I like the idea of PF being backwards compatable to an extent so being that I only have the innital beastary I can only use a race for Races of the Wild to illustrate my idea and pose my question. Here it goes
If I make a Raptorian with a high strength and muleback cords, could I have him go Tetori to be a crazing grapple grabbing opponents and taking off with them to heights and droppig them. Someone had said that you could grapple as apart of a charge so could you use fly by attack to grapple the opponent with you up in the air. This seems like a good bit of fun and an effective way to handle things once you get ahold of the grab ability. and the only damper to the tactic would be to be stuck in a dundgoncrawl.
Anyways thanks for the help clarifying.
I understand that the raptorian may have to wait to lift his opponents till he is higher level and the penalties for grappleing are largely erased thanks to graceful grapple.
I don't see why arial grapples would not work. The only problem I see is that this tactic would take a minimum of 2 rounds and 2 succesful grapple checks, as well as 2 failed checks by your opponent to break free to succeed.
In round 1, grapple the opponent as a standard action (make a grapple check)
In the opponent's round, he makes a grapple check to either become the controller or to break free
In round 2, make a grapple check, then chose to move the opponent up to half your movement (and half again if you want to ascend at a 45 degree angle). If you move your opponent to a hazardous destination (anywhere in the air would certainly count), your opponent can make a grapple check to break free. If you fail any of these checks, or if the opponent succeeds, he breaks free.
btw, at a move rate of 30, you would be able to move your opponent a total distance of 5 feet into the air, because you have to halve it twice. At a move rate 40, you would get your opponent 10 feet in the air, and could do 1d6 points of damage from the drop.
Feats like flyby would not work btw. You could grapple as part of your charge, but you can only move while grappling if you start your turn as the controller.