I didn’t realize grapple was one attack not one action. Been doing that wrong. Thanks for the info! We’re big fans of SkullSplitter - obviously!

Playing a grappling focused build for the first time and this video was immensely helpful, thanks a ton boss.

Tavern brawler feat with unarmed fighting (chef kiss)

I just stared a Duergar Monk Grappler. Looking forward to all kinds of wrasslin' shenanigans!

Thank you so much for explaining this so well to me, wonderful vid!

My fav grappler is a monk that found gauntlets of ogre power, which I was allowed to reflavor as Ten Rings. A grapple attack action and expertise in athletics becomes formidable with 19 strength. Belt of giant strength are even better. This lets you unleash a flurry of blows as your bonus action, which I find pretty realistic when I think back on grade-school bullies and judo matches.

Hear me out, a level 11 rogue with high strength, and double proficiency in athletics. At level 11 rogues get a class feature that states whenever you roll a skill check that you're proficient in, if the roll is less than 10, then the roll becomes 10. Minimum roll for grapple now becomes 20ish!

Built a sweet human battle master. Took Prodigy Feat and snagged Athletics for the expertise. Grabbed Sentinel Feat later. Took Grappling Strike as one of my maneuvers. Currently L9 with a +12 Athletics check. I run up to enemies, shove them down, grappling strike, drag them over to the paladin as I stab with advantage with my short sword. Loads of fun!

Cool I can't wait to use this tactic with my human fighter. Thanks Patrick for yet another awesome video. *Moves Orc leader to the edge of cliff and then let's gravity do all the work.* Mwhahahaaa

Be a druid, cast Enhance Ability Strength on yourself, turn Giant Eagle. Grapple. Fly up 40 ft and drop your enemy. What pterafolk do, so can the druid!

Sounds like dipping a single level in Barbarian could also be useful so you can get the strength advantage from the rage if you plan on going as something else mainly.

War cleric 1/Soul knife rogue x/Tabaxi. Get the grappler feat. You can now use your action to grapple an enemy, add a psionic energy die to the grapple check, use your bonus action to attack with advantage, getting sneak attack. Then, if the enemy is still alive, as a Tabaxi, you can run away with the enemy being dragged behind, potentially into damaging spell effects other party members have cast.

In our upcoming Strahd-Campaign I'll play a Rashemi fist fighter who as a child sworn an oath to a giant shaman not to use any weapons in exchange for some knowledge about giant runes. He's a Bhalla worshipper (Chauntea) and a charming brute. I play him as a variant human fighter/barbarian with tavern brawler (grapple as a bonus action) and of course unarmed fighting style... I plan to make him into a Zealot Rune Knight at level 6... so a large sized grappler that can be revived for free, what makes him basically an Undying Hulk. So he runs into combat, shoves an enemy to the ground, grapples him with a bonus action, deals 1d4 of damage at the start of his next turn, uses his bonus action to rage and keeps punching his victim till it stops existing. And then there's the flavorful part of Tavern Brawler that gives your proficiency with improvised weapons... which can be basically everything... a ripped off zombie arm or (being large) a whole zombie. My DM loved the idea so... yay!

You can grapple without the hand requirement so long as you are either a loxodon, symic hybrid, thri-kreen, or if your DM is spicy a naga who has a restraining attack using its tail.

I play a grappler focused build (3 fighter/ 5 barbarian/ X rogue) that's kind of a self insert as I do MMA in real life. Once you figure it out, you can really cheese a lot of encounters. My character is in curse of strahd, and I focus mainly on tying strahd up in my grapple, pin him with a shove action, and have him hard focus on me while my party does what needs to be done. It's very effective, especially when I have the tavern brawler feat, the tough feat, expertise in athletics and totem rage. I do wish the rules were a bit more fleshed out, but as an IRL grappler, I can see how it could get overcomplicated.

I once had an orange skinned Goliath bardbarian character named Tronald Dump loosely based off Drax, from Guardians of the Galaxy. Super high strength and charisma at the cost of low intelligence and wisdom, entertainer background (kind of like a WWE wrestler). He was phenomenal at grappling. My favorite tactic was the snatch and grab and stab combo with the rogue in our party, or heaving our enemies off ledges. All while singing insults.

I’ve currently got a Harengon Astral Self Monk that lets me run up to mostly any enemy with my high speed, Grapple and shove with wisdom rather than strength, then hit twice with flurry of blows at advantage

Helpful video! Just had my first session with my Rogue3 Fighter 3 (Swashbuckler / Rune Knight) and it felt really good. Only thing I'm trying to work out is the most efficient way (including feats) to get an enemy grappled + prone, without fighting unarmed.. Shield master leaves you needing to grapple with the weapon hand, for instance.

I think what you guys meant is, The true tavern brawler. One level monk for bonus attack when you cast the spell "punch", levels of fighter for battle master and the unarmed fighting style, levels of barbarian. Take Crusher or Tavern Brawler or both if you want. Now you cast "Super Punch" and "grapple for days" Choose race, Hill Dwarf. Choose deity: Hanseath, Dwarven god of war, carousing, and alcohol. Don't forget to get the punching tattoo when you can.

A build im looking forward to in the future is playing a artificer built around speed. Get some winged boots and gauntlets of ogre power (belt of hill giants strength if it lasts long enough) and start dropping bodies.

So...i'm still new to DnD but what i'm getting from this is that i could go: 1) Pick Skiled Expert Feat (go with strength +1 and athletics.) 2) Be a Fighter (Champion maybe for increased crit or Rune Knight to Enlarge so you can grapple ANYTHING.) 3) Pick Tavern Brawler feat. Becoming a fighter, gain +2 to Strength from both Feats, get Strength to 20 as soon as possible, use Expertise on Athletics (so that's a +10 to Athletics checks) gain proficiency on all improvised weapon/unarmed strike attacks and can Grapple as a Bonus Action thanks to Tavern Brawler Feat, can go: 1) Attack/Shove Prone action. 2) Bonus action Grapple prone enemy. 3) Attack with advantage. 4) Action Surge. 5) Attack, attack, attack (ALL of these with advantage since enemy is prone.)

Van Richten's Guide allowed me to make a grappling horror. Currently playing a grappling dhampir Rune Knight. Giant's Might at 3rd level gave me the "enlarge person" effect required to grapple really big creatures, and the dhampir bite attack allows me to add the damage done by the bite to my next attack or ability check - so 1d4+CON in addition to advantage on the check to retain my hold in addition to having advantage when my opponent is prone. If I pin you, you stay down (so far, anyway).

"Or you can just drag them somewhere nasty and throw them off a cliff if that's the kind of character your person is" Why yes, that's exactly what my barbarian would do

My Goliath grappler swings his grappled enemies like his own buster sword lol

A grung battle rager barbarian with a one level dip in fighter for unarmed fighting. Use a rapier. All your attacks are piercing and piercing damage gains poison damage as part of the attack. Touching gives the poisoned condition. Grappled enemies get damaged from the battle rager armour and the unarmed fighting style.

Glory Paladin with stride spring boots and a haste spell. The direction you choose to drag them is up with you as you jump 45’ in the air. Then you hit them with your Minotaur horns and toss in a battle master pushing attack maneuver to send them another 25’ higher than you.

barbarian with eagle totem, gets 60ft movement with bonus action, so you can grapple and walk 30ft

Some time ago I was able to try out this homebrew feat for this homebrew level 10 one shot. The feat was called forceful. Forceful: -raise strength, constitution, or dexterity by 1. -you can use grapples and shoves as opportunity attacks -when you succeed an initial grapple or shove you apply 1d4 bludgeoning damage. If you succeed with a nat 20 you gain the benefits of a critical hit. -you can add an extra 5 feet to to shoves whether pushed or knocked prone. -during an initial grapple you can move the grappled creature to an empty space 5 feet from you without using movement. I was using a half orc rune knight with tavern brawler and skill expert and unarmed Fighting style. I had a plus 12 to athletics and had I succeed with a nat 20 with savage attacker it would be 3d4 bludgeoning damage.

I feel like the grappler feat should focus on letting you have some things like shoving grappled creatures has advantage when trying to knock them prone or instead letting you attempt to prone a creature as a free action once per turn, maybe even let you try to do stuff like determine whether a grappled enemy uses athletics or acrobatics or attempt to choke out a enemy, dealing unarmed damage and preventing them from breathing on a failed con save.

I'm currently making a sorcerer/fighter, he's grapple and touch spell based.

I'm torn. I have a loxodon in my new game next weekend. I was going barbarian but I'm going astral arms and if we start 4th 1 fighter dip for unarmed. Trunk attack! 3 grappled opponents and still have the arms to finish them.....named Ganesh.

Rune knight seems good for grappling. U get free enlarge and adatage to strength checks

So mad i just now found this after watching so many of your videos. But I'm currently playing a githzerai psi fighter for my Planescape campaign. I'm level 5 and got the crusher feat. I plan to dip into barbarian for one level next and then back to fighter. Next feat will be GWM cause i also have a kanabo(maul). Oh and of course I'm using unarmed fighting style.

Im currently playing a fighter Minotaur who REALLY LOVES "prize wrestling" i do giant swinngs and suplexs into prone grapples. So much fun

I'm making a grappler cleric. Don't mind that it takes two turns to actually get the combo, with a spiritual weapon I'm still being useful on the first turn, I can also use bonus actions to heal party members or myself, can activate spirit guardians if the situation requires it as well as keep the enemy inside the spells AoE. Yes, I could just use hold person and achieve the same, or even better result with just one spell, but where's the fun in that?

So if I want to throw someone off a cliff I just need to roll higher on my athletics instead of rolling a standard attack? I just need to spend the movement? I'm having trouble understanding how this mechanically works on a 5*5 square mat

Would making a rope a lasso and it's use be covered under the grappling mechanics?

Couldn’t help but notice you didn’t bring up jumping. Falling 10 feet deals 1D6 bludgeoning damage, and imposes the prone condition. A running high jump is 3+ STR modifier, so if you have a +5 STR and do a running high jump with a grappled foe all you need is a two foot difference in height to automatically prone your target and yourself. This synergizes perfectly with a barbarian since they get an extra 10 feet of movement and sometimes need to deal damage to themselves to maintain rage, expecially if you have a DM that doesn’t consider a grapple check an attack.

What do you think about the Path of the Battlerager for Barbarian?

How would you rule throwing and/or slamming an enemy?

Doesn't the opponent get an attack of opportunity?

My necromancer would send in a swarm of skeletons to grapple.

Unarmed fighting is good for a grappler. Getting a free 1d4 each turn. Tavern brawler let's you grapple as a bonus acton when you attack with an u armed strike. Skill expert lets you get double proficiency in Athletics Rage let's you get advantage on strength checks Rune knights frost rune let's you gain a +2 bonus to all ability checks and saving throws that use Strength or Constitution for 10 minutes.

Can you cast spells while grappled? Most require somatic components which means you gotta move your body..am I missing something here?

fighter o barbarian? Better subclass?

Can you be double grappled? Or can two PCs grapple an NPC/BBG

Can you attempt to grapple someone within 20ft? Like lunging at them?

Grapple + Rune Knight + Goliath ftw... Grapple + Rune Knight + Gnome for the lulls...

So uh... a rogue/fighter approaches you (tavern brawler, grappler and skill focus in athletics), makes a bonus action advantage grapple attack against you and as first action shoves your ass to the ground. Then burns an action surge and sneak attacks you in the same turn and every other consecutive turn he has you grappled.... ouch?

Im building a moon druid wildshape grappler for a one shot

well festinating but I'm still running 1e lol

Yes indeed that is the kind of character and person I am. `tosses orphaned kids off cliff` The Goddess of Blood & Sacrifices Bloodara is pleased. Muahahahaaaa..

I am building a nemesis. RIP

ok so im 2 years late for the video but eh.... say la vee. why is noone using a druid. Giant Crab or Giant Octopus have auto grapple when you hit,