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Old 06-11-2019, 09:47 PM   #1
Dalin
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Saint Paul, MN
Default [DF] Grappling Crab

This question didn't generate any responses on the DFRPG forum. Since it's a GURPS DF adventure, I though I'd try here.

Despite playing GURPS since the mid-1990s, I'm inexperienced with the basic grappling rules. They came up in an encounter from David Pulver's "Grave of the Pirate Queen" (Pyramid 3/98) with a giant crab. Here's the pertinent text from its description: "It enjoys grabbing prey and pulling them apart. . . . Any hit counts as a grapple, regardless of whether it penetrates DR."

Some questions I've been thinking about:
  1. As it says above, if the crab hits, it grapples automatically. That's pretty simple. Grappling is usually a close range maneuver, but the crab's claws have range 1. So, in terms of the battle map, if it grapples, should I move the grappled character onto one of the crab's two hexes, or would this be an exception to the close-range rule?
  2. Normally, a grappled character can only Attack or All-Out Attack with a reach "C" weapon or their fists. In this case, I'm thinking I would waive that and allow reach 1 weapons since the claws have reach 1. Thoughts?
  3. Once the crab has a character grappled in one claw, that claw can't attack again without letting go, right? Without Constriction or something like that, the claw can't slowly squeeze the character to death. (Though I suppose the crab could grapple someone's neck and then use the Strangle option.)
  4. The effect of "grabbing prey and pulling them apart" would be represented by grappling with one claw and then repeatedly attacking with the second claw, counting on the defense penalties (no retreat, -2 block/parry, -1 dodge) to provide better odds than simply attacking twice. (I haven't run the math to see if this is true.)
  5. A cunning crab versus an armed biped might strike once to the torso to get an initial grapple (without taking any hit location penalties). Then attack the weapon arm with the other claw. If successful, their weapon is neutralized and the other claw can let go and start attacking. Yeah?
  6. From the crab's perspective, does a Takedown or Pin make tactical sense?
Thoughts or experiences with this sort of grappling monster?
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