Phase spider Grapple Question

[Wolfability]

Recently my DM put my party and me against two Phase Spiders. The party consists of a Cleric, a Barbarian, a Sorcerer, and a Magus, all level 7. The Dm played the phase spiders so that they just continued to attack us and get the free grapple. Then on the next round if we were grappled they got the free attack. He is attributing this to the rules on grab for creatures. "If the creature does not constrict, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals the damage indicated for the attack that established the hold." It seems strange to me that the spider can continue to grapple us and we have no way to escape since their CMD is so high, and we roll abysmally. It is literally impossible for our sorcerer to escape the grapple because his CMB is too low. Are we interpreting this correctly and just have to hope we roll better or is this incorrect?

Phase Spider

Grab rules

[kaisc006]

The Phase Spiders don't get a free attack. They can either drop you as a free action or use their standard action to maintain the grapple. If they succeed, they then immediately deal damage to you. It appears Grab is not like a normal grapple.

Normally, after a successful standard action to maintain the grapple you can choose to move, damage, pin, or tie up. It appears grab only allows you to take the damage option.

It doesn't explicitly state this but otherwise grab would allow you to deal damage + constrict after a successful standard action to maintain then you could also choose the damage option to deal another damage + constrict. That doesn't seem right.

In terms of being able to escape, I'm sure your sorcerer has trouble. Escape Artist was built for low-BAB classes to escape grapples. I'm not saying it was wrong of the sorcerer to not invest in Escape Artist, I'm just saying that it doesn't surprise me that without it he has no chance of escaping any grapple.

[Scott Wilhelm]

Your GM might have made the Phase Spiders more powerful than they normally are, but if your rolled badly, you rolled badly.

[Dr Styx]

Ethereal Jaunt wrote:

You become ethereal, along with your equipment.

The big advantage of the Phase Spider is its ability to shift to the Eathral Plain to avoid attacks. Which it can’t do if it’s maintaining a Hold or Grapple on an opponent.

Grab wrote:

The creature has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use the part of its body it used in the grab to hold the opponent. If it chooses to do the latter, it takes a –20 penalty on its CMB check to make and maintain the grapple, but does not gain the grappled condition itself. A successful hold does not deal any extra damage unless the creature also has the constrict special attack. If the creature does not constrict, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals the damage indicated for the attack that established the hold. Otherwise, it deals constriction damage as well (the amount is given in the creature’s descriptive text).

If the Phase Spider does maintain the grapple normally, it is also gains the grappled condition (-4 to Dex, can’t move). Or it can just maintains the Hold with its Bite not gaining the grappled condition, but it is easier to escape from (-20 CMB). Both of which will automatically deal its Bite damage, but will be still on the Material Plaine.