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Our party was fighting a Derghodaemon which has the following rules text

Speed 40 ft.

Melee 5 claws +21 (1d6+8/19–20)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

Special Attacks rend (2 claws, 1d8+12 plus 2 Con damage)

The creature hit my invulnerable rager barbarian with two claw attacks and attempted a rend. Only one of the initial claw attacks got any damage past my DR. None of the physical rend damage got through my DR but the GM said I still lost the 2 points of CON because the CON damage is not caused by the physical damage but is in addition to it.

My questions are:
1) Should the creature have been able to rend at all since one attack did no damage? I'm pretty sure this was handled correctly and the creature can rend because the rend ability from universal monster rules only says the attacks have to hit not that they have to do damage.

2) Should I have taken the CON damage since the physical damage was totally eliminated by my DR? I could have sworn I read somewhere that if an attack that would otherwise do something special like this does no damage then the special effect doesn't happen either but I can't find that reference for the life of me.

We have a player in our group that has made a Brawler(Strangler) 2/ Rogue 5 character.

The Strangle(Ex)ability of the Brawler says

Strangle (Ex)

At 1st level, a strangler deals +1d6 sneak attack damage whenever she succeeds at a grapple check to damage or pin an opponent. The strangler is always considered flanking her target for the purpose of using this ability. This damage increases by +1d6 at 2nd, 8th, and 15th levels.

Our GM is saying that at level 2 Brawler he would only do the 2d6 damage because sneak attack says "The rogue's attack deals extra damage anytime her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks her target."

His argument is that since the Damage option of a grapple says it "inflicts damage" it is not an attack and can't deal normal sneak damage so the character would only get the 2d6 given by Strangle itself.

I argue that first of all Grapple itself is under the "Special Attacks" section of the combat rules. So Grapple and all of its applicable options are attacks. Second PLUS 1d6 damage and not just a fixed 1d6 damage implies that it stacks with normal sneak damage and it is worded just like every other ability that stacks with normal sneak damage. Third the language about flanking is unnecessary if it just does the 2d6 when you damage or pin your opponent. The fact that it mentions you are considered flanking indicates that you are qualifying for your normal sneak attack damage.

I'd like some additional input from the forum to see what everyone else thinks.