Question regarding Otyugh's and Grapple rules in general

[JiffyPopTart]

Some other things about grappling to keep in mind.

1. If someone is grappling you, you are also grappling them. You don't necessarily have to "escape" on your turn if you don't want to. You could just as easily try to win a grapple check to do damage on the creature (with a natural or light weapon) or you could try to pin it or any other option listed for winning a grapple.

2. You only get to "do something" during a grapple if its your turn. If you win a grapple check on someone elses turn all you succeded in doing was making your opponent fail to do something to you.

3. Escape Artist will substitute for your normal bonus in a grapple, but only for the purposes of escaping a grapple or a pin on your turn. You cannot use Escape Artist instead of your normal grapple check on someone elses turn to avoid being pinned or grappled.

These are all things that tripped us up when we first started grappling alot.

DS

 

[Gansk]

If I understand correctly, what you are saying is that once a Otyugh successfully grapples an opponent he does 2d6 damage (1d6 tentacle + 1d6 constrict) each round it beats its opponent in a grapple check. If it doesn't beat its opponent it does no damage that round?

Yes, that's correct. 2d6 or no damage at all.

 

[Gansk]

Doesn't the Otyugh get another opportunity to grapple a second opponent or attack with it's other natural attacks if he takes a -20 penalty to the grapple check ? At least in round two ?

Yes.

 

[Nebulous]

But is that ever really a viable combat option? What happened when you used it?

 

[Infiniti2000]

But is that ever really a viable combat option? What happened when you used it?

It depends on the monster. It might not be viable for the otyugh unless the target is a weak gnome. The otyugh gets -12, but the weak gnome (assume gnome wizard 4, Str 9) gets -3. The odds favor the gnome, but the benefit of not being grappled itself is significant. Now, use a stronger monster than the otyugh. Have a glabrezu grab the same gnome, but level 13 (same as CR). The glabrezu at -20 penalty still has +10 on the grapple check. The gnome has +1 (BAB +6 STR -1 SIZE -4). The odds are still highly in the glabrezu's favor and it can still attack everyone else. It could also easily pin the wizard and automatically close his mouth. Now's the time for that silenced dimension door.

Note #1: This last one is a situation that I actually used, although it was an elven archmage and the glabrezu had a couple of buffs from a "friendly" cleric. The glabrezu was the clerics planar ally.

Note #2: There's a feat in the Draconomicon to reduce the penalty from -20 to -10.

 

[werk]

Doesn't the Otyugh get another opportunity to grapple a second opponent or attack with it's other natural attacks if he takes a -20 penalty to the grapple check ? At least in round two ?

Right, if he takes the -20 modifier on his improved grab grapple check he is treated as not being grappled.

"...it takes a –20 penalty on grapple checks, but is not considered grappled itself; the creature does not lose its Dexterity bonus to AC, still threatens an area, and can use its remaining attacks against other opponents. "


<recommends advancing otyughs as they are pretty wimpy for their CR>

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Right, if he takes the -20 modifier on his improved grab grapple check he is treated as not being grappled.

"...it takes a –20 penalty on grapple checks, but is not considered grappled itself; the creature does not lose its Dexterity bonus to AC, still threatens an area, and can use its remaining attacks against other opponents. "


<recommends advancing otyughs as they are pretty wimpy for their CR>

I think you may be right Werk about Otyughs being weak for their CR. So far the PC's have faced 3 of them. The first one barely got into melee range before it was taken down (its speed really hurts it when the encounter begins from a distance). The second and third ones might have got a tentacle and a grapple in before they were taken down but apart from that they really did nothing to the PC's at all.

2 CR 1 Ooze Paraelementals (EL 3) on the other hand knocked 1 PC unconscious, destroyed the +1 Dagger of another PC as well as damaging 2 other PC's before they were killed. They did get a surprise attack on 1 PC which was largely why he was knocked out but even still it was a much more dangerous fight than the Otyughs.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Infiniti2000]

So, you give the ooze paraelementals the advantage of a surprise attack and put otyughs on an open field? How's that a fair comparison? The poor little otyugh! Where's the love?

Note that an otyugh's environment is underground and it's intended to be hiding in its lair (note the +8 Hide check bonus). The otyugh is the thing that grabs Luke and pulls him underwater. Or Han. Whatever.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

The otyugh is the thing that grabs Luke and pulls him underwater. Or Han. Whatever.

No, that's a dianoga.

Nerd.

 

[tomBitonti]

Order of attacks

Yes. This is a good reason to bite first, btw, rather than use a tentacle first.

Aren't the attacks required to be highest bonus to lowest? I though I read that
in one of the other threads a while back.