Grab + Reach: As unrealistic as it seems?

[Sarrat]

Consider the Yuan-Ti Abomination.

It has an attack that grabs, with reach 2.

If I read the rules correctly, this means that it can grab and pin one of my characters, and keep that character at range, preventing him from making melee attacks against it.

My players disagree. "Why can't I attack the big chunk of tail that's grabbing me?" they ask.

And I wonder that too.

Anybody have any idea?

 

[Aulirophile]

Your understanding of the rules is correct. Also obligatory link, since this exact question came up recently on the Rules Q&A forums and the thread was hilarious.

Whoops! Browser Settings Incompatible!

 

[Sarrat]

Thanks for the pointers! I'll follow up in both places, to increase my chances of a good reply.

Now consider the fun "Elder Dragon Eel", from Draconomicon 1.

It is huge and consequently has reach 3 on all its attacks. It also has an attack with its jaws that grabs.

Anybody have any good way of justifying the fact that you are grabbed in its jaws but somehow can't hurt it?

It's very concerning...

 

[mneme]

I think the problem there is the Dragon Eel, which has a largish number of errors.

Grabbed targets should be moved to adjacent to the Dragon Eel (and become ungrabbed if they cease being adjacent). Moreover, the Eel's swallow attack needs to deny line of effect to/from the swallowed creature (as swallow usually does) except to the Dragon Eel itself.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

There are a few monsters that specifically have text allowing them to be attacked in this kind of situation. While technically by RAW you can't do so otherwise I'd have to say that this is one of those areas where the spirit of the rules is more important than the letter.