some grapple feats for your review

[GlassJaw]

Power Grapple [GENERAL]
Prerequisite: Improved Grapple, Power Attack, Str 15.
Benefit: On your action, before making grapple checks for a round, you may choose to subtract a number from all grapple checks and add the same number to all grapple damage rolls. The number may not exceed your base attack bonus. The penalty on grapple checks and bonus on grapple damage apply until your next turn.
A fighter may select Power Grapple as one of his bonus feats.

Massive Grapple [GENERAL]
Prerequisite: Improved Grapple, Power Attack, Power Grapple, Str 15.
Benefit: When using Power Grapple, add twice the number subtracted from your grapple checks to your damage rolls.
A fighter may select Massive Grapple as one of his bonus feats.

Mighty Grapple [GENERAL]
Prerequisite: Improved Grapple, Weapon Focus (grapple), BAB +5, Str 17.
Benefit: When dealing damage due to a successful grapple check, you may add 1-1/2 times your Strength bonus to your damage rolls.
A fighter may select Mighty Grapple as one of his bonus feats.

 

[CRGreathouse]

I like them. Massive Grapple should require Str 15, though, since Power Grapple does and Massive Grapple requires Power Grapple.

Do you think these will make monsters with Improved Grab too tough?

 

[Quickleaf]

Nice feats. Unless a PC decides to play a wrestler concept, I see their real use for animals like the crocodile, lion, bear, shark, as well as certain monsters with the improved grab feat.

Make the Str change recommended by CRGreathouse.

At first I though Massive Grapple was too much, but it does require 3 feats so it's balanced. These feats make grappling more dangerous, as it should be.

 

[GlassJaw]

I like them. Massive Grapple should require Str 15, though, since Power Grapple does and Massive Grapple requires Power Grapple.

Thanks. The 15 Str is implied but should be listed for completeness I suppose.

I mostly struggled with the prereq's. I'm still not a big fan of using Power Attack as a req for Mighty Grapple but there just aren't many options. Maybe Weapon Focus (grapple) would be better actually. It would also make Power Grapple and Mighty Grapple somewhat different.

Do you think these will make monsters with Improved Grab too tough?

Hmm, a valid point. I guess it's tough to say without proper playtesting. I kind of thought that this feat chain, while heavily based on strength, also implied a knowledge of grappling techniques to deal more damage. An animal or monster, like a bear or an otyugh for example, uses their size and brute strength and maybe some kind of grappling appendage, rather than actual skill, to grapple. Maybe something can be added to prereq's to reflect this.

My main motivation was the current lack of feats for those characters that want to pursue grappling. Most of the grapple feats in Complete Warrior really only deal with escaping a grapple (Clever Wrestling, Close Quarters Fighting) and the one that does apply to dealing damage while grappling (Earth's Emrbace) isn't very good.

 

[GlassJaw]

Unless a PC decides to play a wrestler concept, I see their real use for animals like the crocodile, lion, bear, shark, as well as certain monsters with the improved grab feat.

Can the improved grab ability be substituted for something that has Improved Grapple as a prereq?

 

[GlassJaw]

Anymore comments on my feats?