D&D 5E (2014) The Grappler's Manual (2.0) - Grappling in 5th Edition

[Yunru]

I am saddened by the fact your include SCAG races, but not the best grappler subclass in the game: Battlerager.

 

[Goken100]

I am saddened by the fact your include SCAG races, but not the best grappler subclass in the game: Battlerager.

Neither I nor the OP have much experience with that build. Can you share more about how it works and why it is a good grappling choice?

 

[Yunru]

Well I'll just tease the first couple of abilities (scanning my copy of the book was the best idea ever):

BATTLERAGER ARMOR
When you choose this path at 3rd level, you gain the ability to use spiked armor (see the "Spiked Armor" sidebar) as a weapon.
While you are wearing spiked armor and are raging, you can use a bonus action to make one melee weapon attack with your armor spikes against a target within 5 feet of you. If the attack hits, the spikes deal ld4 piercing damage. You use your Strength modifier for the attack and damage rolls.
Additionally, when you use the Attack action to grapple a creature, the target takes 3 piercing damage if your grapple check succeeds.

RECKLESS ABANDON
Beginning at 6th level, when you use Reckless Attack while raging, you also gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1). They vanish if any of them are left when your rage ends.

Ah screw it, why not a third:

BATTLERAGER CHARGE
Beginning at 10th level, you can take the Dash action as a bonus action while you are raging.

 

[Goken100]

Well I'll just tease the first couple of abilities (scanning my copy of the book was the best idea ever):

BATTLERAGER ARMOR
When you choose this path at 3rd level, you gain the ability to use spiked armor (see the "Spiked Armor" sidebar) as a weapon.
While you are wearing spiked armor and are raging, you can use a bonus action to make one melee weapon attack with your armor spikes against a target within 5 feet of you. If the attack hits, the spikes deal ld4 piercing damage. You use your Strength modifier for the attack and damage rolls.
Additionally, when you use the Attack action to grapple a creature, the target takes 3 piercing damage if your grapple check succeeds.

RECKLESS ABANDON
Beginning at 6th level, when you use Reckless Attack while raging, you also gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1). They vanish if any of them are left when your rage ends.

Ah screw it, why not a third:

BATTLERAGER CHARGE
Beginning at 10th level, you can take the Dash action as a bonus action while you are raging.

Pretty cool stuff. I can see that this would be a fun class to be. I'm not sure about it being the best grappler, however. Grapplers excel at locking down opponents and controlling the battlefield. The more you take your focus off of that target and move it onto other things, such as dealing damage, the less effective you will be at your primary focus. Nothing wrong with being moderately good at two things instead of very good at one thing, but it's generally not the way to make the most potent build.

Here are some specific pros and cons:
Dwarves Only
This build is specifically for Dwarves, which isn't so bad. Each of the 3 dwarf types makes a decent grappler, so you can certainly make it work. Mountain Dwarf, one of the best grappling races, conflicts a bit. You can start with 17 Strength, so you want to take a Feat at level 4 that gives 1 Strength. But the best feat in that category is Tavern Brawler, which gives a bonus action grapple, which conflicts with the bonus action spiky rattle. A minor quibble but it's there.

Battlerager Armor
Three free damage every time you grapple is probably the coolest selling point here. It's only 3 damage, but it's still pretty cool. The bonus action attack might be a fun attack against a grappled and proned opponent, but that bonus action will likely be busy (especially if you MC into Rogue for Expertise and Cunning Action).

Reckless Abondon
This is largely useless to a grappler, sadly. Attacking recklessly is just not something a grappler should generally be doing; it doesn't give advantage on grapple checks. You generally only want to attack when you have the opponent on the ground, which gives advantage anyway.

Battlerager Charge
A great ability if you go straight Barb or if you only dip 1 level for Rogue. Mobility is king when grappling. But once again, that bonus action is getting very crowded. If you'd gone with Totem Barbarian, you could have gotten +15 to movement when raging, which doesn't cost any extra actions.

Overall I'd rate it on par with the other two barbarian builds. A great build for a damage-dealing barbarian grappler, particularly if you're only taking 3, 4, or 5 levels in barbarian.

 

[Darlos9D]

Man, I disappointed myself today. I was thinking about combinations of things that could make a Monk grappler really viable without too much MADness going on. I remembered that Knowledge domain Clerics get expertise! Or something like it anyway. Then I looked and realized it was only "expertise" in knowledge skills

Like, Lore Bards get expertise in anything they want, so why don't Knowledge clerics get the same? It'd be a cool Wisdom-based alternative approach.

I'm salty because I played myself.

 

[Zene]

I know this is thread necromancy, but I'd love to know what folks think of the new Volo's races might play as grapplers. I saw someone mention the Lizardfolk could be a good option due to the bite attack; and of course a number of the races have powerful build...

Also, love the guide, but I wish there was a bit more on multiclass builds or even some sample builds. Anyone have suggedtions on that? Like is there a reasonable way to combine the grappler-gold bits like rogue experise, barbarian rage, and fighter action surge/battlemaster moves? Or would a build like that be shooting itself in the foot by giving up other goodies?

 

[Jonaman8]

Not so very optimal, but I think a Tabaxi Grappler can be fun. Totem Barbarian with 2 level dip in Rogue for Expertise in Athletics and Cunning Action to Dash, and you eventually have 30ft. climb speed through Fast Movement. The racial that doubles your movement for one turn cancels out the halve movement. Cunning action for a dash and you can grapple someone, climb 60ft. up and then drop them for 6d6 damage. You can only get your STR and CON up to 20 and 18 (if you use point buy) and have no feats. It isn't overly optimised, but I think it could be a lot of fun.

 

[Goken100]

...
Also, love the guide, but I wish there was a bit more on multiclass builds or even some sample builds. Anyone have suggedtions on that? Like is there a reasonable way to combine the grappler-gold bits like rogue experise, barbarian rage, and fighter action surge/battlemaster moves? Or would a build like that be shooting itself in the foot by giving up other goodies?

Good questions. There's definitely no exact answer, but I can share my own experience. I have 5 grappling characters:
Barbarian 6 / Rogue 4 - Jumping Domination
Probably my most potent grappler and a ton of fun to play.

• Human with Tavern Brawler (increased unarmed damage and bonus action grapples) and Athlete (5 ft jump and 5 ft stand are huge in this build).
• Totem Barbarian with Elk for +15 movement and Bear for double carrying capacity.
• Thief Rogue for increased jumping distance. With 20 Strength and 14 Dex, a 5ft running start gets me a vertical leap of 10 feet, which is all you need to deal 1d6 damage to a grappled opponent and auto-prone them.
• When raging I have a 55ft movement speed, plus the option of a Cunning Action Dash, so halving movement speed when grappling is no problem.
• If you happen to get Boots of Striding and Springing, which I have, the fun never stops.
• Future plans: Barbarian 8 for some tasty goodies, and only then will I consider possibly dipping into Fighter at my 13th level.

Fighter 5 / Bard 5 - Gish Grappling
A fun and versatile build becomes it's nearly as good at grappling as the Barbarian build above but with way more versatility due to spells.

• Human with Tavern Brawler for increased unarmed damage and bonus action grapples.
• Battle Master Fighter with Disarm, Precision Attack, and Trip. It's tons of fun to attack with an unarmed strike, activate trip attack, and bonus action grapple all at once.
• Fighter is your back to Extra Attack here, which is essential for all grapplers.
• Lore Master Bard because Cutting Words is amazing. You thought you just avoided my grapple by beating my check by 1? Think again as I cut that check down to size with a reaction!
• Spell-wise, you'll want to have Longstrider and Enhance Ability (Strength) going whenever going into a potentially dangerous situation (each lasts 1 hour).
• Another nice combo is to move next to two enemies or more enemies, cast Earth Tremor to knock a few of them prone and deal damage, then Action Surge to grapple two enemies to pin them there (or Action Surge to unarmed strike one of them with advantage then bonus action grapple with Tavern Brawler).
• As a bard of 5th level, you'll want to pick up Hypnotic Pattern and an Instrument of the Bard. It's not related to grappling, but its hugely powerful. You can't end EVERY combat with it... but you can end some of them.
• Magic item note: This character has Demon Armor, which is awesome with this build. To most characters, it's like "Why would I want to combine +1 Plate armor with +1 magic 1d8 unarmed strikes and be cursed?". But this character? YES PLEASE!
• Future plans: A 6th Bard level to get Arcane Secrets and Enlarge for those annoying huge opponents. Then a 6th level Fighter to increase a stat, then all Bard for magic powa.

Druid 3 / Monk 5 - Bear Style Kung Fu
This is a niche build because it relies on Boots of Flying and a DM that allows for bears to grapple. But it's fun nonetheless.

• Human with the Mobile feat for increased speed.
• Open Hand Monk for knocking prone or blasting into the sky.
• Moon Druid for Brown Bear at lower levels as a bonus action, a potent grappler with a permissive DM.
• Spells are basically going to be Enhance Ability (Strength) and Longstrider whenever going into trouble.
• Slow Fall can be fun when using Boots of Flying; you can turn them off and try to maintain the grapple as you fall but reduce your own damage. Your millage may vary with DM, of course.
• Another fun trick is drag an opponent into the air, then move under him and start hitting him with flurry of blows to push him 10 feet higher into the air with each strike!
• Future plans: Dividing progress between the two classes. Extra spell slots and more powerful beasts from Druid and extra punches from Monk. Might be worth consider 1 level of Rogue to get Expertise in Athletics at some point.

Bard 4 - Master of Self Sufficiency
Just about the only way to make a decent grappler with a single class is with Valor Bard. It helps if you have Winged Boots.

• Dragonborn with Tavern Brawler for increased unarmed damage and bonus action grapples.
• Valor Bard's inspiration dice aren't NEARLY as useful to a grappler as Lore Bard's, so just give them out before combat when you can remember. Your bonus actions will be busy GRAPPLING!
• Again, Longstrider and Enhance Ability are your friends.
• Get the best medium armor you can find! Consider using a shield until 6th level, when you may want to have two hands free to double-grapple and lock down two opponents.
• Future plans: 6th level extra attack with no multi-classing! Single class all the way!

Wizard 4 - Bladesinger Grappler
As I mentioned before, Bladesingers can make decent grapplers... maybe... sorta. Probably my weakest built, but still fun.

• Half-elf to qualify for Bladesinger and still get a bonus to Strength. Went with the alternate Half-elf to get +5 movement speed.
• The Bladesong ability is perfect for a grappler. You get a bonus to AC and speed, plus a bonus to concentration spells to keep Enlarge going. Hard to beat that!
• Spells will be Longstrider, Mage Armor, Shield, and Enlarge/Reduce. With the defensive spells and Bladesong going, you should be able to block most blows and keep concentrating, so you got that going for you. Note that Booming Blade can be used with an unarmed strike. so that's something. Misty Step is also a good option for getting close to enemies at a crucial moment, and doesn't compete for concentration like Expeditious Retreat.
• There are two problems with this build: relying on Enlarge and relying on too many ability scores.
  • Ability score-wise, you need your Strength to max out as all grapplers do, but you also need as high a Dex and Int as possible to get your AC up. Plus you ABSOLUTELY cannot tank your Con with so few hit points coming in with a 1d6 each level. The only way to make this work realistically to to accept mediocrity or get a magic item. I have the Headband of Intellect, but Gauntlets of Ogre Power would arguably be better because you might hope to eventually upgrade to a Belt of Giant Strength if you can find one in your adventures. Note that even with the Headband of Intellect, I need to have at least a 13 Intelligence if I ever wish to multi-class.
  • Enlarge/Reduce is simply not as good as Enhance Ability because it only lasts a minute. That means one of three things:
  • Cast it RIGHT before battle if you are ambushing the enemies (which happens ALLL the time, am I right Assassin Rogues? No? It almost never freaking happens?).
  • Spend the first round getting READY to grapple by casting the spell. This is only viable for big fights, as average fights are over in a few rounds. Plus grappling requires you to lock down opponents before they get to your friends, so twiddling your thumbs for the first and most vital round is failing at your job.
  • Fight without advantage on Strength checks. This usually means don't even bother grappling, you're better off doing damage like a regular, boring, old bladesinger. Sad.
• Future plans: Get to Extra Attack from Bladesinger as soon as possible (always a priority for a grappler), then dip 1 level of Rogue for Athletics expertise. Then wizard all the way!

 

[Zene]

That's great info, thanks for all the detail Goken100! Really helped me see how build options can play out.

At the moment, I'm planning to try a Bugbear grappler. Currently torn between going the Battlemaster Fighter / Lore Bard route and the Barbarian / Rogue route. The Fighter / Bard seems like a bit more fun for me, and I love the thought of having the versatility of BM maneuvers and Bard spells when not grappling. However, the fact that I'll have to get to L8 (F5/B3) before I really hit my stride with grappling is a drawback; when it seems like if I go Barbarian 5 / Rogue 1 I can have all the tools (advantage, 2nd attack, expertise) pulled together 2 levels earlier.

Decisions, decisions.

 

[Goken100]

That's great info, thanks for all the detail Goken100! Really helped me see how build options can play out.

At the moment, I'm planning to try a Bugbear grappler. Currently torn between going the Battlemaster Fighter / Lore Bard route and the Barbarian / Rogue route. The Fighter / Bard seems like a bit more fun for me, and I love the thought of having the versatility of BM maneuvers and Bard spells when not grappling. However, the fact that I'll have to get to L8 (F5/B3) before I really hit my stride with grappling is a drawback; when it seems like if I go Barbarian 5 / Rogue 1 I can have all the tools (advantage, 2nd attack, expertise) pulled together 2 levels earlier.

Decisions, decisions.

That is true. If you go that route, I'd recommend you aim for Fighter 1/ Bard 3 first. With advantage and one attack, you can at least grapple and throw opponents off of cliffs or take two rounds to knock them prone. At Fighter 2 / Bard 3 you unlock Action Surge, which allows you to lock down one opponent in one round at least once in a while (and combos really well with Earth Tremor). Then maybe go Fighter 4 / Bard 3 to pick up Tavern Brawler so you can pull off the one attack - trip - bonus action grapple combo. That's only 1 level later than a pure bard or barbarian/rogue would be in getting the ability to grapple and knock down an opponent in one turn.