Dungeon Grappling (d20)
Live to Grapple. Grapple to Live.
- Beowulf struggles with Grendel. Sinew parts¸ Grendel flees¸ dying.
- A dragon plunges from above. It's grasping talons seize the adventurers¸ bearing them away.
- Mighty Ajax and Clever Odysseus struggle against each other¸ yet neither can throw the other¸ nor be thrown.
- A python lashes out¸ grasping its prey first by the mouth¸ then its coils. It struggles weakly¸ then not at all.
From the first story ever told¸ to tales on the silver screen. They all have at least one thing in common: Grappling.
Grappling is thrilling¸ dangerous¸ and drives thousands of years of epic storytelling.
Dungeon Grappling brings those thrills to the oldest fantasy RPG with rules and examples for Swords and Wizardry (and other OSR-style games)¸ the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game¸ and 5e.
Dungeon Grappling provides:- Simple¸ unified mechanics¸ using the same concepts as weapon strikes
- Variable outcomes ‐ grapples can be good or bad
- Dynamic¸ tense stories
- Weapons¸ talons¸ magic... they're all in here.
- Grappling just got scary again!
First and foremost¸ this book contains rules based on Open Gaming Licence content from several editions of the industry's most popular RPG ‐ explicit examples for Swords and Wizardry¸ the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game¸ and Fifth Edition.
Let's look inside:
Introduction: How can grappling be as epic at the tabletop as it has been in stories throughout history?
Core Concepts: Dungeon Grappling shows that the same basic concepts that you use to smite a foe with your sword are perfectly appropriate when grappling. The attack roll¸ target number¸ and effect roll are all unified in the context of grapples to minimize special cases.
Grappling Effects: Dungeon Grappling presents a variable effect roll - using both "control points" as well as conditions to make grappling exciting and unpredictable.
Grappling Techniques: This section gives you options¸ from simply rendering them immobile¸ to tossing or dragging¸ to takedowns¸ throws¸ choke holds¸ grappling with weapons¸ using magical spells to grapple in a way that makes all of them follow the same basic principles.
Monstrous Grappling: Let's face it. Grappling is for monsters. A dozen examples are provided to highlight how to calculate the attack bonus¸ grappling target number (the equivalent of armor class for grappling)¸ and the grappling damage roll¸ as well as brief discussions of how such monsters fight.
Combat Examples: An example vignette and grappling-oriented combat is provided for each of Swords and Wizardry¸ the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game¸ and 5e.
Quick Reference Sheets: All of the key calculations¸ tables¸ and concepts are summarized in three pages in the back of the book for easy lookups and rules checks.
Art and Layout: Laid out and illustrated in full color by a great team of professionals¸ the interior is as beautiful as the rules are elegant.
Navigation and Layering: The PDF is hyperlinked in the Table of Contents and Index¸ and Bookmarks are provided. The document is also layered¸ allowing the background¸ art¸ or text to be turned on and off for ease of printing or readability.