Grapple troubles for creatures with Improved Grab

[Thanee]

I'm liking where I think you're going with this, as this makes the wording of Improved Grab for creatures like the Mind Flayer much more clear. Basically, the creature would have the option to try attaching it's tentacle one at a time with regular natural attacks plus improved grab, or to try attacing all of them at once each round thereafter with a number of tries per round equal to its iterative number of attacks from BAB (two in the case of Mr. Flayer), yes?

Basically, yes. Though, I really do not know how a Mind Flayer could end up with two or three tentacles attached, normally.

Once Improved Grab has been used successfully, the grapple is on. Only one tentacle is attached at that time. Now (next round) with a successful grapple check, the Mind Flayer can attach all the others, so it's only either one or four of them.

Of course, one could improve on my above idea (I guess that is where you are getting at), and allow the Mind Flayer to use Improved Grab on all four of the attacks (even if a previous attack already initiated a grapple successfully; but without any bonuses for previously attached tentacles) and then after the full-attack action the grapple is started with somewhere between one and four tentacles attached and things proceed as normal, including the switch-over to BAB.

What then, however, of the Hook Horror? Using it's claw/claw/bite routine, it specifically says in its entry that the grapple check made after hitting with both claws replaces its bite attack. Simple enough, but what about following rounds? One check each time, or do I switch to BAB then?

Switch to BAB.

Then again this brings up the question of BAB for monsters: are monsters limited to the BAB for their first 20 Hit Dice like PCs are (following thereafter the epic-level 1/2 progression), or do they continue the same progression for their type no matter how many HD they have?

Well, the Tarrasque has a listed BAB of +48, if that answers your question... but no creature can get more than 4 attacks from iterative BAB.

Another Hook Horror question, now that I think of it: given the creature's possession of Improved Trip, many of its foes likely end up on the ground. The question is this: do prone foes have a penalty on grapple checks? I would think so, as being on one's back is no way to start a grapple successfully, but can't find a specific rule one way or the other. Not particularly important to the discussion at hand, but still on my mind.

Nope, no penalty to grapple checks, only to attack rolls and AC.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Thanee]

This leads me to yet another question: how does a PC go about resisting this attack? say the flayer has all four tentacles attached at the beginning of the PC's turn. Does one successful grapple check free the PC from the flayer's hold, or does it simply unattach one tentacle? Or does it release him from all the tentacles but leave the PC still "held" so far as the grappling rules are concerned? What can other PCs do to help their companion?

One grapple check is enough to free the PC, as per the Improved Grab description of the Mind Flayer's ability.

Bye
Thanee

 

[kjenks]

Keep in mind that you can't use two (or more) weapons while grappling. And the Improved Grab ability doesn't change this rule.