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So I'm GMing a PFS game tonight and one of the PCs is a optimized grappler. The scenario has a bunch of high HP goons that serve as body guards to some pretty effective assassins, but against this guy, I'm afraid he'll just be leaping from assassin to assassin, choking them out and moving on (This guy is super optimized for grappling, I'm talking if he gets your goons in a grapple, they're dead in 1 turn, guy grappled a Kraken once... a Kraken.
So these bodyguard goons have the feat, in Harms' Way which says:
While using the aid another action to improve an adjacent ally’s AC, you can intercept a successful attack against that ally as an immediate action, taking full damage from that attack and any associated effects (bleed, poison, etc.). A creature cannot benefit from this feat more than once per attack.
So could our goon, use Bodyguard to improve the Assassin's AC then when said grappler (I think his CMB is like 45 or something, it's ridiculous) goes for his grapple kill, could the goon take the assassin's place?
If this happens, the assassin actually has a pretty effective technique that could seriously mess up the grappler's day if he doesn't succeed his will save.
I would say it sounds like as long as the character was adjacent to the character about to be grappled that in Harm's Way could be used to intercept the grapple. The chracter using it would be the one the player grapples instead of the Assassin. All seems fair and legit to me.
Exactly how is the PC dealing damage while grappled? Is it a monk? Usually grappled is great for basically taking an opponent out of combat, but doesn't usually kill them.
Exactly how is the PC dealing damage while grappled? Is it a monk? Usually grappled is great for basically taking an opponent out of combat, but doesn't usually kill them.
Well, you do unarmed damage when you establish the grapple. If not a monk, it's pretty easy to optimize grapple. The Brawling enhancement is a +1 for light armor for untyped +2 attack/damage. Weapon Training and gloves of dueling applies, as does weapon specialization and power attack. There is also brawler for extra +2 damage (though in PFS, he can't use gloves of dueling and ends up being inferior at punching things).
Fighter can do more damage unarmed than monk, quite easily. He could also dip monk for the d3 to d6 jump, that's... +1.5 damage. Not amazing, but still a better gain than the +1 (d6 to d8; d8 to d10) a straight classed monk gets every ~4 levels, with only 1 level of monk.
EDIT: For example... level 9 Fighter, started with 18 str, now has 20 and a +2 belt for 22, along w/ brawling armor and gloves of dueling. With power attack, he's doing...
d3 +4 weap. train. +2 weap. spec. +2 brawling +6 str +6 power attack
= 22 damage on average, per hit
And that's assuming no enhancement bonus, no enlarge person, or other buffs.
Did PF remove the damage on the initial grapple? I've lost track of all the ways they've nerfed combat maneuvers.
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Bruno is Grappler in question. L9 Tetori/L2 Brutal Pugilist
Relevant feats: Improved Grapple, Greater Grapple, Rapid Grappler, Pinning KO, Final Embrace (constrict damage equal to unarmed strike)
Relevant Gear: Anaconda's Coils (grants Constrict ability), Braid of a Hundred Masters* (boosts unarmed monk damage), Ochre Rhomboid Ioun Stone* (grants bonus feat--used for Pinning KO)
*=PFS Scenario Items
Base Unarmed Damage: 2d6+6
14d6+42 per round (91 dpr)
Standard action Grapple
Constrict for 2d6+6
Move action Greater Grapple
Constrict for 2d6+6
Pinning KO for 4d6+12
Swift action Grapple
Constrict for 2d6+6
Pinning KO for 4d6+12
18d6+54 per rd (117 dpr)
Standard action Grapple
Constrict for 2d6+6
Pinning KO for 4d6+12
Move action Greater Grapple
Constrict for 2d6+6
Pinning KO for 4d6+12
Swift action Grapple
Constrict for 2d6+6
Pinning KO for 4d6+12
...raging: 18d6+72 (135 dpr)
...enlarged: 27d6+63 (157.5 dpr)
...both: 27d6+81 (175.5 dpr)
*edited for minor math error and clarified feat/item abilities
Well in any event Bruno, that is an impressive build. I may have to lift that from you to use some time.
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I was poking around for grappler builds and came across this thread.
I think I spotted some errors in the damage, and just wanted to share those insights in case I missed something and someone else goes this route.
The wearer gains a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength and a +2 competence bonus on grapple combat maneuver checks. Treat the enhancement bonus to Strength as temporary ability bonus for the first 24 hours the belt is worn. In addition, the belt grants the wearer the constrict ability for 1d6 points of damage plus the wearer’s Strength modifier.
First, it looks like as Nijel states, the damage is 1d6+Strength and not the 2d6 from the monk's unarmed damage.
Nothing in constrict seems to imply otherwise.
A creature with this special attack can crush an opponent, dealing bludgeoning damage, when it makes a successful grapple check (in addition to any other effects caused by a successful check, including additional damage).
Granted, the tetori gets constrict for their unarmed damage at level 15, but this build doesn't go that high (and never could since it's now an ex-Tetori who's no longer lawful).
Next up, the first round shows a knockout on the second grapple check. I believe this second grapple check is used to pin the opponent and not used to "deal nonlethal damage with an unarmed strike". I'm not seeing how it gets the knockout on the 2nd move action grapple.
While you have an opponent pinned, when you succeed at a grapple combat maneuver check to deal an opponent nonlethal damage using an unarmed strike or a light or one-handed weapon, double your damage result. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is immune to the effects of this feat.
It's still pretty darn good, though. :)