This fearsome spell transforms the hands of the caster into twisted, skeletal claws. The claws are very sharp and deal 1d8 hit points of damage with a successful melee attack (and are considered a magic weapons for purposes of DR). The magic of the claws is such that, on a natural roll of 8 for damage, the victim suffers one point of bleed damage as well. The caster is considered armed while making unarmed attacks while this spell is in effect. The claws are typically used in close combat, but they can also be used for climbing, granting a +5 bonus to Climb checks.

Variant: Some monstrous spellcasters who already possess a claw attack can cast this as necrotic jaws and gain the bonus as a bite attack.