a non-monk unarmed fighter/grappler - doable?

[GlassJaw]

WF and WS Unarmed Strike (applies to grapple damage since grapple deals damage as an unarmed strike)

Really? I'm not so sure. Check out the SRD:

WEAPON SPECIALIZATION [GENERAL]
Choose one type of weapon for which you have already selected the Weapon Focus feat. You can also choose unarmed strike or grapple as your weapon for purposes of this feat

The "or" between unarmed strike and grapple leads me to believe they must be selected separately. A grapple may deal the same damage as an unarmed strike but that doesn't mean it is an unarmed strike. Semantics perhaps but it's unclear at best.

 

[silentspace]

Probably not what you're looking for, but the Justiciar (CW) has some pretty cool abilities.

 

[Patlin]

Also not likely to be what you are looking for, but a psychic warrior could be designed to fill this role very well.... especially if you consider claw & bite attacks to be unarmed. Expansion is a great way to play a REALLY big brutish warrior.

 

[BelXiror]

Another thing to consider is the Goliath from Races of Stone, or the Half-Giant from the Psionics Handbook.

Both get the Powerful Build racial ability, making them count as large for the purposes of grappling/tripping/bullrushing and weapon size/damage.

Both are ECL+1 though, but a Goliath, with +4 str and effective large size, comes out +5 grapple ahead of a human. -1BAB, +2str, +4 size.

Also, since your effective large, you can grapple bigger beasties.

 

[shilsen]

Get bitten by a werebear.

 

[warlord]

theres some greek mythology campaign setting book made ny S&S (I found it at my local shinders) that seems to be exactly what your looking for.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Also, since your effective large, you can grapple bigger beasties.

And since you're technically Medium, it's easier to qualify for Reaping Mauler. And the Goliath rogue substitution levels might make that easier to stomach.

 

[Ezieer]

The "or" between unarmed strike and grapple leads me to believe they must be selected separately. A grapple may deal the same damage as an unarmed strike but that doesn't mean it is an unarmed strike. Semantics perhaps but it's unclear at best.

Weapon Focus - unarmed strike would increase your attack mod by +1 to hit someone with a fist or kick

Weapon Focus - grapple would increase your attack mod by +1 to hit someone or specifically hit them with a touch attack to start the grappling process. its not going to do anything beyond that including subsequent grapple checks

 

[argo]

1) see if you can persuade your DM to OK a feat to increase you damage to 1d6. Its not that unreasonable and a 1d6 weapon that cannot be disarmed and is always "on hand" (oh ho ho! I slay me) is nothing to sneeze at.

2) never forget that as a grapple-twink you job is not to kill the enemy. Your job is to pick any single opponent of your size or smaller and remove him from the combat at the expense of sacrificing your own turn: you are trading your actions for his. Everything else is just gravy. In many ways the most valuable resource in all of DnD is the "turn" which is what makes grapplers so powerful but if you do not wrap your head around this fundamental concept you will not succede.

Speaking of which, be sure to make friends with the rogue. You and your opponent both loose you Dex when grappling... "I'll hold him you hit him"

Good luck.

 

[Storyteller01]

If you're willing to check out OGL sources, then check Mythic Races (FFG). They have a critter called a Stone Grunt. +4 to your ECL, but the 10/+2 DR means no one will hammer on you too much while you focus on grappling one target. I also believe the Stone Grunt is a Large creature.

It also comes with the PrC Seige Grunt. Basically turns you into a living battering ram (you can charge and damage stone walls) and provides energy resistance from fire (all those castles with boiling oil...). 'Course, you can't touch the PrC until you gain 8th level...


Question for everyone out there: Doesn't OA have some nasty feats for those who specialize in grappling (Dragon ran a Class combo called 'The Martial Artist' [Fighter monk])? Things like 'Defensive Throw' and the like?