a non-monk unarmed fighter/grappler - doable?

[GlassJaw]

I've always wanted to try a big brutish warrior type that crushed his opponents with his bare hands. The problem is that if you use fighter and barbarian levels, your unarmed damage will never increase (a limitation of the 3ed D&D system IMO).

The feat chain is pretty obvious: IUS, Improved Grapple, maybe Jotunbrud from FR (if allowed), Imp Trip maybe, Weapon Focus and Spec (grapple) maybe, and some of the feats fro CW (Clever Wrestling, Close-Quarters Fighting, Earth's Embrace, etc).

Would a character like this be effective at all?

 

[the_mighty_agrippa]

Certainly. You might also want to check out the Reaping Mauler class in Complete Warrior.

Kalman

 

[TheEvil]

Flaming, Frost, Corrosive, Shocking, Thundering Armor Spikes +5 are your friend.

 

[Klaus]

While base damage doesn't increase, you can offset that by liberally using Power Attack.

Human Ftr 4:
1 - Improved Unarmed Strike
1 Ftr bonus - Power Attack
1 Hum bonus - Improved Grapple
2 Ftr bonus- Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike)
3 - Improved Trip
4 Ftr bonus - Weapon Specialization (Unarmed Strike)

With Str 16, your unarmed attack is looking to be:
BAB/Grap: +4/+11
Attack: Unarmed strike +8 melee (1d3+5)

 

[Sejs]

Fighter, maybe a level or two of barbarian if you want to get mean.

5 levels of Shou Disciple (a 5 level PrC from Unapproachable East)
5 levels of Reaping Mauler (a 5 level PrC from Complete Warrior)

Pick up a few feats like Earth's Embrace, Power Attack, Improved Trip, and Karmic Strike and you're good to go.

 

[GlassJaw]

You might also want to check out the Reaping Mauler class in Complete Warrior

Oh yeah, I've checked it out. It's tough to meet with those tumble and escape artist ranks if you don't have any rogue levels though. I was thinking more of a Bbn/Ftr. Any suggestions on meeting the RM skill req's?

 

[GPEKO]

While base damage doesn't increase, you can offset that by liberally using Power Attack.

I've designed this feat for my character in the 'Living ENworld'. Not extremely powerful but it can useful for what you're looking for.

MIGHTY PUNCH[GENERAL]
You know how to put your full weight behind a punch.
Prerequisite: Str 13+, Improved Unarmed Strike, Power Attack.
Benefit: If both your hands are free and you make an unarmed strike, you can add 1.5 time your strength bonus to damage. You can also add to damage twice the number subtracted from your attack rolls when power attacking. You are not considered to be wielding a two-handed weapon for any other purpose (like disarming).
This feat can’t be used in conjunction with the flurry of blows ability. You also can’t use this feat while grappling or when making an unarmed strike with both arms (two weapon fighting).

 

[Darklone]

That's essentially the official Hammerfist feat. Ah well. And it's broooooken for monks.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

I would stay away from the Reaping Mauler. In general, it's a pretty weak prestige class and its benefits structure means that you can't really play a skilled grappler until you enter the prestige class.

You're better off sticking with fighter and barbarian levels.

Now a few things to keep in mind:
1. You can deal damage with magical armor spikes
2. As a grappler, your primary role isn't to deal damage; it's to incapacitate one foe and take him out of combat. If you win that battle slowly, it's not particularly important--what's important is that the foe does not escape.

So, Imp Grapple, Imp Unarmed Strike, WF: Grapple, and GWF: Grapple, WF and WS Unarmed Strike (applies to grapple damage since grapple deals damage as an unarmed strike) or armor spikes (probably a better choice), power attack, Combat Expertise, Improved Trip, Extra Rage, and Stunning Fist will be your friends. Between them, your grapple check will probably be between two and eight points higher than a monk of similar level's grapple check. And, by mid levels, you'll be able to make more grapple checks per round. Consequently, you will be better at grappling than a monk--even if your damage is somewhat lower.

Of course, grappling doesn't work on a variety of monsters, so you'll want other options. As a fighter/barbarian, you have those. Since you have power attack and the rage feats, a good two-handed weapon--possibly with reach--will be a good addition to your capabilities.

 

[Bloodstone Press]

One of the first core classes I ever developed for the 3.0 system was the Brawler. You can see the 3.0 version of the Brawler right here:
http://www.bloodstone-press.com/classes.html

For 3.5, I would add the Improved Grapple feat and several others to the Brawler's list of optional bonus feats. Perhaps even make Improved Grapple a class ability and get rid of the level based grappling bonus....

The Brute Force ability would also be changed in a way similar to the 3.5 monk's Ki Strike.