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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 1716117" data-attributes="member: 3146">WRT: Close Quarters Fighting:Hmm. With Combat Reflexes, he actually does get to do it against the first four grapple checks every round. There are very few times I've seen anyone subjected to more than that. It doesn't help once you're in a grapple but it's still a really good feat. I'd even go so far as to say it's not really an optional feat for mid-high level fighters. They should all have it.Close Quarters Fighting and Freedom of Movement are two reasons dedicated grappling specialists need a backup plan. Dedicated grappling specialists who don't have a backup plan could try to deal with it several ways:1. Draw an attack of opportunity by doing something else and hope that the creature doesn't have combat reflexes.2. Draw several attacks of opportunity and hope that you (or your allies) can run out the character's dex bonus.3. Fight Defensively and use combat expertise to make sure the AoO misses. This only works if you've got a good AC to begin with.4. Try to amass a higher grapple check. than the other character's damage+grapple check. This one's pretty hard when you're going up against a fighter with a two-handed weapon. However, with a one-handed weapon it's a lot easier. If you have magic, ray of enfeeblement and ray of exhaustion can work against the creature too.Monster Manual Glossary, the description of Rake. The SRD says:"Rake (Ex): A creature with this special attack gains extra natural attacks  when it grapples its foe. Normally, a monster can attack with only one of its natural weapons while grappling, but a monster with the rake ability usually gains two additional claw attacks that it can use only against a grappled foe. Rake attacks are not subject to the usual –4 penalty for attacking witha natural weapon in a grapple.A monster with the rake ability must begin its turn grappling to use its rake—it can’t begin a grapple and rake in the sameturn."Anyway, I see foes use grapple a lot. It can be bad if it's a single foe against a large party but foes who can control the terrain, restrict their foes mobilitiy, who want to shut down a spellcaster or rogue, who want to keep their foes from escaping, or who are having trouble hitting but are bigger and stronger than the target all find it advantageous to grapple. Grapple is also a very good setup maneuver. A good grappler takes one foe out of the combat and keeps him there and allows all of his allies to beat on him.As for creatures, Assassin vines, Shambling Mounds, and Tendriculos are some of the deadliest low-CR critters out there. At higher CRs, there's Bigby's Grasping Hand which has been known to completely destroy encounters. There's also the snatch feat (which functions like Improved Grab), collossal earth elemental monstrous scorpions, any creature with swallow whole, dire lions, dire tigers, dire bears, annis hags, and a whole host of such creatures. Any time you face a summoner, you're likely to see grapple at work. Unless you can see Invisible.</blockquote>

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