Rotting Constriction...

[Dwarmaj]

Does this ability kick in as soon as a hold is established or does the creature have to wait until the next round?

Rotting Constriction (Ex): Once the creature has a hold of an opponent, each successful grapple check it makes during subsequent rounds permanently drains 2d4 points of Constitution. At the same time, the creature regains 10 lost hit points.

I have a monster that just hit one of the PCs and started the grapple. I'm not sure if the monster gets it's constriction this round or just does normal grapping damage this round and constriction next.

Help appreciated...

 

[Yeoman]

I thought it was grappling damage the first round and the next and subsequent rounds it was 2d4 con drain. That's a nasty ability.

 

[Dwarmaj]

Does that mean each tentacle makes a grapple check and on the first round it does grapple damage. If that tentacle is still attached on the next round it does Con damage?

 

[Dwarmaj]

Not sure if this was the right way to handle it but I made the creature have to get a hold with each tentacle.

The party consists of 5-23rd level PCs and 1-22nd level cohort. I put them up against several Psuedonatural Displacer beasts.

Round#1 the party spoted the beasts and decided to buff up. The beast were busy and didn't react to the PCs presence.

Round#2 The beasts, who had a much higher initiative attacked the party. Each beast made a single attack and successfully grappled a PC.

Round#3 The tentacle that had a hold drained Con. I had the remaining tentacles make grapple checks which it won all of them, and only had it do grapple damage.

Should the remaining tentacles had done Con damage as well or do each tentacle have to get a hold?

I've already ruled on it, but it would be nice to know what the correct proceedure should have been.

Round #4 hasn't started yet, but it looks grim.