Post/Author/DateTime	Post
dragonseth 06-07-06, 12:40 PM	I feel stupid for asking this, but how do Armor Spikes work? It says I can do extra damage on a successful grapple attack. But, what does a 'grapple attack' mean? Does that mean the 'attack your opponent' option, like if I try to claw my opponent to death, I can deal an extra 1d6 damage? And, is that automatic, or is there an attack roll? Next, I would like help with the abilities Feral give me, grapple-wise. Improved Grab, it says each successful grapple check I make automatically deals claw damage. So, if I do something like damage him with an unarmed strike, I get claw damage? Or moving, pinning, etcetera? But not attacking, right? Rake. How do I go about using it? Do I use the attack option to do this, or is this different? It says when I get a hold I can do it. Rend. Can I Rend if my Rake attacks both hit?
mvincent 06-07-06, 01:39 PM	I feel stupid for asking this, but how do Armor Spikes work? It says I can do extra damage on a successful grapple attack. But, what does a 'grapple attack' mean? It is actually refering to the "Damage Your Opponent" option in the grapple rules. From the 3.5 FAQ: "When grappling, you can damage your foe with your spikes by making a regular grapple check (opposed by your foe’s check). If you succeed, you deal piercing damage to your foe (see Table 7–5 in the Player’s Handbook) rather than the unarmed strike damage you’d normally deal when damaging your foe with a grapple check. Since you can use armor spikes as a light weapon, you can simply use them to attack your foe. You suffer a –4 penalty on your attack roll when attacking with a light weapon in a grapple (see page 156 in the Player’s Handbook), but if your foe is bigger or stronger than you, this might prove a better tactic than trying to deal damage through a grapple check because there is no opposed roll to make—" Rake. How do I go about using it? From the rules (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#rake) : "Rake A creature with this special attack gains extra natural attacks when it grapples its foe. Normally, a monster can attack with only one of its natural weapons while grappling, but a monster with the rake ability usually gains two additional claw attacks that it can use only against a grappled foe. Rake attacks are not subject to the usual -4 penalty for attacking with a natural weapon in a grapple. A monster with the rake ability must begin its turn grappling to use its rake—it can’t begin a grapple and rake in the same turn. " Note: this changes a bit if the creature also has Pounce (Edit: removed last answer: misunderstood question)
_Chaz_ 06-07-06, 02:36 PM	Out of curiosity, what is feral and where can I find it? I'm starting a Reaping Mauler Justicar and and it seems to suit quite well.
dragonseth 06-07-06, 03:28 PM	Feral is a +1 LA template in Savage Species.
utilitarian 06-07-06, 03:33 PM	Isn't there a contradictory statement involving natural weapons and grapples that states a creature with natural weapons can use them all in a grapple? I think it's in one of the FAQs or Erratas. I remember someone meantioning the contradiction at one point....
SALDAR 06-07-06, 04:44 PM	Isn't there a contradictory statement involving natural weapons and grapples that states a creature with natural weapons can use them all in a grapple? I think it's in one of the FAQs or Erratas. I remember someone meantioning the contradiction at one point.... That was in the Rules of the Game on Grappling. Some of the material, such as what you mentioned, actually goes against the written grappling rules, which state that you cannot attack your opponent with more than one weapon. Only creatures with the Rake ability can attack with more than one natural weapon. I believe the FAQ states that a creature can make as many attempts to damage your opponent as you have attacks due to BAB. So, a creature without Rake can attack the opponent with only one natural weapon. A creature with rake can attack with all natural weapons allowed as specified under their Rake entry. A creature with a high BAB (+6 or higher) can make multiple damage your opponent attempts or anything else that can be done as a grapple attempt.
ShinAkuma2 06-07-06, 06:51 PM	And here I was, ready to stay out of yet another grapple discussion. Anyway... So, a creature without Rake can attack the opponent with only one natural weapon. A creature with rake can attack with all natural weapons allowed as specified under their Rake entry. A creature with a high BAB (+6 or higher) can make multiple damage your opponent attempts or anything else that can be done as a grapple attempt. This is correct, but as a reminder, those "damage your opponent attempts" do unarmed strike damage. This is very important to remember...especially since, by default, it is non-lethal.