RSS RSS RSS RSS Facebook Twitter Email
Paizo People
Fiendish Baboon

vip00's page

316 posts (472 including aliases). 1 review. No lists. No wishlists. 4 aliases.


Profile
Aliases
Campaigns
Posts
Threads
Favorited by Others
Reviews
Wishlists
New set of alternate grapple rules
1 person marked this as a favorite.

I've looked through a few other threads about these kinds of things, but most of them seem to be focused on grappling as PCs. I've actually found that the biggest problem I have is for grappling with things that are supposed to be good with grappling! EG mr giant octopus who gets to make a single attack with grab, grapple his prey, and then be relegated to making a single grapple check per round instead of his normal 9 attacks!

The most current version of the rules will always be able to be found at this link.

The initial version can also be found in the spoiler below, though the formatting on the forums makes them a bit hard to read!

Alternate Grapple Rules:
You can maintain grapple either as a standard action or in place of an attack. Regardless of the method of maintaining the grapple, you may only make 1 grapple attempt per opponent. Additionally, you may only attempt to start a grapple with 1 opponent per round. This allows you to grapple or attack multiple opponents (within reason), but never more than you have attacks. Each grapple beyond the first inflicts a cumulative -5 to all attack rolls, CMB, and CMD. This overrides the penalty for iterative attacks (if any), but stacks with the -4 penalty if you do not have two hands (or an appendage with the grab ability) free to grapple.

If you choose to maintain in place of an attack, roll your grapple check without bonuses. Success indicates that you maintain the grapple and are able to inflict damage or pin the opponent as described below.
If you choose to maintain as a standard action, you get a +5 on your grapple check and can inflict damage to your opponent, move the grapple (taking up your move action), or pin the opponent.

Failure in either case indicates that you are unable to maintain the grapple and both you and your opponent lose the grappled condition immediately. All grapple dependent abilities (eg constrict, rake, etc) can only trigger once per round and only trigger on checks to maintain to grapple, not checks to start it unless otherwise stated.

Greater Grapple gives you an additional +2 as before, but allows you to start a grapple in place of an attack and allows you to make attacks of opportunity while grappling instead of its normal effect.

Sample combat rounds
Creature with multiple natural attacks w/grab (eg giant octopus)
Round 1
Takes full attack
Makes first attack
Gets free grapple check from grab ability at +4
Successfully grabs an opponent
Immediately gains grappled condition (-4 dex, -2 atk, no AoO)
Makes subsequent attacks at a -2 for grappled
Deals damage, but cannot grapple again
Start grapple with 1 opponent per round max
Round 2
Chooses to maintain in place of an attack and takes full attack
Makes grapple check in place of first attack
Grapple check at a +2 (+4 grab, -2 grappled, no bonus) to maintain
Succeeds and deals normal damage + constrict
Makes second attack at a -2 for grappled
Gets free grapple check from grab ability at +2 (+4 grab, -2 grappled)
Successfully grabs second opponent
Immediately gains -5 to atk, CMB, CMD
Makes subsequent attacks (at -7 for grappled + multiple grapples)
Round 3
Continues to maintain grapples (forced to do so in place of attack) and lash out with other attacks
Makes grapple check in place of first attack
Grapple check at a -3 (+4 grab, -2 grappled, -5 mult. grapples) to maintain
Succeeds and deals normal damage + constrict
Makes grapple check in place of second attack
Grapple check at a -3 (+4 grab, -2 grappled, -5 mult. grapples) to maintain
Succeeds and deals normal damage + constrict
Makes subsequent attacks (at -7 for grappled + multiple grapples)
etc... remember that the octopus’ CMD is at -7 at this point (-4 dex grappled, -5 mult. grapples), so his grasp is easier to escape than it would be otherwise.

I am looking for feedback, suggestions, and concerns about these rules, since I would love to be able to use them against my players without breaking the game too horribly!
Antimagic and arrows
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Mauril wrote:

Well, actually, I'd not give the magical bonuses to the arrow on either attack, damage or special abilities. My reasoning is that the bow transfers all of its magical qualities to the arrow. It's not that the bow fires arrows more accurately, it's that the bow makes the arrow magically accurate.

Now, once this now-magicked arrow enters the antimagic field all of this magic ceases to function. This includes the magic that made it more accurate and the magic that made it deal more damage.

As to the next question about firing out of an AMF, it would depend. If the bow was supplying magical abilities to normal arrows, then the arrows that the AMF would be non-magical. This is because the thing that would normally provide the magic bonuses is currently unable to do so. However, if the arrow itself was magical, it would regain it once it left the AMF.

The way I have ruled this situation in the past has been this: All rolls that take place when the arrow is outside the AMF get full bonuses. All rolls that take place when the arrow is inside the AMF get no bonuses. Firing an arrow into the AMF would get full bonuses on attack (rolled before arrow enter amf) but no bonuses on damage (rolled after arrow enters AMF). Firing an arrow out of an AMF would get none of the attack bonuses but would still receive the damage bonus assuming it hit something outside the AMF.

Question on blue dragons and earth subtype
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Sorry I did not answer your question properly in my original post. Blue dragons do not have tremorsense because all true dragons have blindsense which includes all the benefits of tremorsense I believe.