Grapple Rules Question

[thecrimsondawn]

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/combat#TOC-Grapple

I am reading the rules on grapple and I have come to a question. I am planing to play a summoner with 4 claws atm and will soon be getting grapple related evos. Reading the rules on grapple, I see that it says

If You Are Grappled

If you are grappled, you can attempt to break the grapple as a standard action by making a combat maneuver check (DC equal to your opponent's CMD; this does not provoke an attack of opportunity) or Escape Artist check (with a DC equal to your opponent's CMD). If you succeed, you break the grapple and can act normally. Alternatively, if you succeed, you can become the grappler, grappling the other creature (meaning that the other creature cannot freely release the grapple without making a combat maneuver check, while you can). Instead of attempting to break or reverse the grapple, you can take any action that doesn’t require two hands to perform, such as cast a spell or make an attack or full attack with a light or one-handed weapon against any creature within your reach, including the creature that is grappling you. See the grappled condition for additional details. If you are pinned, your actions are very limited. See the pinned condition in Conditions for additional details.

Does this mean that as the grappler I am unable to full attack even with extra hands, but as the grappled I can full attack so long as I have the light or one handed weapons (but not natural attacks?)

Also I am about to read the universal monster rules to check on this, but I will ask this as well. Does the Summoners Eidalon provoke AoOs when attempting a grapple action? I see nothing that prevents it so maybe I would just need to pick up the feat?

[NightbringerGGZ]

The following blog post might help you out: http://www.tenebraemush.net/index.php/Understanding_Grappling. Review the Flowcharts at the top of the page.

[Perturbulent]

The following blog post might help you out: http://www.tenebraemush.net/index.php/Understanding_Grappling. Review the Flowcharts at the top of the page.

I noticed a few little oddities. One, it says you may make a full attack with a )weapon (including a natural weapon. Say I've grappled a dragon, does that dragon get to bite, claw, claw, wing, and wing me? Or just use one?

I was actually about to start my own thread on this topic actually. Do any of those options change for the pinned condition? As far as I can tell, pinned can be less severe, situationally (it explicitly doesn't stack with grappled, and although it denies dex mod, it doesn't offer the -4 dex penalty. This results in the hilarious I had an 8 dex, i was grappled, and my ac went down by 2, but now i'm pinned and my ac went up by one.) Can a pinned character attack at all? Or are his only options escape? As long as I maintain a grapple, even with Improved Grapple and Greater Grapple invested, I can at most maintain the grapple and get a single attack, but my opponent can full attack me with no issue? They receive no penalty for said attack?
Is there some benefit I'm missing of the critter being pinned?

[thecrimsondawn]

I noticed a few little oddities. One, it says you may make a full attack with a )weapon (including a natural weapon. Say I've grappled a dragon, does that dragon get to bite, claw, claw, wing, and wing me? Or just use one?

I was actually about to start my own thread on this topic actually. Do any of those options change for the pinned condition? As far as I can tell, pinned can be less severe, situationally (it explicitly doesn't stack with grappled, and although it denies dex mod, it doesn't offer the -4 dex penalty. This results in the hilarious I had an 8 dex, i was grappled, and my ac went down by 2, but now i'm pinned and my ac went up by one.) Can a pinned character attack at all? Or are his only options escape? As long as I maintain a grapple, even with Improved Grapple and Greater Grapple invested, I can at most maintain the grapple and get a single attack, but my opponent can full attack me with no issue? They receive no penalty for said attack?
Is there some benefit I'm missing of the critter being pinned?

The penalty should stack and in no way should the pinned person get a bonus since they are now flat footed. As far as natural attacks, it seems you can grapple, but then choose to not maintain the grapple, meaning that you can full attack as the grappler instead of maintaining the grapple. The rules say they can use a full attack while being grappled so yes, the dragon can choose to more or less murder you for trying to grapple it at the cost of not breaking the grapple.

[Psyren]

Does this mean that as the grappler I am unable to full attack even with extra hands, but as the grappled I can full attack so long as I have the light or one handed weapons (but not natural attacks?)

This is correct, because the attacker/grappler must spend actions to maintain the grapple, so you generally won't have any left for full-attacking, even with Rapid Grappler.



Also I am about to read the universal monster rules to check on this, but I will ask this as well. Does the Summoners Eidalon provoke AoOs when attempting a grapple action? I see nothing that prevents it so maybe I would just need to pick up the feat?

If it doesn't have Grab or Improved Grapple, yes, it will provoke.

[Perturbulent]

The penalty should stack and in no way should the pinned person get a bonus since they are now flat footed. As far as natural attacks, it seems you can grapple, but then choose to not maintain the grapple, meaning that you can full attack as the grappler instead of maintaining the grapple. The rules say they can use a full attack while being grappled so yes, the dragon can choose to more or less murder you for trying to grapple it at the cost of not breaking the grapple.

So when the rules say "Pinned is a more severe version of grappled, and their effects do not stack" should we not consider the dex penalty and being denied dex bonus stacking the effects, but rather overlap?