Hi folks,
So I've got a Mutagenic Mauler that I'm playing in a RotRL campaign. The basic idea behind him is "Grapple when something calls for it (i.e. casters), Outslug Style when it doesn't". The feats I'm planning on are as follows:
1: Imp Grapple
2: Weapon Focus (Unarmed)
3: Outslug Style
5: (pick), Lunge
7: Greater Grapple
8: Outslug Weave
9: (pick)
11: Rapid Grappler, (pick)
The empty choices at 5, 9, and 11 are what I'm trying to figure out. The things I was considering for those slots are Outslug Sprint (finish the feat chain), Chokehold, Pinning KO, Throat Slicer (more grapple tricks). Anyone got ideas for stuff I might have missed?
Thanks!
Prepare to Outslug more than grapple since many of the enemies from levels 8+ will be Large or Larger with a huge CMD.
Will work well in book 5 in certain parts but you will need a way to be bigger and regularly land those grapples on things with massive bodies and massive STR.
So for those extra feats, I would go with stuff to boost your damage.
You may want to invest in AC or More hit points (Toughness). As well as upping the will save just in case.
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Grappling Optimization General Stuff
I have not run the numbers on the mutagenic mauler but I have on a grapple investigator, druid, tetori, and battle oracle. It's not outside of the abilities of any of these characters to grapple something like a young adult blue dragon at level 9-10 90% of the time.
If you crazy optimize I have seen level 10 characters that grapple Iron golems on a 1.
The hard part actually becomes keeping the CMD high enough that they can't break out. I have seen people grapple while fighting defensively to "convert" CMB to CMD.
Options for your Build
If you want a huge boost to your grappling Falayna Celestial Obedience is really good.
I like one level of blood conduit for this build for a couple reason. Rage makes you better at everything you want to do. Furious greatly decrease the cost "per +1" of your amulet of mighty fists. Furious also helps you overcome DR much earlier by making a "+3" affordable. The celestial bloodline lets you overcome good aligned DR something you may need (this is a guess, I have not played it) and gives some extra damage.
On the size issue, I expect I'll have that covered. One teammate is a brown-fur transmuter whose ability to throw around enlarge person has proven quite valuable.
And for the Will save, the char was done on rolled scores and I got a bonkers good roll (RNJesus was strong on the dice tags that day, I guess), such that I managed to drop a 15 into my Wisdom. I'd sort of been equating that with "free Iron Will" compared to what I'd have had to do with a point-buy, but I could add Iron Will on top of that if the situation warrants it.
@Grandlounge: the character is a half-orc, and I'm taking the human FCB, so I'm basically getting my level as a bonus to grapple CMD. That ought to help, no?
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@Grandlounge: the character is a half-orc, and I'm taking the human FCB, so I'm basically getting my level as a bonus to grapple CMD. That ought to help, no?
It is a little unclear to me. I don't know if having some try to break a grapple constitutes you resisting a grapple. I would think that it would help prevent people breaking the grapple but I'm not 100%. Maybe someone else will chime in on that.
It is a little unclear to me. I don't know if having some try to break a grapple constitutes you resisting a grapple. I would think that it would help prevent people breaking the grapple but I'm not 100%. Maybe someone else will chime in on that.@Grandlounge: the character is a half-orc, and I'm taking the human FCB, so I'm basically getting my level as a bonus to grapple CMD. That ought to help, no?
And confusion reigns... :)
You had said, the trick is keeping your CMD high so that enemies can't shrug off your grapple. The human FCB (also available to me as a half-orc) lets me add +1 to CMD vs two maneuvers, one of which will be grapple every time. That's what I was referring to. Does that clarify?
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I was confused by the inclusion of the word resisting. It seemed like the writer was trying to some other limitation. Though I think I was over reading.
Gain a +1 bonus to the brawler’s CMD when resisting two combat maneuvers of the brawler’s choice.
What I was unclear on was why the word resisting is in there. If it were written "Gain a +1 bonus to the brawler’s CMD [against] any two combat maneuvers of the brawler’s choice" it would be clearer.
Is someone trying to break your grapple constitute you resisting a grapple check? The more I think about it I guess it does. It just seemed like a odd way of writing that.
Have I cleared up my confusion that I am no longer confused about? ;)
I'll be honest, I didn't give the use of the word "resisting" there that level of thought (which is kind of remarkable, because historically I tend to overthink stuff to death). In my head, I just said to myself, "Self, pick two maneuvers. Your CMDs for those two get +1 higher."
I meant to say, I liked the Falayna obedience, but she's not really a good fit for the character in question. Still, always good to know those things are out there. Thanks!
Rapid Grappler only requires BAB +9. Why not take it at 9th instead of 11th?
Possibly because I am a scatterbrained fool? :) Noted, thanks.
Oh, you have a Brown-fur transmuter.
One of the Best Arcane buffers able to give you Personal buffs that can give you grab or Giant Form so you can be just as big as they are.
Carry on my wayward son. There will be peace when you are done.