How highly do you value the grappled condition?

[Bjarkmundur]

With the fighting styles usually just giving a number bonus, and two weapon fighting only giving a single damage die, would this be too steep?

Brawler Style: When you take the Attack action with at least one free hand, you can use a bonus action to grapple the target. This grapple automatically ends at the start of your next turn.

I have quite fond memories of the Brawler Style of 4e, and want to replicate the experience. Replicating the experience implies attacking and grappling, not necessarily being an overly proficient in either one.

[Unoriginal]

That "grapple as a bonus action when you attack" feature is given by the feat Tavern Brawler.

[Man_Over_Game]

That "grapple as a bonus action when you attack" feature is given by the feat Tavern Brawler.

Agreed. I'd probably make it so that you can spend half of your movement after hitting a creature to grapple them, which ends at the start of your next turn. That way, you add versatility and options, rather than making certain features completely redundant.

[sophontteks]

I'd strongly recommend you just take tavern brawler. The feat gives a bonus action no-strings-attached grapple, and additionally gives you proficiency with improvised weapons along with a 1d4 for unarmed attacks and +1 strength. This allows you to hold a shield while grappling without giving up your attack. You can flavor this as using your shield as a weapon, or simply headbutting them. You could even grapple two people while attacking.

To really put grappling into full gear check out the totem barbarian. Grab the movement abilities (flying at 14!) and just smash your way through to a priority target. You have advantage on your grapple rolls as a barbarian, take half damage from physical damage, and you have a stupid high mobility. Something you'll need since you move at half speed while grappling. From there just throw them off a cliff or something.

If your friends want to help enlarge/reduce will allow you to grapple dragons (at 14 you can fly remember) and cloud of daggers (along with many other spells) will give you hazardous terrain to throw your enemies into. Once you can fly you can just fling your opponent into the air with you and free fall back down. Barbarians take half damage from falls.

[Bjarkmundur]

So for balance it's a "yes, it is on par with fighting styles, and the grappled condition is not strong enough to require any special care when implementing into new features" and a no on the "you have a way to do that, do you really need another way to do that?"

My reasoning is mostly found within the redundancy of Two Weapon Fighting, Two Weapon Fighting(style) and Dual-Wielder. Where one is a general feature, one is enabler in form of a fighting style, and one is an investment for another enabler and a quality of life feature.

Set me on the path of envisioning Grappling in the form of a general feature, an enabling fighting style, and an expansion on its ease of use and effectiveness in the form of a feat.

Always felt like Tavern Brawler was more of an Unarmed enabler than it is a Grappling enabler.

[Bjarkmundur]

What are your opinions on adding "when you make an Opportunity Attack, you can choose to grapple the target instead"

[Chronos]

Yes, there's both a two-weapon fighting style and a Dual Wielder feat, but they give completely different benefits, and complement each other rather than competing with each other. Likewise for the great weapon fighting style and Great Weapon Master feat. If you want to make a grappling fighting style, you want to make it something that provides a benefit both to someone with and without Tavern Brawler and/or Grappler.

[Krobar]

In my opinion, and as always YMMV, Grappler as a feat isn't worth taking. It would be a lot better if you got advantage across the board against your opponent that you have grappled, but it's only on attack rolls. You can get that by shoving them prone. And as far as pinning goes, that would be a lot better if you weren't BOTH restrained. So ... no ... Grappler isn't worth it to me.

Grappling, on the other hand, can be very handy. You can drag your opponent around so your buddy can stab him, you can keep him from moving, you can shove him prone and hold him down, you can move him in front of you as a shield, you can drag him to a cliff edge and shove him off, you can drag that troll over to a bonfire the sorcerer just created and shove him prone into it and hold him there, you can hold someone prone under a foot or two of water, etc. All kinds of things you can do with it if you're creative with it.

You ever see what 3 good tavern brawling fighters can do when they gang up on someone, hold him prone, and start stabbing him with shortswords, advantage, and action surges? Let's just say the damage adds up FAST.


I love grappling. I hate the Grappler feat.

[Quoz]

I see two options that might fit. One is to make grappling easier - either grant expertise in grappling specifically (not all athletics, that's too much for a fighting style) or restrict opponents to only resist with Athletics, not Acrobatics.

The other option is to make it more effective - when you grapple a creature it takes [Str mod] damage

Third option, gets into a grey area as some would say it already works this way: when grappling a creature of your size or one size smaller, you have cover. When grappling a creature larger than yourself, you have improved cover. This does not apply to creatures that you are grappling.

[Kane0]

Third option, gets into a grey area as some would say it already works this way: when grappling a creature of your size or one size smaller, you have cover. When grappling a creature larger than yourself, you have improved cover. This does not apply to creatures that you are grappling.

I like that idea as a fighting style. While grappling a creature you gain half cover. Small bonus, nice and simple.

[MaxWilson]

The feat gives a bonus action no-strings-attached grapple

There are strings attached. You have to use an improvised weapon or unarmed strike in order to get the bonus grapple. If you use a greatsword or a longsword, no bonus grapple for you.

@OP, it seems fine. On the strong side for a fighting style, but that's probably good, because the weak fighting styles (Protection, TWF) might as well not even be in the game once you learn the math.

[Bjarkmundur]

I have, grudgingly, decided on the "+STR modifier damage when grappling" to stay in line with the other fighting styles. Feats seem to be the ones that change things into bonus actions, not fighting styles.

Fighting styles are just boring numbers that help push an archetype in the right direction, and I respect that.