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Attacking While Grappled

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Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

My group had a few questions about attacking while grappled:
1st) How many attacks can you make while grappled? A full round attack? One with each hand? Only one?

2nd) When you are swallowed whole by a dragon, could you sit in it's stomach and kill it from the inside? Or does the damage needed to cut your way out not affect the total hp of the dragon?
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First question: "How many attacks can you make while grappled? A full round attack? One with each hand? Only one?"

SRD; Conditions: Grappled:
A grappled creature is restrained by a creature, trap, or effect. Grappled creatures cannot move and take a –4 penalty to Dexterity. A grappled creature takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls and combat maneuver checks, except those made to grapple or escape a grapple. In addition, grappled creatures can take no action that requires two hands to perform. A grappled character who attempts to cast a spell or use a spell-like ability must make a concentration check (DC 10 + grappler's CMB + spell level), or lose the spell. Grappled creatures cannot make attacks of opportunity.

A grappled creature cannot use Stealth to hide from the creature grappling it, even if a special ability, such as hide in plain sight, would normally allow it to do so. If a grappled creature becomes invisible, through a spell or other ability, it gains a +2 circumstance bonus on its CMD to avoid being grappled, but receives no other benefit.

Casting Spells while Grappled/Grappling: The only spells which can be cast while grappling or pinned are those without somatic components and whose material components (if any) you have in hand. Even so, you must make a concentration check (DC 10 + the grappler's CMB + the level of the spell you're casting) or lose the spell.

Answer: As many as you would be able to make with only one hand free.

*****

Examples:
A Monk, a 2-handed Barbarian and a dex-based Rogue walks into a bar...

And they are all immediately grappled by the bouncers since adventurers have a history of starting bar fights. (the irony is lost on the bouncers)

The Monk can use any part of her body for her flurry, so her number of attacks isn't limited by being grappled.

The Barbarian needs two hands to wield his greatclub, so he can't actually make any attacks while grappled.

The Rogue attempts to use TWF, but can't as he would need both of his arms free. He can still attack with one of his hands, and would be granted iterative attacks if his BAB is high enough.

(Grappled creatures take a -2 penalty to attack rolls, and -4 to dexterity, so the dex-based Rogue would have a total penalty of -4 to all attack rolls.)

Yep, you can attack as many times as your actions and free hands allow. It does put the creature maintaining the grapple at a bit of a disadvantage in that regard but it is useful for preventing enemies from using two handed weapons.

Second question: "When you are swallowed whole by a dragon, could you sit in it's stomach and kill it from the inside? Or does the damage needed to cut your way out not affect the total hp of the dragon?"

SRD; Bestiary; Rules for Monsters; Universal Monster Rules: Swallow Whole:
If a creature with this special attack begins its turn with an opponent grappled in its mouth (see Grab), it can attempt a new combat maneuver check (as though attempting to pin the opponent). If it succeeds, it swallows its prey, and the opponent takes bite damage. Unless otherwise noted, the opponent can be up to one size category Smaller than the swallowing creature. Being swallowed causes a creature to take damage each round. The amount and type of damage varies and is given in the creature’s statistics. A swallowed creature keeps the grappled condition, while the creature that did the swallowing does not. A swallowed creature can try to cut its way free with any light slashing or piercing weapon (the amount of cutting damage required to get free is equal to 1/10 the creature’s total hit points), or it can just try to escape the grapple. The Armor Class of the interior of a creature that swallows whole is normally 10 + 1/2 its natural armor bonus, with no modifiers for size or Dexterity. If a swallowed creature cuts its way out, the swallowing creature cannot use swallow whole again until the damage is healed. If the swallowed creature escapes the grapple, success puts it back in the attacker’s mouth, where it may be bitten or swallowed again.

Sean K Reynolds wrote:
Jason Wu wrote:
Sean K Reynolds wrote:

If you are swallowed, you are restricted in your actions (as per the grapple condition). You also have the option of cutting yourself free (which you don't have for a normal, non-swallow, grapple situation).

The bit about "just try to escape from the grapple" is a reiteration of the normal option for being grappled; it's not limiting your options to just cut-or-escape.

What options if you just decide to stay in the creature and murderize it from the inside?

-j

See the grapple rules.

Answer: I guess. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But I find it hard to rationalize voluntarily staying inside the stomach of a monster.

I had a group that ended up getting swallowed so often then devised a teamwork feat that would let them flank from any square in range if one of the party was swallowed.
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

The reason I ask is because I was running Wrath of the Righteous, killed one party member, swallowed the war priest and paladin, and was all ready to go dragono a gnomo on the sorcerer, the only one left alive and uneaten. She just ran as fast as she could and the rest of the party was content to sit in its stomach with fast healing and take the 5-10 damage a turn in order to just shred it from the inside. And it couldn't hit them back lol.

On that note, how does freedom of movement work if you have something inside of you doing that? The dragon had it, but does it just vomit them up once it wants to? It can voluntarily escape grapples is I think how it reads
Salbade wrote:

The reason I ask is because I was running Wrath of the Righteous, killed one party member, swallowed the war priest and paladin, and was all ready to go dragono a gnomo on the sorcerer, the only one left alive and uneaten. She just ran as fast as she could and the rest of the party was content to sit in its stomach with fast healing and take the 5-10 damage a turn in order to just shred it from the inside. And it couldn't hit them back lol.

On that note, how does freedom of movement work if you have something inside of you doing that? The dragon had it, but does it just vomit them up once it wants to? It can voluntarily escape grapples is I think how it reads

Well, the dragon loses the grappled condition when they are swallowed whole, so even if it can voluntarily escape grapples that isn't applicable in this situation.

Swallow Whole is a tricky ability. And if you don't use it correctly, then it will hurt you more than them.

Good targets: The two-handed bruiser, the wizard.

Bad targets: Everyone who fights with a one-handed weapon.

*****

Now, did both the paladin and warpriest fight with one-handed weapons? If not, then they wouldn't have been able to do any damage.

Magi are also good targets for grappling due to the high concentration checks they have to make.

So, can my ranger still 2WF while grappled? (Weapons are dwarven waraxe and dwarven boulder helmet, so one hand and one headbutt.)

Sure then. One hand occupied. Rest is good to go.
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Wonderstell wrote:
Salbade wrote:

The reason I ask is because I was running Wrath of the Righteous, killed one party member, swallowed the war priest and paladin, and was all ready to go dragono a gnomo on the sorcerer, the only one left alive and uneaten. She just ran as fast as she could and the rest of the party was content to sit in its stomach with fast healing and take the 5-10 damage a turn in order to just shred it from the inside. And it couldn't hit them back lol.

On that note, how does freedom of movement work if you have something inside of you doing that? The dragon had it, but does it just vomit them up once it wants to? It can voluntarily escape grapples is I think how it reads

Well, the dragon loses the grappled condition when they are swallowed whole, so even if it can voluntarily escape grapples that isn't applicable in this situation.

Swallow Whole is a tricky ability. And if you don't use it correctly, then it will hurt you more than them.

Good targets: The two-handed bruiser, the wizard.

Bad targets: Everyone who fights with a one-handed weapon.

*****

Now, did both the paladin and warpriest fight with one-handed weapons? If not, then they wouldn't have been able to do any damage.

Yeah both used one handed weapons. Sad day.

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