Xill's aren't humanoids though, they are outsiders. Also, the xill stat block seems to include both sword/sword/claw/shield and claw/claw/claw/claw options for attacks.
The +4 CMB to grapple may only be applicable to the 4-claws attack routine. The DM could also argue that because xills aren't humanoids, the -4 penalty doesn't apply even if they only have 1 free claw.
The rules are generally written from a PC-centric point of view and most player races only have two hands so as long as xill has two free hands it should be ok.
I see your point, but I'm not entirely convinced they were referring explicitly to the humanoid subtype in the grapple rules.
By your logic, a vampire would only need one hand to grapple, because it's not a humanoid, it's an undead.
I think in this case, they meant the non-mechanical definition of humanoid "having an appearance or character resembling that of a human."
In this sense, I would say a Xill counts as humanoid, it has a torso, a head, legs, and arms, it just happens to have an extra set of arms. One could accurately and quickly describe it by saying "Like a human but with an extra set of arms"
This still gives the Xill an advantage, as it is much easier for a Xill to have 2 hands free compared to a human.
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced the +16 Grapple refers to the "all claws, no swords" version of the Xill.
A vampire has a humanoid shape so it still needs two hands, so that still fits my logic. Basically you need 2 hands to do the grapple if you do not want a penalty.
The Xill has a +16 because of the "grab" feature which grants a +4 to start a grapple, not because it has extra hands.
A T-Rex has a grab on its bite. Fortunately its hands are free (as they are too small to hold anything.) to help with the grapple. hehehe
I would totally allow a vampire to grapple with just one hand free, because they are supernatural creatures. I can also see a vampire picking up somebody by the neck and holding them up (grappled) :P
A T-Rex has a grab on its bite. Fortunately its hands are free (as they are too small to hold anything.) to help with the grapple. hehehe
I would totally allow a vampire to grapple with just one hand free, because they are supernatural creatures. I can also see a vampire picking up somebody by the neck and holding them up (grappled) :P
A vampire can grapple with one hand, but it takes a penalty.
The rules are a little ambiguous here, mainly due to the overloaded meaning of "humanoid". In general, the intent appears to be that you are penalized if you don't have the ability to get an effective grip on the opponent. For player races, this generally requires two hands. For animals, the jaws, pincers, or even body (in the case of sinuous creatures) can substitute on a GM-adjudicated basis. An armadillo would have a penalty to grapple (indeed, it might not be able to grapple at all), but a crocodile would not so long as its mouth isn't obstructed. It's safe to assume that anything with the grab ability is probably not intended to take the one-handed grapple penalty.