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You combine an attack with quick grappling moves to throw an enemy of balance as long
as it stays in your reach. Make a Strike while keeping one hand free. If this
Strike hits, the target is fat-footed until the start of your next turn or until
it’s no longer within the reach of your hand, whichever comes frst.
I would say your hand must remain free for your target to remain flat footed. Your hand, however is still free for the purpose of using other abilities. The target may lose flat footed if you do something else.
You swipe at your opponent and grab at them. Make a melee
Strike while keeping one hand free. If the Strike hits, you grab
the target using your free hand. The creature remains grabbed
until the end of your next turn or until it Escapes, whichever
comes frst.
I would say if the target is grabbed, your hand is no longer free. I would run this the same for the regular grapple action, which also requires a free hand. Malicious interpretation may cause someone to say you can't maintain the grapple because your hand is now occupied, but that's a bit silly.
I would rule that they don't count as occupying your hand but thats my take (since the major point of the feat chain is pulling that stuff off). Stuff like Dual Handed Assault would end the Grab tho. If that ends up being OP for some reason, I discuss it with the player later.
At worst, the snag one wouldnt count as occupying your hand (since it doesnt hold onto anything - you just swipe with it) but the grab one would.
Personally, I have zero problems with stuff like this being a "discuss this with your DM" thing. The more of that kind of openess we have and the less rules lawyering, the better for the game.
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In my opinion, players should have the right to know precisely how a given ability works, so that they can plan their characters and tactics accordingly. There is no reason why Snagging Strike and Combat Grab should be left to a matter of "ask your GM" rather than being clear-cut, like other fighter class feats.
Different strokes for different folks. I have played games like DCC where wizards roll on a table to see what their spells do with every cast and the DM is encouraged to come up with their own effects when he rolls a 1.
Not everyone needs the game to have extremely detailed rules. The feats we are talking about are levels 2 and 4. Talk with your DM.
Its not hard hard to say "hey, this is how I wish this worked. This is my concept. What do you think?"
Hell, if you are open and honest enough, he may even be willing to bend RAW for you. "Hey, i know the rules say this, can we try X? I really want it because Y. I am willing to give up Z. If its OP, we can dial it back, what do you say?"
Ya, you don't want to do that sort of thing ALL THE TIME. But, hey, talk to your DM, explain your concept. The rules are an imperfect tool to help you realize a clear concept. They have to bend at times.
The more folks can have these sorts of non adversarial conversations, the healthier the game becomes. If its some thing where folks dig in behind RAW and use that against eachother all the time, the game suffers, the relationships suffer and, IMHO, the campaign is often forgettable and short.
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Snagging strike clearly states making a strike (with a weapon/unarmed attack) as part of the action. With your second hand that wasn't involved in the strike you grab the opponent. They remain flat-footed (held) until your next turn or they are out of reach of your hand (that grabbed them, not that you used the strike action with) because they were knocked away or broke free.
That's not that ambiguous. If you let go of them to hold onto/initiate something else with that hand, you have ended that grappling hold and they are free.It might help if you rename the feat "Hair pull" in your mind. If you let got of their hair, your hand is free, but they are too.
Combat Grab works exactly the same but lasts until the end of your next turn.
The corner case of making both applicable is if you attacked with both hands free. Each separate hand could Snag (punch and collar hold) or Grab (punch and headlock) 1 target ending with 2 separate folks held or 1 folk grabbed and flatfooted.
They would not work with Dueling parry nor Guardian Deflection.
I feel like "if you could just elect to let go whenever you wanted" you should treat that hand as free for purposes of things like Dueling Parry.
Snagging Strike does not actually involve a grab. The first sentence simply says, "quick grappling moves," which does not necessarily mean a sustained grab.
If Snagging Strike actually does occupy the fighter's hand mechanically, then the einhander fighter is a bit of a soup sandwich with its core class feats being mutually exclusive with one another, no?
My apologies for being careless. I wasn't referring to the grabbed condition, hence why I emphasized flat-footed as the condition gained. It is fairly reasonable to conclude that "until it’s no longer within the reach of your hand" means you aren't holding them anymore and therefor your hand is now free. That hand is tied up impeding the opponent when using Snagging Strike.