How does a Cloaker's Engulf ability work?

[Noumenon]

From the PF SRD,

A cloaker can try to wrap a Medium or smaller creature in its body as a standard action. The cloaker attempts a grapple that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and bites the engulfed victim with a +4 bonus on its attack roll. It can still use its whiplike tail to strike at other targets.

Attacks that hit an engulfing cloaker deal half their damage to the monster and half to the trapped victim.

The 3.5 Tactics section said Engulf is usually used versus a lone opponent, but it seems like the main danger of it comes only when you have other party members hitting the cloaker. The bite deals 1d4+2 damage, and is far from an auto-hit. (I believe the "+4 bonus on its attack roll" phrasing means "it attacks using its bite as its primary weapon at +8, taking the -4 penalty for attacking with a natural weapon in grapple, for a total to-hit of +4".)

This is going to take forever to kill anyone unless the cloaker is dealing some kind of unarmed strike damage with its grapple checks as well (and if it did, they could have given it Constrict). Is the idea that you engulf and then moan instead of using the bite attack? Using unnerve or stupor to make the target helpless will let you kill it a whole lot faster than 1d4+2 damage a round.

 

[frankthedm]

On the 3.5 'bonus' issue: It was a bonus onto whatever the cloakers normal to hit attack modifier was.

Pathfinder: It seems like the engulf is a fallback ability since...

A creature that successfully saves against the cloaker's fear, nausea, or unnerve moans cannot be affected by that same moan effect from that cloaker for 24 hours.

So after the unnerved group is puking their guts out or panicked and there is are only a few left behind who have made all their saves, then the cloaker might go for the engulf. Sure it will CDG if it gets the chance, the engulf is for when melee is forced on it and it needs a Shield Other.

A more interesting question is "How exactly does 'It can still use its whip-like tail to strike at other targets.' combine with how both Engulf and Maintaining grapple are standard actions."

 

[Noumenon]

On the 3.5 'bonus' issue: It was a bonus onto whatever the cloakers normal to hit attack modifier was.

The +4 bonus text is still there in Pathfinder. I think you're right, though, googling "bonus on the attack roll". So it would work out to a +8 to hit, right? -4 for a natural weapon in grapple, +4 special bonus, +8 regular BAB + Str + size bonus.

A more interesting question is "How exactly does 'It can still use its whip-like tail to strike at other targets.' combine with how both Engulf and Maintaining grapple are standard actions."

I don't think maintaining a grapple takes an action. Once you've established one, you may make grapple checks if you want to deal damage or move the grapple or whatever, but you're still grappling until the opponent makes a grapple check to escape. So I think the cloaker should always engulf someone and then start moaning after that. It can rely on its shadow mirror images to make up for the loss of Dex bonus, unless maybe the engulfed person's screams allow a DC 20 Perception check to pinpoint.

 

[frankthedm]

Uhm...

There is no -4 penalty anymore for using natural weapons in a grapple. Grapple has changed a bit since 3.5, so don't make any assumptions.

Combat
If you do not release the grapple, you must continue to make a check each round, as a standard action, to maintain the hold.

 

[Noumenon]

I thought that since the monster text didn't change, it would be relevant to the Pathfinder forum. Whoops. Although I guess it's relevant to know that engulf is even less useful now than it was before.

 

[frankthedm]

Cloaker still has a lot of potential for their CR. Harassment with silent image if it has long distance LOS is just the start. Until the party gets the thing in the light, it can refresh its mirror images or blur as a free action. Even after getting it into the light, the Blur and remaining mirror images are still there, it just can't activate the abilities again.

If it can get to a elevated hiding spot, a stubborn party may wind up all helpless while trying to get to the cloaker using it's Unnerve moan since the ability is a corner wrapping Spread.

 

[Noumenon]

That's a change too! Before, Shadow Shift was "effective only in shadowy areas". It also wasn't a free action, so the 1d4-round blur effect was very pointless.

 

[frankthedm]

That's a change too! Before, Shadow Shift was "effective only in shadowy areas". It also wasn't a free action, so the 1d4-round blur effect was very pointless.

Useful against Darkvision.

 

[Noumenon]

I didn't mean that it was pointless because it duplicated the concealment from shadows but that I wouldn't want to spend a standard action for such a short-term benefit. I guess you might as well try it though since it's at-will.

 

[frankthedm]

Cloaker tokens
img707.imageshack.us/img707/8183/cloaker.pdf