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The necklace of natural weapons (Savage Species 58) allows the wearer to have one or more of his natural weapons gain magical enhancement bonuses on attack and damage rolls and allows the wearer to have magic weapon special abilities affect one or more of his natural weapons.

When the magic weapon special ability spell storing (Dungeon Master's Guide 225) (+1 bonus; 0 lbs.) is added to a necklace of natural weapons, does each natural weapon that the necklace affects benefit individually from the magic weapon special ability spell storing?

That is, does the wearer have, effectively, a separate, unique spell storing magic weapon special ability for each natural weapon the necklace affects, allowing the wearer to put, for example, a vampiric touch spell in his necklace's slam's spell storing "chamber" and a combust spell in his necklace's gore's spell storing "chamber"?

Or is but one spell storing "chamber" shared by all the natural weapons: the spell storing weapon special ability holding but one spell, and the wearer able to pick on the fly the natural weapon affected by the spell storing magic weapon special ability? Or is there some other option?

An excellent answer will likewise address weapon special abilities that have limited uses per day (e.g. the magic weapon special ability banishing (Magic Item Compendium 28–9) (+2 bonus; 0 lbs.) that functions 3/day)), using the answer's own ruling or picking whether such uses per day are either per natural weapon affected by the necklace or per necklace.

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You apply enhancements to each natural weapon separately.

This item essentially exists as a shim to let you enhance your natural weapons as if they were regular weapons.

A +1 necklace of natural weapons that affects one natural weapon costs 2,600 gp; if the same necklace affects six natural weapons, it costs 15,600 gp.

Usually, when a slotted item like an amulet grants multiple bonuses, the second bonus costs extra. In this case, it doesn't cost extra. The logical reason for this is that you're effectively enhancing each natural weapon separately.

The item description isn't entirely clear, only to say that e.g. a certain necklace might affect one of your weapons, but doesn't specify which one; but the guidance in D&D 3.5 is to interpret ambiguous rules by comparing them to other similar rules; in this case, that's standard weapon enhancement. (This differs to D&D 5e, where rules are taken literally and mean no more than they say.)

Suppose you have two claws, and craft a +1 spell storing necklace of natural weapons which affects both claws. It costs 9,200 gp, about the same as if you had crafted two separate weapons. For all intents and purposes, you have two claws and each stores its own single spell. They can't share a single single spell storing, because you just paid for spell storing twice. It wouldn't be fair or balanced to bill you for a magical property multiple times, but only give you the benefit of it once.

The example in the item description makes it clear that a +1 throwing returning necklace of natural weapons crafted to affect two natural weapons would make both of your weapons +1 throwing returning, not just one at a time. Likewise, both claws are +1; they don't share a single +1, they're both +1 for as long as you wear the necklace, assuming you paid the price for a necklace that affects two claws at once.

In the case of an weapon enhancement with a daily limit, each natural weapon tracks that ability separately per weapon, not per necklace (since you paid per weapon). For example, with a banishing necklace affecting two natural weapons, your left claw may banish 3/day, and your right claw banish 3/day, and each tracks its own uses just as if you were a human ranger dual-wielding a pair of banishing swords.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Note that Unarmed Strike technically counts as ONE natural weapon when used by a monk. ^^ \$\endgroup\$
    – nijineko
    Jun 15, 2018 at 15:14
  • \$\begingroup\$ @nijineko It's absent from the SRD, but the PH says that an unarmed strike "may be a punch, kick, head butt, or other type of attack" (121). Thus, I think, even nonmonks have but one unarmed strike (cf. the prestige class kensai). Y'know, technically. :-) \$\endgroup\$ Jun 24, 2018 at 16:06
  • \$\begingroup\$ In your example of a "+1 spell storing necklace of natural weapons which affects both claws" shouldn't the market price be 17,200gp instead of 9,200gp? Or 8,600gp if you meant the crafting cost? \$\endgroup\$
    – Yopi Lapi
    Apr 10, 2021 at 10:39
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In my experience, it has been that necklaces with multiple abilities have a separate bead/pendant for each ability. Thus, your necklace would have a bead/pendant for each weapon affected. And, the added weapon ability is then added to a specific bead/pendant not the necklace as a whole.

To give an example:

Let's say you can wild shape into a panther (two claws and a bite). Your necklace could have 3 beads (left claw, right claw, and bite), and each would have it's own bonus properties. Thus, your right claw attack could be +1 and spell storing. The left claw attack could be +1 and banishment. And, your bite could be +2.

The cost and process of upgrading a bead/pendant would be the same as adding the affect to an actual weapon.

Note: if enough bonuses and abilities are added to the necklace as a whole, it may become sentient.

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