Natural Attacks and Grapple

[redkobold]

The description of Grapple assumes a human type character. However, could a humanoid (or creature for that matter) use a bite attack while grappling? What about a claw or tail attack?

 

[Caliban]

The description of Grapple assumes a human type character. However, could a humanoid (or creature for that matter) use a bite attack while grappling? What about a claw or tail attack?

If you want to make a natural weapon attack instead of a grapple check you can do so at a -4 penalty.

If you want to use a natural weapon to do damage with a grapple check you have to have the Improved Grab ability.

Oddly enough, in either case you make iterative attacks instead of the normal natural weapon attack sequence.

 

[redkobold]

Oddly enough, in either case you make iterative attacks instead of the normal natural weapon attack sequence.

I do not follow this. Sorry, please clarify for me. Thanks a lot.

 

[Camarath]

I do not follow this. Sorry, please clarify for me. Thanks a lot.

In a normal full attack with natural weapons you get one attack at your full attack bonus with your primary natural weapon and one attack with each of your secondary natural weapons at -5. You do not receive additional atttacks with natural weapons due to higher BAB as you do with manufactured weapons. However when grappling one can attempt some of grapple actions in place of each of the attack that would be allowed by your BAB. Thus creature with with 6 natural weapons and a BAB of +1 would have six normal attacks in a round but could only attempt one grapple action and a creature with 1 natural weapon and a BAB of +16 would have only one normal attack in a round but could attempt four grapple actions.

 

[redkobold]

If you want to use a natural weapon to do damage with a grapple check you have to have the Improved Grab ability.QUOTE]

I am creating a dire lizard creature with strong jaws, a spiked hide with sharp spurs on its limbs (think a big texas horned toad/lizard). I want it to have the improved grab ability where it holds onto you with its bite, a prehensile tail, and its limbs and be able to bite and "spike" the prey in subsequent rounds as part of this grapple.

So, what you said above seems perfect but I cannot seem to find any example of that shown (at least in the SRD) where two types of attacks come into play. Alternately, a creature can use another attack with a -4 but the rules seem to indicate that only one attack is allowed. Is the two damaging attacks in a grapple unprecedented with other creatures and would it be out of line for a creature?

This may start to migrate out of rules eventually but when it does I will post the creature I have created for some review and critique.

 

[silentspace]

Sounds like what you're looking for is Improved Grab and Rend. Or maybe Rake.