Casting while grappled... A good idea?

[jokey665]

If You're Grappling

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.

Cast a Spell

You can attempt to cast a spell while grappling or even while pinned (see below), provided its casting time is no more than 1 standard action, it has no somatic component, and you have in hand any material components or focuses you might need. Any spell that requires precise and careful action is impossible to cast while grappling or being pinned. If the spell is one that you can cast while grappling, you must make a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level) or lose the spell. You don’t have to make a successful grapple check to cast the spell.

This says to me that if you have BAB +6, you can cast two standard action spells, as long as they meet those restrictions. I know it's shady by RAI but it seems solid by RAW.

If you built a character around this (eschew materials, still spell, high concentration check...) and you have a fighter to grapple with, this could be really effective. Thoughts?

[Vulaas]

Not actually accurate, because casting isn't an attack action. If you had a touch spell with multiple charges going, you could hit them with that per iterative attack, but not cast multiple spells.

[jokey665]

It doesn't specify that it has to be an action that is normally an attack action.

[ClockShock]

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.

From what i'm reading casting a spell takes a standard action and thus remains as such. Other actions might take the place of an attack, and those actions can be performed for each attack typically allowed.

[AmberVael]

It does specify this, however:

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.

The phrase you highlighted is obviously a sub phrase of the one I highlighted.

Therefore, the only actions you can take are the ones specified as being able to take the place of an attack, such as Damage your Opponent, Escape from a Grapple, Pin Your Opponent, etc.

It never gives that clarification under Cast a Spell, unfortunately.

[jokey665]

Well, to me there's a reason that "drawing a weapon," "escape from a grapple," and "move" are explicitly called out as requiring a certain type of action, while casting a spell only says the spell has to have a casting time of 1 standard action or less. It never says the spell specifically takes 1 standard action to cast in this instance. This says it falls under the blanket rule of taking an attack action to perform.

[AmberVael]

You're missing the phrase I'm pointing out.

Your quote says:

Some of these actions take the place of an attack (rather than being a standard action or a move action).

Therefore, some of these actions can take the place of an attack. All of those that can are pointed out in their description.

Damage Your Opponent

While grappling, you can deal damage to your opponent equivalent to an unarmed strike. Make an opposed grapple check in place of an attack.

Escape from Grapple

You can escape a grapple by winning an opposed grapple check in place of making an attack.

Break Another’s Pin

If you are grappling an opponent who has another character pinned, you can make an opposed grapple check in place of an attack

Under Casting a Spell, it does not say it may take place of an attack, so it can't.