Can the tiger grapple?

[Tomsdad]

Yep, the main grappling tool of cats is their mouths, but they can apply pressure and leverage with their legs and paws using their claws to help with purchase. They often do that in conjunction with their body weight as well.

As to what moves they can perform I'd say they rely on small number of practised moves designed with their prey in mind (quadrupeds of different sizes). But in slightly unusual situation e.g. attacking a biped, more unusual things might happen as teh tiger adapts.

Take wrench limb, I could see a tiger biting an arm and then putting it's weight on the body and using its neck muscles to wrench the limb (this happens while eating at times so it wouldn't be completely new behaviour) . But it might not be a goto tactic while subduing a prey though, where the primary goal is to subdue it ASAP.

Stuff like pile drivers though? No.

[Anthony]

Alligators are prone to a bite and roll move which might translate as wrench limb.

[Tomsdad]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Alligators are prone to a bite and roll move which might translate as wrench limb.

I'd certainly use the limb wrench rules for that.

Ultimately I guess it's about translating moves we might be more familiar with when bipeds with hands do them, and translate that to what an animal with the particular body form in question looks like doing it.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Tomsdad

Yep, the main grappling tool of cats is their mouths, but they can apply pressure and leverage with their legs and paws using their claws to help with purchase. They often do that in conjunction with their body weight as well.

As to what moves they can perform I'd say they rely on small number of practised moves designed with their prey in mind (quadrupeds of different sizes). But in slightly unusual situation e.g. attacking a biped, more unusual things might happen as teh tiger adapts.

Note that cats don't just grapple prey, they grapple each other when fighting (If they're serious about fighting. They'll play around with paw swatting if its just an attempt to make the other guy go away.

[lwcamp]

From what I've seen, the cats usually grapple first with their paws/claws, then bite. A typical tactic for the large cats is to use their claws and muscular forelimbs to position their prey for a killing bite to a vital area (usually the throat for a strangle, but jaguars often go for the spine at the base of the skull). This has a couple of advantages - the paws have a longer reach than the face, and they help to keep the face out of the danger zone of flailing prey until the prey has been restrained and is less dangerous. Of course, cats do not always use this method - I've seen lions clamped onto the back or flanks of cape buffalo, digging in with their claws and teeth simultaneously as they try to impair the dangerous beast enough that their pack mates can pile on and attack a more vital area.

Luke

[Tomsdad]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Note that cats don't just grapple prey, they grapple each other when fighting (If they're serious about fighting. They'll play around with paw swatting if its just an attempt to make the other guy go away.

True enough!

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by whswhs

From owning cats, I've seen that a characteristic feline behavior is to seize the neck with the mouth and forepaws, and then do the disemboweling kick with the hind paws.

Feline attack sequences vary depending on the prey.

Small prey gets a pounce, where the prey is held in place with the forepaws while the teeth deliver the killing stroke.

Larger prey gets an initial pounce and possibly a bite, followed by repeated swats with the forepaws ("cat hockey") to daze and cripple the prey, followed by the coup-de-grace with the teeth.

Sometimes, small or medium prey gets a quick worrying shake following the bite in order to break its neck or stun it prior to the killing bite. (But not as elaborate as a dog's worrying attack vs. small prey.)

Prey big enough to fight back might get the claws in, bite the neck and hang on, and bring up the rakers to inflict extra damage while the bite takes effect.

Big cats go for a crippling bite to the spine or a chokehold bite to the neck. Sometimes they'll go for the neck snap.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

Big cats go for a crippling bite to the spine or a chokehold bite to the neck. Sometimes they'll go for the neck snap.

At one point I was unusually fascinated with big cats and watched hundreds of hours of footage of jaguars, leopards, lions, tigers, etc. hunting. I would say that all of these big cats are capable of learning Brawling, Wrestling, Targeted Attack (Brawling Bite/Face), and Targeted Attack (Brawling Bite/Neck); biting to grapple (Martial Arts, p. 115); and following up with versions of Choke Hold, Head Lock, Neck Snap, Sacrifice Throw, and Wrench Spine that require teeth instead of hands (e.g., Neck Snap (Teeth) and Wrench Spine (Teeth)), and that default to Wrestling where a skill is required. I'd say that's just about the limit of cat grappling . . . but individual cats vary a great deal, and some may well be very good at this stuff, and might even qualify for the Clinch, Ground Guard, Neck Control, Power Grappling, and Rapid Retraction perks. At a minimum, they'll have a good level of Brawling and routinely bite to grapple.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Kromm

I would say that all of these big cats are capable of learning Brawling, Wrestling, Targeted Attack (Brawling Bite/Face), and Targeted Attack (Brawling Bite/Neck); biting to grapple (Martial Arts, p. 115); and following up with versions of Choke Hold, Head Lock, Neck Snap, Sacrifice Throw, and Wrench Spine that require teeth instead of hands (e.g., Neck Snap (Teeth) and Wrench Spine (Teeth)), and that default to Wrestling where a skill is required. I'd say that's just about the limit of cat grappling . . . but individual cats vary a great deal, and some may well be very good at this stuff, and might even qualify for the Clinch, Ground Guard, Neck Control, Power Grappling, and Rapid Retraction perks. At a minimum, they'll have a good level of Brawling and routinely bite to grapple.

This is a very good summation of "Big Cat Fu" vs. creatures of +/-1 Size as compared to the cat.

For smaller prey, the big cats go for pounce > pin prey in place with paws and claws > killing bite, just like the smaller cats.

Part of what makes predators like canines and felines smart as animals go is that they have an entire repertoire of hunting and attacking techniques based on prey type.