As the title suggests, I'm looking to make a Dragonborn Grappler character. Obviously grappling isn't much of an option against anything that is Huge or larger and overall can be a weaker combat choice in 5e, but I really like this idea. My current thought is to make them take a level in both barbarian and rogue for rage and athletics expertise, and then take the rest of my levels in open hand monk. Does anyone have any tips? I was hoping to be mostly unarmed but I don't have to be.
You can make your idea work, but it's very MAD. You need str, dex, wis, con to be decent. What is it about the monk that you really like? What are the non-negotiable parts of your idea and what are you willing to change? We might be able to come up with a build that does 90% of what you want that's not quite as MAD.
Honestly I just liked the idea of being able to play as a dragonborn using just my fists/kicks, but recently I realized that a shield master barbarian can also do what I need, especially if I can use the UA Brawny feat
If your heart isn't set on monk, but is on dragonborn then you have a lot of options, especially if the brawny feat is available. If you want to punch things, take the tavern brawler feat (the best grappler feat). The most self sufficient build is eldritch knight for high defense, lots of feats, up to 4 attacks, access to enlarge/reduce. Barbarian is a great choice too. I have a barb 5/ rogue 5 that is a killer grappler.
Shield master looks good at first, but using a shield only leaves one hand to grapple with. Remember also that it takes an action to doff a shield and recover that second hand for more grappling.
Preferably, I would like to be able to grab an enemy and force them to the ground. It might make the most sense to go for Battle Master, right? Because as you said, having Shield Master basically means I don't have a hand to attack the enemy once they're on the ground. At least with battle master I can just trip someone as part of an attack.
Depending on how your DM feels about homebrew, you can make a homebrew subclass of fighter or monk that specializes in grapples. Either having advantage on grapples or expertise in athletics to cut down on multiclassing. And include a feature to knock grappled creatures prone as a bonus action.
Preferably, I would like to be able to grab an enemy and force them to the ground. It might make the most sense to go for Battle Master, right? Because as you said, having Shield Master basically means I don't have a hand to attack the enemy once they're on the ground. At least with battle master I can just trip someone as part of an attack.
Battlemaster might net you a bit more damage since you actually get an attack, but the DC is only 8+prof+str. If you have expertise in athletics, you are much more likely to be successful by just making the grapple attack and contesting the enemy's athletics. Even if you have both hands full grappling, you can always headbutt or kick. With the tavern brawler feat, those attacks can do a bit more damage. In general, I see the grappler build as a support build. You ensure that your enemies can't flee and that your melee attackers always have advantage (presumably for the GWM attacks).
Remember that being able to cast enlarge/reduce makes you able to grapple huge creatures. If you have someone that is willing to cast it on you, that's even better.
As the title suggests, I'm looking to make a Dragonborn Grappler character. Obviously grappling isn't much of an option against anything that is Huge or larger and overall can be a weaker combat choice in 5e, but I really like this idea. My current thought is to make them take a level in both barbarian and rogue for rage and athletics expertise, and then take the rest of my levels in open hand monk. Does anyone have any tips? I was hoping to be mostly unarmed but I don't have to be.
Being a STR build monk is unusual. You will probably want to take ASIs over feats and max STR first, then WIS, then CON.
You can multiclass rogue whenever you feel like it, but I recommend not going barbarian until after getting extra attack.
You can make your idea work, but it's very MAD. You need str, dex, wis, con to be decent. What is it about the monk that you really like? What are the non-negotiable parts of your idea and what are you willing to change? We might be able to come up with a build that does 90% of what you want that's not quite as MAD.
Honestly I just liked the idea of being able to play as a dragonborn using just my fists/kicks, but recently I realized that a shield master barbarian can also do what I need, especially if I can use the UA Brawny feat
If your heart isn't set on monk, but is on dragonborn then you have a lot of options, especially if the brawny feat is available. If you want to punch things, take the tavern brawler feat (the best grappler feat). The most self sufficient build is eldritch knight for high defense, lots of feats, up to 4 attacks, access to enlarge/reduce. Barbarian is a great choice too. I have a barb 5/ rogue 5 that is a killer grappler.
Shield master looks good at first, but using a shield only leaves one hand to grapple with. Remember also that it takes an action to doff a shield and recover that second hand for more grappling.
Preferably, I would like to be able to grab an enemy and force them to the ground. It might make the most sense to go for Battle Master, right? Because as you said, having Shield Master basically means I don't have a hand to attack the enemy once they're on the ground. At least with battle master I can just trip someone as part of an attack.
Depending on how your DM feels about homebrew, you can make a homebrew subclass of fighter or monk that specializes in grapples. Either having advantage on grapples or expertise in athletics to cut down on multiclassing. And include a feature to knock grappled creatures prone as a bonus action.
Battlemaster might net you a bit more damage since you actually get an attack, but the DC is only 8+prof+str. If you have expertise in athletics, you are much more likely to be successful by just making the grapple attack and contesting the enemy's athletics. Even if you have both hands full grappling, you can always headbutt or kick. With the tavern brawler feat, those attacks can do a bit more damage. In general, I see the grappler build as a support build. You ensure that your enemies can't flee and that your melee attackers always have advantage (presumably for the GWM attacks).
Remember that being able to cast enlarge/reduce makes you able to grapple huge creatures. If you have someone that is willing to cast it on you, that's even better.
Try using a biting grapple