In D&D 4e I had a Gnoll Brawler Fighter that was basically like a wrestler that engaged in a lot of ground and pound.
http://dnd4.wikia.com/wiki/Fighter This link should explain what the Fighter in 4e was like if you're not familiar and the Brawler subclass "Fighting Style" as it were
In addition with the Gnoll Claw Fighter feat your claws counted as Light Weapons for the purpose of powers and feats so I basically had 2 free hands that acted like shortswords for grabbing and punching and dealing damage.
What would this look like in D&D 5e or is it even comparable as a character concept?
If you can grapple someone and knock them prone, you and your melee allies have advantage on attack rolls against them and they have disadvantage on attack rolls and can't get up without becoming ungrappled.
So basically just use the attack action to grapple with a free hand (off-hand?) then knock them prone and the following turn use the Attack option with your weapon and eventually if you single class you get up to 4 or 5 attacks as a Fighter and that's your ground and pound? It just takes a really long time to take off?
So basically just use the attack action to grapple with a free hand (off-hand?) then knock them prone and the following turn use the Attack option with your weapon and eventually if you single class you get up to 4 or 5 attacks as a Fighter and that's your ground and pound? It just takes a really long time to take off?
Yeah, pretty much. You'll want max Str and double proficiency in Athletics ASAP. The UA Brawny feat should be useful.
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"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
I have a fighter who grapples. I'd love to play a wrestler, but I do use a sword with the duelist fighting style.
So variant human with tavern brawler. By level two I could punch someone and grapple as a bonus action, then use action surge to shove them to the ground still grappled. Taking the grappler feat gives advantage for me without my opponent being prone.
If you wanted to do a WWE style wrestler I saw a guide suggesting Bard, looks viable but I didn't fancy the spellcasting.
In general, this version of the game has a lot fewer tactical battle options than 4E combat offers. The Battle Master fighter offers what's probably the closest thing. The Trip Attack maneuver can be followed up on with additional attacks. Unfortunately for what you want to do, few of the maneuvers really apply to grappling (since they specifically refer to weapon attacks), although Menacing Attack is good because it'll impose disadvantage on checks to escape. You probably want the Grappler feat, since it'll give you advantage on attacks against your grappled opponent (but pinning is only useful if you've got someone else to do the damage, and no one else trying to hit you).
You might also want to check out Tavern Brawler, which isn't great overall, but lets you initiate a grapple as a bonus action after you hit with an attack.
Are you really attached to the idea of a gnoll character? There are some rules for playable monstrous races in Volo's, but not gnoll isn't one of them. (But, for example, if you're a Lizardfolk, you get a natural weapon attack which counts as an unarmed strike that does 1d6 + str.)
I don't know much about Gnoll is 5e, but Lizardfolk in 5e might do what you want.
You'll want to keep a hand free and at level 4 take Shield Mastery.
You'll want a high Strength either from magic items or basic strength and have Athletics trained. If you can nab Expertise in Athletics all the better.
Turn 1) B.Action to Shove the enemy to the ground. (Athletics vs. Athletics/Acrobatics)
Turn 1) Action: if Shove was successful, Initiate a Grapple, if you're a "Martial" class and have Extra Attack then Bite them (both your hands are busy with a Shield and Grapple).
As long as you can maintain the Grapple on the enemy's turn you can now bite them every turn for your max attacks. Lizardfolk even get a Bonus Action bite once per short rest.
Weirdly enough, a College of Valor Bard would have everything you need. You get Expertise and Shield proficiency at 3rd, Extra Attack feature at 6th. Plus you're proficient in Dex/Cha saves so your Shield Proficiency means AoEs will rarely hurt you and because you're leaving a hand open you can cast magic!
You're AC would be 15+Dex (10 Base +3 for Scaly Skin +2 for Shield) You're HP would be fairly low as you're a "caster", but the AC will be high and will be augmenting the party in all kinds of ways.
So your "wrestler" could be much more of a "lucador" and being the center of attention in a fight.
Travern Brawler is terrible
1) You're already proficient in unarmed strikes, but they only do 1+Str in damage, unless you have natural weapons.
2) It makes them now do 1d4 instead of 1d1, which... play a race with natural weapons.
3) It gives you grapple as a Bonus Action... which isn't great for anything else.
Grappler is terrible.
1) It gives you Adv on creatures you grapple, but if they are prone... you have Adv and they have DisAdv.
2) Pinning a creature is terrible, because you are now attacking with DisAdv which negates your Adv.
3) This feature does nothing it refers to an old rule that doesn't exist.
Turn 1) B.Action to Shove the enemy to the ground. (Athletics vs. Athletics/Acrobatics)
Turn 1) Action: if Shove was successful, Initiate a Grapple, if you're a "Martial" class and have Extra Attack then Bite them (both your hands are busy with a Shield and Grapple).
Wrong order. If they're prone but not grappled, they can just get up on their turn. And remember that grapple/shove uses the Attack action.
In D&D 4e I had a Gnoll Brawler Fighter that was basically like a wrestler that engaged in a lot of ground and pound.
http://dnd4.wikia.com/wiki/Fighter This link should explain what the Fighter in 4e was like if you're not familiar and the Brawler subclass "Fighting Style" as it were
Then I would use combos such as: http://dnd4.wikia.com/wiki/Knockdown_assault and then "mount" the target with a grapple and then follow up with http://dnd4.wikia.com/wiki/Rain_of_Blows
The fighting style encouraged a lot of grappling with powers such as: http://dnd4.wikia.com/wiki/Grappling_strike and http://dnd4.wikia.com/wiki/Slash_and_pummel
In addition with the Gnoll Claw Fighter feat your claws counted as Light Weapons for the purpose of powers and feats so I basically had 2 free hands that acted like shortswords for grabbing and punching and dealing damage.
What would this look like in D&D 5e or is it even comparable as a character concept?
If you can grapple someone and knock them prone, you and your melee allies have advantage on attack rolls against them and they have disadvantage on attack rolls and can't get up without becoming ungrappled.
grappled, prone, https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/combat#Grappling, https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/combat#BeingProne
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Tooltips (Help/aid)
So basically just use the attack action to grapple with a free hand (off-hand?) then knock them prone and the following turn use the Attack option with your weapon and eventually if you single class you get up to 4 or 5 attacks as a Fighter and that's your ground and pound? It just takes a really long time to take off?
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Tooltips (Help/aid)
I have a fighter who grapples. I'd love to play a wrestler, but I do use a sword with the duelist fighting style.
So variant human with tavern brawler. By level two I could punch someone and grapple as a bonus action, then use action surge to shove them to the ground still grappled. Taking the grappler feat gives advantage for me without my opponent being prone.
If you wanted to do a WWE style wrestler I saw a guide suggesting Bard, looks viable but I didn't fancy the spellcasting.
In general, this version of the game has a lot fewer tactical battle options than 4E combat offers. The Battle Master fighter offers what's probably the closest thing. The Trip Attack maneuver can be followed up on with additional attacks. Unfortunately for what you want to do, few of the maneuvers really apply to grappling (since they specifically refer to weapon attacks), although Menacing Attack is good because it'll impose disadvantage on checks to escape. You probably want the Grappler feat, since it'll give you advantage on attacks against your grappled opponent (but pinning is only useful if you've got someone else to do the damage, and no one else trying to hit you).
You might also want to check out Tavern Brawler, which isn't great overall, but lets you initiate a grapple as a bonus action after you hit with an attack.
Are you really attached to the idea of a gnoll character? There are some rules for playable monstrous races in Volo's, but not gnoll isn't one of them. (But, for example, if you're a Lizardfolk, you get a natural weapon attack which counts as an unarmed strike that does 1d6 + str.)
I don't know much about Gnoll is 5e, but Lizardfolk in 5e might do what you want.
You'll want to keep a hand free and at level 4 take Shield Mastery.
You'll want a high Strength either from magic items or basic strength and have Athletics trained. If you can nab Expertise in Athletics all the better.
Turn 1) B.Action to Shove the enemy to the ground. (Athletics vs. Athletics/Acrobatics)
Turn 1) Action: if Shove was successful, Initiate a Grapple, if you're a "Martial" class and have Extra Attack then Bite them (both your hands are busy with a Shield and Grapple).
As long as you can maintain the Grapple on the enemy's turn you can now bite them every turn for your max attacks. Lizardfolk even get a Bonus Action bite once per short rest.
Weirdly enough, a College of Valor Bard would have everything you need. You get Expertise and Shield proficiency at 3rd, Extra Attack feature at 6th. Plus you're proficient in Dex/Cha saves so your Shield Proficiency means AoEs will rarely hurt you and because you're leaving a hand open you can cast magic!
You're AC would be 15+Dex (10 Base +3 for Scaly Skin +2 for Shield) You're HP would be fairly low as you're a "caster", but the AC will be high and will be augmenting the party in all kinds of ways.
So your "wrestler" could be much more of a "lucador" and being the center of attention in a fight.
Travern Brawler is terrible
1) You're already proficient in unarmed strikes, but they only do 1+Str in damage, unless you have natural weapons.
2) It makes them now do 1d4 instead of 1d1, which... play a race with natural weapons.
3) It gives you grapple as a Bonus Action... which isn't great for anything else.
Grappler is terrible.
1) It gives you Adv on creatures you grapple, but if they are prone... you have Adv and they have DisAdv.
2) Pinning a creature is terrible, because you are now attacking with DisAdv which negates your Adv.
3) This feature does nothing it refers to an old rule that doesn't exist.
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Tooltips (Help/aid)
Order doesn't matter. As long as the prerequisites are met to allow you to complete the actions the order of actions are agnostic.
As long as you take an "Attack Action" on your turn, you can use your Bonus Action to Shove with Shield Mastery.
A level 6 College of War Bard with Shield Master can use his
B.Action to Shove.
Then use the Attack Action (Which is required to have used his B.Action to Shove), to then either Grapple or attack in any order and can wait.