Bring me grapples, bull rush, charge

[Raodin-bel-iori]

Now I'm fully aware ahead of time that this would take some major work by the devs, but I'm also aware that these developments would totally add a new angles to the combat system.

The thing I'd like to see the most in one of the next updates is adding grapple attacks. Making a grapple, with skill or strength checks to maintain it, escape one, and attack during one. Grappled mobs or characters would be held in place and unable to cast or attack unless a strength or concentration check were made. If the strength check were made the creature would gain control of the grapple and have the option of breaking it, attacking, ect. Spells that are verbal only could still be cast.

Attacks would be at a slower rate than out of grapple, much like attacking while sneaking, since a full attack action can’t be taken in a grapple. Size bonuses would still apply so that foolish monks can't grapple well with giants or get swallowed by dragons when they try. The escape artist skill would be brought back into play for escaping from monsters who can grapple players, and it would allow for new monsters who are good at that such as assassin vines, tentacle beasts, etc. It would also open up the way for new feats and enhancements for grappling such as ending a grapple with a throw that causes damage and leaves them prone. Animations such as the entangled condition could be used or modified to make it easier for the devs to implement in the game.

I'd love to be able to grab a little wizard so that he can't cast sleet storm on my party and knock his block off or even grab a minotaur shaman and take a few hits to keep him from fireballing the party.

How about charging and bull rush too. That one would be easier to do since we already have the animations for people getting knocked down, and if you can sprint, charging should be easy, just tack on some extra damage for the attack at the end. Minoutars already do it so letting an angry barbarian do it to a halfling bard doesn't sound like too much of a stretch.

I think overall it'd make the game much more fun with many more fighting styles. The thing to make sure doesn't happen is in the physics, letting mobs grapple through walls, bars, or from 15 feet away. That could mess things up.

Let me know what you think everyone

[Trillea]

If it lets us get Evard's Black Tentacles as a spell, I'm all for it! Also, I would not mind a Ring of the Ram..

[Raodin-bel-iori]

Totally, this would open the game way up for new item effects, new class enhancements, new spells and monsters, and new team strategies.