath.

In the Novelisation of "Return of the Jedi" Chewbacca is described as poking at the meat with his claws left by the ewoks which eventually lead to them to being trapped. Thus "Claws" are canon. But what they are, can be up to interpitation.

Yes, but the novelization is based on what you can see from the movies which is nail like claws on the fingers and unless described as the retractable claws like in WEG and later EU material, then they aren't really canon as something that can even be used as a weapon. Heck, most birds have claws, but they aren't effective weapons. Just a good way to get a grip on something like tree bark.

Of course there is also the question of "what is canon?" Is it the films, if so which release/edition? Does it include the screenplays, novelizations, art books, etc? What about toys? Which EU and other "stuff"? What about information gleaned from observation of actual props and costumes?

In my Star Wars Valance the Hunter from Marvel Comics is canon, Han shot first, Wookies have thick nail but not "claws" per se, and Splinter of the Mind's Eye is canonical. As far as Splinter goes I include it because it is a great story and nothing in it conflicts with later Star Wars, including Luke's thoughts about Leia, he had those in both New Hop and Empire, and yes, Jedi did make that kind of icky.

Necro time folks.

After looking at the Kadas'sa'Niktos in Lords of Nal Hutta , we have another species with Claws that work out to be the same in combat as those of the Trandoshans. However, the Kadas'sa'Niktos "also gain a (Boost die) to Athletics checks made to climb trees and other surfaces their claws can pierce" (p. 97).

While the arguments against granting "combat Claws" to Wookiees is compelling (to me, at least), I think it would be very reasonable to give this (admittedly situational and rather limited) climbing bonus to Wookiees without any worry of upsetting game balance. I plan to do this along with my longstanding replacement of Wookiee Rage with a free rank of Feral Strength. Somehow, I still don't think many of my players will find Wookiees appealing to play even with this minor tweak.

I never thought much about the idea of wookies having claws. None of the costumes show claws. They seem to have fingernails. They seem to be a type of primate.

Where were the claws first mentioned? Heir to the Empire wasn't it? Was it just Zahn introducing some random fact? Perhaps that fact has been thrown out, and the idea of an mad claw has been expunged.

Where were the claws first mentioned? Heir to the Empire wasn't it? Was it just Zahn introducing some random fact? Perhaps that fact has been thrown out, and the idea of an mad claw has been expunged.

I think it was in Heir to the Empire (now Legends) that the notion of Wookiees having claws was introduced.

Now that I think about it, it could be the reason that FFG didn't provide Wookiees with any sort of claws or climbing bonus was that the Lucasfilm archives said something to the tune of "nope, Wookiees don't have claws" and required FFG to go along with that, not unlike the whole bruhaha over the size of the HWK-290 for the X-Wing minis game; with WotC putting it on par with the YT-1300 in terms of size while the Lucasfilm archives said it was closer to the Y-Wing in that regards, and FFG (likely per their contract) going with what the archives dictated.

While you wouldn't see a Wookiee in heavy clothes, a player should still be able to purchase that item for their character and wear it.

Absolutely they should. But if you had a fur wetsuit glued to you at all times, you probably wouldn't wear clothes unless you had to. At least not outside the arctic circle.

I was certain that the climbing claws were invented by West End Games for their Star Wars RPG, but the earliest references to the claws I can find in their material date to after Heir to the Empire , so he probably did introduce that particular bit of Wookiee anatomy.

I did dig up this nugget of roleplaying wisdom from the first edition of West End's game:

"Incidentally, before you choose to play a Wookiee, please try saying 'Ooorarrgh' or something a couple of times. If you sound really lame as a Wookiee, we suggest you play a different character. A player who sounds like Chewbacca contributes to the game's atmosphere—but one who sounds like a malfunctioning carburetor just makes everyone wince."

"Incidentally, before you choose to play a Wookiee, please try saying 'Ooorarrgh' or something a couple of times. If you sound really lame as a Wookiee, we suggest you play a different character. A player who sounds like Chewbacca contributes to the game's atmosphere—but one who sounds like a malfunctioning carburetor just makes everyone wince."

It was after reading that paragraph that I first started to try to actively sound like a Wookiee. I made a point of going back to the movies and rehearsing the various sounds that Chewbacca makes. Lots of rehearsal.

I’ve greatly enjoyed playing them ever since.

Regardless of where the claws were first mentioned, they are called out in the Edge of the Empire core rulebook's Wookiee entry as being used for climbing. Now that a rule for a similar effect exists on the Kadas'sa'Nikto, I think it should be extended to the Wookiees too.

I am curious about the little story behind tht obsession for "Wookie 'claw. You have a wookie player who desperatly want to stab people with claw like his Thrando friend?