Grapple damage, when at what point do you apply it?

[Rangler]

How will armor spikes work while grappling? i'm a tad confused about this so any sort of explanation will help a lot

 

[kjenks]

Now let's put a spin on it... what if we have a Brown Bear making a claw attack with which it gets to use it's Improved Grab ability.

For arguements sake, let's assume the Brown Bear had to move before its attack, so it's not using the Full Attack option, it's only got ONE attack this round.

Bear claw attack succeedes (dealing claw damage)
Bear uses Improved Grab ability and succedes in an opposed grapple check against opponent.

Does the bear get to deal damage AGAIN with it's natural weapons?

No, it doesn't. Check out the MM description of Improved Grab:

Improved Grab (Ex): If a creature with this special attack hits with
a melee weapon (usually a claw or bite attack), it deals normal
damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without
provoking an attack of opportunity. No initial touch attack is
required. Unless otherwise noted, improved grab works only against
opponents at least one size category smaller than the creature. The
creature has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply
use the part of its body it used in the improved grab to hold the
opponent. If it chooses to do the latter, it takes a –20 penalty on
grapple checks, but is not considered grappled itself; the creature
does not lose its Dexterity bonus to AC, still threatens an area, and
can use its remaining attacks against other opponents.

And this one, too:

Constrict (Ex): A creature with this special attack can crush an opponent, dealing bludgeoning damage, after making a successful grapple check. The amount of damage is given in the creature’s entry. If the creature also has the improved grab ability it deals constriction damage in addition to damage dealt by the weapon used to grab.

Basically, the bear skips grapple steps 1-4, including step 3 where the bear would normally inflict nonlethal unarmed strike damage. So it just inflicts lethal claw damage once.

 

[kjenks]

How will armor spikes work while grappling? i'm a tad confused about this so any sort of explanation will help a lot

The 3.5e PH and Main 3.5e FAQ disagree on this. The PH says armor spikes inflict extra piercing damage on top of your non-lethal unarmed strike damage. The FAQ says you get either spike damage or unarmed strike damage, but it's a little ambiguous; it may be saying that you have the option of inflicting spike damage or unarmed strike damage or both.

If you do inflict both, per the PH, it looks like you get your strength bonus on damage twice, once when you calculate your piercing damage and again when you calculate your non-lethal unarmed strike damage.

Ask your DM.