Talk:Primal Stampede

Would it be more practical to explain which bonuses work with a list instead?

I added a more thorough explanation for which bonuses work with this attack. However, the explanation is a bit complicated because the rules seem to be a bit messy. I have quite a comprehensive list of bonuses that work and I could easily replace the current explanation with this list, if this feels a clearer way to present this information (see Whirlwind Attack how it would look). Pjotr of the East (talk) 22:20, 12 November 2024 (CET)

Scratchpad for updating Primal Stampede

10 July 2026 -- proposed rewrite of Notes section -- see end of this section for testing spreadsheet

// first 2 bullet points can remain the same

• Hits all enemies, friendly NPCs, and objects within a 2 m (7 ft) radius along the charge path.
• This action triggers  Extra Attack and can be used with Extra Attack.

// remainder is entirely re-written

• Primal Stampede is coded as a melee, unarmed attack.
• However, rather than using the typical `UnarmedDamage` code, Primal Stampede has its own damage code (1d4 + STR, Bludgeoning). This has the following implications.

Attack Roll Bonuses

• Items and features that add a bonus to Melee Unarmed Attacks do apply to Primal Stampede. Examples include the attack roll components of Tavern Brawler and Gloves of Crushing.
• Items and features that add a bonus to _all_ attacks do apply to Primal Stampede. Examples include Legacy of the Masters and the attack roll component of Mutilated Carapace.

Damage Bonuses

• Items and features that add a bonus to unarmed damage do _not_ apply to Primal Stampede. Examples include, ironically, the Barbarian Rage damage bonus as well as the damage components of Tavern Brawler and Gloves of Crushing.
• Items and features that add a damage bonus to _all_ (relevant) damage do apply to Primal Stampede. Examples include Shadow-Cloaked Ring, Psionic Overload, and the damage component of Mutilated Carapace.

Other Effects

• Whether other non-attack-roll, non-damage-bonus effects apply to Primal Stampede depends upon how they are coded. To apply to Primal Stampede, the effect either needs to be so general it would apply to any type of attack or damage, or it needs to apply to (melee) unarmed attacks _and_ not also specify unarmed damage.
• Examples:
  • The Bleeding effect from Helldusk Gloves does work with Primal Stampede, because that effect applies whenever you deal damage.
  • The Soul Catching effect (but not the damage bonus!) from Gloves of Soul Catching does work with Primal Stampede, because it applies whenever you deal damage with an unarmed attack.
  • You can accumulate Lightning Charges from The Sparkle Hands with Primal Stampede, because the effect applies to to all unarmed attacks that hit.

// Rather than list examples as I have done above, we _could_ cover all possible game features that are `IsUnarmedAttack` or `CharacterUnarmedDamage`; there are about 30-40 of each (probably with some overlap), so would need a table. Not sure if that is a worthwhile approach.

// testing spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fzgK1kpCrx1drSXKEBfADBAnYqAJgBU9yjEOEOo2n-c/edit?usp=sharing

---

9 July 2026 - original scratchpad

OK, this page is a mess, because various people (including me) wrote it without a thorough understanding and testing of Primal Stampede.

Courtesy of EndoQuestion1000 on Reddit: <https://www.reddit.com/r/BG3Builds/comments/1urjbb6/comment/owgbbcs/>

The weirdness here is because Primal Stampede's Attack Type is Melee Unarmed, but it doesn't look up a character's Unarmed Damage; instead it defines it own.

``` data "SpellRoll" "Attack(AttackType.MeleeUnarmedAttack)" data "SpellSuccess" "DealDamage(1d4+StrengthModifier,Bludgeoning)" ```

Contrast a basic Unarmed Strike

``` data "SpellRoll" "Attack(AttackType.MeleeUnarmedAttack)" data "SpellSuccess" "DealDamage(UnarmedDamage , Bludgeoning)" ```

So for Primal Stampede, passives that care about the Attack Type and provide general bonuses to them will trigger, whereas passives that specifically only boost UnarmedDamage or CharacterUnarmedDamage won't do anything because we're not calling that up here. The difference comes down to how the passive happens to have been coded. For example, Shadow Cloaked Ring for Unarmed Attacks gives a DamageBonus so works, whereas your Manifestation example boosts CharacterUnarmedDamage so I would expect that not to work. This should be confirmed in game to be sure though.

Primal Stampede is not a Weapon Attack Type, nor does it call Weapon Damage, nor execute Weapon Functors, so I can't see how it would interact with features of weapons at all, except for passives that grant more general bonuses simply by holding the weapon.

-- [end Reddit quote] --

I'm going to look up some of the features currently listed on the page and see where they fall into the Primal Stampede situation. Then spot-test in-game. Then re-write the page. JRandall0308 (talk) 16:44, 9 July 2026 (CEST)