Grapple feat must-haves?

[StreamOfTheSky]

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.

 

[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... ???

 

[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).

 

[blargney the second]

- 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

 

[Thanael]

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.

 

[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.