I'm looking at the Canopy Creeper's stats in Skull and Shackles. It has for a ranged attack 4 tendrils that have grab, pull, and an ability called feed.
I know that when you are grappling someone, you need (barring certain feats) to spend a standard action to maintain the grapple or you release it. But this creature has 4 tendrils with grab. Can it only maintain the grapple on one creature per round? This seems a bit silly, flavor-wise. It grabs 4 creatures but then just drops 3 to focus on one of them?
Alternatively, what if the creeper just uses the vine to grapple (taking the -20 penalty) and doesn't gain the grappled condition itself. Does this matter at all? Would it then be able to maintain the grapple on more than one person?
And if it is not allowed, what about the "pull" ability that says you can make a CMB check as a free action. Suppose the creeper hits four people with its tendrils and grabs them on round 1. On round 2, instead of maintaining the grapple with a standard, could it full attack again using pull on all of them?
I'm a bit unclear on how this would work.
Thanks!
Anybody know the answer to this?
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The way I understand your main question: Can a creature who is grappling multiple foes maintain each grapple as part of the same action?
I do not have a confident answer to that. My understanding is that you can initiate a grapple with as many foes as you have attacks with Grab. After the first successful Grab you take penalties for being in a grapple. Penalties are not cumulative as the Grappled condition is a toggle (you either are or are not grappled and severity is not tracked.) Nothing I have read indicates you can maintain more than one grapple even with multiple limbs and natural attacks. This is further supported by grapple's text indicating you cannot take any actions requiring two limbs.
I do, however, have a tactic that you might find effective.
On Canopy Creeper's turn it attacks and succeeds at x grab attempts and has x players grappled. Each success from one of the vine tendrils applies feed and x players are pulled.
Players proceed with their turns and must deal with grapple penalties, etc...
Canopy Creeper releases all grapple but one as a free action on the start of its turn. The unlucky player is pulled further, etc. If any of the released PC's were airborne they take falling damage as appropriate and then Canopy Creeper attacks and applies new grapples as allowed.
Repeat.
I would also suggest using Pull to deliberately separate the party.