Please Help a 1st-timer Build a Grappler for AL

I'm an avid nerd and am no stranger to D&D, but I've never actually played it. To clarify, I've "unofficially" played some tabletop RPGs before (my friends and I played in school w/o dice, and based only off the knowledge we gleaned from our parents' books).

The museum I work at had an event last week where the local Adventurer's League was hosting some games, and it seemed like a lot of fun. I actually only live a few blocks from the store that they usually meet up at, so I thought I'd finally jump in and make a character. I'm coming down with a serious case of option anxiety though (there's a LOT to consider), and I was hoping for some help on building a character.

I've read through the grappler's guide and I really like the idea of that type of combatant. Reading the AL rules, I guess Goliath is out of the question for S4. Also, I've read that the AL modules include a fair amount of non-combat encounters.

Grappling seems niche enough that to stay effective it seems I'd really have to commit myself, but what options are best if I also want to bring some non-combat utility to the party?

Some notes:

- As a starting player, I find the magic system a little overwhelming. I'd like to keep this character simple, with little-to-no spellcasting.
- Despite that, I think that warlocks are cool.
- Okay, a caster-type could hold my interest if A) it wasn't too complicated, and B) it was flavorful.
- I also really like the idea of monks, but they seem a little "meh" for having to focus on three stats.
- Being disabled, I just plain like the power fantasy of being able to smash faces.
- I'm assuming that all AL events this season will be Strahd related, so correct me if I'm wrong there.
- I'm drawn to grappling b/c I want to twink for subdual/control rather than murder.

-like I see, moon druid is the best grappler, but his effectiveness depend of how DM let a beast grab someone.

-the advantages are: you're large most of the time, you can grab huge creatures, or even gargantuan if you (or someone in the party) get enlarge spell or when you go to lvl 6 to be a giant constrictor snake or giant elk (many DMs wouldn't allow to grab in this form).
-you don't care about things like swords and shield, you always have at least one "hand", paw or jaw free to grab. Some animals can even grab two creatures and still attack with bite.
-druids amazing area spells, entangle, spike growth, moon beam... you can cast those, wild shape, grab and drag the enemy to those effects, increasing you DPR, since you can damage with your movement.
-guidance gives you 1d4 in your first grapple

multiclass options:
-rogue 1 - expertise, you don't need this while you have only +2 of prof, but is a must go at +4. Cunning action is great. bard have expertise too, but you need deep for 3 lvls.
-barb 1 gives you advantage in grapple while in rage, but you can't concentrate and you have amazing concentration spells.
-warlock 1 gives you hex (desadvantage in strenght or dex, for make your grapple better), but using this don't let you use your fantastic concentration spells. Great old one gives you telepathy, what is great in wild shape. Armor of Agathys is great to moon druid too.

things great to your party:
-enlarge, if someone enlarges you, you can grab gargantuan creatures, or you can drag a medium creature without penalties.
Just imagine being a human variant with mobile feat, drag a greature in your spike growth, moving 50ft as a dire wolf (+10 of mobile), or 120ft dashing, is 48d4, and you can do that at lvl 3, with some party helping. Now imagine if you can dash with your bonus action?
-hex, this will be great if someone have instead of you, because of your concentration.
-more areas of effect in your party.

you'll need resilient in Con saves, since you be in melee all the time and need your concentration spells.

Muladhara86 said:

Reading the AL rules, I guess Goliath is out of the question for S4.

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Goliath isn't exactly off the table for Season 4. You simply have to take Elemental Evil as your Story Origin. All 4 Story Origins (ToD, EE, RoD, CoS) are still legal in Season 4.

Z. H. Darkstar said:

Goliath isn't exactly off the table for Season 4. You simply have to take Elemental Evil as your Story Origin. All 4 Story Origins (ToD, EE, RoD, CoS) are still legal in Season 4.

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The ALPGv4 states that "races or other options that are mentioned but whose rules are found in another source (for example, aasimar and genasi) do not become legal without other campaign documentation unless that source is also legal for your character's story origin."

So that means I'd have to play Elemental Evil to receive the proper certificate to be able to roll a Goliath?

zaratan said:

. . .

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I'm sorry zaratan, but I'm a bit of a newb. I don't have the books handy to look up all those spells' or feats' specifics; I think you may be overestimating my grasp of the system.

Also, I like the idea of a druid grappler (I main'd a druid in WoW for a while ~_~) , but I don't know who will be DM, or if it will even be the same person each time, so I'm not sure if druids' wild shape will always be an option.

Muladhara86 said:

The ALPGv4 states that "races or other options that are mentioned but whose rules are found in another source (for example, aasimar and genasi) do not become legal without other campaign documentation unless that source is also legal for your character's story origin."

So that means I'd have to play Elemental Evil to receive the proper certificate to be able to roll a Goliath?

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No. It means that since your story origin is EE, you can only get non-EE stuff through play.

Muladhara86 said:

I'm sorry zaratan, but I'm a bit of a newb. I don't have the books handy to look up all those spells' or feats' specifics; I think you may be overestimating my grasp of the system.

Also, I like the idea of a druid grappler (I main'd a druid in WoW for a while ~_~) , but I don't know who will be DM, or if it will even be the same person each time, so I'm not sure if druids' wild shape will always be an option.

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First, as a druid you don't need to worry about choose spells, you have all druid spells, you only need to prepare them, so you can do this with time.

At least he'll let a bear grab, someone need to be retarded to not let a bear hug.

enlarge is one fantastic spell for grapple, you're one size bigger, you can drag more weight, you can grab bigger creatures and can drag creatures 2 size smaller without penalties. as a huge creature you can drag a medium creature without penalties. But you need concentration, and concentrate in Spike Growth is the best a grapple can do.

Mobile is a feat, let you move 10 feet more, don't take AoO if you attack someone and can dash in difficult terrain without penalties in movement.

hex give desadvantage in on ability checks made with one ability you can choose. Choose strenght or dex, most monster have one of that high, not both, so you make the enemy check agaist your grapple with the lower stat or with desadvantage in the bigger.

Spike growth is THE spell for this and only druids or ranger can have it, but druid get at lvl 3, ranger at lvl 5. you make 2-foot-radious in the groud difficult terrain, and a creature take 2d4 for each 5 feet it moves. So basicly you only need to grab a creature in the edge of this terrain, and drag him a side to side.

Remember, a dire wolf can move 50ft, 60ft with mobile, if you dash and have cunning action (rogue lvl 2) to dash again with your bonus action, you can move 180ft, this is up to 72d4 of damage, this is incredible even in lvl 20, but you can archive that at lvl 5.

even if you have a bad DM that don't let a dire wolf grab the enemy with they teeth, a brown bear can move 40ft.

you have longstrider spell, that let you move 10 feet more (no concentration).

There isn't any better grapple than a druid.

multiclass as monk could add some interesting stuffs too.

Thank you, zaratan. That's far more parseable.

So it seems like you're suggesting rogue 2/warlock 1/druid x? Maybe a splash of monk too? xp seems like it will be at a premium, so when should I dip?

I read that one can declare melee damage as nonleathal when dropping an enemy to 0. Requiring melter seems to mean that the spike growth trick is lethal only. What kind of nonleathal options does your proposed build have?

forget warlock, would be good, but every lvl you deep in another class, you delay your progression as druid and ASI/feat, and you need at least resilient in constitution and mobile. Besides, you would need to invest in cha 13


You only need druid x/rogue2. With that you don't need other investment besides Wis (a little of dex and con too).
Monk can add unarmed defense, more movement at lvl 2 and ki points at lvl 3. In fact monk 5 is a great multiclass, but reach druid 10 is priority to get elemental form. So I would think about other multiclass until you reach druid 10/ rogue 2.

if you don't want lethal, just grab and prone enemies and let your party do the rest. Or use entangle to make them restrained.
You can do nonlethal damage with spike growth, since you do 2d4 for each 5 feet, roll 2d4 at a time, your DM will be bored and to speed up, will let you aply nonleathal damage easily.

zaratan said:

You can do nonlethal damage with spike growth, since you do 2d4 for each 5 feet, roll 2d4 at a time, your DM will be bored and to speed up, will let you aply nonleathal damage easily.

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That's a pro-tip right there!

You're convincing me, zaratan, and I've got a background brewing. I've got a few more questions:

- When should I dip into Rogue?

- It seems like I'll want to use my first API for the Warcaster feat. Is that a fair assessment?

- Any other feats that are must haves?

As an aside, I've heard a lot of praise for the Sailor origin; what's the big deal about being able to secure passage on a ship? I'll probably come up with a custom background, TBH.