Can you power attack during a grapple?

[Lawful Evil GM]

Assume the creature with the control of the grapple is a lvl 11 tetori. Is he able to use power attack during the damage option following a grapple check?

Would the grapple check take the attack penalty of power attack?

Last question, during the damage option following a grapple check, do you have to make an attack roll if your doing unarmed or light weapon damage?

Also, if power attack is allowed, Cornugon Smash would work, right?

[Kazaan]

PRD wrote:

Grapple:

...
Damage: You can inflict damage to your target equal to your unarmed strike, a natural attack, or an attack made with armor spikes or a light or one-handed weapon. This damage can be either lethal or nonlethal.

Then, Power Attack reads as follows:

PRD wrote:

Benefit: You can choose to take a –1 penalty on all melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks to gain a +2 bonus on all melee damage rolls...

I'd argue that the Grapple Check to deal damage which deals damage "equal to the damage you'd deal if making an unarmed strike, etc., etc." qualifies since Power Attack doesn't specify that you must actually make a melee attack to trigger it; just that all melee damage is affected. So, for example, a lvl 11 Monk deals 1d10 Unarmed Strike damage. For the sake of example, we'll say you have a +3 Str bonus and no other bonuses added to attack damage. When you Power Attack, your Unarmed Strike damage goes from 1d10+3 to 1d10+9; therefore, when you deal damage on a grapple check based on your Unarmed Strike damage, the damage will be 1d10+9 if you're using Power Attack and you'll take the -3 penalty to the grapple check. Cornugon Smash would seem to apply as well.

[Lumiere Dawnbringer]

if you took the power attack penalty to your CMB, you would get the bonus power attack damage bonus on the grapple damage.

so at 11th level, that is -3 to CMB for +6 to damage.

i don't know if Cornugon smash would apply, but visually, it would both make sense and be pretty badass, in a Bad Cop/Inquisition/Torquemada kinda way.

[Gilfalas]

Lawful Evil GM wrote:

Assume the creature with the control of the grapple is a lvl 11 tetori. Is he able to use power attack during the damage option following a grapple check?

Would the grapple check take the attack penalty of power attack?

Last question, during the damage option following a grapple check, do you have to make an attack roll if your doing unarmed or light weapon damage?

Also, if power attack is allowed, Cornugon Smash would work, right?

Anyone can power attack during a grapple since a grapple check is a CMB check which IS a combat roll.

Yes the grapple check would take the power attack penalty.

The grapple check maintains the grapple and allows the damage in one roll.

Cornugon Smash should work fine with this combination.

[shroudb]

yeah i agree that when you grapple for maintain and choose damage, you can power attack with a penalty to att and bonus to damage. as pointed out, power attack has a clause for cmb checks and grapple damages like a melee attack.

it can become pretty brutal with constrict too, since you basically gain 2* the damage of the power attack or with the grab ability with a natural attack that allows 1-1/2 str (and pa) damage on the natural attack.

[Lawful Evil GM]

Thanks all!

[Wiggz]

Thread necro for follow-up: If you have Furious Focus and Power Attack, will you take your CMB penalty when making your check to maintain the grapple each round?

[Talonhawke]

Yes you still take the penalty because furious focus only reduced the melee attack roll portion of power attack.

Furious Focus (Combat):

Even in the midst of fierce and furious blows, you can find focus in the carnage and your seemingly wild blows strike home.

Prerequisites: Str 13, Power Attack, base attack bonus +1.

Benefit: When you are wielding a two-handed weapon or a one-handed weapon with two hands, and using the Power Attack feat, you do not suffer Power Attack’s penalty on melee attack rolls on the first attack you make each turn. You still suffer the penalty on any additional attacks, including attacks of opportunity.

[Chess Pwn]

So CMB is a melee attack roll so that's not the issue.
The issue is that someone who is grappling, isn't normally wielding a weapon in two hands also.

[Wiggz]

Thanks, guys. I assumed grappling used two hands and, as an attack roll using two hands, Furious Focus applied.

[blahpers]

Grappling does (usually) involve two hands, but it doesn't (usually) involve wielding a weapon with two hands, which is the requirement for Furious Focus.

[Talonhawke]

Chess Pwn wrote:

So CMB is a melee attack roll so that's not the issue.

The issue is that someone who is grappling, isn't normally wielding a weapon in two hands also.

I went with that only because of the way power attack is worded, where it differentiates between the melee attacks and Combat maneuvers.