How Many Attacks While Grappled?

[Atavar]

Hey there,

Last session saw a grapple occur between a tiger (the mount of one of my players) and a large-sized black dragon. I became confused as to how many attacks my dragon could get during a grapple.

The grapple rules say that a grappled combatant can use an attack action to attack with a natural weapon or a light weapon. The dragon has plenty of natural weapons, but I am unclear as to what kind and how many he can use while grappled.

Normally, the dragon can bite/claw/claw/wing/wing/tail. Can he still do all of that while grappled?

If he can only get one attack per round, which one can he get, and what is its attack modifier?

If he can only get a number of attacks based on his base attack bonus (BAB=15, for three attacks) then which of his six attacks does he get and what are their respective attack modifiers?

I guess another way of asking this question is, during a full-attack is each attack considered an attack action?

When considering the answer to this question please remember that the answer will apply to grappled players, too.

Thanks,

Atavar

 

[AE020704]

SRD is your friend:

If your base attack bonus allows you multiple attacks, you can attempt one of these actions in place of each of your attacks, but at successively lower base attack bonuses.

And:
You can make an attack with an unarmed strike, natural weapon, or light weapon against another character you are grappling. You take a –4 penalty on such attacks. You can’t attack with two weapons while grappling, even if both are light weapons.

To paraphrase, your dragon could use his full-attack action and attack regularly at a -4 penalty. I, personally, probably would not allow the tail or wings during a grapple, though. YMMV.

This is even easier to apply to a grappled N/PC: they can attack, per their BAB, with ONE weapon at a -4.

 

[kjenks]

You can't use two weapons while grappling. There's no exception given for natural weapons (unless you have the rake ability), so after you begin grappling, you're stuck with one attack per round with a single natural weapon or iterative attacks based on BAB, following the grapple rules that AE020704 and your good friend, SRD, mentioned.

 

[Atavar]

Thanks for the info! A follow up question: If I go the "can attack with only one of his weapons" ruling, then which of the dragon's attacks can he use? Can he choose, or is he restricted to his primary weapon (bite, I believe)?

Thanks,

Atavar

 

[Atavar]

The "Official" Answer

Hello again,

It looks like the "official" answer is found on p. 75 of the FAQ. In summary, I believe it says the following for my situation:

- The grappled dragon can make ONE attack with ANY of its natural weapons at a -4 penalty for regular damage.

- The grappled dragon can instead choose to make a number of grapple actions (e.g. damage opponent) equal to what his base attack bonus would allow (three in this case), with each attack's base attack bonus getting successively lower as normal. HOWEVER, the damage is NOT as from one of its natural attacks but rather as from an unarmed strike from the creature's size (in this case, 1d4 for size large).

So, it looks like I originally ruled incorrectly ("officially" anyway).

Later,

Atavar

 

[Hypersmurf]

Can he choose, or is he restricted to his primary weapon (bite, I believe)?

Whichever he likes, but remember, even when used as the only attack in an Attack action, a secondary natural weapon takes a -5 penalty (or -2 with Multiattack) and only applies half Str bonus to damage.

This is in addition to the -4 penalty for attacking with a light weapon in a grapple.

-Hyp.