I'm looking for feedback on alternate grapple rules. I've been reading through old grapple threads and having some good discussions in a new one and I think I have a rule set ironed out, but would like some community feedback as to whether these are too easily abused and/or would break grappling creatures.
The main ideas of the rules are to provide more flexibility in grappling, eliminate the controller/defender imbalance, and remove the incentive for some creatures to grab-constrict-release as an optimal tactic.
These rules only apply to the rules pertaining maintaining the grapple. Whether similar changes could be applied to initiating the grapple is a different story, though feel free to comment on that as well!
You can maintain grapple as an attack action or a standard action.
If you choose to maintain as an attack action, roll your grapple check normally. Success indicates that you maintain the grapple and are able to inflict damage or pin the opponent as described below.
If you choose to maintain as a standard action, you get a +5 on your grapple check and can inflict damage to your opponent, move the grapple (taking up your move action), or pin the opponent.
Failure in either case indicates that you are unable to maintain the grapple and both you and your opponent lose the grappled condition immediately.
Note that all grapple dependent abilities (eg constrict, rake, etc) can only trigger once per round.
You can grapple multiple opponents within reason, and never more than you have attacks; resolve all grapples individually (you must use the attack action option above for this), and you take a cumulative -5 to all grapple checks for each grappled opponent beyond the first. This stacks with the -4 penalty if you do not have two hands (or an appendage with the grab ability) free to grapple.
Thoughts, suggestions, comments?
Will do. It is a question about rules though, so I don't think I'm too off base here ;)
Does the "cumulative -5 to all grapple checks" stack with the cumulative -5 penalty already accounted for by the fact that they're iterative, or are you just restating it?
Does the "cumulative -5 to all grapple checks" stack with the cumulative -5 penalty already accounted for by the fact that they're iterative, or are you just restating it?
Good question. I was writing that with an eye towards monsters with multiple natural attacks that wouldn't be taking a penalty otherwise. I would say that it's thus not cumulative with iterative attack penalties, since I don't want to penalize humanoid grapplers even more.