Grappling: Actions while pinned

[Tiberius]

I found a Rules of the Game (I know, everyone loves those) that says: "You cannot take any other actions except to make an opposed grapple check to escape the pin in place of an attack." It says that after discussing speaking, casting spells, or using spell like abilities.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20050315a <full article.
All About Grappling (Part Three)
By Skip Williams

Hmmm... In the absence of a more palatable source, that'll have to do. Thanks!

 

[Breezly]

Concentration

In the SRD under Concentration you have the following in the table for casting spells, which seems to indicate casting a spell is possible while grapple or pinned:


20 Grappling or pinned. (You can cast only spells without somatic components for which you have any required material component in hand.)

It looks like you have the opportunity to cast spells, so if you had an active spell going you should be allowed to control it

 

[Legildur]

I've always read it that you can only attempt to escape a pin. Note though that a pin only lasts for one round, where the grappler would then need to re-establish the pin.

If you have multiple attacks due to BAB, you may be able to escape the pin and the grapple in one round. Or you can try to use the Escape Artist skill (as a Standard Action).

Assuming the pinee has elected to shut down the pinned creature's ability to speak, then purely mental actions would probably be okay (like an at will spell-like ability), but would require a successful concentration check, which is what I think the reference to 'pinned' in the concentration skill description relates to. A classic example would be a silenced and stilled Dimension Door.