Help with the Gibbering Mouther

[Abraxas]

OK, the Dungeaon adventure I am currently running for my players contains a Gibbering Mouther. The stats for this beasty (from the SRD) that I have questions about are . . .

Gibbering Mouther
Medium-Size Aberration
BAB/Grapple: +3/+3
Attacks: 6 bites +4 melee
Damage: Bite 1
Special Attacks: Improved grab, blood drain, engulf
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 4, Wis 13, Cha 13
Feats: Weapon Finesse (bite)

Combat
Gibbering mouthers attack by shooting out strings of protoplasmic flesh, each ending in one or more eyes and a mouth that bites at the enemy. A mouther can send out a total of six such members in any round.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the gibbering mouther must hit with a bite attack.

Blood Drain (Ex): On a second successful grapple check after grabbing, that mouth attaches to the opponent. It automatically deals bite damage and drains blood, dealing 1 point of temporary Constitution damage each round. A mouth can be ripped off (dealing 1 point of damage) with a successful Strength check (DC 12) or severed by a normal attack that deals at least 2 points of damage (AC 18). A severed mouth continues to bite and drain blood for 1d4 rounds after such an attack. A creature whose Constitution is reduced to 0 is killed and absorbed by the mouther, which gains 1 hit point and adds another mouth and pair of eyes to its body.

Engulf (Ex): A gibbering mouther can try to engulf a Medium-size or smaller opponent grabbed by three or more mouths. The opponent must succeed at a Reflex save (DC 14) or fall and be engulfed. On the next round, the mouther makes twelve bite attacks instead of six (each with a +4 attack bonus). An engulfed creature cannot attack the mouther from within. The previously attached mouths are now free to attack others

Here are my questions.
The GM makes a successful bite attack at +4 (inflicting 1 point damage) and (using improved grab) starts a grapple.
- Assuming it wins the grapple, how many more attacks does it get vs the grappled creature?
- Are all additional attacks vs the Grappled creature at a -4 penalty?

Now, lets assume the round ends and the grappled creature fails to break free. Next round the GM gets 1 grapple attack (because of BAB) thus attaching the mouth that started the whole grapple, inflicting 1 point damage and draining 1 point of CON.
- Because of the GM's BAB, is 1 the maximum number of mouths it may attach in this way in any one round?

Now lets assume that the GM's target has been really unlucky and is engulfed.
- Does the GM now stop grappling?
- If it can continue to grapple, how many attacks does it get and at what bonus are these attacks?
- How does the target escape from being engulfed?
- Why would the GM release the mouths that had been attached and draining blood from the target?
- It can get 12 attacks vs an engulfed creature, how many attacks can it make vs another non engulfed creature at the same time?

 

[hong]

Now, lets assume the round ends and the grappled creature fails to break free. Next round the GM gets 1 grapple attack (because of BAB) thus attaching the mouth that started the whole grapple, inflicting 1 point damage and draining 1 point of CON.
- Because of the GM's BAB, is 1 the maximum number of mouths it may in any one round?

By-the-book, the mouther gets one grapple check for each iterative attack it has, based on its BAB. However, IIRC the consensus is that it's silly for monsters who get multiple attack forms not based on BAB. In this case, they just get one grapple check per attack they'd normally get, with the usual penalties for secondary attack forms.