Perhaps a stupid suggestion...

[Rofaust]

How would you guys feel about implementing a grappling system? Monsters with improved grab would be scary and deadly as you're held (entangled essentially) until you roll to break free. On the other hand you could stop those annoying jumping kobold casters in waterworks from jumping up the walls into unreachable positions...

Monks could get improved grapple as a feat... Maybe there would be a short waiting bar to grapple your target, making stunned or paralyzed enemies easy to secure for further pummeling. After you established a grapple you and your opponent would be anchored in place until either your target broke free or you hit the grapple button again to break it yourself. When grappling, both you and your opponent take extra "helpless" damage from enemies not in the grapple. Very large monsters and red and purple names would be immune and size bonuses would apply. This could be a new way for a tank to hold aggro for the party. Two handed and non-light weapons could receive a percentage penalty to damage (and give veteran fighters a reason not to throw away that +1 starter dagger they get at character creation).

Feel free to object to certain parts or the whole thing lol I won't take offense if you think this idea is stupid. I won't defend it to the death - I just I thought I'd pitch it to see

[Uska]

Would be interesting just don't see it being feasible

[Qhualor]

I already find it annoying when im stuck in a web on a max strength character rolling 19s and still fail.

[Rofaust]

Thank you lol any feedback is appreciated

[Saekee]

Cool idea.
Maybe helplessness for victim, but not for grappler
But what dc stuff would apply like stunning, vertigo, etc? I suppose stunning/dazing? But then it would be no different from Stunning Blow.

[Rofaust]

Cool idea.
Maybe helplessness for victim, but not for grappler
But what dc stuff would apply like stunning, vertigo, etc? I suppose stunning/dazing? But then it would be no different from Stunning Blow.

Hmm, I imagine it would have to be a new type (ensnaring?). Stunning would make it too convenient for monks.

[General_Gronker]

I think this is something that should have been included from day 1.

Monks could get improved grapple as a feat...

They can select it as a bonus feat, as can Fighters.

Improved Grapple [General]
Prerequisites
Dex 13, Improved Unarmed Strike.

Benefit
You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when you make a touch attack to start a grapple. You also gain a +4 bonus on all grapple checks, regardless of whether you started the grapple.

Normal
Without this feat, you provoke an attack of opportunity when you make a touch attack to start a grapple.

Special
A fighter may select Improved Grapple as one of his fighter bonus feats.

A monk may select Improved Grapple as a bonus feat at 1st level, even if she does not meet the prerequisites.

Maybe there would be a short waiting bar to grapple your target, making stunned or paralyzed enemies easy to secure for further pummeling.

No. Starting Grappling is a standard action, taking the amount of time that a melee attack takes.
See Here

Very large monsters and red and purple names would be immune

NO. Red and purple names shouldn't be immune to anything other than what their gear loadout provides. PERIOD.

size bonuses would apply.

Well, yeah they apply.

Two handed and non-light weapons could receive a percentage penalty to damage (and give veteran fighters a reason not to throw away that +1 starter dagger they get at character creation).

No. There should be no reason for the to keep that crappy dagger.

[Faltout]

This is a cool idea. No penalties for the grappler. (because the penalty is already that you can't take any other actions)

It also fits in with my ideas for making partying better Grapple the monster so it can't perform any actions except verbal spells and innate abilities like teleport for demons and let the DPS do insane damage. I would also suggest this working for red names. Trash goes down faster and also usually comes in groups. Can't stand there holding 1 monster out of 15 charging at you. But you can hold the boss while everyone else is beating it.
Also for size limits, I would suggest multiple people grappling at once. You hit grapple on a large monster. That will activate a pending grapple. When enough people have grappled this monster and are close to it, all grapples activate at once and presto: Giant immobilized.

Btw, your thread title doesn't say anything about the idea. This is very bad for the idea.

[Annyee]

It sounds new and interesting however it would not mesh well. Also, you have to keep in mind the coding skills of Turbine....

[Rofaust]

Thank you guys I realize starting a grapple is a standard action, the only reason I suggested the loading bar is because it provokes an attack of opportunity and can be interrupted, like opening a door we get a little bar (though technically that's a move equivalent). I was thinking perhaps improved grapple would make it so there's no loading bar (no AoO). I wouldn't mind seeing the penalty to the grappler go either, my reasoning was that in paper and pen the grappler and grapplee both lose their dexterity bonus to AC but in ddo with PRR and everything helpless damage bonus seemed more relevant appreciate the ideas, keep em comin!

[LuKaSu]

Looks like I agree with the general statements of the other commenters: The idea sounds cool, though it might be something that needed implemented from the beginning to make it work. The issue comes with the animations. Every single grappleable creature would need a new set of grapple animations, whereas Trip, Stunning Blow, Stunning Fist, Sap, the various CC spells, etc. already can take a monster out of the equation for a while. So, it would look pretty amazing, and it would be a neat feature to have in the game, but I don't think it would make enough difference to make it worth putting it.