Grappler Help (naysayers apply elsewhere)

[StriderITP]

What's a good 4th level Fighter Bonus Feat for a grapple build? And before anyone says to do something else because it's not worth it, for reasons undefined it is viable in the game I am making this for.

[Extra Anchovies]

Improved Grapple?

What feat is best to take next depends entirely on what your build is so far and where you want to go - a PsyWar grappler will want very different feats from a Totemist/Barbarian/Totem Rager grappler, for example. What's your character so far?

[eggynack]

It also may or may not depend partially on whatever currently undefined factor is making grappling good.

[StriderITP]

Improved Grapple?

What feat is best to take next depends entirely on what your build is so far and where you want to go - a PsyWar grappler will want very different feats from a Totemist/Barbarian/Totem Rager grappler, for example. What's your character so far?

It's a nonmagical campaign, Totemist and PsyWar banned.

[AvatarVecna]

I guess it kinda depends; how exactly is grappling being made relevant in this game? I see there's no magic, so you don't have to worry about mages Freedom-of-Movement-ing their way out, but size bonuses should still be a huge issue for grapplers, especially if you don't have a lot of ways to get size bonuses yourself. Other than that, uh...here's a handbook. (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=585.0)

[StriderITP]

I guess it kinda depends; how exactly is grappling being made relevant in this game? I see there's no magic, so you don't have to worry about mages Freedom-of-Movement-ing their way out, but size bonuses should still be a huge issue for grapplers, especially if you don't have a lot of ways to get size bonuses yourself. Other than that, uh...here's a handbook. (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=585.0)

Lack of particularly large monsters helps as well. Increasing my own size category is pretty much out of the question.

[eggynack]

It's a nonmagical campaign, Totemist and PsyWar banned.
You still have yet to give any information about your current build. Or the situation, really. I mean, improved grapple was meant to be sarcastic, but for all I know you don't have it yet. I have no idea where you are, what you're angling towards, what you have, what you're missing, what book access looks like; I really don't know anything outside of a couple snippets of information. I guess you could angle towards black blood cultist from champions of ruin, which I suppose would involve taking track. I think that class is pretty good for grappling. But, like, in that answer, can you see just how much information I'm missing? For all I know, you're playing a core only game where you have to be all fighter for some reason. Such a situation would make that answer meaningless.

[Extra Anchovies]

It's a nonmagical campaign, Totemist and PsyWar banned.

Hm. See, what makes for a competent grappler is A) size increases B) natural attacks and C) grapple-boosting class features. A few suggestions for a competent nonmagical grappler:
1. Spirit Bear Totem Barbarian ACF (Complete Champion) - replaces fast movement with Improved Grab.
2. Powerful Build (Half-Giant and Goliath, XPH and Races of Stone) - function as one size larger than you actually are for some purposes, including grapple modifiers.
3. Half-Minotaur (http://www.realmshelps.net/monsters/templates/half-minotaur.shtml) template - increases Medium creatures to Large (without wiping the Powerful Build from Goliath or Half-Giant, allowing for a hefty size bonus to grapple if you can afford the LA), adds +12 Strength (4 from the template, 8 from the size increase), and gives you a natural weapon.

For your case in particular (4th-level fighter, apparently?), we'll still need to know what your build is so far and any build goals you have.

[StriderITP]

It is a gestalt game with Dragon Magazine allowed. Build thus far is Martial Monk 2, Feat Variant Rogue 2, Warblade 1 on one side, Fighter 2, Barbarian 1 (taken after an alignment shift), Crusader 2 on the other. Crusader levels are up to negotiation, I have Improved Grapple, Jotunbrud, and Legendary Wrestler for grapple bonuses. Before anyone else says something about Martial Monk not allowing epic fighter feats, literally every other player in the game has done the same thing and gotten it allowed.

[daremetoidareyo]

Hm. See, what makes for a competent grappler is A) size increases B) natural attacks and C) grapple-boosting class features. A few suggestions for a competent nonmagical grappler:
1. Spirit Bear Totem Barbarian ACF (Complete Champion) - replaces fast movement with Improved Grab.
2. Powerful Build (Half-Giant and Goliath, XPH and Races of Stone) - function as one size larger than you actually are for some purposes, including grapple modifiers.
3. Half-Minotaur (http://www.realmshelps.net/monsters/templates/half-minotaur.shtml) template - increases Medium creatures to Large (without wiping the Powerful Build from Goliath or Half-Giant, allowing for a hefty size bonus to grapple if you can afford the LA), adds +12 Strength (4 from the template, 8 from the size increase), and gives you a natural weapon.

For your case in particular (4th-level fighter, apparently?), we'll still need to know what your build is so far and any build goals you have.

Also, Jotunbrud, from Races of Faerun p. 166. (It's basically powerful build)

At 4th level, your ability to get into a grapple is probably easy. Getting Escape artist as a class skill allows you to make grapple checks to Escape a grapple with a + class level +3(skillranks) +dex bonus. This is nice for when the DM tries to beat you down with a ton of mooks all holding you down and trying to beat you at grappling with a ton of dicerolls. "Grapple-fishing" as it were: Waiting for you to roll a 1 on an opposed roll.

Also, I forget the sourcebook, but scorpion's grasp does something with grapple checks that people like.

Also, look at Body Pouch from serpent kingdoms. You might want to get the reptilian subtype somehow...

[Necroticplague]

Also, I forget the sourcebook, but scorpion's grasp does something with grapple checks that people like.

Sandstorm, gives you what's basically improved grab with some weapons.

[StreamOfTheSky]

Sandstorm, gives you what's basically improved grab with some weapons.

Pretty much any light weapon which includes unarmed and natural attacks, and its actually better than improved grab because it mentions no size restrictions and does not at all reference imp. grab to connote it should have them. (You're still limited to grapple's restriction of "your size + 1", but that's way better than imp. grab's "your size - 1")

So yeah. Get Scorpion's Grasp!

[ShurikVch]

Since Dragon is in play, you may try to find illithid grafter, and graft you a weapon - Extractor Globe (Dr#308); it cost 98000 gp, but it's a best grappling thing ever:
1) It remove size restriction - Fine- creature can grapple Colossal+ at no penalty
2) It add whopping +20 competence to grapple checks
3) At successful grapple it can extract brains

[Necroticplague]

Since Dragon is in play, you may try to find illithid grafter, and graft you a weapon - Extractor Globe (Dr#308); it cost 98000 gp, but it's a best grappling thing ever:
1) It remove size restriction - Fine- creature can grapple Colossal+ at no penalty
2) It add whopping +20 competence to grapple checks
3) At successful grapple it can extract brains

That's not remotely how the Extractor Globe works. You don't grapple with it while getting those bonuses. You throw it, and it grapples independently of you, with those bonuses. It has the stats of a Tiny animated object, meaning it grapples at +11 (after including it's +20). Also, he said nonmagic campaign, so getting magic creatures to use a magical process to attach a magic item to him probably isn't the most practical suggestion, even if it did work.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Pretty much any light weapon which includes unarmed and natural attacks, and its actually better than improved grab because it mentions no size restrictions and does not at all reference imp. grab to connote it should have them. (You're still limited to grapple's restriction of "your size + 1", but that's way better than imp. grab's "your size - 1")

So yeah. Get Scorpion's Grasp!
Seconding this, though you'd have to take it as your normal 6th level feat, I think. Fling Enemy (Races of Stone) is stylish if nothing else.