Demonic Retrievers Bite!

[Savage Wombat]

Does anyone have clarification on the Demon, Retriever? It's got Improved Grab, which only works with the bite attack.

According to the last write-up I saw, it doesn't have a bite attack.

On top of that, they seem to have changed the normal grab phrasing - it says "If it gets a hold, it holds the opponent fast in its mouth. " Does this supercede the normal grab rules? Is a character that is held automatically considered pinned, or what?

Any information would be helpful.

 

[kreynolds]

What write up? As far as I know, the retriever still has a bite attack. Use the same grappling and improved grab rules for the retriever's bite attack. They were just paraphrasing in the MM. Basically, the retriever just picks you up with its mouth, and if you're a real pest, he just holds onto you and deals you automatic bite damage every round. Though in truth, the primary reason a retriever would pick you up in its mouth is to retrieve you for someone. So...it's usually better of to die in the mouth of the beast than it is to meet up with whatever sent the retriever after you.

 

[Savage Wombat]

Unless the SRD is badly *ed up, it shows that Retrievers have 4 claw attacks, or eye rays. It doesn't list attack bonus or damage for a bite attack at all. I don't have my MM with me, but that's how I remember it reading in the book too.

 

[IceBear]

I think he's talking about the SRD entry.
I don' t have my MM handy to verify what's in there.

IceBear

 

[pontus]

Retrievers have no bite attack in the MM either. To make things simple for myself, I have assumed that their mouth is unsuitable for combat, so they simply beat their victim into submission with their claws and then pick him up, but that is probably not what was intended.

 

[Uller]

My party just beat a Retriever. After that game, I went and looked up the monster(our DM rarely reuses monsters) and noticed the contradiction(Improved Grab w/ bite, yet no bit attack). Our DM didn't use the Improved Grab which would have made this beast substantially tougher...It could have easily picked up and wandered off with one of our characters.

If I ever use a retriever against my players, I'll rule that if it hits one target with two or more claw attacks in a single round, it gets to use imporved grab to pick them up and bite them. It can then hold them in its mouth and continue to fight with it's claws.

 

[kreynolds]

I just make a melee touch attack for the retriever.