Benefit: Whenever you damage an opponent with a piercing weapon, you can immediately make a grapple check; success means the opponent is impaled on your weapon and you both gain the grappled condition. While the opponent is impaled, as an attack action you may make a grapple check on your turn at a –4 penalty to damage the opponent with your weapon, even if your weapon cannot normally be used in a grapple.
Now Hamatula Strike allows you to perform a grapple check (at -4) to deal weapon damage instead of unarmed on an grappled opponent using the feat. My question is, could you still perform any of the other grapple actions (Move, pin) with the weapon? If so, would those actions also be at the -4?
The feat seems very vague about this. It depends on how this is ruled. If it is a standard grapple that this feat initiates, then I would take that to mean, RAW, that any grapple action could be taken (move, pin, unarmed harm damage) without the -4 penalty, and harm with the weapon at -4. But if the intention is that you are performing a special grapple-like action, then it is not the same as a standard grapple and follows it's own rules.
So can you perform a Pin or Move action while using Hamatula Strike? Would a -4 penalty apply? I can't seem to pin where this one falls under the rules.
Wow, nobody has any idea on this?
Wow, nobody has any idea on this?
My guess would be that you can only do damage, but that's me. The feat allows for a special case of initiating a grapple, but since it's a special case, your options are limited (to doing damage, in this case) and harder to pull off (hence the -4) than usual.
But I'm not a designer, so make of that what you will. ^_-
What is the origin of the feat? You might be able to look at the source for potential examples (if it's say, an adventure or something).
Though the feat doesn't state it, one could easily assume that the attack at -4 is your only option. I'd be reluctant to allow pins and so forth because of the -4 to attack. If you could pin, then why wouldn't you? You wouldn't take the -4 so that seems like a better option. Hence why I wouldn't allow it.
The feat is from the Cheliax companion guide.
Well, this is why I would assume, if possible, it is intended that all options would be at -4. Let's assume harm is indeed the only option when using the feat. After successfully grappling with your weapon, could you then drop the weapon as a free action, but continue to maintain the grapple? If you could, from there you could then proceed to pin at no penalty.
I would think that RAW supports the above action, however RAI is that you are exerting your control over your opponent through the weapon they are skewered on. If that's the case, could you not drag them around on your weapon, moving them? Or drive the tip they're skewered on into the ground, effectively pinning him?