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#1 olshanski_home_dup Jul 21, 2005 13:44:37

Sooner or later, every DM runs into situations involving grapples. I've found that the core rules don't quite cover all of the heroic or cinematic actions that players and DMs want to try. The basic grapple rules allow for moving, pinning, disarming, and damaging your foe. That does not come close to all of the things my players have asked to do to their grappled foes over the years! All of these actions can be resolved using standard grapple rules. There are no new mechanics to consider, no new numbers to add, no strange calculations based on strength, size, or class. (In my opinion, the fewer rules there are in the game, the better.) 1) Help an ally escape a grapple or pin: If you and an ally are both grappling an opponent, you can make a regular grapple check to eject your ally to any square adjacent to the grapple, assuming your ally wants to escape the grapple. You must beat the opposed grapple check of anyone who wants to keep your ally in the grapple. If your ally is pinned, this maneuver can dislodge the ally from the pin but does not eject the ally from the grapple. This technique is excellent for the fighter who wants to pry the halfling out of the vampire's clutches. 2) Throw a pinned opponent out of a grapple: Once your opponent is pinned, you can attempt to eject them from the grapple into any space which falls within your natural reach. This requires a grapple check opposed by anyone who wants to keep your opponent in the grapple. If the check fails, your opponent is no longer pinned. This technique, when combined with the core rules for moving a grapple, is excellent for throwing people off of bridges or balconies, or into rivers of lava or spiked pits. Note that a huge creature, such as an Athach, can eject an opponent up to 10 feet away from the grapple. 3) Force a pinned opponent prone: Once your opponent is pinned, you can attempt to force them into a prone position. This requires a grapple check opposed by anyone who wants to keep your opponent upright in the grapple. If the check fails, your opponent is still grappling but no longer pinned. This technique is useful for subduing opponents, or for providing opponents an advantage to hit high AC or regenerating opponents. It also makes it harder for the opponent to escape, for even if they win an escape artist check to get out of the grapple, they still suffer Attacks of Opportunity if they try to stand up from prone position. Footnotes: I play using the core rules/SRD. There may be feats, class abilities, or other mechanics presented in various supplements that mimic the actions presented above. These rules are not designed for non-core materials. The core rules do not allow for "Aid Another" on grapple checks. The uses for "Aid Another" are limited to skill checks, AC, and to-hit rolls. I find that a +2 "Aid Another" bonus is hard to reconcile in many grapple situations. How long does the +2 bonus last? Can the +2 bonus be used for more than one grapple roll? etc. Optional House Rule: I have a personal house rule that "Freedom of Movement" does not provide immunity to grapples, but rather grants an unnamed +20 bonus to any escape artist or grapple checks intended to escape a grapple. This bonus stacks with a +10 bonus from the effects of Grease or slick armor. I believe that the grapple mechanics are interesting, and the larger high-CR creatures that rely on grapples should not be hamstrung by a single (arguably over-powered) magic item or spell.