If unconcerned with enhancement bonuses and only needing the weapon special abilities, the 1st-level artificer infusions personal weapon augmentation [trans] (Eberron Campaign Setting 117) et al. and personal natural weapon augmentation [trans] (Races of Eberron 188) et al. grant weapon special abilities to one of the creature's weapons or natural weapons.1 A wand of personal weapon augmentation (1st-level spell at caster level 1) (15 gp/charge) is inexpensive enough that even if adding the magic weapon special ability brash (MIC 30) to one's unarmed strike every encounter, that will still be cheaper than having such as permanent magic weapon special ability using the methods below. The magic weapon special ability furious (OA 125) is in a similar but worse position, as such an effect can only be granted by a wand of weapon augmentation [trans] (ECS 117) (4th-level spell at caster level 7) (420 gp/charge), likely making long-term use too expensive to use such an item to consistently have, for example, furious fists.
If the enhancement bonus is desired, an alternative is finding a way to cast the 4th-level Drd spell superior magic fang [trans] (SpC 136). This is a very expensive wand (a wand of a 4th-level spell at caster level 20 costs 1,200/charge), but that 60,000 gp item grants all of the creature's natural attacks a +5 enhancement bonus and, by the time such a wand can be afforded, the character probably won't be participating in 50 more fights during his career.2 Note that this also assumes the spell superior magic fang can affect unarmed strikes. (While the spell magic fang implies that spell can, the spell superior magic fang lacks such language.)
However, all these all run afoul of the opportunity cost needed to activate them, so I understand why you'd avoid them. Attempting to generate such effects faster makes the price higher and makes the options below even more appealing.
Let's do some math!
Amulet of Mighty Fists (DMG 246)
The amulet of mighty fists specifically improves both the wearer's unarmed strikes and the wearer's natural attacks, but only grants both enhancement bonuses on attack rolls and damage rolls.
Amulet of Mighty Fists
Enhancement Bonus Cost
+1 6,000 gp
+2 24,000 gp
+3 54,000 gp
+4 96,000 gp
+5 150,000 gp
Unfortunately, the amulet of mighty fists apparently can't grant the wearer's unarmed strikes and natural weapons magic weapon special abilities (that is, at least it can't without DM permission).
Bracers of Striking (Magic of Faerûn 155-6)
These cost 1,310 gp, weigh 1 lb., occupy the bracers slot, and grant the wearer the ability to make unarmed strikes as if the wearer possessed the feat Improved Unarmed Strike (very carefully not granting the actual feat). They can be made magical as if they were a blunt double weapon (hence any magical enhancement bonus or special ability costs double, the text implying that each "fist" (or head, I guess?) can't be magicked separately).
Bracers of Striking Cost
Enhancement Bonus (1,310 gp)+
+1 4,000 gp
+2 16,000 gp
+3 36,000 gp
+4 64,000 gp
+5 100,000 gp
+6 144,000 gp
+7 196,000 gp
+8 256,000 gp
+9 324,000 gp
+10 400,000 gp
The item is not as explicit as it could be (the bracers can be modified with additional magic weapon special abilities but don't say those affect the wearer's unarmed strike, and I've read at least one argument wherein it was said seriously that the bracers' themselves must be used to beat a fool to employ their weapon special abilities), but if one assumes the enhancement bonuses apply to unarmed strikes and one's only making unarmed strikes, the bracers are a better deal than the amulet of mighty fists.
Necklace of Natural Weapons (Savage Species 58)
This item affects but a lone natural weapon unless more cash is paid. It's acknowledge that unarmed strikes are not natural weapons (but there's a counterargument couched in the fanged ring, below), so this probably doesn't do you any good, but it's included for completeness because you asked. The cost is multiplied by the number of natural weapons the amulet affects.
Necklace of Natural Weapons Cost to affects natural weapons numbering...
Enhancement Bonus One Two Three Four Five
+1 2 4 6 8 10
+2 8 16 24 32 40
+3 18 36 54 72 90
+4 32 64 96 128 160
+5 50 100 150 200 250
+6 72 144 216 288 360
+7 98 196 294 392 490
+8 128 256 384 512 640
+9 162 324 486 648 810
+10 200 400 600 800 1,000
Costs are in 1,000s of gp. Also add to the cost
+(600 gp × the number of natural weapon affected).
This makes the necklace of natural weapons a better deal than the amulet of mighty fists only if the wearer has but one or two natural weapons, except that the necklace explicitly can have magic weapon special abilities, and the DM must approve the idea that magic weapon special abilities can be added via the amulet.
Other Options
Below are a few options unmentioned by your question.
- The fanged ring (Dragon Magic 101) (10,000 gp; 0 lbs.) doesn't say it can be further magicked to grant unarmed strikes enhancement bonuses or weapon special abilities, but a generous DM may allow it. Further, the fanged ring implies that an unarmed strike is a natural attack, so it's useful for attempting to convince the DM that a necklace of natural weapons really can affect one's unarmed strike.
- The ward cestus (Arms and Equipment Guide 6, 10) (10 gp; 4 lbs), an exotic weapon, says that attacking with it "is considered an unarmed attack," and attacks with it deal the same damage as the wielder's unarmed strike. If the DM permits the alternative class feature city brawler to fight with a ward cestus yet still be considered unarmed, this is a viable alternative.
- Just in case you later become concerned with enhancement bonuses, a Drd20 charges 600 gp to cast the 3rd-level spell greater magic fang [trans] (PH 250) on an unarmed strike (possible according to the 1st-level Drd spell magic fang [trans] (PH 250)). A Sor20 charges 8,500 gp to cast the 5th-level Sor/Wiz spell permanency [univ] (PH 259-60) on that greater magic fang spell. Although vulnerable to dispel magic effects, this combination is inexpensive enough to get done several times over the course of an adventurer's career before acquiring +5 enhancement in some other fashion is more prudent. (Costs are according to Spellcasting and Services (PH 129), but actually locating such powerful casters is campaign-dependent.)
"So what do I buy?"
If you're using only unarmed strikes, you'll need the bracers. Fortunately, some of the weapon special abilities you want only require the weapon to be wielded, so, for example, you could get the following:
- brash (MIC 30) (+1 bonus; 0 lbs.) furious (OA 125) (+2 bonus; 0 lbs.) fury (HB 130) (+1 bonus; 0 lbs.) bracers of striking (Mag 155-6) (65,310 gp; 1 lbs.). Note: The bracers' description says that they "may be modified with special weapon abilities as if they were a blunt weapon." Ask the DM if that means the bracers need a +1 magical enhancement bonus before they can have further magic weapon special abilities.
- +1 brash (MIC 30) (+1 bonus; 0 lbs.) furious (OA 125) (+2 bonus; 0 lbs.) fury (HB 130) (+1 bonus; 0 lbs.) ward cestus (AE 6, 10) (50,310 gp; 4 lbs.). Note: As an exotic weapon, the cash saved from buying a ward cestus will probably spent overcoming the −4 penalty for nonproficiency.
And if, for example, you bind the soulmeld girallon arms (Magic of Incarnum 68) to your totem chakra and want magic weapon special abilities for that soulmeld's four claw attacks, you'll need the necklace.
- fury (HB 130) (+1 bonus; 0 lbs.) necklace of four natural weapons (SS 58) (10,400 gp; 0 lbs.). Note: See the bracers Note, above, the necklace description containing similar vague language.
Note: The magic weapon special ability fury (HB 130) (+1 bonus; 0 lbs.) needs to apply to every natural weapon and unarmed strike for it to be worthwhile, yet the special ability deals but an extra +1d6 points of damage (albeit untyped) each and only while raging, so, really, I suggest just skipping that magic weapon special ability. The same and more goes for the weapon special ability berserker (MIC 29) (+1 bonus), and more being that the weapon special ability is limited to two-handed weapons (which, with an inappropriately large magical ward cestus, is a possibility but a silly and impractical one).
Other Useful Items
- The beast claws (SS 49) (9,610 gp; 1 lbs.) are a pair of +1 spiked gauntlets (PH 117, 118) that grant the wearer 2 claw attacks with a +1 enhancement bonus and, if the wearer already has claws, the enhancement bonus increases to +2 and the wearer's claws deal an extra +1d6 points of damage. Note: Combined with the soulmeld girallon arms, these are pretty spiffy, but, given the item's age (and provenance!), the DM will likely update the description for a contemporary campaign. However, any DM that allows these into the campaign may also allow them to be further magicked.
- The collar of venom (BV 114) (50,000 gp; 3 lbs.) causes the wearer's natural attacks to become poisonous (Fort DC 14, primary damage 1d10 Con, secondary damage 1d10 Con).
- The demonhair shirt (Dragon #356 69) (26,000 gp; 3 lbs.) grants the wearer immunity to fear, and the wearer can spend 2 rages simultaneously to enter a demonic fury that, among other effects, grants the wearer impressive bonuses that explicitly stack with rage and frenzy (!) and makes all the wearer's weapons (including natural weapons) chaotic for overcoming aligned DR.
- The gauntlets of ghost fighting (MIC 216) (4,000 gp; 1 lbs.), among other effects, causes the wearer's melee attacks to affect incorporeal creatures normally.
- The ghoul gauntlets (MIC 104-5) (10,000 gp; 1 lbs.) grant the wearer, before making an attack, the ability, once per round, to declare one natural or unarmed attack as capable of paralyzing a hit foe (Fort DC 13 negates).
- The ring of adamantine touch (MIC 121) (6,000 gp; 0 lbs.) causes the wearers weapons (including natural weapons) to overcome DR X/adamantine as if they were adamantine. Given its rarity, this is likely a late-game purchase if at all.
- The tentacle extension (illithid) (Und 75) (32,000 gp; 2 lbs.) grant a lone tentacle a +2 enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls, a 1-step size increase to damage, and an extra 5 ft. of reach. Note: The soulmeld displacer mantle (Magic of Incarnum 64) bound to your totem chakra grants 2 tentacle attacks. However, that doesn't make this a good deal.
- The wyrmfang amulet (MIC 148) (1,350 gp; 0 lbs.) causes the wearer's natural attacks and unarmed strikes to overcome DR X/magic as if they were magic weapons. Given how frequently this arises, this is likely an early-game purchase, later sold when better options become available.
1 Fortunately, the infusion personal weapon augmentation targets but a weapon and its description only mandates it affect a weapon, saying nothing about the weapon being manufactured, so affecting an unarmed strike should be a thing even if not a monk.
2 This overstates things a little. The character'll probably need to buy two or even three eventually. Each wand contains sufficient charges to use 1 charge per encounter for about 3 levels worth of encounters. A third wand tips things in favor of the amulet over the course of the character's career.
Best Answer
Ultimately, everything in this answer is going to be at least somewhat speculative; Book of Exalted Deeds does not address the question of grafts at all. Reasonably, some will feel that this is rules-lawyering and abusing loopholes in a holy vow and that’s just not how things work—and they may well be right, since both Book of Exalted Deeds as well as external developer commentary suggests that, basically, if you have to ask, the answer is no.
So just, ya know, fair warning: if you are asking “should I take Vow of Poverty?” the answer is no.
Grafts
A creature with grafts could take Vow of Poverty and (probably) keep them
Upon taking the vow, a creature must donate all of their worldly possessions to charity. But an already-extant graft isn’t a “possession” per se, it’s a body part and a creature should no more have to remove a graft than they have to remove an arm. This probably does necessarily mean waiting to take the vow until you have managed to procure some grafts, which means missing out on bonus feats—but then, there are very few good exalted feats anyway, and Vow of Poverty gives more than enough to get them all anyway.
A creature could not have a graft surgically applied to them after vowing
This is pretty straightforward: applying a graft costs money: even if a friend is doing it for you, they need to use expensive material that could be donated to charity. The Vow of Poverty thus demands that they are donated to charity, and not doing so and allowing them to be used for your benefit is a violation of the vow.
A creature with Vow of Poverty can get a graft magically...
...or, at least, can so long as they can navigate the alignment conflicts with that. Fiends of corruption and sibriexes (an obyrith, which is a type of demon) from Fiend Folio, as well as the aptly-named demonic graft machine artifact from Book of Vile Darkness, have the ability to magically apply grafts to creatures. This process costs them nothing, and so there is no part of it that could be donated to charity. So really, it does not break the vow at all.
The problem is that the vow is an exalted feat, which means maintaining exalted status, that is, better-than-Good status. Accepting gifts from fiends may well cost you your exalted status on its face, and thus kill the vow. But, if the DM agrees that circumstances permit an exalted creature to do this while staying exalted, this could get you a new graft after taking the Vow of Poverty.
A creature with Vow of Poverty who receives a graft against their will...
...is ambiguous in the extreme. The game is replete with examples of creatures failing requirements and losing features for things outside their control, which means the vow may very well be broken even if the creature who took it never intended to gain a graft. But it might instead be considered similar to the situation with magically gaining a graft, but without the alignment concerns. Which it is, we do not know because Book of Exalted Deeds does not really address it directly. Entirely up to the DM to sort out, probably on a case-by-case basis.
Symbionts
Magic of Eberron gives symbionts a treasure value. It doesn’t cover the symbionts in Fiend Folio but they would presumably be the same. This can make for an argument that you cannot have them. On the other hand, if Magic of Eberron is not in play, then nothing says they’re worth money, so you could maybe make an argument for keeping them, akin to an animal companion. But animal companions are a class feature; symbionts may be more similar to owning a regular horse—which a creature cannot do with Vow of Poverty.
Daelkyr half-bloods, also from Magic of Eberron, may be able to make a case for keeping their personal symbiont: it’s a free part of their racial features, and they suffer and die without it.