Grapple build

[RigaMortus2]

Not at home at the moment, or I'd do this myself...

Can anyone who has DDI through together a quick Grappler build, say level 4 - 10? I've been interested in seeing one, and since Martial Power 2 has a Grapple build for Fighters, and PHB3 has Grab/Grapple-type feats, it seems like you can make a reasonable Grappler/Wrestler now.

Anyone able to whip one up?

 

[Piratecat]

I don't have time yet, but for clarification: lvl 4-10 is a big range. Did you mean inclusive or for one of those levels?

 

[DracoSuave]

Alright, some notes with this build.

Character Builder will tell you that Crashing Tempest Style is illegal. It is not, you have a Flurry of Blows power. Spiked Gauntlets are only to be used in Heroic. In Paragon, you'll take the hybrid paragon option so you can take Hybrid Talent: Unarmed Combatant.

That is when the WHOA begins, as your monk unarmed strike damage (1d8) and your brawler style proficiency bonus (+4) start to marry and have highly accurate superbabies.

Belt of the Brawler makes your improvised attacks (explicitly including unarmed) as tho they were with a club. That, in turn, satisfies Crashing Tempest Style.

You have many powers that knock things prone, with your grabbing means the Pin Down feat will mean they -never- stand up again.


====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Thanadar, level 10
Half-Orc, Monk|Fighter
Monastic Tradition (Hybrid): Stone Fist (Hybrid)
Hybrid Talent: Fighter Combat Talent
Fighter Combat Talent: Brawler Style (Hybrid)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 20, Con 12, Dex 20, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 16, Con 12, Dex 16, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10.


AC: 25 Fort: 25 Reflex: 23 Will: 19
HP: 70 Surges: 9 Surge Value: 17

TRAINED SKILLS
Endurance +13, Athletics +15, Acrobatics +15

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Arcana +4, Bluff +5, Diplomacy +5, Dungeoneering +6, Heal +6, History +4, Insight +6, Intimidate +7, Nature +6, Perception +6, Religion +4, Stealth +10, Streetwise +5, Thievery +10

FEATS
Level 1: Hybrid Talent
Level 2: Improved Grab
Level 4: Wrenching Grasp
Level 6: Brawler Guard
Level 8: Crashing Tempest Style
Level 10: Hip Throw

POWERS
Hybrid at-will 1: Grappling Strike
Hybrid at-will 1: Dragon's Tail
Hybrid encounter 1: Bash and Pinion
Hybrid daily 1: Seize and Stab
Hybrid utility 2: Forceful Drag
Hybrid encounter 3: Eternal Mountain
Hybrid daily 5: Steel Warrior Technique
Hybrid utility 6: Leap of the Heavens
Hybrid encounter 7: Bludgeoning Vise
Hybrid daily 9: Staggering Blow
Hybrid utility 10: Grappler's Stance

ITEMS
Spiked gauntlet, Mighty Strike Ki Focus +2, Magic Githweave Armor +3, Amulet of Life +2, Iron Armbands of Power (heroic tier), Belt of the Brawler (heroic tier)
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======

 

[blargney the second]

Nice build, DracoSuave! I've been thinking of putting together something like that, and you've saved me a ton of legwork.

 

[DracoSuave]

Oh, replace Wrenching Grasp with Pin Down, by the way.

Pin Down makes it that if they are prone and grabbed, they cannot stand until they are no longer grabbed.

The monk powers are generally of the prone or dazing variety, which combos well with the grabbing you'll be doing.

I figured you'd want a more -striker- oriented build, but it can go as a defender. You can swap out feats as you see fit too, you might want Unarmored Agility in there, or Expertise.

Weapon Focus (unarmed) is also something you can do for obvious reasons.

A variant build you can do with this is a Human build, sacrificing two points in strength (your weapon powers will get extra accuracy from Brawler Style in paragon) for the extra feat and power. For the extra power, I'd probably be inclined to take Slash and Pummel, or Crane's Wings to get some extra damage. Cleave is not an option, because a monk power and flurry is considerably better.


At Epic Level, this is when things get rediculous, as you'll have a +6, 1d10 weapon for powers that care about that.

Read that proficiency bonus again: Plus. Six.

That's not with Expertise, by the way.... that's the -weapon stats-.

 

[mneme]

Very nice. And don't forget that it will also be with a +5 Ki Focus -- which is -why- this is rather ludicrous -- because Brawler Style was written with the apparent intention that you'd not be getting an enhancement bonus on your unarmed attack. So what, at 21st level that's +8 for your attack stat, +5 for ki focus, +6 for proficiency, +10 for level, so +29? Not too shabby; that'll hit most at-level creatures on a 7 before you flank, on a 5 with combat advantage.

Are you actually doing more damage with a monk power? Assuming combat advantage, you've got a 17/20 chance to hit, say, a Galzak with a weapon attack, whereas if you guess right you've got a 15/20 chance to hit its reflex. You don't need to do that much damage extra damage to exceed the slightly better chance to hit there. But that's best case, and even just swtiching from targetting reflex to targetting will brings us to 17/20 vs 11/20 -- meaning we need more than 50% mroe damage from the flurry to be worth it.

 

[RigaMortus2]

Thanks a lot! Exactly what I was looking for. I'm home now, so gonna plug in your numbers and see if I can tweak it anymore.

 

[DracoSuave]

Very nice. And don't forget that it will also be with a +5 Ki Focus -- which is -why- this is rather ludicrous -- because Brawler Style was written with the apparent intention that you'd not be getting an enhancement bonus on your unarmed attack. So what, at 21st level that's +8 for your attack stat, +5 for ki focus, +6 for proficiency, +10 for level, so +29? Not too shabby; that'll hit most at-level creatures on a 7 before you flank, on a 5 with combat advantage.

Are you actually doing more damage with a monk power? Assuming combat advantage, you've got a 17/20 chance to hit, say, a Galzak with a weapon attack, whereas if you guess right you've got a 15/20 chance to hit its reflex. You don't need to do that much damage extra damage to exceed the slightly better chance to hit there. But that's best case, and even just swtiching from targetting reflex to targetting will brings us to 17/20 vs 11/20 -- meaning we need more than 50% mroe damage from the flurry to be worth it.

The idea of the monk powers isn't the damage, it's the control. That said, at epic level, you're dealing 11 damage to the creature you hit, and 17 damage to every other creature... that's enough to put it over the 50% mark with just one extra creature.