Legal Move?

[Tvtyrant]

I, as the DM, have a Quetzalcoatlus attack the level 8 party. I have it use its flyby attack and snatch feats to fly over the party, make a bite attack on the wizard and grapple him, and then fly the rest of its 50 ft. away from the party.

I thought grapple prevented movement, but this is the strategy that the monsters fluff suggests.

[dascarletm]

In Snatch: ...or if you do not move and take no other action in combat, you deal double bite damage to the snatched creature.

I suppose that would logically follow that you can move and not get your double damage?

[Ranos]

Sounds like the strategy's wrong.
Unless this is Pathfinder, then it works.

[Tvtyrant]

Maybe it is supposed to fly up, bite someone, grapple them, and then use the free action fling action to throw them aside? It does say it does 10d6 damage when it flings someone.

[Krobar]

Sounds like Flyby Attack to me.


From the SRD:

Flyby Attack [General]
Prerequisite
Fly speed.

Benefit
When flying, the creature can take a move action (including a dive) and another standard action at any point during the move. The creature cannot take a second move action during a round when it makes a flyby attack.

Normal
Without this feat, the creature takes a standard action either before or after its move.


However, it does provoke an Attack of Opportunity, unless the flying creature has Improved Flyby Attack.

If he flies by, bites/snatches, and continues flying, I would rule it's okay.

[nedz]

Snatch (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsterFeats.htm#snatch) implies Improved Grab (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#improvedGrab) which allows Grapple as a free action on a successful attack. The monster does have to be three size categories larger than the Wizard though.

With flyby attack it all sounds good to me, and it's certainly how I run it.

[Tvtyrant]

The issue isn't the attack and then move, its moving while grappling. It takes a standard action to do so, while yon beasty already used it to make the attack.

I will still probably do it, I just worry about the legality.

[Douglas]

With Improved Grab (granted by using the Snatch feat), it has the option of taking a -20 penalty to its grapple checks in order to not be considered grappled. This would, among other things, allow it to ignore the "no movement" constraint of grappling.

[nedz]

Snatch
The creature can choose to start a grapple when it hits with a claw or bite attack, as though it had the improved grab special attack.
...


Improved Grab
...

Unless otherwise noted, improved grab works only against opponents at least one size category smaller than the creature. The creature has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use the part of its body it used in the improved grab to hold the opponent. If it chooses to do the latter, it takes a -20 penalty on grapple checks, but is not considered grappled itself; the creature does not lose its Dexterity bonus to AC, still threatens an area, and can use its remaining attacks against other opponents.

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).

When a creature gets a hold after an improved grab attack, it pulls the opponent into its space. This act does not provoke attacks of opportunity. It can even move (possibly carrying away the opponent), provided it can drag the opponent’s weight.

I'm not seeing a problem with the rules here.