Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goken100" data-source="post: 6904781" data-attributes="member: 42968">Grappler's Magic Item Guide (Uncommons)Magic Items and GrapplingWe don't always play in campaigns or with DMs that give us the freedom or flexibility to choose which magic items we encounter or can choose for our characters in 5e. But some mystery and randomness in magic items is fun and probably for the best. But these items nonetheless have a huge impact on your character's efficacy and capabilities. And in some cases, they can unlock entire builds that wouldn't be otherwise possible. So let's take a look at how they stack up. I’m only listing items that are either specifically useful to a grappler or that should be mentioned because they're less good than you might think. UNCOMMONBag of HoldingA very popular item, it is frankly overrated. Many problems that can be solved with a Bag of Holding can also be solved with a little elbow grease and the purchase of a pack mule. That said, depending on your DM, it may be useful to keep the effective weight of your equipment to a minimum to insure you are not overburdened when dragging one or two opponents around the ring... err, battlefield. The Bag of Holding can accomplish that, so is not a bad choice for a grappler.Boots of Striding and SpringingA case could be made that these should actually be Green, as they are a must-have for a jumping build (IE Powerbomb Suplex). But even if it's not your specialty, jumping three times the normal distance is pretty amazing for a grappler. And perhaps more importantly, not having your speed reduced when you’re encumbered is a pretty big deal; if a DM ever runs the numbers on how much a large creature realistically weighs, he’s probably not going to let you drag it very far (seriously, look up a horse’s average weight). So unless your feet are busy with something better (*cough*, *wings*), these are a good item to pick up.Broom of FlyingYou may hear this item recommended as an attractive alternative to the Winged Boots, as it lets you fly and does not require attunement. Don't believe the hype. It can carry a maximum of 400 pounds; we are bulky grapplers! Half the time we'll exceed that with our own weight plus armor, let alone after grabbing a new friend to play with. To add insult to injury, its speed goes down from 50 to 30 if it has over 200 pounds on it (unlike the Winged Boots, which move at your speed and so can benefit from speed increases from features and spells). So really only useful for flying TO a target, not for anything after that. Still, getting those hard-to-reach bad guys off a perch and throwing them to your friends can be fun. So if you don't mind keeping an extra club in the bag for a niche situation, it's a viable option.Cloak of ProtectionThis is just basically one of the best uncommon items, and grapplers in particular are going to make themselves targets for enemies’ ire. Increasing AC and all saves with one item is a good win.Gauntlets of Ogre PowerMost grapplers are planning on getting to 20 Strength when they get enough ability score increases through leveling, so why bother getting an item that sets your strength at 19? One reason is if you find this item at lower level, it'll get you to 18 faster. Another possibility is that you have a particulary MAD grappling build (I'm looking at you, Druid/Monk) and you would like to make Strength a dump stat but still be able grapple without resorting to turning into an animal every time. Finally, you could take it and just hope that some day you'll be able to upgrade to a Belt of Giant Strength, and thus concentrate on feats or other ability increases as you level.Headband of IntellectThis item is similar to the Gauntlets of Ogre Power in that it can unlock an otherwise unwieldy MAD (Multiple Ability Score - dependent) grappling build. It is green because it really only applies to Wizards. A grappling Wizard is going to want a high Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, AND Intelligence. And there just aren't enough ability points to go around without a little help.Instrument of the Bard*This item doesn’t have a whole lot to do with grappling, other than Bards being one of the best grappling classes and a key part of many multi-class builds. This item is AMAZING for any and all Bards. A bunch of free spells plus the targets of your charms are at disadvantage. If you have any Bard levels, and especially if you have any intention of reaching level 5 Bard, try to get one of these. Then cast Hypnotic Pattern. You’re welcome. Note the asterisk because there are actually different varieties of this weapon at various rarities; generally speaking the rarer ones have better spells, but they’re all great and they all give the same encounter-killing charm disadvantage.Pearl of PowerThis item (and similar but more rare items) that can increase the number of spell slots available to a character can be fantastic assets to one type of grappler in particular: multi-class spellcasters. You will be relying on Enhance Ability or Enlarge for your advantage with one of those builds, and this item will allow you to cast that vital spell one extra time a day. A pure spell-casting character like a pure Bard, on the other hand, will have adequate spells slots and probably not need the help as much.Ring of JumpingThis is in every way inferior to the Boots of Striding and Springing. It gives you 3x the jumping distance just like the boots, but costs a bonus action to activate and does not have the amazing extra feature of not being encumbered. But assuming this is the only option, it’s still a decent option if you want to get hoppy with your foes.Ring of SwimmingMobility is important for a grappler, but in an average adventurer’s career there will likely only be a handful of underwater encounters. Your mileage may vary, but generally this shouldn’t be a priority.Shield +1For the shield-bearing grapplers out there, there’s no reason not to grab one of these since increasing AC for a grappler is always a priority.Sentinel ShieldArguably better than a +1 Shield for a grappler is the Sentinel shield, which gives you advantage on Initiative and Perception. The main benefit for the grappler is the initiative, because you want to make sure you have a chance to keep those enemies away from your friends, make their attacks suffer disadvantage, and grant your applies advantage. All that requires you go first.Stone of Good LuckThis is one of the only magic items that actually makes you better at what you DO: grappling! Plus it gives +1 to all saving throws, which is also amazing and very welcome for any grapple. Get it, use it, love it.Weapon +1Attacking with a weapon is not what a grappler is built for. You might want to have a magic weapon ready for after you have an opponent locked down and it’s time to pound or for those annoying battles against ghosts and their ilk. But this should not be a priority magic item for a grappler.Weapon of WarningThese items are a great choice for a grappler for the same reason as the Sentinel shield: advantage on initiative. But even better than the shield, these don’t have to be held and give you the benefit for having a magic weapon for those times when you want to resort to doing damage.Winged BootsThese bad boys are at the top of everyone’s list of uncommon items that might be too good. But you haven’t seen them truly shine until you’ve seen a grappler put them on and go nuts on the enemy. These can take a mediocre grappling build (particularly one with low HP and/or AC) and make it VERY viable. The main capability that is unlocked with these is the grab-and-drop style of build, but the creative possibilities are endless. A few options to consider: <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Want to make two enemies take damage and go prone with only a single grapple? Grab one of them, fly up 10 feet (moving at half speed of course), and drop him on his buddy.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Turn off the boots and drop WITH your target from the air! Activate Slow Fall, Feather Fall, or reactivate the boots at the last second (possibly with an Acrobatics check to time it right) to prevent your grappled opponent from gaining the protective benefit. Now you’ve got a grappled and prone opponent who’s taken damage and all you’ve done is used a grapple and some movement.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Drop your opponent onto the ground, then Super Hero Fall right onto their prone face for an attack with advantage! Try to convince your DM that the falling damage from your own fall should be added to the hit’s damage, assuming it lands. (You yourself take falling damage and go prone but what can I say... it's murder on the knees.)</li> </ul>Maneuvers like these are going to be subject to a lot of variation from DM to DM, so you might want to talk with her in advance about how she’ll adjudicate these sorts of things. In any case, always choose Boots of Flying first if you can (and if you don’t mind eye rolls from the rest of the table while you abuse the crap out of your fancy footwear).</blockquote>

Verification