GRAPPLING FOR BEGINNERS

How to Strike, Hold & Throw!

By Russell Morrissey

EN Publishing

Requires the use of the

Dungeons & Dragons, Third
Edition Core Books, published
by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
 Introduction To
Grappling
The core grappling rules are somewhat
unwieldy. These amended rules aim to
make grappling in your game a little
more fun! Grappling also includes
unarmed strikes – kicks, punches, bites
and so on.
This supplement is not intended to
provide a complete martial arts system
with fancy moves; it is intended to
replace the grappling rules in the core
books with something a little more
elegant. The d20 combat system is
abstract in nature: you don’t worry
about hit locations or the exact
specifics of an attack, and these rules
adhere to that philosophy.
There are new feats later in this
supplement for characters who wish to
specialize a little more in unarmed
combat.
Grappling Scores
To use these rules, you need to
calculate two numbers. Both of these
should be recorded somewhere on your
character sheet.
Grapple Attack Bonus
Your grapple attack bonus is calculated
in the same way as in the core rules:
Base attack bonus + Strength modifier
+ special size modifier
The special size modifier for your
grapple attack bonus is as follows:
Colossal +16, Gargantuan +12, Huge
+8, Large +4, Medium +0, Small -4,
Tiny -8, Diminutive -12, Fine -16.
2
Grapple Armor Class
Your grapple armor class represents
how difficult it is to grab and hold you,
unlike touch armor class which
represents how easy it is to merely
touch you. It takes into account your
size and strength – it’s hard to hold a
hill giant!
Your grapple armor class is used when
you are the target of a hold or throw
attack. It is not used when you are the
target of a striking attack.
Your grapple armor class is the same
as your touch AC, but with the
following changes:
1) Your strength bonus or penalty,
if any, is applied to your
grapple armor class.
2) You apply the special size
modifier (see Grapple Attack
Bonus, above).
3) You gain a +4 bonus if you
have more than two legs.
4) You do not apply the usual size
modifiers to AC.
For example, an ogre with a strength of
22 and dexterity of 10 has a grapple
armor class of 20. A Halfling with a
strength of 8 and a dexterity of 16 has
a grapple armor class of 8. It’s pretty
easy for the big ogre to hold down the
little halfling, but it’s much harder the
other way around!
Unarmed Attacks
There are three types of unarmed
attack:
• Strike – an attempt to punch,
kick or headbutt your opponent.
 • Hold – an attempt to hold,
restrain or pin your opponent.
• Throw – an attempt to throw,
trip or push your opponent to
the ground.
You provoke an attack of opportunity
from your opponent if you attempt an
unarmed attack against him while he is
armed. As a change to the core rules,
you do not provoke an attack of
opportunity from anyone other than
your target simply by attempting an
unarmed attack.
Strike
A strike can represent a punch, a kick,
a headbutt, a bite or anything else. A
strike merely causes damage just like a
weapon does. A strike is a regular
attack against your opponent’s regular
AC. The damage done by your strike
is indicated below:
• Tiny (1)
• Small (1d2)
• Medium (1d3)
• Large (1d6)
• Huge (1d8)
• Gargantuan (2d6)
• Colossal (2d8)
A gauntlet grants a damage bonus of
+1; a spiked gauntlet grants a damage
bonus of +2. Note that gauntlets
cannot be disarmed. Gauntlets with
magical bonuses add to attack and
damage rolls as normal.
Optional rule: any character wearing
heavy armour is considered to be using
a gauntlet. This represents the fact that
helms, boots, greaves, etc., all hurt
more when rammed into another
person’s face.
3
Hold
A hold represents an attempt to grab,
pin or restrain an opponent. To
establish a hold, you need to
successfully make an attack roll using
your grapple attack bonus and your
opponent’s grapple armor class.
If you succeed in your attack, you have
established a hold on your opponent.
If you fail, your attack is ineffective
(you may be hanging uselessly off the
ogres’ leg, or the spry elf may have
squirmed aside).
A held opponent is immobile, but not
helpless. While held, a creature takes a
-4 penalty to AC against opponents
other than the one grappling it.
Your opponent remains held until you
release him or until he breaks your
hold. Maintaining the hold each round
requires you to use one attack
(although the attack will automatically
succeed), leaving you to use second
and later attacks for other things,
assuming you are not yourself held.
You may attempt to disarm a held
opponent (if you have spare attacks) as
normal, without provoking an attack of
opportunity.
To break a hold, you must succeed in a
hold attack against your opponent (a
standard attack). If you fail, you are
still held; if you succeed, you have
broken free. If you have multiple
attacks, you may attempt to break the
hold more than once. If you are being
held by multiple opponents, you will
need to break free from all holds
before you are free. You may use an
Escape Artist check instead of a hold
attack for the purpose of breaking a
hold.
Note that it is possible for two
opponents to hold each other. A held
opponent may still attempt hold attacks
against his attacker.
While held, you may make attacks
with a light weapon or a natural
weapon, although you suffer a -4
penalty on such attacks. You may
make unarmed attacks freely
(including strikes, throws and holds).
You may not attack with two weapons
while held.
If either combatant is held, both
combatants are considered to be
grappling.
Actions Allowed While Grappling
When you are grappling with an
opponent, your actions are limited.
Activate a magic item: you may
activate a magic item normally as long
as it does not require spell completion
activation.
Cast a spell: You can attempt to cast a
spell while grappling or even while
held, provided its casting time is no
more than 1 standard action, it has no
somatic component, and you have in
hand any material components or
focuses you might need. Any spell that
requires precise and careful action is
impossible to cast while grappling or
being held. If the spell is one that you
can cast while grappling, you must
make a Concentration check (DC 20 +
spell level) or lose the spell.
Draw a light weapon: While
grappling, you may draw a light
weapon as a move action.
Move: You may move at one-quarter
normal speed (round down to the next
5-foot increment) while grappling (you
may not move while held). Your
4
opponent moves with you, unless she
specifically opts not to, in which case
you need to make a successful grapple
attack roll to move.
Use opponent’s weapon: If your
opponent is holding a light weapon,
you can use it to attack him. Make a
successful hold attack (in place of an
attack). If you win, you automatically
strike your opponent with his own
weapon (using your own strength
bonus for damage). You don’t gain
possession of the weapon by
performing this action.
Multiple Attackers
Additional attackers may establish
individual holds against a single target.
To escape, the target will need to break
out of all holds currently in place. Up
to four combatants can grapple a single
opponent in a given round. Creatures
that are one or more size categories
smaller than you count for half,
creatures that are one size category
larger than you count double, and
creatures two or more size categories
larger count quadruple.
Throw
A throw represents an attempt to
render your opponent prone; this could
be a throw, a trip or a simple push.
A throw is resolved in the same way as
a hold – you must make an attack
against your opponent’s grapple armor
class using your grapple attack bonus.
If you succeed, you opponent is
rendered prone.
As per the standard d20 core rules, a
prone character is on the ground. An
attacker who is prone has a -4 penalty
on melee attack rolls and cannot use a
ranged weapon (except for a
crossbow). A defender who is prone
gains a +4 bonus to Armor Class
against ranged attacks, but takes a -4
penalty to AC against melee attacks.
Standing up is a move-equivalent
action that provokes an attack of
opportunity.
Multiple Attacks
All unarmed attacks consist of one
standard attack. If you have multiple
attacks, you may use each attack to
attempt an unarmed attack (thus you
can strike, throw and then hold an
opponent if you have three attacks; or,
if you’re feeling less adventurous, just
kick your downed opponent in the
head three times).
You may attempt an unarmed attack as
an offhand attack, according to the
standard core rules for offhand attacks.
The fighter who can hold an opponent
immobile with one hand while fencing
with another opponent is certainly an
accomplished warrior.
Finally, with iterative attacks, you may
establish multiple holds on the same
opponent. Whether you describe this
as pinning your foe with different parts
of your body, or merely as establishing
a more secure hold than you had
before, you can establish as many
holds as you have attacks in the round.
Remember that to maintain a given
hold, you must use one attack each
round (although you don’t need to roll
anything). You’ll be surprised how
important this multiple hold concept is
to these grappling rules!
Other Combat Actions
The core rules contain a few other
combat actions of interest to the
unarmed combatant. Below you’ll find
revised combat actions, bringing them
in line with these rules.
5
Bull Rush
You can make a bull rush as a standard
action (an attack) or as part of a
charge. When you make a bull rush,
you attempt to push an opponent
straight back instead of damaging him.
You can only bull rush an opponent
who is one size category larger than
you, the same size, or smaller.
First, you move into the defender’s
space. Doing this provokes an attack of
opportunity from the defender. (If you
have the Improved Bull Rush feat, you
don’t provoke an attack of opportunity
from the defender; note that, as a
change from the core rules, this does
not provoke an attack of opportunity
from anyone other than the defender.)
You then make an attack roll (grapple
attack bonus vs. grapple armor class).
If you succeed, you push your
opponent back 5 feet. If you wish to
move with the defender, you can push
him back an additional 5 feet for each
5 points by which you exceeded your
attack roll. Note that movement
provokes attacks of opportunity as
normal (for both you and your target),
but you and your target do not get
attacks of opportunity against each
other.
If you fail the attack roll, you move 5
feet straight back to where you were
before you moved into his space. If
that space is occupied, you fall prone
in that space.
Overrun
You can only overrun an opponent
who is one size category larger than
you, the same size, or smaller. You can
make only one overrun attempt against
a given opponent in a round, although
you may make overrun attempts
against multiple targets as long as you
are able to keep moving (i.e. you
continue to succeed in overrun
attacks). An overrun attack may take
place in the middle of your movement,
and you may make as many overrun
attacks as you have attacks.
An overrun is a standard attack; it
required a grapple attack roll vs. your
target's grapple armor class. It
provokes an attack of oportunity from
the defender. As a change from the
core rules, your opponent may not
avoid you (other than by having a good
enough grapple armor class).
If you succeed in your roll, you knock
the defender prone and may continue
moving. If you lose, your progress is
blocked.
If you are mounted, you use your
mount's grapple attack roll instead of
your own.
Trip
You should not use the Trip action
from the core rules. Instead, use the
Throw attack from these rules. The
Improved Trip feat applies to throws
(see “Old Feats”, below).
Old Feats
The following core feats are of special
interest to characters using unarmed
combat. Feats marked with an asterisk
are altered in these rules (detailed
below).
• Weapon Specialization
(Unarmed)
• Greater Weapon Specialiation
(Unarmed)
• Weapon Focus (Unarmed)
• Greater Weapon Focus
(Unarmed)
• Improved Bull Rush
6
• Improved Grapple*
• Improved Trip*
• Improved Unarmed Strike*
• Deflect Arrows
• Snatch Arrows
• Stunning Fist
• Weapon Finesse (Unarmed)
Improved Grapple
[General]
Prerequisites
Dex 13, Improved Unarmed Strike.
Benefit
You do not provoke an attack of
opportunity when you attempt a hold
attack against an armed opponent. You
also gain a +4 bonus to your grapple
attack bonus.
Normal
Without this feat, you provoke an
attack of opportunity when you attempt
a hold attack against an armed
opponent.
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.
Improved Trip [General]
Prerequisites
Int 13, Combat Expertise.
Benefit
You do not provoke an attack of
opportunity when you attempt to throw
an opponent while you are unarmed.
You also gain a +4 bonus on your
Strength check to trip your opponent.
If you throw an opponent in melee
combat, you immediately get a melee
attack against that opponent as if you
hadn’t used your attack for the throw
attempt.
Normal
Without this feat, you provoke an
attack of opportunity when you attempt
to throw an opponent while you are
unarmed.
Special
At 6th level, a monk may select
Improved Trip as a bonus feat, even if
she does not have the prerequisites.
A fighter may select Improved Trip as
one of his fighter bonus feats.
Improved Unarmed Strike
[General]
Benefit
You are considered to be armed even
when unarmed —that is, you do not
provoke attacks or opportunity from
armed opponents when attempt an
unarmed strike against them while
unarmed. However, you still get an
attack of opportunity against any
opponent who makes an unarmed
attack on you.
In addition, you may choose to make
your attacks cause nonlethal damage.
Normal
Without this feat, you are considered
unarmed when attacking with an
unarmed strike, and you can deal only
normal damage with such an attack.*
7
Special
A monk automatically gains Improved
Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat at 1st
level. She need not select it.
A fighter may select Improved
Unarmed Strike as one of his fighter
bonus feats.
*If changing unarmed damage from non-lethal to
normal damage does not sit well with you, simply
use the core Improved Unarmed Strike feat. See
“Final Thoughts” for more on this.
New Feats
The following feats are applicable to
unarmed combatants.
Press Hold [General]
Prerequisites
Dex 13, Improved Grapple.
Benefit
When holding an opponent, you may
choose one of the following effects:
1) You may automatically inflict
damage as though you were
using an unarmed strike, doing
the same damage as an
unarmed strike would do. This
is accomplished by bending
joints, choking and using other
grappling moves.
2) You may prevent your
opponent from establishing a
reciprocal hold upon you,
assuming he has not already
done so.
3) You may prevent your
opponent from drawing a light
weapon.
You may choose which of these three
options is in effect for each round
during which you hold your opponent.
You may change effect at any time that
you have an attack against that
opponent.

Great Throw [General]

Prerequisites

Dex 15, Improved Trip.

Benefit

When you successfully throw an

opponent, you may choose to propel
him through the air. He lands prone in
any adjacent square of your choosing
and takes damage as though you had
used a strike attack against him.

8

Monsters & Grappling
When you're grappling with a
gargantuan squid or an angry red
dragon, grappling takes on a whole
new meaning! Many monsters use
grapple-based attacks, collected under
a small group of special abilities:
Constrict, Improved Grab, Rake,
Swallow Whole, and the monster feat,
Snatch. Here's how they work under
these rules.
Breath Weapons
Opponents are denied saving throws
against the breath weapon of a creature
that has a Hold on them with a Bite
attack.
Constrict
A creature with this special attack can
crush an opponent, dealing
bludgeoning damage if it has a Hold on
that opponent. The amount of damage
is given in the creature’s description. If
the creature also has the improved grab
ability it deals constriction damage in
addition to damage dealt by the
weapon used to grab.
Improved Grab
A creature with this special attack
makes a grapple attack with a claw or
bite without provoking an attack of
opportunity. The attack deals normal
claw or bite damage and establishes a
hold, pulling the target into its space.
Unless otherwise noted, improved grab
works only against opponents at least
one size category smaller than the
creature.
If the creature cannot constrict (see the
Contrict ability), each round it
automatically deals the damage
indicated for the attack that established
the hold. Otherwise, it deals
constriction damage as well (the
amount is given in the creature’s
descriptive text). It can even move
normally (possibly carrying away the
opponent), provided it can drag the
opponent’s weight.
Rake
A monster with the rake ability usually
gains two additional claw attacks that
it can use only against a held foe. Rake
attacks are unarmed Strikes at the
creature’s highest base attack bonus.
Swallow Whole
If a creature with this special attack
begins its turn with an opponent held
in its mouth (see Improved Grab), it
can attempt a new grapple attack. If it
succeeds, it swallows its prey, and the
opponent takes bite damage. Unless
otherwise noted, the opponent can be
up to one size category smaller than
the swallowing creature.
Being swallowed has various
consequences, depending on the
creature doing the swallowing. A
swallowed creature is considered to be
grappled, while the creature that did
the swallowing is not. A swallowed
creature can try to cut its way free with
any light slashing or piercing weapon
(the amount of cutting damage
required to get free is noted in the
creature description), or it can just try
to escape the hold. The Armor Class of
the interior of a creature that swallows
whole is normally 10 + ½ its natural
armor bonus, with no modifiers for
size or Dexterity. If the swallowed
creature escapes the hold, success puts
it back in the attacker’s mouth, where
it may be bitten or swallowed again.
Snatch

The creature gains the ability of

Improved Grab. In addition, if the
target opponent is three or more sizes
smaller, it gains the following
additional benefits:

The creature is not considered to be

Grappled.

At the start of any round in which the

creature has a Hold on the smaller
creature, it automatically deals the
damage indicated for the attack that
established the hold.

The creature with Snatch can move

normally while maintaining a Hold on
the opponent (possibly carrying away
the opponent), provided it can drag the
opponent’s weight.

The creature can drop the creature it

has snatched as a free action or use a
standard action to fling it aside. A
flung creature travels 1d6 × 10 feet,
and takes 1d6 points of damage per 10
feet travelled. If the creature flings a
snatched opponent while flying, the
opponent takes this amount or falling
damage, whichever is greater.

Note: Tumble and Monk skills may

negate/soften the damage from being
flung.
FINAL THOUGHTS
These rules are intended to simplify
unarmed combat while,
simultaneously, making it more
interesting. The decision not to go into
detail with special attacks and fancy
moves is in keeping with the d20
combat system: the game doesn’t have
fancy moves, specific strikes, etc.,
when using a longsword, so why
should it when using a clenched fist?
D20 combat is an abstract affair, and
hit points are an abstract measure of
“how far someone is from defeat”.
A fairly big change I made to the core
grappling rules deals with non-lethal
and lethal damage. I made all attacks
(whether fist, boot, club or sword) do
normal (lethal) damage; with the
Improved Unarmed Strike feat you can
make your damage non-lethal. If this
does not sit well with you, simply
change it back. I won’t go into detail
on my reasoning here, but if you’re
viewing this in PDF format, simply
click here for my forum post on the
subject.
If you have any thoughts or comments
regarding these rules, please forward
them to EN Publishing (or, better, use
the ENP messageboard). This
product is being sold at the EN World
GameStore, and I will use the
“update” feature to make any
improvements, changes, clarifications
or errata which come up. If I use your
ideas, I will credit you in the updated
document (so please make sure you let
us know how you wish to be credited!)
It’s a fairly simple product, not
designed to be flashy or especially
pretty: it’s merely some rules to add to
your game. I hope the “style” of the
product appeals to you, because I
intend to write more in the XXX For
Beginners series! Also, coming soon:
9
GRAPPLING FOR ADVANCED
STUDENTS: HOW TO MASTER
YOUR CHI!
- Russell Morrissey (Morrus), August
2006, wishing I was at GenCon.
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