Decapus - Bestiary #2 p. 77

[SunKing]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Looking for a little guidance.

1. Does the Decapus in the Bestiary #2 get 10 tentacle attacks, all at +8?

2. If so, is this only as part of a full attack, in that a melee attack as a standard action would only involve its bite?

3. As it can grab with its tentacles, does this mean it could conceivably constrict with up to 10 different tentacles, if all ten hit and were grappling?

Overall, this is a question I've had since I bought Bestiary #1 Spring 2010 - which attack does the monster use for a simple melee attack, when several are listed? Obviously, it uses all of them for a full attack.

Thanks for any and all counsel in this regard.

The SunKing.

[Jadeite]

1. The decapus has only one tentacles attack, similar to the octopus (but not the giant octopus) and the squid.
2. As a standard action, the decapus would be able to attack with either its bite or its tentacles.

[SunKing]

Jadeite wrote:

1. The decapus has only one tentacles attack, similar to the octopus (but not the giant octopus) and the squid.

2. As a standard action, the decapus would be able to attack with either its bite or its tentacles.

Check and thanks.

Is this how you handle all standard attacks, in that you choose which of the melee attacks listed you use? I've usually defaulted to using the first attack listed if they only have a standard action, and all of them if they have the opportunity of using the full attack option.

[Jadeite]

SunKing wrote:

Is this how you handle all standard attacks, in that you choose which of the melee attacks listed you use? I've usually defaulted to using the first attack listed if they only have a standard action, and all of them if they have the opportunity of using the full attack option.

The first attack is usually also the strongest, but there are cases when other attacks are more useful.

For example, while the bite attack of the giant squid has a higher attack bonus, the tentacles have a longer reach. They are free to chose.

[SunKing]

[The first attack is usually also the strongest, but there are cases when other attacks are more useful.
For example, while the bite attack of the giant squid has a higher attack bonus, the tentacles have a longer reach. They are free to chose.

This seems like sage advice to me, but I don't think I'm alone in suggesting that actual rules on this are nowhere to be found in either the Core Rulebook or the Bestiary. Of course, the 3.5 MMs told you what would be the standard melee attack; in the case of many monsters, this was a claw attack, and that two claws and a bite would follow in the case of a full attack.

However, your reasoning allows for flexibility - choose the attack that's best for the circumstances, given that you decide the monster is smart enough to make that call...