Kusarigama is an eastern weapon that is light one-handed sickle with a 10ft light chain attacked to the bottom. At the end of the chain is a small weight. The weapon's qualities are: Double, Monk, Reach, Trip, and Grapple.
The Grapple quality says this: On a successful critical hit the wielder can attempt a combat maneuver check to grapple his opponent as a free action. The grapple attempt does no provoke an attack of opportunity from the creature you are attempting to grapple if it does not threaten you. While grappling with the weapon you can only move or damage the target on your turn. You are still considered grappled though you do not have to be adjacent for this condition, nor be adjacent to continue the grapple. If you move out of the weapon's reach, you end the grapple.
So my questions are:
1)Can you only move or damage the target with your turn once grappling the opponent because that is the normal grapple rules, or if I gain the Greater Grapple feat, can I take two grapple actions?
2) Does the ability to initiate a grapple on a critical hit only count for the chain end?
3) Can I attempt to make a grapple check with the chain end anyway as per the normal action without having to score a critical hit? And can I do this from a distance with Reach?
4) If using the weapon to grapple, from a distance or not, do I suffer from the -4 penalty because I do not have two free hands with which to sufficiently grapple my opponent?
5) Also, is it possible to trip with the chain from a distance?
Overall, the weapon should really have been specified in the description. As written the weapon abilities affect both ends, including reach, so the sickle cannot be used against adjacent enemies. However, it doesn't seem like it is supposed to be like that, and fixing it can be done somewhat easily.
1) Per normal grapple rules. So yes, you can take two grapple actions with greater grapple.
2) As above, the text should specify it. But I think it is a reasonable interpretation to leave that part to the chain end.
3) You cannot normally make grapple attempts with weapons, so no.
4) If you are grappling with the weapon, throught the grapple special ability, you don't get the -4 penalty.
5) As 2), the text doesn't disallow it. But based on the text, I would say that it is intended to be a function of the sickle alone: "The sickle is used to make trips, jabs, and blocks while the ball is whipped around at high speeds and then smashed into the opponent".
1)Can you only move or damage the target with your turn once grappling the opponent because that is the normal grapple rules, or if I gain the Greater Grapple feat, can I take two grapple actions?
That is not the normal grapple rules. When grappling a creature normally, you can move, damage, pin, or tie up. When grappling with the weapon, you can only move or damage the target.
2) Does the ability to initiate a grapple on a critical hit only count for the chain end?
Nobody knows how those weapons work. If the description is just fluff, then the special qualities apply to the entire weapon. If it's not fluff, then you can only trip, jab, and block with the sickle end. Either way, since it doesn't mention grappling, I think it's safe to assume you can use the grapple quality with either end.
3) Can I attempt to make a grapple check with the chain end anyway as per the normal action without having to score a critical hit? And can I do this from a distance with Reach?
Per the Combat Maneuvers and Weapon Special Features blog: "Disarm, sunder, and trip are normally the only kinds of combat maneuvers in which you’re actually using a weapon (natural weapons and unarmed strikes are considered weapons for this purpose) to perform the maneuver, and therefore the weapon’s bonuses (enhancement bonuses, feats such as Weapon Focus, fighter weapon training, and so on) apply to the roll."
The grapple special quality only works on a critical hit.
4) If using the weapon to grapple, from a distance or not, do I suffer from the -4 penalty because I do not have two free hands with which to sufficiently grapple my opponent?
Good question! I think by RAW, yes. I also think that's silly.
5) Also, is it possible to trip with the chain from a distance?
As #2 above. The weapon doesn't really function as written, as "off-hand" only exists when Two-Weapon Fighting. Perhaps you can use it two-handed and attack at reach with either end?
There was a Kusarigama FAQ request around here somewhere, I'll see if I can find it. -edit- Found it!
Alright, this proves that I was thinking the right way in terms of how the weapon worked, however...
When grappling an opponent form a distance, can you get 2 actions from Greater grapple and do you suffer the -4 penalty for not having 2 hands free? There still seems to be some mystery about this.
I suppose there are strong arguments for both sides but I personally think the -4 penalty applies (though for the sake of a ninja I rolled up for fun I'd be thrilled to be proven wrong), and I suppose since the weapon description states you can only make one action, you can only make one action.