Squeejee
2010-04-12, 01:43 AM
Preface
Well, I've said it once and I'll say it again: D20 is not grapple-friendly. It's difficult to pull off, not very useful once you DO pull it off, and generally slows down combat (which is already painfully slow for some) significantly and is just a general downer.
My goals with this system? Make grappling worthwhile and intense. Here, I'd like to think of grappling as a viable combat option for anyone with the BAB to back it up. There's strategy involved in making it work, and even grappling someone for the space of only one or two rounds can open up interesting combat options for a warrior - such as getting close to disarm or trip your opponent, even if you don't have improved trip or disarm.
I also tried to make the system notably more deadly - especially for low-level characters. There's advantages to be take, holds to be reversed, and fingers that need to be broken if you want to achieve mastery of this system - and that's where the strategy element comes into play.
Naturally, I understand that this isn't the change a lot of people want to see with the D20 combat system - and I understand that. Nearly everything in D20 is taken to a certain level of abstraction, and this system is somewhat gritty and detailed. That's why I created the Unbelievably Simple Grapple Rules (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8304926#post8304926) as a sister ruleset to this one - think of them as Squeejee's Better Grapple Rules Lite.
And now, on to the system.
Step 1: Initiating the Grapple
Fighter A wants to grapple Fighter B, so A declares his intention. A makes an unarmed melee touch attach versus B. If he hits, the two roll a contest of their respective grapple modifiers.
If A succeeds on his unarmed melee touch attack, and wins the opposed grapple check, the grapple begins - continue to step two.
If A fails his unarmed melee touch attack, it is resolved as a missed attack.
If A succeeds on his touch attack, but fails his opposed grapple roll, the grapple is ended, and B is awarded an attack of opportunity.
Regdar and Tordek have come to blows, but unlike his dwarf opponent Regdar doesn't have his sword handy. To even the odds, he turns the brawl into a contest of pure strength.
Regdar makes a melee touch attack against Tordek's touch AC of 10, and, obviously, succeeds. Now he has to win a grapple check.
Regdar rolls better than his opponent, and the grapple begins. The two are now subject to the consequences of grappling, below.
Step 2: Consequences of Grappling
While grappling, your attention is completely focused on your opponent. You do not threaten any squares, and are considered flat-footed against non-grappling opponents.
Characters attempting to attack an enemy engaged in a grapple can do so, however the target they chose is considered to have 50% cover from the other grappler. A "successful" attack against a character engaged in a grapple, therefore, has a 50% chance of hitting the other character in it.
Every turn two characters spend in a grapple, they provoke exactly one attack of opportunity, each. That means that, even if you're winning against your immediate opponent, another enemy can walk up and start wailing on you (with mixed results, as described above).
Once a grapple starts, both grapplers are considered to occupy the same space - after initiating the grapple, Fighter A moves into Fighter B's square, or vice-versa, at the initiator's discretion (you can either go to your opponent or pull them in close).
Continuing from above, Regdar now has Tordek trapped in a grapple - rendering his former ally's axe worthless.
Before finishing his action, Regdar has a decision to make. He decides that he'll pull Tordek into his own square, and the two now occupy the same square.
As the fight continues, Lidda decides to break it up, one way or another. She moves adjacent to Regdek's square, and tries to nail Regdar with her sap. She swings for his flat-footed AC, hits, and rolls her 50% miss chance. This time, she rolls under 50% - Regdar takes the hit, but isn't slowing down.
On his next turn, Regdar decides to continue the grapple. At the end of his turn, as he spent the entire turn locked in a grapple, he provokes an attack of opportunity. Lidda takes it, adding her sneak attack damage to the attack once again. She swings, and hits.
This time, however, she rolls over 50%, nailing Tordek square in the back of the head for a lot of nonlethal damage. That will require an explanation, for sure!
Step 3: The Grapple
Every action described below is a move action that can only be performed while grappling. That means that if fighter A has not used his move action yet on the turn he initiates a grapple, he can perform any one action before his turn ends. On most turns, however, both grapplers will have 2 actions to perform - unless they are somehow granted an additional move action.
In all action descriptions, "Fighter A" refers to the grappler whose turn it is, and who is performing the action, while "Fighter B" refers to the defender, the other character in the grapple. The character who started the grapple to begin with has no relevance once the action gets under way.
Gain advantage: When a grapple is first initiated, both contestants are considered to be on equal footing, but this action changes that. This action forces an immediate opposed grapple check between the initiator and the defender, and the winner gains an advantage in the grapple over the other.
When a fighter has gained an advantage over the other, he gains a +2 bonus on all of his grapple checks, attack rolls, and his armor class versus the fighter he is pinning until the other can retake it, or the grapple ends. A fighter with advantage over the other can choose to cover the other's mouth, so as to remain discrete.
An assassin seeks to eliminate the fighter Mercutio, and catches him by surprise in the crowd during a Masquerade. During the surprise round, he 5-foot steps adjacent to him and, not wanting him to shout, catches him in a grapple.
The assassin moves to take the advantage, rolling a straight grapple check versus the surprised Mercutio. The assassin's roll beats Mercrutio's, and so until he loses the advantage the assassin will have a +2 to all of his grapple checks and attack rolls for the remainder of the grapple, or until he loses the advantage. He also opts to cover Mercrutio's mouth.
Reverse hold: If fighter B has an advantage, fighter A can attempt to take it. Both fighters roll opposed grapple checks, and if A wins, he gains the advantage, as described above. Fighter B then loses the advantage.
It is important to note that reversing a hold does not return the fighters to being even, as they are at the start of a combat, but transfers the advantage to the reversing fighter.
Now Mercutio is at a disadvantage - presumably. The assassin hasn't factored in his full BAB and high strength, so this time reversing the hold will be easy...
Mercutio rolls an opposed grapple against the assassin, who has a +2 bonus from the last round. Despite that, the fighter wins - and the assassin loses his bonus. Now, Mercutio will have the +2 bonus. Suspecting the assassin may signal allies, Mercutio opts to cover his opponent's mouth.
Pin: Like taking a second advantage, pinning your opponent is resolved much the same. Fighter A rolls an opposed grapple with Fighter B, and if he is successful he is considered to have Fighter B pinned, gaining an additional +2 to all grapple checks, attack rolls, and his armor class versus the fighter he is pinning until the other can break free, or the grapple ends.
Note that a pin isn't necessarily holding your opponent against another object, but may represent merely a more restrictive hold - like moving from a half to a full nelson.
Now with an advantage, Mercutio wants to set up the assassin to be knocked out for questioning. After reversing the hold as his last action, he has another move action remaining, and opts to pin the would-be killer.
The two roll their grapple checks, with Mercutio taking his additional +2 bonus for reversing the hold. With ease, Mercutio puts his assassin into a pin - gaining an additional +2 to his grapple modifier.
Break Pin: Like reversing a hold, breaking free of a pin is hard work - only now, your opponent has +4 against you instead of +2! Fighter A rolls an opposed grapple and, if successful, Fighter B no longer has him pinned.
If Fighter A breaks the pin, he and Fighter B are considered to be even again - neither has the advantage over the other, and so neither has any more bonuses.
The assassin grows desperate - his entire plan, foiled in but a few moments. He puts his hopes in a break pin maneuver, or it's all over next turn. He rolls an opposed grapple check with Mercutio, but because of his disadvantage, fails.
However, he has other tricks up his sleeve.
Strike: A strike is an attempt to stun your opponent with brief but intense pain, such as by breaking a finger or jabbing their eyes. Fighter A makes a melee attack roll, either unarmed or with a light weapon and taking a -4 penalty to the attack, against Fighter B's flat footed AC (being held in place makes it difficult for fast opponents to dodge). Fighter A rolls damage for the attack, however Fighter B only loses 1 HP from a successful strike.
If the attack is successful, Fighter B makes a will save DC 10 + the damage rolled (not the 1 hp dealt). If Fighter B fails this save, he suffers a -4 penalty to grapple checks and attack rolls until the end of his next turn.
The assassin, seeking to nullify Mercutio's BAB advantage, makes a strike attack - but pulls a fast one by quick-drawing his backup dagger as a free action. As described below, the assassin has to roll a sleight of hand check contested by a grapple check given by Mercutio, and succeeds.
The assassin then uses the dagger to strike Mercutio's hand, taking a -4 penalty to the attack. The attack is somewhat of a hard sell, thanks to Mercutio's handy chain undershirt, but the assassin's skill pulls through and Mercutio takes the hit. The assassin rolls a total of 4 damage on the attack, but only deals 1 of it to his target.
Mercutio rolls a will save DC 14, and because of his low wisdom fails and takes a -4 to all of his grapple-related rolls until the end of his next turn.
Then he rolls fort versus the potent STR damage poison coated on the assassin's dagger, and fails.
Draw a light weapon: As a move action, Fighter A can draw any readily-available light weapon during the grapple. If he has the quick draw feat, he may do this as a free action.
If the Fighter A is pinned by an opponent, he must succeed on a sleight of hand check to draw a weapon. The DC is determined by a grapple check by Fighter B, as he tries to stop Fighter A's weapon draw.
Bleeding from his hand now, Mercutio decides that this is getting dangerous. As a move action, he draws his own dagger, which was hidden (but readily available, as he took a penalty on his disguise check to hide it) in his sleeve.
Smash: The easiest way to subdue a grappled opponent, a smash is, quite simply, attempting to hurt your opponent. Fighter A makes a single attack roll against Fighter B's flat footed AC, causing damage as normal for his unarmed attack or light weapon of choice.
Now with his sidearm equipped, Mercutio goes to stab his assassin. As Mercutio is already taking a -4 to his attack roll, he opts not to make a strike and instead just smash his opponent for as much damage as possible.
He makes his attack roll and, thanks to his BAB, hits. Because of a reduced strength, Mercutio only deals 3 damage to his attacker.
Throw: Fighter A wants to toss Fighter B to the ground, so he declares a throw. Fighter A rolls an attack roll using the rules for making a trip attack, however Fighter A can only use an unarmed strike or a light weapon to make the attack - all relevant modifiers, such as the Improved Trip feat, apply to this roll.
Unlike a normal trip, however, grappling characters are already in contact - therefore, a character attempting a throw is automatically considered successful at the required melee touch attack to initiate a trip.
Because grappling characters do not threaten squares, making this trip attack does not provoke an attack of opportunity. They still provoke their normal one attack per round just for the act of being involved in a grapple.
If successful, Fighter A can choose to either let Fighter B fall prone at his feet, ending the grapple, or he can follow Fighter B down, continuing the grapple. If Fighter A follows Fighter B down, Fighter A is not considered prone as well.
A prone character suffers a -4 to all of his grapple checks, attack rolls, and his armor class versus the character he is grappled with.
A prone character automatically loses any advantage or pin he may have had over his opponent, and the two are considered as being on even footing again.
The assassin decides that it's time to stop screwing around and step up his game. Luck won't hold forever, and he needs to represent or the other assassins will point and laugh at him forever!
The assassin declares a throw, and rolls his trip attack. The assassin doesn't need to hit Mercrutio's touch AC, and simply moves to a contest of STR - He has the improved trip feat, which will be essential for overcoming Mercutio's bonus to the contest thanks to having pinning. The assassin wins, by virtue of a poisoned blade.
The assassin dashes his target to the ground, and decides to follow him down, continuing the grapple. Now that he's prone, Mercutio loses his advantage for having pinned the assassin, and he will suffer a -4 to all of his grapple-related actions for being prone.
Disarm: Weapons are dangerous, and so naturally warriors must give some thought to the act of depriving an opponent of theirs. Fighter A makes a disarm attack, using the same rules for disarming outside of a grapple.
Just as with throw, characters without improved disarm do not provoke while disarming a grappled opponent, save the one per round all grapplers suffer.
If successful, Fighter A can chose to either let the weapon fall to the ground, or throw it up to double their reach away (so a 5-foot reach human can throw a disarmed object 10 feet away) or take it for himself, but only if he has a free hand to hold the weapon in. In this way, weapons can be wrestled from their owner.
As with normal disarm attacks, a disarming fighter can target non-weapons, such as the epic Lich's phylactery hanging precariously around your neck or the pouch you tried to steal from me that has all of my gold inside it.
Having thrown his opponent to the ground, the assassin decides to strip him of his blade. The assassin and Mercutio roll opposed attack rolls and, thanks to Mercutio's poison, the assassin wins the contest, throwing Mercutio's dagger 10 feet away.
Escape: The most useful option for nimble characters without much strength, an escaping character either rolls a grapple check to break free or an escape artist check to wriggle free. In either case, this check is opposed by your opponent's grapple check to hold you in.
If Fighter A successfully escapes the grapple, he can immediately take a 5-foot step in any direction from his opponent. A character, once having escaped, no longer provokes an attack of opportunity just for being in a grapple, including the attack they would have provoked this turn.
Remember that this is a move action, so if you slide out of your opponent's grapple you may be able to stab them for trying to hold you, the nimble escape artist!
After being thrown around and stripped of his weapon, Mercutio is starting to feel a little outmatched. He attempts an escape - rolling opposed grapple modifiers with the assassin. However, his reduced grapple modifier makes escape via strength difficult.
For his second move action, Mercutio attempts to roll an escape artist check versus the assassin's grapple modifier. The assassin rolls higher yet again, spoiling Mercutio's plans.
Cast a Spell: If a spellcaster finds himself in a grapple, the most prudent move is often to escape - after all, those high-strength fighter-types are only a round or two away from snapping your skinny little neck! Sometimes, however, you need a little help from grease or enlarge person or, at higher levels, Tenser's transformation. This column is for you.
To cast a spell in a grapple, Fighter A must first succeed on a modified concentration check to cast defensively.
Fighter B rolls a grapple check, adding the spell's level to the check. The result of this check is the DC for the Fighter A's concentration check.
If the casting is successful, Fighter A's spell goes off successfully.
Unlike other moves on the list, this one requires the same action as the spell Fighter A is attempting to cast, as opposed to being a move action.
Now the assassin has Mercutio right where he wants him - but he is still unsure of the certainty of overcoming his target's grapple modifier. As a bit of insurance, he casts True Strike on himself before going for the throat.
Mercutio rolls a grapple check, subtracting his penalty for being prone and adding 1 for true strike's spell level. The assassin easily passes that concentration check, and the spell goes off.
Break: Possibly the most brutal and effective way to take down your opponent, but also the most difficult, a break is an attempt by Fighter A to cause serious damage, as opposed to just HP damage.
Creatures immune to critical hits are also immune to breaks of any kind - they simply don't feel effects such as these.
All of the breaks described here are standard actions.
Break Leg: Fighter A rolls an opposed attack roll versus Fighter B - but for this maneuver, Fighter A takes a -8 penalty to his attack roll. If Fighter B wins, then the attack fails.
If Fighter A wins, however, he rolls damage for either his unarmed strike or his light weapon of choice. This damage is always counted as lethal damage, and comes with a side effect.
Until Fighter B has the damage dealt to him by this maneuver healed, either by time or a cleric or any other source of healing, his movement speed is reduced to half its normal value.
In addition, Fighter B loses all bonuses to his movement speed, provided those bonuses are non magical in nature - therefore, a Monk or Barbarian's unarmed speed bonus is lost, but a character with Expeditious Retreat cast on them can overcome the penalty somewhat - magic simply overcomes damage.
Break Arm: Fighter A rolls an opposed attack roll with Fighter B, taking a -8 penalty to the roll as with the break leg maneuver. If Fighter B wins the contest, he may immediately attempt to break Fighter A's arm instead as a reaction - though Fighter B's break attempt cannot provoke a new reaction from Fighter A, or the chain could go on forever.
If Fighter A's grapple check is successful, however, he rolls damage for his unarmed strike or light weapon of choice. This damage is always counted as lethal damage, and has a side effect.
Until Fighter B has the damage dealt to him by this maneuver healed, either by time or a cleric or any other source of healing, he suffers a -1 penalty to all die rolls relating to actions requiring the use of his primary hand. This includes (but is not limited to) primary weapon attack and damage rolls, skill and ability checks involving the arms, and grapple checks.
Break Neck: Fighter A rolls an opposed attack roll versus Fighter B, taking a -12 penalty on the roll. If Fighter B wins the contest, he has an opportunity to immediately attempt to Escape, as above, as a reaction.
If Fighter A succeeds, he immediately makes an attack versus Fighter B, automatically hitting and dealing critical damage with his unarmed strike or light weapon of choice, as well as any sneak attack or similar damage the character may be entitled to.
The assassin makes another strike versus his opponent once more at the end of his turn, rendering Mercutio's feeble struggle to escape during his turn worthless. At this point, the assassin has almost completely botched his mission - guards are coming, people are screaming, and it's now undeniable that someone is targeting the nobles of the city.
But he'll be damned if all that happens and his target survives. The assassin ends this, now.
The assassin declares a Break: Neck attack, rolling his grapple modifier -12 versus Mercutio's modifier, and winning thanks to fairly heavy advantages. He then rolls critical dagger damage, finishing off the wounded fighter with a large amount of D6s.
Well, I've said it once and I'll say it again: D20 is not grapple-friendly. It's difficult to pull off, not very useful once you DO pull it off, and generally slows down combat (which is already painfully slow for some) significantly and is just a general downer.
My goals with this system? Make grappling worthwhile and intense. Here, I'd like to think of grappling as a viable combat option for anyone with the BAB to back it up. There's strategy involved in making it work, and even grappling someone for the space of only one or two rounds can open up interesting combat options for a warrior - such as getting close to disarm or trip your opponent, even if you don't have improved trip or disarm.
I also tried to make the system notably more deadly - especially for low-level characters. There's advantages to be take, holds to be reversed, and fingers that need to be broken if you want to achieve mastery of this system - and that's where the strategy element comes into play.
Naturally, I understand that this isn't the change a lot of people want to see with the D20 combat system - and I understand that. Nearly everything in D20 is taken to a certain level of abstraction, and this system is somewhat gritty and detailed. That's why I created the Unbelievably Simple Grapple Rules (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8304926#post8304926) as a sister ruleset to this one - think of them as Squeejee's Better Grapple Rules Lite.
And now, on to the system.
Step 1: Initiating the Grapple
Fighter A wants to grapple Fighter B, so A declares his intention. A makes an unarmed melee touch attach versus B. If he hits, the two roll a contest of their respective grapple modifiers.
If A succeeds on his unarmed melee touch attack, and wins the opposed grapple check, the grapple begins - continue to step two.
If A fails his unarmed melee touch attack, it is resolved as a missed attack.
If A succeeds on his touch attack, but fails his opposed grapple roll, the grapple is ended, and B is awarded an attack of opportunity.
Regdar and Tordek have come to blows, but unlike his dwarf opponent Regdar doesn't have his sword handy. To even the odds, he turns the brawl into a contest of pure strength.
Regdar makes a melee touch attack against Tordek's touch AC of 10, and, obviously, succeeds. Now he has to win a grapple check.
Regdar rolls better than his opponent, and the grapple begins. The two are now subject to the consequences of grappling, below.
Step 2: Consequences of Grappling
While grappling, your attention is completely focused on your opponent. You do not threaten any squares, and are considered flat-footed against non-grappling opponents.
Characters attempting to attack an enemy engaged in a grapple can do so, however the target they chose is considered to have 50% cover from the other grappler. A "successful" attack against a character engaged in a grapple, therefore, has a 50% chance of hitting the other character in it.
Every turn two characters spend in a grapple, they provoke exactly one attack of opportunity, each. That means that, even if you're winning against your immediate opponent, another enemy can walk up and start wailing on you (with mixed results, as described above).
Once a grapple starts, both grapplers are considered to occupy the same space - after initiating the grapple, Fighter A moves into Fighter B's square, or vice-versa, at the initiator's discretion (you can either go to your opponent or pull them in close).
Continuing from above, Regdar now has Tordek trapped in a grapple - rendering his former ally's axe worthless.
Before finishing his action, Regdar has a decision to make. He decides that he'll pull Tordek into his own square, and the two now occupy the same square.
As the fight continues, Lidda decides to break it up, one way or another. She moves adjacent to Regdek's square, and tries to nail Regdar with her sap. She swings for his flat-footed AC, hits, and rolls her 50% miss chance. This time, she rolls under 50% - Regdar takes the hit, but isn't slowing down.
On his next turn, Regdar decides to continue the grapple. At the end of his turn, as he spent the entire turn locked in a grapple, he provokes an attack of opportunity. Lidda takes it, adding her sneak attack damage to the attack once again. She swings, and hits.
This time, however, she rolls over 50%, nailing Tordek square in the back of the head for a lot of nonlethal damage. That will require an explanation, for sure!
Step 3: The Grapple
Every action described below is a move action that can only be performed while grappling. That means that if fighter A has not used his move action yet on the turn he initiates a grapple, he can perform any one action before his turn ends. On most turns, however, both grapplers will have 2 actions to perform - unless they are somehow granted an additional move action.
In all action descriptions, "Fighter A" refers to the grappler whose turn it is, and who is performing the action, while "Fighter B" refers to the defender, the other character in the grapple. The character who started the grapple to begin with has no relevance once the action gets under way.
Gain advantage: When a grapple is first initiated, both contestants are considered to be on equal footing, but this action changes that. This action forces an immediate opposed grapple check between the initiator and the defender, and the winner gains an advantage in the grapple over the other.
When a fighter has gained an advantage over the other, he gains a +2 bonus on all of his grapple checks, attack rolls, and his armor class versus the fighter he is pinning until the other can retake it, or the grapple ends. A fighter with advantage over the other can choose to cover the other's mouth, so as to remain discrete.
An assassin seeks to eliminate the fighter Mercutio, and catches him by surprise in the crowd during a Masquerade. During the surprise round, he 5-foot steps adjacent to him and, not wanting him to shout, catches him in a grapple.
The assassin moves to take the advantage, rolling a straight grapple check versus the surprised Mercutio. The assassin's roll beats Mercrutio's, and so until he loses the advantage the assassin will have a +2 to all of his grapple checks and attack rolls for the remainder of the grapple, or until he loses the advantage. He also opts to cover Mercrutio's mouth.
Reverse hold: If fighter B has an advantage, fighter A can attempt to take it. Both fighters roll opposed grapple checks, and if A wins, he gains the advantage, as described above. Fighter B then loses the advantage.
It is important to note that reversing a hold does not return the fighters to being even, as they are at the start of a combat, but transfers the advantage to the reversing fighter.
Now Mercutio is at a disadvantage - presumably. The assassin hasn't factored in his full BAB and high strength, so this time reversing the hold will be easy...
Mercutio rolls an opposed grapple against the assassin, who has a +2 bonus from the last round. Despite that, the fighter wins - and the assassin loses his bonus. Now, Mercutio will have the +2 bonus. Suspecting the assassin may signal allies, Mercutio opts to cover his opponent's mouth.
Pin: Like taking a second advantage, pinning your opponent is resolved much the same. Fighter A rolls an opposed grapple with Fighter B, and if he is successful he is considered to have Fighter B pinned, gaining an additional +2 to all grapple checks, attack rolls, and his armor class versus the fighter he is pinning until the other can break free, or the grapple ends.
Note that a pin isn't necessarily holding your opponent against another object, but may represent merely a more restrictive hold - like moving from a half to a full nelson.
Now with an advantage, Mercutio wants to set up the assassin to be knocked out for questioning. After reversing the hold as his last action, he has another move action remaining, and opts to pin the would-be killer.
The two roll their grapple checks, with Mercutio taking his additional +2 bonus for reversing the hold. With ease, Mercutio puts his assassin into a pin - gaining an additional +2 to his grapple modifier.
Break Pin: Like reversing a hold, breaking free of a pin is hard work - only now, your opponent has +4 against you instead of +2! Fighter A rolls an opposed grapple and, if successful, Fighter B no longer has him pinned.
If Fighter A breaks the pin, he and Fighter B are considered to be even again - neither has the advantage over the other, and so neither has any more bonuses.
The assassin grows desperate - his entire plan, foiled in but a few moments. He puts his hopes in a break pin maneuver, or it's all over next turn. He rolls an opposed grapple check with Mercutio, but because of his disadvantage, fails.
However, he has other tricks up his sleeve.
Strike: A strike is an attempt to stun your opponent with brief but intense pain, such as by breaking a finger or jabbing their eyes. Fighter A makes a melee attack roll, either unarmed or with a light weapon and taking a -4 penalty to the attack, against Fighter B's flat footed AC (being held in place makes it difficult for fast opponents to dodge). Fighter A rolls damage for the attack, however Fighter B only loses 1 HP from a successful strike.
If the attack is successful, Fighter B makes a will save DC 10 + the damage rolled (not the 1 hp dealt). If Fighter B fails this save, he suffers a -4 penalty to grapple checks and attack rolls until the end of his next turn.
The assassin, seeking to nullify Mercutio's BAB advantage, makes a strike attack - but pulls a fast one by quick-drawing his backup dagger as a free action. As described below, the assassin has to roll a sleight of hand check contested by a grapple check given by Mercutio, and succeeds.
The assassin then uses the dagger to strike Mercutio's hand, taking a -4 penalty to the attack. The attack is somewhat of a hard sell, thanks to Mercutio's handy chain undershirt, but the assassin's skill pulls through and Mercutio takes the hit. The assassin rolls a total of 4 damage on the attack, but only deals 1 of it to his target.
Mercutio rolls a will save DC 14, and because of his low wisdom fails and takes a -4 to all of his grapple-related rolls until the end of his next turn.
Then he rolls fort versus the potent STR damage poison coated on the assassin's dagger, and fails.
Draw a light weapon: As a move action, Fighter A can draw any readily-available light weapon during the grapple. If he has the quick draw feat, he may do this as a free action.
If the Fighter A is pinned by an opponent, he must succeed on a sleight of hand check to draw a weapon. The DC is determined by a grapple check by Fighter B, as he tries to stop Fighter A's weapon draw.
Bleeding from his hand now, Mercutio decides that this is getting dangerous. As a move action, he draws his own dagger, which was hidden (but readily available, as he took a penalty on his disguise check to hide it) in his sleeve.
Smash: The easiest way to subdue a grappled opponent, a smash is, quite simply, attempting to hurt your opponent. Fighter A makes a single attack roll against Fighter B's flat footed AC, causing damage as normal for his unarmed attack or light weapon of choice.
Now with his sidearm equipped, Mercutio goes to stab his assassin. As Mercutio is already taking a -4 to his attack roll, he opts not to make a strike and instead just smash his opponent for as much damage as possible.
He makes his attack roll and, thanks to his BAB, hits. Because of a reduced strength, Mercutio only deals 3 damage to his attacker.
Throw: Fighter A wants to toss Fighter B to the ground, so he declares a throw. Fighter A rolls an attack roll using the rules for making a trip attack, however Fighter A can only use an unarmed strike or a light weapon to make the attack - all relevant modifiers, such as the Improved Trip feat, apply to this roll.
Unlike a normal trip, however, grappling characters are already in contact - therefore, a character attempting a throw is automatically considered successful at the required melee touch attack to initiate a trip.
Because grappling characters do not threaten squares, making this trip attack does not provoke an attack of opportunity. They still provoke their normal one attack per round just for the act of being involved in a grapple.
If successful, Fighter A can choose to either let Fighter B fall prone at his feet, ending the grapple, or he can follow Fighter B down, continuing the grapple. If Fighter A follows Fighter B down, Fighter A is not considered prone as well.
A prone character suffers a -4 to all of his grapple checks, attack rolls, and his armor class versus the character he is grappled with.
A prone character automatically loses any advantage or pin he may have had over his opponent, and the two are considered as being on even footing again.
The assassin decides that it's time to stop screwing around and step up his game. Luck won't hold forever, and he needs to represent or the other assassins will point and laugh at him forever!
The assassin declares a throw, and rolls his trip attack. The assassin doesn't need to hit Mercrutio's touch AC, and simply moves to a contest of STR - He has the improved trip feat, which will be essential for overcoming Mercutio's bonus to the contest thanks to having pinning. The assassin wins, by virtue of a poisoned blade.
The assassin dashes his target to the ground, and decides to follow him down, continuing the grapple. Now that he's prone, Mercutio loses his advantage for having pinned the assassin, and he will suffer a -4 to all of his grapple-related actions for being prone.
Disarm: Weapons are dangerous, and so naturally warriors must give some thought to the act of depriving an opponent of theirs. Fighter A makes a disarm attack, using the same rules for disarming outside of a grapple.
Just as with throw, characters without improved disarm do not provoke while disarming a grappled opponent, save the one per round all grapplers suffer.
If successful, Fighter A can chose to either let the weapon fall to the ground, or throw it up to double their reach away (so a 5-foot reach human can throw a disarmed object 10 feet away) or take it for himself, but only if he has a free hand to hold the weapon in. In this way, weapons can be wrestled from their owner.
As with normal disarm attacks, a disarming fighter can target non-weapons, such as the epic Lich's phylactery hanging precariously around your neck or the pouch you tried to steal from me that has all of my gold inside it.
Having thrown his opponent to the ground, the assassin decides to strip him of his blade. The assassin and Mercutio roll opposed attack rolls and, thanks to Mercutio's poison, the assassin wins the contest, throwing Mercutio's dagger 10 feet away.
Escape: The most useful option for nimble characters without much strength, an escaping character either rolls a grapple check to break free or an escape artist check to wriggle free. In either case, this check is opposed by your opponent's grapple check to hold you in.
If Fighter A successfully escapes the grapple, he can immediately take a 5-foot step in any direction from his opponent. A character, once having escaped, no longer provokes an attack of opportunity just for being in a grapple, including the attack they would have provoked this turn.
Remember that this is a move action, so if you slide out of your opponent's grapple you may be able to stab them for trying to hold you, the nimble escape artist!
After being thrown around and stripped of his weapon, Mercutio is starting to feel a little outmatched. He attempts an escape - rolling opposed grapple modifiers with the assassin. However, his reduced grapple modifier makes escape via strength difficult.
For his second move action, Mercutio attempts to roll an escape artist check versus the assassin's grapple modifier. The assassin rolls higher yet again, spoiling Mercutio's plans.
Cast a Spell: If a spellcaster finds himself in a grapple, the most prudent move is often to escape - after all, those high-strength fighter-types are only a round or two away from snapping your skinny little neck! Sometimes, however, you need a little help from grease or enlarge person or, at higher levels, Tenser's transformation. This column is for you.
To cast a spell in a grapple, Fighter A must first succeed on a modified concentration check to cast defensively.
Fighter B rolls a grapple check, adding the spell's level to the check. The result of this check is the DC for the Fighter A's concentration check.
If the casting is successful, Fighter A's spell goes off successfully.
Unlike other moves on the list, this one requires the same action as the spell Fighter A is attempting to cast, as opposed to being a move action.
Now the assassin has Mercutio right where he wants him - but he is still unsure of the certainty of overcoming his target's grapple modifier. As a bit of insurance, he casts True Strike on himself before going for the throat.
Mercutio rolls a grapple check, subtracting his penalty for being prone and adding 1 for true strike's spell level. The assassin easily passes that concentration check, and the spell goes off.
Break: Possibly the most brutal and effective way to take down your opponent, but also the most difficult, a break is an attempt by Fighter A to cause serious damage, as opposed to just HP damage.
Creatures immune to critical hits are also immune to breaks of any kind - they simply don't feel effects such as these.
All of the breaks described here are standard actions.
Break Leg: Fighter A rolls an opposed attack roll versus Fighter B - but for this maneuver, Fighter A takes a -8 penalty to his attack roll. If Fighter B wins, then the attack fails.
If Fighter A wins, however, he rolls damage for either his unarmed strike or his light weapon of choice. This damage is always counted as lethal damage, and comes with a side effect.
Until Fighter B has the damage dealt to him by this maneuver healed, either by time or a cleric or any other source of healing, his movement speed is reduced to half its normal value.
In addition, Fighter B loses all bonuses to his movement speed, provided those bonuses are non magical in nature - therefore, a Monk or Barbarian's unarmed speed bonus is lost, but a character with Expeditious Retreat cast on them can overcome the penalty somewhat - magic simply overcomes damage.
Break Arm: Fighter A rolls an opposed attack roll with Fighter B, taking a -8 penalty to the roll as with the break leg maneuver. If Fighter B wins the contest, he may immediately attempt to break Fighter A's arm instead as a reaction - though Fighter B's break attempt cannot provoke a new reaction from Fighter A, or the chain could go on forever.
If Fighter A's grapple check is successful, however, he rolls damage for his unarmed strike or light weapon of choice. This damage is always counted as lethal damage, and has a side effect.
Until Fighter B has the damage dealt to him by this maneuver healed, either by time or a cleric or any other source of healing, he suffers a -1 penalty to all die rolls relating to actions requiring the use of his primary hand. This includes (but is not limited to) primary weapon attack and damage rolls, skill and ability checks involving the arms, and grapple checks.
Break Neck: Fighter A rolls an opposed attack roll versus Fighter B, taking a -12 penalty on the roll. If Fighter B wins the contest, he has an opportunity to immediately attempt to Escape, as above, as a reaction.
If Fighter A succeeds, he immediately makes an attack versus Fighter B, automatically hitting and dealing critical damage with his unarmed strike or light weapon of choice, as well as any sneak attack or similar damage the character may be entitled to.
The assassin makes another strike versus his opponent once more at the end of his turn, rendering Mercutio's feeble struggle to escape during his turn worthless. At this point, the assassin has almost completely botched his mission - guards are coming, people are screaming, and it's now undeniable that someone is targeting the nobles of the city.
But he'll be damned if all that happens and his target survives. The assassin ends this, now.
The assassin declares a Break: Neck attack, rolling his grapple modifier -12 versus Mercutio's modifier, and winning thanks to fairly heavy advantages. He then rolls critical dagger damage, finishing off the wounded fighter with a large amount of D6s.