How To - Optimize a Grappler/Reaping Mauler?

[Tibbaerrohwen]

I recently rediscovered the Reaping Mauler. Now I'm curious, because I've never played a grappler before; how do you optimize a Reaping Mauler?
What feats and classes, races, skill tricks, etc should be considered?
Is there a grappler's handbook?

Thanks.

[Amphetryon]

I recently rediscovered the Reaping Mauler. Now I'm curious, because I've never played a grappler before; how do you optimize a Reaping Mauler?
What feats and classes, races, skill tricks, etc should be considered?
Is there a grappler's handbook?

Thanks.
The best way to optimize Reaping Mauler, according to the majority opinion here, is to leave it off your character sheet entirely. It appears to have been designed by someone who was not fully up to speed on how the grappling rules work, and its best ability was replicated as a feat. There's a valid argument that Reaping Mauler makes you worse at grappling, because it limits the size you can be while using its abilities (among other reasons).

Black Blood Cultist (if you're in FR or can port it in and reflavor) and Totemist make good grapplers, as does a Bear Totem Barbarian.

[Zagaroth]

Better yet, grab the Real reaping Mauler. To whit :

http://www.wakinglands.com/htm_files/prestige_classes_reaping_mauler.htm

as originally written by the author of the class.

[Gwendol]

Goliath for race to get Powerful Build will be advantageous, as well as a level of monk for the bonus feat (Imp. Grapple) and more damage when grappling. After that fighter to rack up the necessary feats and BAB to early entry.

[Gwendol]

Right. Might want to check out the Oriental Adventures too for grappling feats instead of taking levels in the class.

[Eldariel]

Barbarian (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#bearTotemClassFeatures ) (Bear Totem) is the best non-magical base class for Grappling (Casting, Wildshaping & Soulmelds all take it up to 11, tho). So start there. 5 levels for the +4 untyped bonus is very much excellent, combined with Rage and full BAB. Try to avoid levels in Monk; losing BAB over something silly is generally not worth it for a grappler who needs every bonus he can get (incidentally the reason Monks are bad grapplers themselves). If you want more damaging Unarmed Strikes, look at Shou Disciple [Unapproachable East] or Superior Unarmed Strike-feat [Tome of Battle].

And yeah, that original Reaping Mauler would be slightly useful (though you still don't gain heavy bonuses from the class levels - all 10 levels equal to one size category)...without the Clever Wrestling prerequisite which means you lose basically everything if you ever become Large; work around that and you're fine. You kinda need the size bonuses and to even just grapple with most monsters you need to be at most one category smaller than them.

[Angry Bob]

If you have access to Stormwrack, consider three levels of Leviathan Hunter to score Clever Wrestling as a bonus feat so it's not useless when you increase your size.

[ranagrande]

There is a way to optimize Reaping Mauler: take at least three levels of the Leviathan Hunter prestige class from Stormwrack first.

[Starbuck_II]

It brings a tear to my eye that people remember Leviathan Hunter as way to use Reaping Mauler. :smallbiggrin:
But yeah, only way to use Reaping Mauler is be able to get larger than Med size (since grapple has a size limit) and keep Clever Wrestler.

[Gnaeus]

Black Blood Cultist (if you're in FR or can port it in and reflavor) and Totemist make good grapplers, as does a Bear Totem Barbarian.

Dont forget Druid. Be two grapplers for the price of one.

[Amphetryon]

Dont forget Druid. Be two grapplers for the price of one.
True, but Druid makes a good everything else, too. :smallwink:

[Darrin]

I recently rediscovered the Reaping Mauler. Now I'm curious, because I've never played a grappler before; how do you optimize a Reaping Mauler?
What feats and classes, races, skill tricks, etc should be considered?


Race: Half-Giant (LA buyoff)
Ranger 1/Spirit Bear Totem Barbarian 1/PsyWar 4/Leviathan Hunter 3/Reaping Mauler 5/Totemist 2/Totem Rager 4
Feats:
1) Improved Unarmed Strike
3) Practiced Manifester, Improved Grapple
4) Linked Power
6) Iron Will, Martial Study: Mountain Hammer
9) Superior Unarmed Strike
12) Martial Stance: Crushing Weight of the Mountain
15) Cobalt Rage
18) Double Chakra

Leviathan Hunter gives you Clever Wrestling as a bonus feat regardless of your size. Practiced Manifester lets you augment expansion up to huge size. Linked Power helps you get expansion or grip of iron activated quickly. Martial Study: Mountain Hammer helps you get Crushing Weight of the Mountain later (constrict damage), and is just too darned useful to boot. After Reaping Mauler, you don't necessarily have to go into Totemist/Totem Ranger, you could try finishing off with more PsyWar or something like Fist of the Forest, replacing Cobalt Rage/Double Chakra with Multigrab/Greater Multigrab.



Is there a grappler's handbook?


Not that I'm aware of. Once freedom of movement becomes readily available, your world crosses the Schwarzschild Limit of Suck.

[Gwendol]

Or you try grappling a level one cleric with the travel domain...

[Cespenar]

Obviously, the correct way is to mix it with Wu Jen and Master of the Unseen Hand, and then Force Choke multiple enemies at range.

[AMFV]

Race: Half-Giant (LA buyoff)
Ranger 1/Spirit Bear Totem Barbarian 1/PsyWar 4/Leviathan Hunter 3/Reaping Mauler 5/Totemist 2/Totem Rager 4
Feats:
1) Improved Unarmed Strike
3) Practiced Manifester, Improved Grapple
4) Linked Power
6) Iron Will, Martial Study: Mountain Hammer
9) Superior Unarmed Strike
12) Martial Stance: Crushing Weight of the Mountain
15) Cobalt Rage
18) Double Chakra

Leviathan Hunter gives you Clever Wrestling as a bonus feat regardless of your size. Practiced Manifester lets you augment expansion up to huge size. Linked Power helps you get expansion or grip of iron activated quickly. Martial Study: Mountain Hammer helps you get Crushing Weight of the Mountain later (constrict damage), and is just too darned useful to boot. After Reaping Mauler, you don't necessarily have to go into Totemist/Totem Ranger, you could try finishing off with more PsyWar or something like Fist of the Forest, replacing Cobalt Rage/Double Chakra with Multigrab/Greater Multigrab.



Not that I'm aware of. Once freedom of movement becomes readily available, your world crosses the Schwarzschild Limit of Suck.

Freedom of Movement has somatic components and therefore can't be used while grappled, though it could be cast before. Also most monsters don't get freedom of movement.

[AMFV]

Get Earth Dreamer. Grapple opponent. Pull opponent into the bowels of the Earth. Unless they're a caster, they're pretty much screwed as very few things have a burrow speed, and most over the counter teleports require LoS.

[Gwendol]

Freedom of Movement has somatic components and therefore can't be used while grappled, though it could be cast before. Also most monsters don't get freedom of movement.

Not for a cleric with the travel domain:


Travel Domain
Granted Powers
For a total time per day of 1 round per cleric level you possess, you can act normally regardless of magical effects that impede movement as if you were affected by the spell freedom of movement. This effect occurs automatically as soon as it applies, lasts until it runs out or is no longer needed, and can operate multiple times per day (up to the total daily limit of rounds).

This granted power is a supernatural ability.

Add Survival to your list of cleric class skills.

[AMFV]

Not for a cleric with the travel domain:


True, but generally monsters don't have the travel domain. If you're playing something that's built around being a reaping mauler you really aren't equipped to handle every situation anyway.

[Gwendol]

No, but it's to point out the liability of grappling (I've played several): monsters tend to get big and strong fast, which makes it hard to grapple them, and casters can have easy ways out of grapples as early as level 1 (abrupt jaunt or travel domain).

Not to discourage grappling though; it can be a great tactic!

[Gnaeus]

Not for a cleric with the travel domain:

Travel Domain
Granted Powers

For a total time per day of 1 round per cleric level you possess, you can act normally regardless of magical effects that impede movement as if you were affected by the spell freedom of movement. This effect occurs automatically as soon as it applies, lasts until it runs out or is no longer needed, and can operate multiple times per day (up to the total daily limit of rounds).

Travel domain /= freedom of movement. It acts like freedom of movement with regards to magical effects. It would not do anything to a grapple, unless you were being grappled with telekinesis or black tentacles or something. I GUESS you could make a case that being grappled by a summoned creature or a wildshaped druid might count, but it sounds shaky to me.


Freedom of Movement has somatic components and therefore can't be used while grappled, though it could be cast before.

No it doesn't. It just requires a swift action to dismiss your Heart of Water.

[The Gilded Duke]

I was able to do pretty well with a Fighter / Bear Totem Barbarian / Totemist / War Mind
Ultimo Tarrasco Jr. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9465081&postcount=102)

The important part is combining Sweeping Strikes with improved grab. If you haven't make sure to read through exactly what Improved Grab gets you it is amazing. Improved Grab (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#improvedGrab)



In the end though +87 grapple modifier and able to expand up to Gargantuan size.

[Keld Denar]

Totemist can grapple pretty well also. There are 2 soulmelds that add decent bonuses to grapple, and one of them gives you constrict.

Otherwise, be a WS Ranger/MoMF/Nature's Warrior and take Aberrant Wildshape. WS into a Deeptentacles (hello +16 racial bonus to grapple) and get the Serpent's Coils feature from Nature's Warrior. You could also take Shape Soulmeld + Open Lesser Chakra Arms and bind Kraken Mantle. And heck, if you have extra feats, take Martial Study and Martial Stance for Crushing Roots of the Mountain. Multiple sources of Constrict will stack up quickly.

[Angry Bob]

If your DM doesn't mind using PF as a supplement, nine levels of Tetori Monk lets you expend ki to negate FoM effects. It requires taking monk, but I hear monk actually got some decent options in PF.

[Eldariel]

If your DM doesn't mind using PF as a supplement, nine levels of Tetori Monk lets you expend ki to negate FoM effects. It requires taking monk, but I hear monk actually got some decent options in PF.

You could also just learn to cast Anti-Magic Field, through exempli gratia Runescarred Berserker or Ur-Priest.

[Angry Bob]

You could also just learn to cast Anti-Magic Field, through exempli gratia Runescarred Berserker or Ur-Priest.

A few FoM effects are extraordinary. Ultimately, it's up to the player which to use.

[Eldariel]

A few FoM effects are extraordinary. Ultimately, it's up to the player which to use.

Hum, Spider Eater's and Scout's but that's about it. Not enough to worry about in my books.


But yeh, you could do:
Ranger 1/Barbarian 5/Leviathan Hunter 3/Reaping Mauler 5 - not enough levels to gain anything useful afterwards, unfortunately. You could actually go Stoneblessed: Goliath and gain Mountain Rage ACF Goliaths have to become Large while Raging. That'd be another +4.

The big problem is, the build would be 100 times better without Reaping Mauler. The class effectively forces you to invest 9 levels into Reaping Mauler in order to enter Leviathan Hunter, take the 3 Leviathan Hunter levels and then the 5 Reaping Mauler levels. All this earns you is a +2 bonus on Grapple-checks and some stupid Wisdom-based abilities in Grapple.

[Tibbaerrohwen]

Get Earth Dreamer. Grapple opponent. Pull opponent into the bowels of the Earth. Unless they're a caster, they're pretty much screwed as very few things have a burrow speed, and most over the counter teleports require LoS.

Where is Earth Dreamer from?

[Eldariel]

Where is Earth Dreamer from?

Races of Stone, IIRC. Basically gives you Earth Glide; ability to move through ground without having to physically burrow. The same ability Earth Elementals have.

[Gwendol]

Travel domain /= freedom of movement. It acts like freedom of movement with regards to magical effects. It would not do anything to a grapple, unless you were being grappled with telekinesis or black tentacles or something. I GUESS you could make a case that being grappled by a summoned creature or a wildshaped druid might count, but it sounds shaky to me.


Gnaeus, I had totally missed that! Thanks for pointing it out!

[Venger]

a two level dip in pyrokineticist will allow you to deal 2d6 bonus fire damage when you're grappling dudes (it also lets you be treated as "armed" when doing it, so no -4)

go half-giant if you don't mind the LA to avoid paying for wild talent, they also are medium, so qualify for reaping mauler.

[Gavinfoxx]

Have you seen this handbook?

http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19870826/Black_Blood_Cultist_Handbook:_A_Grapplers_Manual