Are Rake, Rend and Constrict Natural Weapons?

Question

Reference Information

Rake states:

A creature with this special attack gains extra natural attacks when it grapples its foe.

Rend states:

If a creature hits with both claw attacks, it latches onto the opponent’s body and tears the flesh.

Constrict states:

A creature with this special attack can crush an opponent, dealing bludgeoning damage, after making a successful grapple check.

What is stated above seems very straight forward, and for the most part it is.

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Dilemma

A player wanted to take Improved Natural Attack: [Rend]. I told him that Rend is just the damage of two claw attacks and 1.5 x strength modifier and that Improved Natural Attack: [Claw] will indirectly increase the damage of Rend. He then pointed out that with Black Blood Cultist's:

Savage Grapple: Starting at 8th level, you deal damage as if you had hit with all your natural weapons (including rend, if you are raging) on a successful grapple check.

(emphasis: italic) and he was advocating that implies that Rend is a separate natural attack. I told him, "Okay, it is a separate natural attack, but it isn't a separate natural weapon. He then replied, "Well, the feat says Improved Natural Attack, not Improved Natural Weapon." A little stumped, I told everyone to take a 'smoke break.' After thinking about it, I allowed it after determining that there are much more powerful feats he could have taken, and it wouldn't be game-breaking.

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Discussion

Now, Improved Natural Attack states:

Choose one of the creature’s natural attack forms. The damage for this natural weapon increases by one step, as if the creature’s size had increased by one category: 1d2, 1d3, 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 2d6, 3d6, 4d6, 6d6, 8d6, 12d6.

A weapon or attack that deals 1d10 points of damage increases as follows: 1d10, 2d8, 3d8, 4d8, 6d8, 8d8, 12d8.

This feat may be taken multiple times, but each time it applies to a different natural attack.

There are a few inconsistencies within the text of the feat that is now confusing me a little. It says "Choose one of the creature's natural attack forms." Rend would indeed be a natural attack form (wouldn't it?). But then it says right after it, "the damage for this natural weapon [...]," Rend isn't listed under the 'types' of natural weapons in the SRD:

Natural weapons have types just as other weapons do. The most common are summarized below.

• Bite: The creature attacks with its mouth, dealing piercing, slashing, and bludgeoning damage.

• Claw or Talon: The creature rips with a sharp appendage, dealing piercing and slashing damage.

• Gore: The creature spears the opponent with an antler, horn, or similar appendage, dealing piercing damage.

• Slap or Slam: The creature batters opponents with an appendage, dealing bludgeoning damage.

• Sting: The creature stabs with a stinger, dealing piercing damage. Sting attacks usually deal damage from poison in addition to hit point damage.

• Tentacle: The creature flails at opponents with a powerful tentacle, dealing bludgeoning (and sometimes slashing) damage.

Once again, here lies a conundrum by stating "The most common are summarized below."

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Question(s)

1. Are Rake, Rend, or Constrict 'uncommon' natural weapons?
2. Could one indeed take Improved Natural Attack: [Rend] (et al.)?

Answer 1

Constrict, Rake and Rend are not natural attacks. They are special abilities that, under certain circumstances, enhance natural attacks. Improved Natural Attack improves the damage of one of your natural attacks (per feat), not one of your special abilities.

Rake and Savage Grapple are pretty similar in effect. Arguably, they could stack, but Savage Grapple is essentially a better effect than Rake (or a better version).

It would be like taking Weapon Focus (Cleave). Cleave isn't a weapon (or an attack), it's a feat that can affect your attack with a weapon.

You could however, have Weapon Focus ([Grapple or Unarmed Strike or Ray]), but these are called out specifically as non-weapon attacks that can be "focused".

Some confusion comes in from the usage of the term "Special Attack" in the monster listings. They have "Special Attacks and Special Qualities"

Many creatures have unusual abilities. A monster entry breaks these abilities into special attacks and special qualities.

However, this is different than what is listed under the combat section as "Special Attacks", such as grapple or bull rush. Specifically, a Special Ability is either extraordinary (Ex), spell-like (Sp), or supernatural (Su). This is where you find Constrict and Rake. Rend is only found in the monster entries, like the troll, but it follows the same format and is listed as

Rend (Ex)

Signifying it is a Special Ability, specifically an Extraordinary Ability.