Grappling questions

[parinho7]

Can, a person not involved in a grapple, attack a grappled opponent? If yes, does the attacker has a chance of hitting the grappler?

 

[Empirate]

"Yes", and "depends". If you're shooting into a grapple, there's a 50% chance of hitting your ally. If you're making a melee attack into a grapple, there's no chance of that, and the grappled opponent even loses his Dex bonus to AC. However, there's usually cover for him, at least that's how I roll as a DM.

So having a powerful grappler on his team is good for Rogues.

 

[Vegepygmy]

If you're shooting into a grapple, there's a 50% chance of hitting your ally.

That's one interpretation, anyway. The rule is actually: "Roll randomly to see which grappling combatant you strike."

That doesn't necessarily mean the chances are equal, and many DMs assign a higher likelihood to hitting a larger grappling combatant. For example, I set the odds of hitting a single Large grappler vs. a single Medium grappler at 4:1, so there is an 80% chance the Large grappler gets hit and only a 20% chance the Medium grappler gets hit.

 

[Sekhmet]

The rules do state "roll randomly", but I think it is just poor English on the writer's part.
The Improved Precise Shot feat states "you automatically strike at the opponent you have chosen. Normally, see the rules on the effects of cover and concealment.".
It suggests that your DM should use cover/concealment rules to determine the chance of hitting the appropriate target.

Vegepygmy is right, however, in that the rules do not specify this to be the case. It is poorly worded.