Grab / Constrict / Grapple - Can damage up to 3 times!?

[Barachiel Shina]

Question on monsters with the Grab/Constrict special attacks.

Ok, so say a monster has Tentacle damage + grab.

It hits, makes the grapple check and succeeds.

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 grapple combat maneuver check it succeeds at during successive rounds automatically deals the damage indicated for the attack that established the hold. Otherwise, it deals constrict and grapple damage (the amount is given in the creature’s descriptive text).

So this is pretty clear. If it only has Grab, each successful grapple check to maintain the grapple does automatic damage of the type used for the grab. If it has constrict, it also does constrict damage. Pretty nasty, cool.

But now when we go to read about Grapple and Maintaining Grapples, we come to this section:

Once you are grappling an opponent, a successful check allows you to continue grappling the foe, and also allows you to perform one of the following actions (as part of the standard action spent to maintain the 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.
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So does this technically mean I can have a monster:

1) Attack with natural attack and deal damage plus Grab; succeed at Grapple and deal constrict damage
2) Next turn, maintain the Grapple
2A) Deal automatic damage with the natural attack made to grapple
2B) Deal constrict damage
2C) Choose the "Damage" option and inflict natural attack damage again

[Belafon]

First round is correct. Creature Attacks for damage, grabs, and constricts for damage.

Second (and subsequent) rounds: Creature uses a standard action to maintain the grapple. If successful, they automatically deal the constrict damage and do the same damage as the original attack.

In your example
1)
2)
2B)
2C)
are all correct.

2A) does not happen.

[zza ni]

mind you there is a path to deal a lot more damage. that is when a creature has grab to all it's natural attacks (maybe via feats for companion and such) beside the constrict (more so if it has pounce). like a Giant Octopus who somehow got constrict. and it let go as a free action between each attack.

say a creature with pounce+grab+constrict that has bite and two claws. it could potentially do:

round #1:
-> charge + pounce >hit with a bite (damage) > grab to constrict(damage) >let go as free action
-> hit attack with claw#1 (damage) > grab to constrict (damage) > let go as a free action
-> hit with claw#2 (damage) > grab and constrict (damage). keep on grappling (just to make it harder on the target).

round #2: start with letting go and then do the same again as round #1. (minus the charge)

the giant octopus from before would have done all these with EACH tentacle

......................

before the feat tree of Final embrace was nurfed to have higher requirements a tiger companion with it could have done all that + get two racke attacks in as well.
If it had the 2nd feat in the chain the target would have been panicked after the 3rd attack (fear effects stack unless specifically called out not to) which would mean it couldn't try and get free via a grapple check, which is an attack, and only rely on it's escape artist skill.

[zza ni]

forgot to say, the rake ability for the tiger happen only when pouncing or starting a round while grappled so the 1st round they would come into being after the pounce and the 2nd round before releasing the grapple for the e1st time.

[Azothath]

I believe it is a role playing game where you try to play the creature appropriately.
A GM might consider a creature letting go as a free action and starting a new attack sequence on the next round (to maximize attack damage) an advanced tactical maneuver that clever (INT≥13) creatures would realize and use whereas animal intelligence and the not-so-bright won't figure out and likely only do randomly or when the target goes unconscious and they switch to another target or get bored.

===
nerf

[zza ni]

yea. that attack+grab+release and repeat must be trained via the tricks and most gm consider it a separate trick then the normal attack trick. it's not something an animal would normally do. the same as 'fetch','play dead' or 'shake hand'.