I am thinking of making a professional wrestler type character (for when we get TPKed this week in my game)... I am leaning to these things... but wanted to ask for help making the most optimal character I can for this unoptimal idea.
Fighter - Attacks, ASI/Feats, Unarmed Fighting Fighting Style, Rune Knight (I am leaning toward this over Battle Master) - Rune Knight - Frost Rune (for +2 Str/+2 Con checks/saves for 10 min), Giant's Might for Large size and advantage on Str/Con checks/saves and bonus damage.
Bard - Spells, Expertise, College of Lore - College of Lore (for Cutting Words opponent's Athletics check, Magic Secrets for Hex, and Enlarge (might not need with Rune Knight)
Not sure if I am missing anything specific... I did think Barbarian was needed not only for Rage but for the unarmored def, but not sure. We likely will be using Tasha's book, and we can see how things pan out...
I am thinking Fighter for 6 levels, then straight to 6 levels of Bard,...then move from there back to Fighter to build feats and attacks... Feats that I see that I like: Tavern Brawler (not sure if too much overlap with Unarmed Fighting Fighting Style), Prodigy (not sure if you can remove the racial requirements with Tasha's and use as a Goliath), Dual Wielder or Shield Master? (need opinions), Mage Slayer, Mobile, Athlete, War Caster?
I NEED THOUGHT AND IDEAS TO MAKE THIS BECOME A VIABLE CHARACTER!!!
Make sure its proficient in Performance and with a Disguise Kit. ...personally i'd reduce all damage it does by half - because its just so used to faking it all. BTW, unless its stupidly OP, all characters are viable - its just a question of if you want to play it.
I would do the Goliath and take a couple levels barbarian first (Rage means you get ADV on STR checks/saves), with an entertainer background. At 4th level I would take the Skill Expert Feature and get expertise in ATH and increase STR.
Take Bear totem and go to 6th level where your Bear totem doubles what you can lift which is great for body slamming actual bears.
Then go fighter from there and Rune Knight and get big which doubles your lift again. At this point you can wield actual taverns.
Maybe pick up Tavern Brawler so you can use steel chairs as a proficient weapon and grapple as a BA and round out STR.
like that build.. just not sure if things stack... I will have to keep that in mind... Rage with Giant's Might,... that is why I was thinking going Bard... for the performance, then Expertise (Athletics), and spells for Hex and Enlarge...I have no idea what is most optimal.
Increasing in size also doubles your lift/carry so when you do the Giant Might you would double it again.
As for expertise my build already has that in there at level 4 but you also have ADV on Athletic checks at that point due to Rage. Eventually with the runes you will get an addition +2 to the check. So ADV, plus expertise, plus 2.
Bard is not a bad idea but you can't cast spells while raging so its kind of a loss there.
Ultimately it depends on what you want to do with the build. If you want to lift all the things then mine has the largest carry capacity/lift.
If you want to demoralize your enemy while body slamming them then Bard/Fighter is good as you can cast Vicious Mockery then Action surge and body slam them. You can get ADV on grapple checks by getting Enhance Ability as a 2nd level spell but since its concentration you wont be able to use Enlarge/Reduce.
Hex is not a bard spell unless you go lore and pick it up at 6th level as part of magical secrets.
Yeah,, Hex and Enlarge are not Bard spells, I got them through Lore Magical Secrets... yes. I figured Vicious Mockery before starting the fight, and Cutting Words to lower the enemy Athletics check while I have advantage, expertise, and +2... with Hex, they would have disadvantage, as well... that is the BEST vs check I could come up with... Getting the Advantage on the check is from Rune Knight's Giant Might gives that, so didnt need Rage. Then have Enlarge to make him BIG. Still have Huge lift capacity, and all that,.. but the armor issue in my mind,... I see the character not in armor, but I would have CRAPPY AC if not adding Barbarian... :( I did like the Skill Expert thing, I didnt see that. Nice addition. just my thoughts...
Yeah cutting words is nice to reduce theirs but Advantage and Expertise alone would carry you which you can get with 4 levels of barbarian (Or from the get go if you go V.Human and pick up Skill Expertise as your starting feat).
You become stronger, gaining the following benefits:
• Increase your Strength score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• You gain proficiency in the Athletics skill. If you are already proficient in the skill, you add double your proficiency bonus to checks you make with it.
• You count as if you were one size larger for the purpose of determining your carrying capacity.
This way you could start as a V. Human and get Powerful Build and Expertise in ATH.
yeah, that is on my radar as well... It is so hard to map out the best paths and how to get Adv, Expertise, and up Lifting without wasting on over laps....
It is for sure...so many paths to take to get them now its a bit confusing.
Bard/Fighter route is fun as you get a lot more out of combat stuff to do which would be fun. Lots of good spells and Inspiration/Cutting words is always useful.
Barb/Fighter is more about just being a beast....Bear Totem gives you resistance to all damage minus psychic while raging so you are just tanking hard.
Basically its what you think would be more fun for you.
So, in the campaign I'm streaming with my friends I'm actually playing as wrestler-type character... like, to the point that I'm just doing a Macho Man impression for his voice. Although the character isn't strictly streamlined to always fight wrestling style... outside of arena matches, he still fights with an axe. But I do have some insight for how the character works in wrestling situations.
First of all, I just went pure barbarian. The features you're trying to get through bard are actually fairly well covered by Barbarian features... cutting words to make it harder for the enemy to hit you doesn't matter as much for a barbarian, who gets that meaty d12 of hit die on level up and rage cuts most damage in half... even more if you go Bear Totem. The extra damage from Hex and giving the opponent disadvantage on STR checks isn't really necessary either, since Rage gives a flat bonus to damage on all attacks and gives you advantage on your own STR checks. I personally went Storm Herald (sea), partly for roleplay reasons, but also just hitting dudes with a bonus action bolt of lightning every round is a fun, flashy way to get in some extra damage.
As for feats, I grabbed Tavern Brawler. The d4 unarmed damage isn't amazing... but paired with Rage it still deals respectable damage each round. But it is also just so much more fun to start picking up chairs, wine bottles, or small/unconscious enemies to use as bludgeoning weapons. Nothing strikes fear into the hearts of bandits quite like picking up one of them and using him to beat another guy to death. The most important tavern brawler feature, though, is the bonus action grapple. This is how you pin enemies... when you attack an enemy shove them to prone first, then bonus action grapple... now they're pinned. Getting up from prone costs half their movement... but while grappled their movement speed is reduced to zero. So they instead need to break your grapple to get out... but breaking a grapple is a full action unto itself, so they either need to burn a round just to escape, or they'll be stuck attacking at disadvantage while you beat their face in on the ground with advantage... which gives more opportunities for Brutal Critical to kick in. With my chosen subclass of STorm Herald, it also means that, once they're pinned, my bonus action each round switches to hitting them with lightning each round... and being prone gives them disadvantage on the DEX check to reduce the damage.
That said... I like your Rune Knight idea to make a character who is a skilled and viable wrestler character in almost any circumstance. I think going Rune Knight Fighter 14/Bear Totem Barbarian 6 with Tavern Brawler and Unarmed Fighting you'll be kicking ass like Andre the Giant. I'd recommend starting as a Fighter and going to level 5, which will net you an ASI and Extra Attack, then switching to Barbarian for 6 levels to get Aspect of the Beast to double your carry capacity, and then riding out the rest of your campaign as a fighter (More ASI's, plus you get an additional attack). If the carry capacity thing isn't important to you, though, it might be worth it to take Barbarian just to 3 so by end-game you can action surge twice
Don't forget that you can go rogue for expertise, they have Cunning action to bonus action dash, bonus action disengage, and bonus action hide. All of that could have some wrestling flavor. Additionally, you could pick up a dagger or shortsword to use to shank your enemies to get sneak attack damage (Barbarians get reckless attacks for advantage on attacks with str, finesse triggers sneak attack and can be used with strength or dexterity) for a minor damage boost when needed.
You could go anywhere from 2-8 in rogue, depending on how far into Barbarian you wanted to go, what you wanted from Fighter specifically, what kind of overlap with rogue and barbarian you wanted (do you really need uncanny dodge and Evasion when you've got rage, possibly bear totem, and danger sense? They aren't exactly the same and would be able to stack, but at what cost?), and what features you wanted from rogue.
You'll probably want at least a 14 in dex if you go barbarian for unarmored defense and then rely on strength and constitution for most everything else stat wise, meaning rogue is on the table and easier to achieve than a 13 (or better) in charisma. You could even go with AT to get spellcasting, but that would be a heavier investment in rogue due to third caster progression.
Don't forget that you can go rogue for expertise, they have Cunning action to bonus action dash, bonus action disengage, and bonus section hide. All of that could have some wrestling flavor. Additionally, you could pick up a dagger or shortsword to use to shank your enemies to get sneak attack damage (Barbarians get reckless attacks for advantage on attacks with str, finesse triggers sneak attack and can be used with strength or dexterity) for a minor damage boost when needed.
You could go anywhere from 2-8 in rogue, depending on how far into Barbarian you wanted to go, what you wanted from Fighter specifically, what kind of overlap with rogue and barbarian you wanted (do you really need uncanny dodge and Evasion when you've got rage, possibly bear totem, and danger sense? They aren't exactly the same and would be able to stack, but at what cost?), and what features you wanted from rogue.
You'll probably want at least a 14 in dex if you go barbarian for unarmored defense and then rely on strength and constitution for most everything else stat wise, meaning rogue is on the table and easier to achieve than a 13 (or better) in charisma. You could even go with AT to get spellcasting, but that would be a heavier investment in rogue due to third caster progression.
Yeah this is a great option if you wan to drag folks while you are grappled.
your BA will be at a heavy premium with all this (Rage, Giant Form, Cunning Action) but you will likely always be using it which is nice.
My wrestler was also straight barbarian and I feel it worked pretty well. Entertainer background covers a lot of the flavor that bard would bring at a much lower cost.
But trying to optimize the Lift cap, the Athletics check (including Expertise, Advantage, and giving negs to the opponent, etc)... Just Barbarian loses out on many of the benefits of adding Bard and Fighter
But trying to optimize the Lift cap, the Athletics check (including Expertise, Advantage, and giving negs to the opponent, etc)... Just Barbarian loses out on many of the benefits of adding Bard and Fighter
~Mad
In order to have your Vicious Mockery hit reliably, you'll either need to target low wisdom save creatures, bump your charisma to at least 16 (probably higher), or both. That's going to limit your feat/ constitution bumps when you'll want to get strength maxed as well. You'll want to maximize half feats to help with that, but that may not be as beneficial. Vicious mockery only targets attacks and only the first one. As a possible alternate, you could consider Mind Sliver but it's not a bard spell, being a warlock, wizard (and arcane trickster by extension), and sorcerer spell. It targets Intelligence saves, and gives a -1d4 on the next saving throw that it makes before the end of your next turn. Anyone likely to be good at intelligence saves will likely be low on strength saves. Things to consider.
You could go 3 rogue (whatever subclass you wanted) and 3 warlock pact of the tome (to get mind sliver and then vicious mockery through the pact if you absolutely wanted it, plus whatever goodies that you wanted from the rest of the class) to get a more of a fighting dirty, win at any cost, heel flavor and maintain the expertise. That will cost you once ASI, though, while not lessening your reliance on charisma. That might be less desirable overall as a result.
Another thought about rogue is the Steady Aim option. If you're trying to grapple and not wanting to have disadvantage on attacks against you from reckless attacks, you could use Steady Aim on your shove attack to prone the creature before working in your grapple. The fact that you can't move on that turn isn't likely going to be a factor since you're unlikely to want to move immediately anyway (and could always go Reckless if that was more of an issue). It does use your bonus action, so that's also a bit of a limiter.
Mind Sliver only targets Saving Throws, whereas Hex only targets Ability Checks. Normally Mind Sliver will be more useful, but in this instance, Mind Sliver doesn't give you any boost when grappling because grappling is an ability check, not a saving throw.
I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Monk. They make a great class for a wrestler, especially if you take some levels in Rogue for expertise in Athletics. They've also got an unarmored defense and they do a lot of damage with unarmed strikes. The way of the Astral Self has an ability at level 3 that lets you use your Wisdom instead of your Strength for an Athletics check.
If you take three levels in Rogue, the new subclass of the Soulknife can add a D8 (or a D10 or D12 at higher levels) to a failed skill check which should apply to a failed attempt to grapple. The Soulknife Rogue gets a number of these dice equal to twice his proficiency modifier, and they're only expended if they turn a fail into a success.
Mind Sliver only targets Saving Throws, whereas Hex only targets Ability Checks. Normally Mind Sliver will be more useful, but in this instance, Mind Sliver doesn't give you any boost when grappling because grappling is an ability check, not a saving throw.
I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Monk. They make a great class for a wrestler, especially if you take some levels in Rogue for expertise in Athletics. They've also got an unarmored defense and they do a lot of damage with unarmed strikes. The way of the Astral Self has an ability at level 3 that lets you use your Wisdom instead of your Strength for an Athletics check.
If you take three levels in Rogue, the new subclass of the Soulknife can add a D8 (or a D10 or D12 at higher levels) to a failed skill check which should apply to a failed attempt to grapple. The Soulknife Rogue gets a number of these dice equal to twice his proficiency modifier, and they're only expended if they turn a fail into a success.
I can see Rogue but I am failing to see why Monk is a good choice here? What advantages do you see?
Mind Sliver only targets Saving Throws, whereas Hex only targets Ability Checks. Normally Mind Sliver will be more useful, but in this instance, Mind Sliver doesn't give you any boost when grappling because grappling is an ability check, not a saving throw.
I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Monk. They make a great class for a wrestler, especially if you take some levels in Rogue for expertise in Athletics. They've also got an unarmored defense and they do a lot of damage with unarmed strikes. The way of the Astral Self has an ability at level 3 that lets you use your Wisdom instead of your Strength for an Athletics check.
If you take three levels in Rogue, the new subclass of the Soulknife can add a D8 (or a D10 or D12 at higher levels) to a failed skill check which should apply to a failed attempt to grapple. The Soulknife Rogue gets a number of these dice equal to twice his proficiency modifier, and they're only expended if they turn a fail into a success.
I can see Rogue but I am failing to see why Monk is a good choice here? What advantages do you see?
It does free you from needing a fighting style, and you can use strength with martial arts. The downfall is that you'd want at least a 14 in dex, high wisdom to get your AC up, high strength for damage and lifting (or something like [magicitem]Gauntlets of Ogre Strength[/spell], and decent constitution for HP. The d8 won't help as much in that capacity, you won't be able to use a shield to augment your AC and will be reliant on magic items to help otherwise. You won't have rage and will be working on avoiding attacks and staying out of range to stay up. It will be a very MAD endeavor. It will have better wisdom saves than a barb/fighter starting point, but will lack in the constitution saves until monk 14.
It's not a bad idea for a wrestler concept, but I just don't see it for the specific build in question. Being able to drop the strength aspect makes it much more viable, but then you are relying on other aspects to do the heavy lifting in the heavy lifting department, forcing those aspects to take more of a priority.
Edit. A loxodon could make an interesting starting point with the con based AC, the trunk for grappling and other aspects.
Mind Sliver only targets Saving Throws, whereas Hex only targets Ability Checks. Normally Mind Sliver will be more useful, but in this instance, Mind Sliver doesn't give you any boost when grappling because grappling is an ability check, not a saving throw.
I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Monk. They make a great class for a wrestler, especially if you take some levels in Rogue for expertise in Athletics. They've also got an unarmored defense and they do a lot of damage with unarmed strikes. The way of the Astral Self has an ability at level 3 that lets you use your Wisdom instead of your Strength for an Athletics check.
If you take three levels in Rogue, the new subclass of the Soulknife can add a D8 (or a D10 or D12 at higher levels) to a failed skill check which should apply to a failed attempt to grapple. The Soulknife Rogue gets a number of these dice equal to twice his proficiency modifier, and they're only expended if they turn a fail into a success.
I can see Rogue but I am failing to see why Monk is a good choice here? What advantages do you see?
It does free you from needing a fighting style, and you can use strength with martial arts. The downfall is that you'd want at least a 14 in dex, high wisdom to get your AC up, high strength for damage and lifting (or something like [magicitem]Gauntlets of Ogre Strength[/spell], and decent constitution for HP. The d8 won't help as much in that capacity, you won't be able to use a shield to augment your AC and will be reliant on magic items to help otherwise. You won't have rage and will be working on avoiding attacks and staying out of range to stay up. It will be a very MAD endeavor. It will have better wisdom saves than a barb/fighter starting point, but will lack in the constitution saves until monk 14.
It's not a bad idea for a wrestler concept, but I just don't see it for the specific build in question. Being able to drop the strength aspect makes it much more viable, but then you are relying on other aspects to do the heavy lifting in the heavy lifting department, forcing those aspects to take more of a priority.
Edit. A loxodon could make an interesting starting point with the con based AC, the trunk for grappling and other aspects.
With the new UA fighting style it does seem like a hefty cost vs. fighter which may already give you some benefit (Action Surge is very good for grappler builds!).
One thing I could see with the monk dip is a BA unarmed attack which is nice. Grapple/prone then punch fairly consistently.
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Hello Hivemind!
I am thinking of making a professional wrestler type character (for when we get TPKed this week in my game)...
I am leaning to these things... but wanted to ask for help making the most optimal character I can for this unoptimal idea.
Goliath - for +2 Str/+1 Con, Prof Athletics, Reducing Dmg, Powerful Build
Fighter - Attacks, ASI/Feats, Unarmed Fighting Fighting Style, Rune Knight (I am leaning toward this over Battle Master)
- Rune Knight - Frost Rune (for +2 Str/+2 Con checks/saves for 10 min), Giant's Might for Large size and advantage on Str/Con checks/saves and bonus damage.
Bard - Spells, Expertise, College of Lore
- College of Lore (for Cutting Words opponent's Athletics check, Magic Secrets for Hex, and Enlarge (might not need with Rune Knight)
Not sure if I am missing anything specific... I did think Barbarian was needed not only for Rage but for the unarmored def, but not sure.
We likely will be using Tasha's book, and we can see how things pan out...
I am thinking Fighter for 6 levels, then straight to 6 levels of Bard,...then move from there back to Fighter to build feats and attacks...
Feats that I see that I like: Tavern Brawler (not sure if too much overlap with Unarmed Fighting Fighting Style), Prodigy (not sure if you can remove the racial requirements with Tasha's and use as a Goliath), Dual Wielder or Shield Master? (need opinions), Mage Slayer, Mobile, Athlete, War Caster?
I NEED THOUGHT AND IDEAS TO MAKE THIS BECOME A VIABLE CHARACTER!!!
Thanks, in advance,
~Mad
Make sure its proficient in Performance and with a Disguise Kit. ...personally i'd reduce all damage it does by half - because its just so used to faking it all. BTW, unless its stupidly OP, all characters are viable - its just a question of if you want to play it.
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I would do the Goliath and take a couple levels barbarian first (Rage means you get ADV on STR checks/saves), with an entertainer background. At 4th level I would take the Skill Expert Feature and get expertise in ATH and increase STR.
Take Bear totem and go to 6th level where your Bear totem doubles what you can lift which is great for body slamming actual bears.
Then go fighter from there and Rune Knight and get big which doubles your lift again. At this point you can wield actual taverns.
Maybe pick up Tavern Brawler so you can use steel chairs as a proficient weapon and grapple as a BA and round out STR.
https://ddb.ac/characters/40371279/3gdUPV
Here is my go at it. I picked Bugbear because I would make him a heel lol....
But you sound like you got a good idea going.
His stats for lifting:
like that build.. just not sure if things stack...
I will have to keep that in mind... Rage with Giant's Might,... that is why I was thinking going Bard... for the performance, then Expertise (Athletics), and spells for Hex and Enlarge...I have no idea what is most optimal.
~Mad
For the lifting everything stacks as they are all unique ways of gaining carry capacity/lift:
Powerful Build: You count as one level larger for carry/lift
Aspect of the Bear: Double Carry lift
These two are confirmed to work: https://www.sageadvice.eu/2016/11/23/does-the-powerful-build-trait-stack-with-barbarian-bear-totem-warriors-aspect-of-the-beast/
Increasing in size also doubles your lift/carry so when you do the Giant Might you would double it again.
As for expertise my build already has that in there at level 4 but you also have ADV on Athletic checks at that point due to Rage. Eventually with the runes you will get an addition +2 to the check. So ADV, plus expertise, plus 2.
Bard is not a bad idea but you can't cast spells while raging so its kind of a loss there.
Ultimately it depends on what you want to do with the build. If you want to lift all the things then mine has the largest carry capacity/lift.
If you want to demoralize your enemy while body slamming them then Bard/Fighter is good as you can cast Vicious Mockery then Action surge and body slam them. You can get ADV on grapple checks by getting Enhance Ability as a 2nd level spell but since its concentration you wont be able to use Enlarge/Reduce.
Hex is not a bard spell unless you go lore and pick it up at 6th level as part of magical secrets.
Yeah,, Hex and Enlarge are not Bard spells, I got them through Lore Magical Secrets... yes.
I figured Vicious Mockery before starting the fight, and Cutting Words to lower the enemy Athletics check while I have advantage, expertise, and +2... with Hex, they would have disadvantage, as well... that is the BEST vs check I could come up with...
Getting the Advantage on the check is from Rune Knight's Giant Might gives that, so didnt need Rage. Then have Enlarge to make him BIG.
Still have Huge lift capacity, and all that,.. but the armor issue in my mind,... I see the character not in armor, but I would have CRAPPY AC if not adding Barbarian... :(
I did like the Skill Expert thing, I didnt see that. Nice addition.
just my thoughts...
~Mad
Yeah cutting words is nice to reduce theirs but Advantage and Expertise alone would carry you which you can get with 4 levels of barbarian (Or from the get go if you go V.Human and pick up Skill Expertise as your starting feat).
You could also see if the DM is good with the Brawny UA feat: https://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/UA-SkillFeats.pdf
Brawny:
You become stronger, gaining the following benefits:
• Increase your Strength score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• You gain proficiency in the Athletics skill. If you are already proficient in the skill, you add double your proficiency bonus to checks you make with it.
• You count as if you were one size larger for the purpose of determining your carrying capacity.
This way you could start as a V. Human and get Powerful Build and Expertise in ATH.
yeah, that is on my radar as well...
It is so hard to map out the best paths and how to get Adv, Expertise, and up Lifting without wasting on over laps....
~Mad
It is for sure...so many paths to take to get them now its a bit confusing.
Bard/Fighter route is fun as you get a lot more out of combat stuff to do which would be fun. Lots of good spells and Inspiration/Cutting words is always useful.
Barb/Fighter is more about just being a beast....Bear Totem gives you resistance to all damage minus psychic while raging so you are just tanking hard.
Basically its what you think would be more fun for you.
Very true
Thanks so much for your help and ideas.
You showed me some stuff I didn't see.
:D
~Mad
So, in the campaign I'm streaming with my friends I'm actually playing as wrestler-type character... like, to the point that I'm just doing a Macho Man impression for his voice. Although the character isn't strictly streamlined to always fight wrestling style... outside of arena matches, he still fights with an axe. But I do have some insight for how the character works in wrestling situations.
First of all, I just went pure barbarian. The features you're trying to get through bard are actually fairly well covered by Barbarian features... cutting words to make it harder for the enemy to hit you doesn't matter as much for a barbarian, who gets that meaty d12 of hit die on level up and rage cuts most damage in half... even more if you go Bear Totem. The extra damage from Hex and giving the opponent disadvantage on STR checks isn't really necessary either, since Rage gives a flat bonus to damage on all attacks and gives you advantage on your own STR checks. I personally went Storm Herald (sea), partly for roleplay reasons, but also just hitting dudes with a bonus action bolt of lightning every round is a fun, flashy way to get in some extra damage.
As for feats, I grabbed Tavern Brawler. The d4 unarmed damage isn't amazing... but paired with Rage it still deals respectable damage each round. But it is also just so much more fun to start picking up chairs, wine bottles, or small/unconscious enemies to use as bludgeoning weapons. Nothing strikes fear into the hearts of bandits quite like picking up one of them and using him to beat another guy to death. The most important tavern brawler feature, though, is the bonus action grapple. This is how you pin enemies... when you attack an enemy shove them to prone first, then bonus action grapple... now they're pinned. Getting up from prone costs half their movement... but while grappled their movement speed is reduced to zero. So they instead need to break your grapple to get out... but breaking a grapple is a full action unto itself, so they either need to burn a round just to escape, or they'll be stuck attacking at disadvantage while you beat their face in on the ground with advantage... which gives more opportunities for Brutal Critical to kick in. With my chosen subclass of STorm Herald, it also means that, once they're pinned, my bonus action each round switches to hitting them with lightning each round... and being prone gives them disadvantage on the DEX check to reduce the damage.
That said... I like your Rune Knight idea to make a character who is a skilled and viable wrestler character in almost any circumstance. I think going Rune Knight Fighter 14/Bear Totem Barbarian 6 with Tavern Brawler and Unarmed Fighting you'll be kicking ass like Andre the Giant. I'd recommend starting as a Fighter and going to level 5, which will net you an ASI and Extra Attack, then switching to Barbarian for 6 levels to get Aspect of the Beast to double your carry capacity, and then riding out the rest of your campaign as a fighter (More ASI's, plus you get an additional attack). If the carry capacity thing isn't important to you, though, it might be worth it to take Barbarian just to 3 so by end-game you can action surge twice
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Don't forget that you can go rogue for expertise, they have Cunning action to bonus action dash, bonus action disengage, and bonus action hide. All of that could have some wrestling flavor. Additionally, you could pick up a dagger or shortsword to use to shank your enemies to get sneak attack damage (Barbarians get reckless attacks for advantage on attacks with str, finesse triggers sneak attack and can be used with strength or dexterity) for a minor damage boost when needed.
You could go anywhere from 2-8 in rogue, depending on how far into Barbarian you wanted to go, what you wanted from Fighter specifically, what kind of overlap with rogue and barbarian you wanted (do you really need uncanny dodge and Evasion when you've got rage, possibly bear totem, and danger sense? They aren't exactly the same and would be able to stack, but at what cost?), and what features you wanted from rogue.
You'll probably want at least a 14 in dex if you go barbarian for unarmored defense and then rely on strength and constitution for most everything else stat wise, meaning rogue is on the table and easier to achieve than a 13 (or better) in charisma. You could even go with AT to get spellcasting, but that would be a heavier investment in rogue due to third caster progression.
Yeah this is a great option if you wan to drag folks while you are grappled.
your BA will be at a heavy premium with all this (Rage, Giant Form, Cunning Action) but you will likely always be using it which is nice.
My wrestler was also straight barbarian and I feel it worked pretty well. Entertainer background covers a lot of the flavor that bard would bring at a much lower cost.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
But trying to optimize the Lift cap, the Athletics check (including Expertise, Advantage, and giving negs to the opponent, etc)...
Just Barbarian loses out on many of the benefits of adding Bard and Fighter
~Mad
In order to have your Vicious Mockery hit reliably, you'll either need to target low wisdom save creatures, bump your charisma to at least 16 (probably higher), or both. That's going to limit your feat/ constitution bumps when you'll want to get strength maxed as well. You'll want to maximize half feats to help with that, but that may not be as beneficial. Vicious mockery only targets attacks and only the first one. As a possible alternate, you could consider Mind Sliver but it's not a bard spell, being a warlock, wizard (and arcane trickster by extension), and sorcerer spell. It targets Intelligence saves, and gives a -1d4 on the next saving throw that it makes before the end of your next turn. Anyone likely to be good at intelligence saves will likely be low on strength saves. Things to consider.
You could go 3 rogue (whatever subclass you wanted) and 3 warlock pact of the tome (to get mind sliver and then vicious mockery through the pact if you absolutely wanted it, plus whatever goodies that you wanted from the rest of the class) to get a more of a fighting dirty, win at any cost, heel flavor and maintain the expertise. That will cost you once ASI, though, while not lessening your reliance on charisma. That might be less desirable overall as a result.
Another thought about rogue is the Steady Aim option. If you're trying to grapple and not wanting to have disadvantage on attacks against you from reckless attacks, you could use Steady Aim on your shove attack to prone the creature before working in your grapple. The fact that you can't move on that turn isn't likely going to be a factor since you're unlikely to want to move immediately anyway (and could always go Reckless if that was more of an issue). It does use your bonus action, so that's also a bit of a limiter.
Mind Sliver only targets Saving Throws, whereas Hex only targets Ability Checks. Normally Mind Sliver will be more useful, but in this instance, Mind Sliver doesn't give you any boost when grappling because grappling is an ability check, not a saving throw.
I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Monk. They make a great class for a wrestler, especially if you take some levels in Rogue for expertise in Athletics. They've also got an unarmored defense and they do a lot of damage with unarmed strikes. The way of the Astral Self has an ability at level 3 that lets you use your Wisdom instead of your Strength for an Athletics check.
If you take three levels in Rogue, the new subclass of the Soulknife can add a D8 (or a D10 or D12 at higher levels) to a failed skill check which should apply to a failed attempt to grapple. The Soulknife Rogue gets a number of these dice equal to twice his proficiency modifier, and they're only expended if they turn a fail into a success.
I can see Rogue but I am failing to see why Monk is a good choice here? What advantages do you see?
It does free you from needing a fighting style, and you can use strength with martial arts. The downfall is that you'd want at least a 14 in dex, high wisdom to get your AC up, high strength for damage and lifting (or something like [magicitem]Gauntlets of Ogre Strength[/spell], and decent constitution for HP. The d8 won't help as much in that capacity, you won't be able to use a shield to augment your AC and will be reliant on magic items to help otherwise. You won't have rage and will be working on avoiding attacks and staying out of range to stay up. It will be a very MAD endeavor. It will have better wisdom saves than a barb/fighter starting point, but will lack in the constitution saves until monk 14.
It's not a bad idea for a wrestler concept, but I just don't see it for the specific build in question. Being able to drop the strength aspect makes it much more viable, but then you are relying on other aspects to do the heavy lifting in the heavy lifting department, forcing those aspects to take more of a priority.
Edit. A loxodon could make an interesting starting point with the con based AC, the trunk for grappling and other aspects.
With the new UA fighting style it does seem like a hefty cost vs. fighter which may already give you some benefit (Action Surge is very good for grappler builds!).
One thing I could see with the monk dip is a BA unarmed attack which is nice. Grapple/prone then punch fairly consistently.