If all three Strikes of Godbreaker succeed, the target remains grabbed or restrained. Is there any point to that, though? This is a three-action activity, so there's no opportunity to Grapple the target to renew the grab. Once your turn ends, the condition is over. I guess if you're hasted, you could Strike the target again while they're grabbed or restrained, but the target is presumably already prone after the Godbreaker.
I think the intention, though not written properly, would be that the grabbed or restrained condition is maintained until you're next turn, as though you had made a successful Grapple action.
While the restrained/grabbed condition issue is a problem, I would honestly say the bigger problem with this ability is that to get any real benefit out of it you need to hit with 3 strikes consecutively.
The way it's written, you have to land all 3 strikes on the enemy to get the real benefit of it (you deal an additional instance of unarmed strike damage and falling damage to the target and avoid falling damage yourself).
Because it requires 3 successful strikes, with no mitigation to MAP, you're almost never actually going to get the big benefit.
Now, what you could do is strike one or twice, and you'll get falling damage to the enemy (and to yourself, although this can be mitigated in a variety of ways).
Thematically it's really cool, but mechanically it's kind of bad.
If they changed it such that you can stop making strikes whenever you like and get the main benefit, that would be cool. It's already a 3 action ability, so making 1 or 2 strikes and getting some bonus unarmed strike and falling damage seems fair to me.
The feat does say you "can" repeat the process up to two more times. But you need all three Strikes to land to get the effective fourth automatic Strike. I don't think missing is a big deal, since as you said, there are many ways to avoid the falling damage.
I hear that most people who take this feat also pick up an ability that lowers their unarmed MAP from -4/-8 to -3/-6, so even the third Strike can feasibly hit the off-guard target.
The feat does say you "can" repeat the process up to two more times. But you need all three Strikes to land to get the effective fourth automatic Strike. I don't think missing is a big deal, since as you said, there are many ways to avoid the falling damage.
I hear that most people who take this feat also pick up an ability that lowers their unarmed MAP from -4/-8 to -3/-6, so even the third Strike can feasibly hit the off-guard target.
I've paid less attention to unarmed strikes, what would get MAP down to -3/-6?
It's also worth noting that Godbreaker would use the default unarmed strike (I think) and not strikes granted by stances.
Edit: Re-reading rules I'm less sure about that. Anything that is an unarmed strike/attack would probably count.
Agile Grace is one. It looks like it also works on agile weapons.
Agile Grace is one. It looks like it also works on agile weapons.
That's cool for fighters, although I'm not sure how likely a fighter is to want to go the route of unarmed strikes going into wrestler to get to Godbreaker.
Maybe there's another option that does the same.
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How could a monk even get Godbreaker and Agile Grace though?
Godbreaker is a level 20 feat.
Agile Grace is a 10th level fighter feat. So a monk with fighter dedication could only select it at 20th level.
If you're playing with free archetype I guess it will work, but without free archetype you're SOL.
So the only "good" way to use Godbreaker is to either play in a game that uses free archetype (popular but not guaranteed) or to play a fighter/wrestler?
And you don't see that as a problem?
I think the feat needs to be adjusted so that regardless of the total number of strikes, as long as all strikes are successful you get the bonus unarmed strike damage and falling damage (and fall damage mitigation, although you probably should pick up Cat Fall anyways).
I mean honestly, do we think there's a problem with spending all 3 actions to get 2/3 unarmed strikes worth of damage (depending on if you make 1 or 2 strikes) + fall damage + keeping the enemy grabbed/restrained until next turn? Cause that's the outcome
The forced movement could make it worth it. The first 20 feet of movement always works. The second 20 feet is only contingent on the first Strike. The third 20 feet is contingent on the first two Strikes. If the third Strike fails, they avoid the automatic "fourth Strike," but that's still a 60 foot fall. That target is going prone.
Well, remember the target was already restrained/grabbed before you did the Godbreaker action. So causing prone, whether it's prone in addition to grabbed or in lieu of, is not an upgrade.
And though probably quite rare, there's a chance your target might have Catfall or something like it.
The forced movement up is only relevant for it's potential to inflict damage and prone. Although again, you had the target grabbed, assuming you could do that again grabbed vs prone isn't a big difference.
Ooh, how about this ranger option?
Okay, so now I can play a Fighter Wrestler or Flurry Ranger Wrestler and maybe use this feat effectively.
Sounds great.
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That's a lot of contortions to make the action even worth doing, yet also you didn't take one of the other 20th level feats, most of which operate much more consistently. I can imagine it obliterating minions, maybe low AC oozes & zombies, but there should be better ways by those levels. I do appreciate such forced movement, but there's a much lower level feat to toss grabbed enemies that isn't competing with pinnacle feats.
It's basically only viable for monks in a group that does heavy buffs and debuffs. Grabbed and frightened 2/3 or clumsy 2/3 gets you a +4 or +5. Even with +5 your -8 attack on a boss is risky. So you'll need a bard or get something like heroism to make God breaker work. At that point anything will work, but you'll still likely be the coolest one with those mods.
I'd think a boss would Escape before you got a chance to use this, though it does seem like it's supposed to be used against bosses.
Thematically it's good to use against bosses.
Mechanically, actually using it against an on level threat is going to be challenging, let alone a boss.
Typically, the more rolls something has, the more suited it is for lower level targets. E.g. A level 2 party is more likely to crit fail against both a wasp swarm's stings and the ensuing venom. A level 9 party is more likely to be crit and to crit fail against a lich's disintegrate. A lower level target is more likely to get hit by the first, second, and third Strikes of Godbreaker.
I initially assumed the part about "breaking the mightiest of foes" was referring to boss fights, but at this level, wouldn't ANY of your foes count as the mightiest of foes? A single Mudraki is capable of wiping out multiple towns on its own, but it's not really worth any XP to a level 20 adventurer.