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View Full Version : 4e- Grab as basic attack, overpowered?



Asbestos
2009-01-12, 10:04 AM
I'm thinking of making a houserule that Grab counts as a basic melee attack. Would this unbalance things at all? Does it make sense?

Any thoughts on Bull Rush as a basic melee attack?

(this is like, the simplest homebrew ever :smalltongue:)

Meek
2009-01-12, 10:13 AM
Seems okay. You trade damage for two abilities that don't really scale altogether very well (fortitude defense has ways of buffing it up...your plain strength attack would be missing those same enhancement bonuses) but that could have useful effects. The only reason to make them melee basic attacks would be so they work off of the Warlord and things like that. I don't see the problem. However, rather than just making them melee basic attacks across the board, how about offering a feat that does this?

Asbestos
2009-01-12, 10:33 AM
Seems okay. You trade damage for two abilities that don't really scale altogether very well (fortitude defense has ways of buffing it up...your plain strength attack would be missing those same enhancement bonuses) but that could have useful effects. The only reason to make them melee basic attacks would be so they work off of the Warlord and things like that. I don't see the problem. However, rather than just making them melee basic attacks across the board, how about offering a feat that does this?

Well, it'd work on charges, OAs, and the assault swordmage teleport attack, not just with the Warlord granting basic attacks.
Is it even feat worthy though? If so should it be two feats (one for grab and one for bull rush) or just one?

Meek
2009-01-12, 10:56 AM
That's what the "things like that" in that sentence was for. Also, bullrushes already work at the end of a charge.

I don't think it's worth a feat since both those maneuvers are pretty weak (except at like level 1-3 where there aren't as many enhancement bonuses and such flying around), but it's better than a total paradigm shift by changing the rules entirely, in my opinion. So I would make them both stuck into one feat.

Asbestos
2009-01-12, 04:55 PM
How about this then?

Brawler
Heroic Tier
Prerequisites: Str 13
Benefit: You can attempt grabs and bull rushes as if they were melee basic attacks.

Meek
2009-01-12, 10:33 PM
That's good. It's at once pretty open (getting 13 Str isn't hard), but also restricting (the few classes this is thematic for can take it easily – others would have to waste points in things they don't use).