How do you grapple?

[SWAT]

Yes yes... I know... It's been over a year and a half... but I still don't understand those bloody grappling rules and it's driving my inner-repressed-rules-lawyer bonkers. If only such terms as "grabbing", "holding" and "grappling" were as well defined as "stunned", "fatigued", etc...

So please just follow me through this and see if you can answer my questions and tell me if I do anything wrong...

Let's assume 2 characters, A and B, both of which only get one attack per round, both of which are unarmed.

A tries to Grab B with a melee touch attack. Succeeds. Then, an opposed grapple check is immediately done.

If A loses this opposed grapple check, then what? Is A still Grabbing or is everything back to normal?

If A wins this opposed grapple check, then what?
Is he now Holding, or does that not mean anything? Does he immediately get do damage, or any other of the special grappling options? Or is the only thing left to Move in and then A's turn is done?

As for the Move in, is this automatic or not? Does A have to have at least 5 feet left to move? If so, what if he doesn't?

Now, A and B are both in the same space. They are both Grappling, right? AFAIK, when it's A's or B's turn, they can use their one attack to do an opposed grapple check. If they lose, nothing happens. If they win, they can either cause damage or do one of the special options such as pinning or escaping. Thus, once they are Grappling, it no longer matters who started it.

I think that's it for now. Thanks to anyone who offers help. And please don't just point me grappling as defined in those handy little reference sheets. They all say the exact same thing about grappling and it doesn't help.

 

[Henrix]

Let's assume 2 characters, A and B, both of which only get one attack per round, both of which are unarmed.

A tries to Grab B with a melee touch attack. Succeeds. Then, an opposed grapple check is immediately done.

If A loses this opposed grapple check, then what? Is A still Grabbing or is everything back to normal?/QUOTE]

Everything is back to normal. A did not manage to start grappling, B broke free before anything happened.

If A wins this opposed grapple check, then what?
Is he now Holding, or does that not mean anything? Does he immediately get do damage, or any other of the special grappling options? Or is the only thing left to Move in and then A's turn is done?

They are now grappling. (If A had any attacks left this turn, he could have used other grappling options (pin or damage B).

As for the Move in, is this automatic or not? Does A have to have at least 5 feet left to move? If so, what if he doesn't?

You get that for free, i.e. it is included in the Starting a grapple action.

Now, A and B are both in the same space. They are both Grappling, right?

Right.

AFAIK, when it's A's or B's turn, they can use their one attack to do an opposed grapple check. If they lose, nothing happens. If they win, they can either cause damage or do one of the special options such as pinning or escaping. Thus, once they are Grappling, it no longer matters who started it.

Right.
You still get your normal (BAB) number of attacks. If you succed with a grapple check, of course.

Hope that clears it up.