Strangler Build advice

[Diachronos]

Long story short, I'm making a character for a Discord server and settled on making a grapple-focused build. Character is starting at level 5, using a custom race for the server (serpent person, main selling point for why I picked it is that they have a tail slap for 1d10 and constrict). The server is using Elephant In The Room so prerequisites aren't as much of an issue as they would normally be, and I was able to pick up a couple of bonus feats at level 1 in exchange for flaws.

I wanted to aim for multiple grapple checks a round with things like Greater Grapple and Rapid Grapple, and with Strangler thrown in for extra sneak attack on each grapple check. The recommendation I was given was to go with Rogue for more sneak attack dice, building into Sap Adept/Master.

For the moment my build is:
1) Brawler (Strangler/Snakebite Striker) 1 - Unarmed Combatant, Agile Combatant, Sap Adept, Unfair Grip
2) Brawler 2 - Weapon Focus (natural weapons)
3) U. Rogue (Bekyar Kidnapper) 1 - Surprise Maneuver
4) U. Rogue 2 - Rogue Talent (Distracting Attack)
5) U. Rogue 3 - Sap Master

Current plan for level 6 is U. Rogue 4 for Debilitating Injury and a second Rogue Talent (not sure which one yet...).

It was recommended to me to go 2 more levels in Brawler and then straight U. Rogue beyond that, but I'm wary of investing that much into a 3/4 BAB class just for extra sneak attack dice, so I'm trying to find alternatives, as well as advice for what to pick up for Talents and feats.

[Northern Spotted Owl]

I've seen some builds that take 2 or 4 levels of white-haired witch.

One option isn't exclusively grapple focused, but stacks debuffs to include grappled.

Defiler: White-haired Witch 2 / Hexcrafter N

If you google "white-haired witch defiler" you'll find a fair bit of detail. It stacks grappled, tripped, fatigued (from spellstrike frostbite).

[Azothath]

there are a number of threads talking about Sap Adept/Sap Master, Strangler, Thug, Enforcer, Monk-Tetori.
like Thug Rogue Build Advice, 2022
Strangler + Sap Master, 2015
Sap Master Shenanigans, 2012
it's hard to say with the open customization going on in your game

[Liliyashanina]

Options:
Consider Slayer instead of U Rouge.
--I think full bab and d10 hit dice are worth the slightly delayed sneak attack progression, especially for a CMB based build which really wants full CMB.
--You could consider deft maneuvers, mostly for feinting into grappling (making you hit flat footed CMB) and for having trip/dirty trick/disarm as options.
--Check with your GM on how the Bounty hunter slayer ability works with snakebite striker grapplers. Inflicting a dirty trick on top of a grapple can be quite debiliating.
--If you are going for this, at a certain point, you get good mileage out of anything with a mutagen (check if mutagenic mauler stacks with snakebite striker), or you could slot in a level of blood conduit bloodrager.
This gives you bloodrage and an extra feat at a low level.

[Diachronos]

Liliyashanina wrote:

Options:

Consider Slayer instead of U Rouge.
--I think full bab and d10 hit dice are worth the slightly delayed sneak attack progression, especially for a CMB based build which really wants full CMB.
--You could consider deft maneuvers, mostly for feinting into grappling (making you hit flat footed CMB) and for having trip/dirty trick/disarm as options.
--Check with your GM on how the Bounty hunter slayer ability works with snakebite striker grapplers. Inflicting a dirty trick on top of a grapple can be quite debiliating.
--If you are going for this, at a certain point, you get good mileage out of anything with a mutagen (check if mutagenic mauler stacks with snakebite striker), or you could slot in a level of blood conduit bloodrager.
This gives you bloodrage and an extra feat at a low level.

4 levels of U. Rogue is only a net -1 to CMB in exchange for +2d6 sneak attack, the Distracting Attack rogue talent, and debilitating injury (either -4 to the opponent's CMD for further grapples or -2/-4 on their attack rolls).

Mutagenic Mauler doesn't stack with Snakebite Striker or with Strangler so it's not an option. Not keen on the mentality of "half a dozen 1-level dips" or mutagens that everybody seems to be obsessed with, either.