Casting Multiple Spells While Grappled?

[Khatoblepas]

So I was looking at the arcane and mysterious grappling rules, when I saw this:


When you are grappling (regardless of who started the grapple), you can perform any of the following actions. Some of these actions take the place of an attack (rather than being a standard action or a move action). If your base attack bonus allows you multiple attacks, you can attempt one of these actions in place of each of your attacks, but at successively lower base attack bonuses.

And I was like, okay, you can attack a dude or draw a weapon or... wait a minute.


Cast a Spell

You can attempt to cast a spell while grappling... ...You don’t have to make a successful grapple check to cast the spell.

Huh. Casting a spell is an action you can take while grappling. If you have multiple attacks from high base attack bonus, you can take actions in place of those attacks while grappling. It specifies that it is a move action to draw a weapon while grappling, but.... it doesn't specify that it is a standard action to cast a spell while grappling. Only that the spell needs to have a casting time of a standard action or less to be ABLE to cast it.

... does that mean we can cast up to four spells a round while grappling? I don't see any text that would contradict it by RAW, but it's obviously not intended.

Though it does give a hilarious mental image of two gishes having a slap fight with each other in order to buff up for a fight, or a familiar pecking at his master's eyes to give him an edge.

[DementedFellow]

The usual casting time is a standard action. Being grappled doesn't take that away. Unless you have a quickened spell or one that is immediate action I don't see a grappled caster going pew-pew under the giant barbarian.

[Khatoblepas]

The usual casting time is a standard action. Being grappled doesn't take that away. Unless you have a quickened spell or one that is immediate action I don't see a grappled caster going pew-pew under the giant barbarian.

Attacking with a weapon is also a standard action. Performing an action in a grapple is a set of distinct, but similar actions - and you can perform one of them for every attack you get from your BAB.

So, in effect, yes, being grappled DOES that that away. The important wording is that you can take the action in place of an attack. Not an attack in place of an attack, an entire action.

And a mage wouldn't be casting while being grappled by a barbarian. They'd get their familiar to grapple them instead.

[Psyren]

When you are grappling (regardless of who started the grapple), you can perform any of the following actions. Some of these actions take the place of an attack (rather than being a standard action or a move action). If your base attack bonus allows you multiple attacks, you can attempt one of these actions in place of each of your attacks, but at successively lower base attack bonuses.

Important part emphasized. The "You can attempt these actions in place of an attack" refers to bolded portion, not to the "actions in a grapple" in general.

In other words, casting a spell does not take the place of an attack normally. Therefore, it is not one of the actions you can substitute for your attacks.

[Khatoblepas]

Important part emphasized. The "You can attempt these actions in place of an attack" refers to bolded portion, not to the "actions in a grapple" in general.

In other words, casting a spell does not take the place of an attack normally. Therefore, it is not one of the actions you can substitute for your attacks.

Damn, back to the drawing board!