My group has recently started a Pathfinder game, and I must say I'm finding the grappling rules just as confusing as they were in 3.5, just in different ways.
These three paragraphs each seem to be saying slightly different things:
"To cast a spell with a somatic (S) component, you must gesture freely with at least one hand. You can't cast a spell of this type while bound, grappling, or with both your hands full or occupied."
"Grappled: [...] In addition, grappled creatures can take no action that requires two hands to perform. A grappled character who attempts to cast a spell must make a concentration check (DC 10 + grappler's CMB + spell level), or lose the spell.."
"If You Are Grappled: [...] Instead of attempting to break or reverse the grapple, you can take any action that requires only one hand to perform, such as cast a spell or make an attack with a light or one-handed weapon against any creature within your reach, including the creature that is grappling you."
So what does happen if you are grappled and want to cast a spell?
Sorry, can't do it (paragraph #1)?
Sure, since it takes only one hand, but you'll have to make a concentration check (paragraph #2)?
Sure, if you make your grapple check (paragraph #3)?
I think I prefer the second option, since it makes grappling less of a lockdown ability. It's still pretty ugly (penalties, concentration checks, no big weapons...) but at least you get to do your thing rather than being forced to beat the grappler at their own game (the third option: you know you can't beat a giant octopus at grappling so you want to try a spell or a blade? sure, you just have to beat it at grappling first!)
Is there an official clarification on this?
Your first paragraph was correctly copied from the Combat section (note, please use page numbers next time - it took me a while to find each of your specific quotes and match them to their context). I understand your concern, but I am very sure that this line is incorrect, since every other place in the book (Grapple, Grappled Condition, Concentration, Spell Components, etc.) all say otherwise, with very detailed explanations. For me, when rules contradict each other, I choose the one with detailed descriptions and formulae over the one with just a careless word in a sentence any day.
Your third paragraph says nothing about making a Grapple check to cast a spell. Your elipsis (the three little dots) left out a whole bunch of text. Reread the whole paragraph and you will see that if you are grappled, you can try to escape or reverse by making a check, or you can take any action that requires only one hand. That's a very important "or" so I bolded it.
Which leave only paragraph #2, the correct answer, as confirmed in multiple places in the book.
If you are grappled (have the Grappled condition) you can cast any spell as long as two things are true:
1. You make the Concentration check as described
2. The spell you choose does not have a material component or you already have that material component in your hand.
I wonder if the sentence you pointed out in your paragraph #1 has been submitted to the Errata thread (I never read that, but I bet lots of people here know it by rote).
Based (solely) on what Jasin posted, it looks as though you can't cast spells with Somatic components while in a grapple at all. If the spell doesn't have such a component (or if you are using Silent spell) then you can cast the spell, but with great difficulty: you must succeed on a concentration check AND must have the appropriate material component already in hand in order to cast properly.
I don't see any contradictions within the quoted text at all.
From what I see there are three ways you can get to the point of casting a spell from a grapple:
1. The spell has no somatic components, you are holding/don't need the material components and you succeed on the concentration check.
2. You successfully make a grapple check and choose to cast a spell with one hand as per the grapple rules instead of breaking free.
3. You break free and cast the spell.
That's the way it reads to me at least. The reason for number two is the fact that the grapple rules specifically allow you to on a successful check make attacks with weapons in one hand, or perform other one handed tasks specifically and explicitly including casting spells.
Actually, I now have a new reading which is slightly different from all of the above, and seems to fit all three paragraphs.
If you are grappling an opponent, you can't cast somatic spells.
If you are grappled by an opponent, you can 1) make a check to escape the grapple; 2) make a check to reverse the grapple; 3) take an action that requires a single hand like an attack with penalties for grappling, or a spell (somatic components are OK) with the concentration check for grappling, or something else entirely.
What do you think?
Actually, I now have a new reading which is slightly different from all of the above, and seems to fit all three paragraphs.
If you are grappling an opponent, you can't cast somatic spells.
If you are grappled by an opponent, you can 1) make a check to escape the grapple; 2) make a check to reverse the grapple; 3) take an action that requires a single hand like an attack with penalties for grappling, or a spell (somatic components are OK) with the concentration check for grappling, or something else entirely.
What do you think?
Yes, that's my understanding; "grappling" is not the same as "grappled".
If the one doing the grappling were specifically taking the -4 penalty for grappling with only one hand, I'd let him use the other hand to cast a spell, however.
Actually, I now have a new reading which is slightly different from all of the above, and seems to fit all three paragraphs.
If you are grappling an opponent, you can't cast somatic spells.
If you are grappled by an opponent, you can 1) make a check to escape the grapple; 2) make a check to reverse the grapple; 3) take an action that requires a single hand like an attack with penalties for grappling, or a spell (somatic components are OK) with the concentration check for grappling, or something else entirely.
What do you think?
Ok, but I'm not sure about somatic and material components.
Pag. 206: "Grappling or Pinned: The only spells you can 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."
Do you think that grappling and grappled are two different concepts? Maybe.
Edit: In 3.5 if you were involved in a grapple you couldn't cast spells with somatic or material components, I don't know if the idea was to change that rule in Pathfinder.
The section that talks about grappling most directly (If You Are Grappled, p. 201) seems to be saying you can do one-hand stuff even while grappled. As a default, that would include somatic spells. This is the section in which I would expect to find most of the relevant rules, rather than go hunting for exceptions in the somatic components section. After all, you don't check in the illusion (pattern) section to see whether it perhaps disallows illusion (pattern) spells while grappled.
Certainly, other sections which refer to grappling obliquely can be read to disallow somatic spells, or not, depending on which sections are contingent on which, whether grappling and grappled are different conditions, and whether we consider the possibility of some text simply being mistakenly left over from 3E.
So I'm thinking the intent was to change it, and to make grapple less of a lockdown ability. You're held in place, and there are hefty penalties, but if you're a fighter, you still get to swing your sword, and if you're a wizard, you still get to cast your spell, rather than being reduced to engaging the grappler on their own terms like in 3E (escape? grapple check! draw a weapon? grapple check! spell? can't! damage? grapple check!)
The ambiguities I'd ascribe to editing oversights. For example, Table 8-6: Armor Class modifiers (p. 195) is certainly one such, since it's the only place (I've seen) that lists 3E-style modifiers (+0, but no Dex) for being grappled, rather than referencing the new and completely different grappled condition.
But I'm interested in other opinions, and especially on some word from the designers.
(...)
That's not a exception in the somatic component sections, that's a general rule for casting spells in a grapple in the first page of the Magic chapter, if that's not relevant for casting spells I could ignore concealment, cover, LOS and lines of effect among other things.
You copied the same general rule from the Combat Chapter, "Cast a Spell" section:
"To cast a spell with a somatic (S) component, you must gesture freely with at least one hand. You can't cast a spell of this type while bound, grappling, or with both your hands full or occupied."
In fact the exceptions come from specific rules, i.e. special attacks.
Imho we aren't going into obscure rules there, the problem is the meaning of those rules.
I agree that supossing that grappling and grappled are two different conditions, fits better with the rules stated in the "grappled" condition or the rules for the grapple special attack, but I wouldn't bet 1$ for that.
I think it makes sense grappling vs grappled.
Only the person 'grappling' can chose to end the grapple at any time, meaning they are the one in control, hence they cant let up to try and cast a spell.
This is just my view, but the person controlling the grapple cant cast any spells, the person being grapple can cast spells, but if there is a component, they need to have it in their hand, and they still need to make the concentration check.
my 2 cents.