Grapple (Combat Maneuver)

Grapple

Type of Action: Standard action

• A Grapple must be used against an adjacent foe. Combat Reach with most weapons do not extend this distance, but read the weapon descriptions carefully, some weapons are highly useful in grapples.

• If you do not have Improved Grapple, the Improved Grab monster ability, or a similar ability, attempting to grapple a foe provokes an attack of opportunity from the target creature. If the attack of opportunity hits, you take damage as normal and suffer a -4 on the combat maneuver check to initiate the grapple.

• Humanoid creatures without two free hands attempting to grapple a foe take an additional -4 penalty on the combat maneuver roll. (Note that this penalty remains -4 even if both hands are holding something; the humanoid simply uses its arms and legs to wrap up the target creature.)

• If you make your Grapple combat maneuver attack roll successfully, both you and the target gain the grappled condition.

• If you successfully grapple a creature that is not adjacent to you, move that creature to an adjacent open space (if no space is available, your grapple fails).

• Although both creatures have the Grappled condition, you can, as the creature that initiated the grapple, release the grapple as a free action, removing the condition from both you and the target.

• If you do not release the grapple, you must continue to make a check each round, as a standard action, to maintain the hold. If your target does not break the grapple, you get a +5 circumstance bonus on grapple checks made against the same target in subsequent rounds.

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):

Move

You can move both yourself and your target up to half your speed. At the end of your movement, you can place your target in any square adjacent to you. If you attempt to place your foe in a hazardous location, such as in a wall of fire or over a pit, the target receives a free attempt to break your grapple with a +4 bonus.

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.

Pin:

You can give your opponent the Pinned condition (see Status Conditions). Despite pinning your opponent, you still only have the Grappled condition, but you lose your Dexterity bonus to AC.

Tie Up:

If you have your target pinned, otherwise restrained, or unconscious, you can use rope to tie him up. This works like a pin effect, but the DC to escape the bonds is equal to 20 + your Combat Maneuver Bonus (instead of your CMD). The ropes do not need to make a check every round to maintain the pin. If you are grappling the target, you can attempt to tie him up in ropes, but doing so requires a combat maneuver check at a -10 penalty. If the DC to escape from these bindings is higher than 20 + the target's CMB, the target cannot escape from the bonds, even with a natural 20 on the check.

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 (CMB vs. your opponent's CMD), or you can attempt an Escape Artist check as a move action (with a DC equal to your opponent's CMD). If either succeeds, you break the grapple and can act normally. Attempting to escape a grapple does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

• Alternatively, if you succeed, you can reverse the grapple, so that you 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 for additional details.

Multiple Creatures:

Multiple creatures can attempt to grapple one target.

• The creature that first initiates the grapple is the only one that makes a check, with a +2 bonus for each creature that assists in the grapple (using the Aid Another action).

• Multiple creatures can also assist another creature in breaking free from a grapple, with each creature that assists (using the Aid Another action) granting a +2 bonus on the grappled creature's combat maneuver check.