# Grapple feat must-haves?



## magnusmalkus

What are some of the Greatest Grapple feats and in what sourcebooks can you find them?  

I'm looking to create the greatest grapple fighter/monk ever!


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## Starbuck_II

magnusmalkus said:


> What are some of the Greatest Grapple feats and in what sourcebooks can you find them?
> 
> I'm looking to create the greatest grapple fighter/monk ever!




Are you fighting unarmed?
Scorpian's Grasp (Sandstorm): If strike with unarmed strike, or light otr one-handed weapon and hit: you can attwnmpt to start a grapple as a free action.
Improved Grapple is useful.
Close Quarters Wrestling: useful.


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## Shin Okada

Grapple check is based on BAB. So if you wants to be the greatest grappler, monk is not the best choice. Take some full-BAB class(es), maybe Barbarian, then proceed to Reaping Mauler　prestige class.


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## Runestar

There is a regional feat in PGTF that lets you use a light weapon in a grapple, IIRC.


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## StreamOfTheSky

Shin Okada said:


> Grapple check is based on BAB. So if you wants to be the greatest grappler, monk is not the best choice. Take some full-BAB class(es), maybe Barbarian, then proceed to Reaping Mauler　prestige class.




Reaping Mauler is pretty awful, IMO.

Full BAB and Imp. Grapple are the basics.  Being as large as possible really helps.  The PGtF has a regional feat (Jotenbrund?) that lets you count as a size larger for many things.  Goliath (RoS) and Half-Giant (XPH) races get powerful build, also counting as a size larger (both +1 LA).  Or just play a Half-Ogre (RoD, +2 LA) and be large, reach included.  Alternatively, be a druid.  You get medium BAB, but a form w/ huge str and largest size possible (look to bears and dinosaurs, generally) more than make up for it.  Also, with Spell Compendium, unless your DM (justifiably) rules no, you can stack wildshape with "bite of the x" spells.  I recall the level 5 version is bite of the weretiger and gives something like +16 str.

Getting Enlarge Person potions or tattoos of Expansion (depending on if you're humanoid or not) give you +5 on grapple checks each time, well worth it.

The feats named already are pretty good, can't really think of many feats for grappling.  It's mostly the class, race, and items you choose.  MIC has some good items to add to your grapple modifier.

With Tome of Battle, you could either play as a Warblade and learn Tiger Claw and Stone Dragon maneuvers or take them as feats, but those disciplines have some nice things for grapplers.  Namely, stances.  TC has wolverine's stance, which lets you use any one-handed or light weapon in a grapple and w/o the -4 penalty.  SD has a stance called crushing weight of the mountain, which gives you a constrict attack for 2d6 +1.5x str mod.  Taken as feats, both would require knowing a maneuver from the discipline first and 10+ HD.


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## Shin Okada

If somehow, an item based on Giant Size spell of cater level 19+ is available, you can become Colossal and get +32 to strength. That spell is Wujen 7.


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## akbearfoot

Monk2 Psi War18 = a highly independant extremely effective grappler.

Monastic training + Tashalatora(SoS) is the basics.
From there you take Imp grapple, Imp natural attack, superior unarmed strike, and get a monks belt.  You'll be doing many many d8s of unarmed strike damage with Psionic expansion in play.  Mix with the Vampiric Weapon power for easy self healing.  In the unlikely event you get grappled by something that is mroe dangerous in a grapple than youself, you simply dimension leap to safety.

Monk AC stacks nicely with Inertial Armor and Force screen.

Doesen't require any special considerations form the DM,  other than allowing access to 1 Bo9S feat, and 1 amazingly overpowered feat from the Secrets of Sarlona book (Ebberon setting)


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## Thanael

Runestar said:


> There is a regional feat in PGTF that lets you use a light weapon in a grapple, IIRC.




That would be Knifefighter, a 1st level only FR regional feat.


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## blargney the second

I've been contemplating making a grappler for a while, and here's what I've come up with:
- as much BAB and Str as possible
- get improved grab from a level of barbarian with the alternate class feature
- get constrict from the Stone Dragon stance as mentioned above
- powerful build or size large
- pop a few feats on improved unarmed strike, improved grapple, and superior unarmed strike
- potions of enlarge person or tattoos of expansion


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## the Jester

Clever Wrestling and Close-Quarters Fighting are must haves imho.


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## StreamOfTheSky

the Jester said:


> Clever Wrestling and Close-Quarters Fighting are must haves imho.




Close-Quarters Fighting is a defensive feat to avoid being grappled, though.  If you're focused on grappling you shouldn't need to avoid grapples.  Sure, you'll occasionally face a humongous sack of hit dice that you can't possibly win an opposed roll against and maybe even some monsters with swallow whole.  But still shouldn't happen often enough to justify a feat on CQF.

It's hard to think of feats good for grappling, not many really stand out.  I think there was one called Earth's Embrace in an early book (either CWarrior or a 3.0 splat) that did something like +1d12 damage against a pinned opponent, but I don't know if that's worth a feat even for a grapple-focused character.


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## magnusmalkus

Very good points ya'll.  Thank you very much.

- get improved grab from a level of barbarian with the alternate class feature
- get constrict from the Stone Dragon stance as mentioned above
- powerful build or size large

In what resource do you find these alternate class features?  PHBII?

Stone Dragon Stance sounds like something you'd find in the Dragon Magic book... ???


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## StreamOfTheSky

I said what books most of those were in.  Tome of Battle has the stance.  Unearthed Arcana (or d20srd.org under variants) has the Barbarian Totems.  Powerful Build is a trait of at least two races, Half-Giants in XPH (or psionics portion of d20srd.org) and Goliaths in Races of Stone.

Half-Ogres, which are just plain large, are in Races of Destiny.  Beyond that, "size large" races are found all over.  Half-Ogre is possibly the lowest ECL to get it, though (0 racial HD, +2 LA).


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## blargney the second

magnusmalkus said:


> - get improved grab from a level of barbarian with the alternate class feature
> - get constrict from the Stone Dragon stance as mentioned above
> - powerful build or size large
> 
> In what resource do you find these alternate class features?  PHBII




1) Complete Champion p46 has the bear totem barbarian, which replaces fast movement at level 1 with improved grab.

2) Tome of Battle p82 has the Crushing Grip of the Mountain stance fromthe Stone Dragon discipline which grants constrict.  It can be acquired from any one of the three base classes in that book, or with the Martial Stance feat.

3) As Stream mentioned, powerful build can be had on goliaths and half-giants.  Depending on the sources allowed, Dragon magazine also has a remarkably good half-minotaur template that bumps you to size Large for LA +1.
-blarg


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## Thanael

StreamOfTheSky said:


> It's hard to think of feats good for grappling, not many really stand out.  I think there was one called Earth's Embrace in an early book (either CWarrior or a 3.0 splat) that did something like +1d12 damage against a pinned opponent, but I don't know if that's worth a feat even for a grapple-focused character.




That would be Earth's Embrace from Oriental Adventures and later from Comlpete Warrior.


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## akbearfoot

The wolvorine stance from Bo9S is VERY good, but unless you're taking multiple levels of warblade or swordsage it costs several feats to acquire.    It allows you to use any weapon in a grapple, without the -4 penalty, and even gives you +4 to damage if the creature is larger than you.  

The easiest access would be to take a level of warblade at 9th level, then spending your 9th level feat on the Martial stance feat to get it.  Since the first stance you get has to be a lv1 stance....I'd recommend Step of the wind (ignore penalties for difficult terrain).  Otherwise you would need to spend 3 feats to get it.

Personally I think close quarters fighting is worthless to a grapple focused character.  Even if you fight something that grapples better than you you most likely still are the best person equipped to grapple against said creature.  You'd rather it grapple you than the fighter who is useless with his greatsword in a grapple.

Likewise, clever wrestling is mediocre at best...It basically negates half of the size bonus critters get against you, but iirc it only applies to avoid or escape being grappled.


Get Gloves of the Titans Grip from MIC, and an armband of might.  Luckstones and anything else that gives you bonuses on strength based checks (which grappling counts as).

I think monks make very effective grapplers, but only strength focus monks.  Dex or wisdom focus monks suck as grapplers.  They have lower BAB, but it is more than made up for in the fact that their attacks are not made at -4 in grapples and their weapons typically do much more damage than a fighters weapons will.  A combination of Psychic warrior and Monk levels may be the best option IMO...Psionic expansion and Iron grip along with a host of other low level psionic powers can turn a monk into a killing machine.


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