Wrestling with Feats

[rmnimoc]

I recently got some pretty nice rolls while building a new character and decided to do something fun with it. Since I've got two 18s, a 16, two 14s, and a 13 I figured a neat idea would be making a Goliath brawler with a focus on grappling. With these stats I've got no issue multiclassing to get expertise (current plan is Fighter1/Rogue1/Battle Master Fighter everything else) and no real need for ASIs. Since we'll start at level 5 I can have Tavern Brawler from the start to have 20 Constitution to go along with my 20 strength, better unarmed damage, and the ability to grab with a bonus action. That leaves me with 6 feats/ASIs to plan out. I've got my eye on a few feats that might be neat (Mobile, Alert, Athlete, and Mage Slayer) but nothing really set in stone.

Anyone got any good ideas for useful feats I could grab or the order I should grab them in? I plan on going playing him full on boisterous bruiser with a side order of ham if that helps, since I've got enough feats that I can probably afford to waste them on flavorful things that don't have many mechanical benefits.

[smcmike]

It all depends what you want. You’re right that stats like that open you up for a variety of options. Personally, I prefer barbarian/Rogue for the grappler, since you could start with an unarmored AC of 18 (20 with a shield!). This would also make you a better grappler, since you don’t have any method to get advantage on athletics in your current build.

Actually, for a crazy-stat grappler, the other temptation for me would be Valor Bard, who can get both expertise and advantage within the class, and can enlarge himself to grapple big things.

None of this answers your question, I guess. Since you have feats to spare, you might as well get Grappler, even if it isn’t any good. Mobile is a good choice. Sentinel is useful for stickiness against people you aren’t grappling.

[Xihirli]

Edit: ignore me.

[JellyPooga]

I'll second the notion that Rogue/Barbarian makes a noticeably better wrestler, at least earlier on. After level 12, when a Fighter/Rogue would be getting his third attack, I think it would pull ahead in offensive capability. That said, I can attest to how incredibly fun a Rogue/Barbarian grappler is in those earlier levels. I would heartily recommend, whatever build you go with, that you take at least 2 levels of Rogue; Cunning Action really is that good. If you wanted to expand your options as an unarmed fighter, a third level of Rogue and the Thief Archetype grants you a level of battlefield control though Fast Hands, which allows you to manipulate terrain as a Bonus Action; tip tables and topple bookcases to create cover of difficult terrain, or use your equipment for other effects.

[Ganymede]

I'm not too interested in this character, but I'd love to help you build one where you rolled bad stats across the board.

Let me know when that happens.

[Quoz]

I'm currently playing a very similar build. Same class distribution (I'm only 4th level now) on a Firbolg. It's a blast to play, and even on point buy and against enemies you don't want to grab it's not poorly optimized.

A few things you may want to consider, and that I will do or would do with your rolls:

Keep AC high. You will draw a lot of aggro, and even with the high HP that con score gives you it's better to avoid the hits. If you use a shield you can only grab one at a time, but I think shield master is a better feat than tavern brawler. You don't want both since they compete for your bonus action.

If you do stick with tavern brawler, check with your DM about using grappled enemies as weapons. We allow it at my table with disadvantage on the attack but damage is dealt to both enemies.

I would look at Lizardfolk for race. Your naked AC would only be one off from plate, and you would get an unarmed attack better than tavern brawler. Plus, at GM discretion you can probably make another grab with your bite attack. Minotaur if available is maybe even better with d10 unarmed and advantage on shoves.

For maneuvers, include commander's strike. On most fighters it would be third tier, but since you will often both have your hands full and be providing advantage via prone it's a great setup for your rogue or GWM to lay on some off-turn hurt. Your others should probably be disarming and menacing, which both make your lockdown game much better.

After you hit extra attack, look at another 1-2 levels of rogue. Cunning action is a huge mobility boost and arcane trickster grants a lot of versatile options, the most important being access to scrolls of find familiar (don't waste your one unrestricted pick on it) for once per round help action.

Coordinate with your casters. Enlarge is your go to buff, with enhance ability close behind. but even starting a fight with guidance pre cast can make a big difference. If someone has mold earth, dig a well in every campsite so you have a place to drag intruders. If a ring of spell storing comes up, make a strong case for it. You have a ridiculous con save for concentration, it lets you self buff, and since it doesn't have the somatic or material components to cast from the ring you can cast while grappling.

For feats, you are on the right track. Tavern Brawler or shield master for action economy, mobile or athlete for better positioning, and alert for early lockdown are all great picks. You will have a while to get a feel for things before your next ASI, so no need to pick now.

Good luck, have fun, and remember that a window can be your most damaging weapon when you toss someone out of it.

[djreynolds]

You know a variant human fighter with the brute archetype could take human prodigy at first can get expertise in athletics, and then at 4th grab tavern brawler, all the while adding in the brute's extra damage because he will be proficient now in unarmed strikes. 1d4 +1d4+strength.

[CTurbo]

I've already done this to an extent. I made a grappling Goliath Bear Totem Barbarian who had a 20 Str, 18 Dex, 18 Con and the Tavern Brawler feat and it was a great brawler character. I did not multiclass nor feel like I should at any point. I did not use melee weapons usually, but I had to keep on me some throwing axes to avoid dropping rage at times. I usually made a variety of unarmed attacks or slam attacks. The Bear Totem's 6th level feature allowed me to pick up more than I normally would have been able to and use them as weapons, as well as lifting and slamming large creatures. The DM was great about coming up with the damage from my slam attacks and was often rewarding in how well I roleplayed it and also on how well I rolled often doing as much as 4d8+ Str on some of my better moments. He even let me outright kill some enemies in one shot like by breaking their neck or grabbing them and throwing them off of something high or throwing them into lava etc....

It was a great character for sure. A lot of fun to play, but it definitely required having a DM on board with the idea. I don't think it would have been near as fun with a rules lawyer DM.