Wrestling Sphere

^{Source: Diamond Spheres: Hustle & Bustle}

While you have a creature snagged, the DC required to affect the creature with the Intimidate skill is reduced by 2, +1 per 5 points of base attack bonus you possess, and a successful Intimidate check made against them causes the snag to last for an additional round.

Additionally, when you successfully snag a creature, you can attempt an Intimidate check to demoralize the snagged creature or pose a menace as a move action.

Utility Option: You can take this talent as a utility talent by having it not benefit Intimidate checks used to demoralize a creature.

Whenever you control a grapple against a creature, that creature is unable to breathe or speak, though they may hold their breath in response to being grappled. Each consecutive round they spend grappled by you counts as a number of rounds equal to your practitioner modifier against the total number of rounds they may hold their breath before they are forced to make Constitution checks to avoid suffocating. For every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess, each passing round counts as an additional +1 round when determining how long they can hold their breath.

Whenever you would be allowed a free action grapple attempt against a creature you are already grappling (such as when you hit with an attack using the grab special attack), you may instead choose to increase the target’s penalties for grappling by 2 for 1 round. This increased penalty stacks with itself, to a maximum of half your base attack bonus (minimum 2).

While in this stance and a creature within reach targets you with a melee attack, before the attack roll is made you may allow the attack to automatically strike you (although the roll is still made to determine if the attack threatens a critical hit). After the damage is determined, you may spend an attack of opportunity to attempt to initiate a grapple against that creature as a free action that may be taken even when it is not your turn, if it is in range. You may not use this talent in conjunction with (deflect) talents or any other ability that would grant you an attack or combat maneuver due to a missed attack against you.

Whenever you use a (slam) talent, you may make an Intimidate check against all those who can see you except for the creature which was affected by the (slam) talent to demoralize them, gaining a +2 bonus on this check. For every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess, this bonus increases by +2.

As long as you have martial focus, you may maintain a grapple as a move action. Associated Feat: Greater Grapple.

Whenever you maintain a grapple against a creature, or when a creature succeeds at a grapple check against you, you may attempt a trip combat maneuver against them as an attack of opportunity; this trip attempt does not provoke an attack of opportunity itself.

As long as you have martial focus, the penalties for being grappled by you increase by -1; for every 6 points of base attack bonus you possess, these penalties increase by an additional -1.

^{Source: Baron’s Glorious Arena}

When you successfully make an attack action or attack of opportunity with a weapon that has the grapple weapon quality, you may spend martial focus to attempt to grapple the target as part of the same action. Treat this as if you had scored a critical hit with the weapon for the purpose of grappling them.
You may take this talent a second time, in which case you do not need to spend martial focus to grapple the target.

Whenever a creature attempts to magically escape a grapple with a teleportation or Warp effect, you may make a special combat maneuver check against their CMD as an immediate action. If successful, the escape fails and they provoke an attack of opportunity from you. At +10 base attack bonus, if you make a grapple attempt against a creature under the effect of a freedom of movement spell or similar effect, that effect is suppressed for the duration of the grapple.

Author's Note: This talent only applies against teleportation effects originating from the grappled target, not from any source. At 10+ base attack bonus, this talent can suppress freedom of movement and other similar effects (like the Fate sphere's Freedom (word)), regardless of their source.

You gain a +1 competence bonus to your grapple combat maneuver checks, as well as to your CMD vs. that maneuver. This bonus increases by +1 for every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess. This bonus does not stack with the bonus to this maneuver provided by the Improved or Greater Grapple feats. Associated Feat: Improved Grapple.

Whenever you attempt to initiate a grapple as a standard action and fail, you may expend your martial focus to make another grapple attempt against the same creature as a swift action without provoking an attack of opportunity.

Whenever you use a successful grapple check to deal damage, you deal an additional +2 damage and the creature takes a -2 penalty on the next grapple check they make against you as long as it is made within 1 minute. For every 5 points of base attack bonus you possess, this damage and penalty increases by +2/-1 respectively.

When you successfully maintain a grapple against a creature you have already pinned, instead of one of the options normally available when you maintain a grapple, you may lift them over your head and smash them into the ground, automatically threatening a critical hit with your unarmed strike and rolling to confirm as normal. If the critical threat confirms successfully, the creature must make a successful Fortitude save or be staggered for 1 round. Use of this talent breaks your grapple on the creature. At +10 base attack bonus, the target is dazed for 1 round instead.

This talent is not a (slam) itself, and cannot be used together with a (slam).

Whenever a creature provokes an attack of opportunity from you, you may expend your martial focus to make a grapple check against them as an immediate action; if this grapple check is successful, you may make a trip attempt against that creature as a free action.

As a move action while you are grappling an adjacent creature, you may regain your martial focus and treat that creature as granting you partial cover until the start of your next turn. If an attack misses your AC by 2 or less, compare the result to the grappled creature’s AC; if the attack roll would hit the grappled creature’s AC, resolve the attack as though the grappled creature was the original target. You cannot use this ability if you do not control the grapple.

Whenever you succeed on a trip attempt against a grappled creature, you may immediately move both yourself and the grappled creature up to 10 ft. in any direction except up as a free action. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity for both you and the grappled target. For every 5 points of base attack bonus you possess, you may move yourself and the target an additional 10 ft.

^{Source: Baron’s Glorious Arena}

When you attempt to grapple a creature while holding a weapon with the grapple weapon quality, you do not take the -4 penalty for not having two hands free. You may use the weapon to make the maneuver, meaning you may add its enhancement bonus, as well as spells or feats which increase its attack bonus such as Weapon Focus, to your CMB when performing a grapple maneuver. When dealing damage as part of a grapple, you may use a weapon with the grapple weapon quality even if it is not a light weapon.

Whenever you succeed on a trip attempt against a grappled creature, you may throw your target, causing them to land prone in an unoccupied square within 10 ft. This immediately ends your grapple. You must have clear line of sight and effect to the target square. Enemies thrown more than 10 ft. take 1d6 bludgeoning damage per additional 5 ft. they are thrown, in addition to any damage they may take as a result of falling (such as if this ability is used against an aerial creature via the Aerial Trip feat). For every 5 points of base attack bonus you possess, you can cause the opponent to land 5 ft. further away from you with this talent.

^{Source: Expanded Spheres: Baron's Lost Apocrypha}

By expending martial focus, you may use a (slam) as a free action once per round when you initiate or maintain a grapple rather than an immediate action.

Whenever a creature’s attempt to initiate or maintain a grapple or swallow whole attempt against you fails, or when you choose to release a grapple against an unpinned creature, you may make an attack of opportunity against them. Ending a grapple initiated with the grab universal monster ability does not grant you the same leverage as other uses of this ability and the attack granted for ending such a grapple must be taken as a swift action instead of an attack of opportunity.

^{Source: Baron’s Glorious Arena}

You may use a melee weapon to perform a snag, adding its bonuses to your snag’s attack and causing the snag to deal damage equal to the weapon’s enhancement bonus.
You may take this talent a second time, in which case the snag deals damage equal to your Strength modifier + ½ your base attack bonus + the weapon’s enhancement bonus.

Whenever you successfully initiate a grapple against a creature, you may choose to force that creature into any space within your natural reach rather than an adjacent square. A creature being grappled by you may still attack you even if you would be outside of their reach, but only deals half damage if you would normally be outside of their reach.

You channel the serpent, improving your tenacity and grip.

You gain the following abilities which can be used while grappling:

When Your Grappled Target Is Being Moved Away From You: While you are grappling another creature, any effect which would move your grappled target out of your reach must also succeed against you and your relevant statistic (CMD, saving throw, ability check, etc.) or fail to move the grappled target.

When You Are Being Moved Away From Your Grappled Target: If an effect would move you away from your grappled target, you may attempt a grapple combat maneuver against your grappled target’s CMD as an immediate action. If the target is battered, you may spend an attack of opportunity in place of an immediate action instead. If you are successful, the grappled target is moved into the nearest unoccupied and safe space within your reach and remains grappled. A grappled target being moved this way does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

If there is no unoccupied, safe space within your reach when attempting to move your grappled target with you, the target is moved into the nearest unoccupied, safe space near your new location, is released from your grapple, and is staggered for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your practitioner modifier (minimum 1 round).

Special: The abilities granted by Stubborn Serpent’s Coils do not function against Warp sphere effects or other teleportation effects. If you possess the Inescapable Grasp talent, you may use the abilities granted by this talent against teleportation or Warp effects originating from a source other than your grappled target which would move your grappled target out of your grapple.

• When Your Grappled Target Is Being Moved Away From You: You are granted a saving throw or other appropriate check to negate a teleportation effect which would move your grappled target out of your grapple, as described in this ability.
• When You Are Being Moved Away From Your Grappled Target: You may include your grappled target in a teleport effect that would move you. If your grappled target is unwilling, the teleportation effect must be able to target an unwilling creature and the creature receives a saving throw against the effect, otherwise the grappled target is not moved with you and your grapple ends.

Examples: Grappling is a complex and often confusing combat maneuver. Two examples are included with this talent to help better demonstrate how this talent is used.

If your grappled target is being moved away from you: A creature which uses the bull rush combat maneuver to push your grappled target away from you must also succeed against your CMD while grappling. A Wind severity effect would fail to push your grappled target if the Wind severity effect fails to push you. If a Telekinesis sphere effect would attempt to lift and move your grappled target out of your reach, the Telekinesis sphere caster would treat this as contested control over an item.

If you are being moved away from your grappled target: If a creature uses the bull rush combat maneuver to push you away from your grappled target, you can attempt a grapple combat maneuver as an immediate action (or as an attack of opportunity if the target is battered) against your grappled target. If you are successful, the grappled target also moves into an unoccupied, safe space within your reach and your grapple would not end.

^{Source: Spheres Apocrypha: Debilitating Talents}

You may attempt a grapple at the end of a charge in place of the normally granted attack. If this grapple attempt is successful, the creature must succeed at a Reflex save or fall prone.

As long as you have martial focus, you do not take a -4 penalty to Dexterity or a -2 penalty on all attack rolls and combat maneuver checks and are treated as though both of your hands were free while grappling a creature. In addition, as long as you are the one who initiated the grapple, the creature grants you soft cover against all attacks while you are grappling them except attacks made by the grappled foe.

Whenever you attempt to initiate a grapple, you can allow the creature which you are attempting to grapple to make an opposed grapple check; if the creature’s result is higher than yours, the grapple fails regardless of your result. If your result is higher, the grapple is successful regardless of your result and the creature provokes an attack of opportunity from an ally of your choice. The creature may choose to not make an opposed grapple check, in this case, they take a -2 penalty to their CMD until the end of their next round.

You can expend your martial focus to make a grapple check against two different creatures within your reach as a standard action. If your grapple check is successful against both creatures, you can grapple both creatures simultaneously, although you must be adjacent to both creatures while maintaining a grapple against them. Whenever you make a check to maintain the grapple, you use the result against both creature’s CMD with a -4 penalty to your combat maneuver bonus in order to maintain the grapple against both creatures, and both creatures gain a +4 on their combat maneuver checks to end the grapple. If you use a (slam) talent, you can spend a move action in addition to the swift action required to use a slam to use it against both grappled creatures. For every 5 points of base attack bonus you possess, this penalty to CMD and bonus to combat maneuver checks is reduced by 1/-1 respectively.

If you are adjacent to a willing ally, you may make an Intimidate check as a full-round action against all hostile creatures watching you to influence their attitude, using dangerous looking moves against your ally while not dealing any actual damage to them. You gain a +2 to this Intimidate check for every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess. Creatures who have their attitude shifted by this talent have their attitude reverted to neutral rather than unfriendly, and any creature whose attitude is shifted by this talent takes a -2 penalty to saving throws against fear effects which originate from you for 1 day.

You can also use a grapple check with a willing ally as a Perform check for the purposes of making money gaining a +2 bonus for every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess (this is treated as a performance check for bonuses that would apply to making performance checks).

Each willing ally who participates in this talent for either use of it gives you an additional +2 bonus on this check (up to 5 additional allies), allowing you to further demonstrate your grappling prowess.

Those observing you using this talent can make a Perception check with a DC of 10 + your grapple check to see that it is fake, which shifts their attitude 1 step closer towards hostile towards you and any ally who participated in this talent.

^{Source: Spheres Apocrypha: Armor Talents}

When you successfully maintain a grapple against a creature you have already pinned, you may expend your martial focus as an immediate action to attempt to damage one of the creatures limbs; the creature must succeed at a Fortitude save or have one of its limbs damaged by you (arms, legs, tentacles, or wings), ending the grapple. The penalties for a damaged limb are identical to the effects of a removed limb from the Limb Ripper talent except as follows:

• The creature suffers no bleed damage.
• Any numerical penalties associated with the limb are halved.
• The condition lasts for 1 round plus 1 round per 4 points of base attack bonus you possess.

Note: Undead are not immune to this effect and must make the saving throw.

^{Source: Spheres Apocrypha: Armor Talents}

You may make a melee attack against the target that deals damage as normal, except that it ignores any armor and shield bonuses to armor class the target may have.

You may make a melee attack against the creature that deals damage as normal, plus an additional 1d6 nonlethal damage, +1d6 per 4 points of base attack bonus you possess.

You may end the grapple to force the grappled creature to move up to 10 ft. in a direction of your choice except upwards. This movement does not provoke an attack of opportunity, although if the creature’s movement would force them to enter one of your ally’s squares, they provoke an attack of opportunity from that ally and their movement is stopped before entering that ally’s square (if two or more of your allies share the same square, only a single ally of your choice may make an attack of opportunity due to this talent); for every 5 ft. the creature was forced to travel, your ally’s attack of opportunity gains a +2 circumstance bonus to damage. If this movement would cause a creature to collide with a solid object, they take damage equal to 1d6 + the modifier of the attribute used to determine your combat maneuver bonus for the maneuver. This damage is increased by +1d6 for every 5-ft. square the target would have traveled beyond the wall or object.

You may choose to use this talent on an ally; if you do, that ally may make a melee attack any point during this movement, and may choose to end this movement whenever they wish. For every 5 ft. your ally travels before making this attack, they gain a +2 circumstance bonus to this attack’s damage roll. For every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess, the distance you can force a creature to move with this talent increases by 5 ft.

You may expend your martial focus to make a dirty trick combat maneuver against the grappled creature without provoking an attack of opportunity.

If the target of your grapple has been pinned and is no larger than you are, you may wield the creature as if they were a melee weapon you are proficient with until the end of your next turn, or until they successfully break your grapple, whichever comes first. If you do not spend the necessary action to maintain the grapple on your next turn, the grapple ends with your turn. You may make a single attack action with the grappled creature in place of the options normally available when maintaining a grapple.

Creatures wielded in this manner use the improvised weapon charts when determining their damage and required hands and difficulty of use, and 1/2 of any damage dealt with the wielded creature is dealt to the wielded creature itself. If you possess the Shoulder Throw talent, you may use the wielded creature as a thrown weapon, to a maximum range as outlined in the Shoulder Throw talent. If the pinned opponent is unable to resist being pinned for any reason, you can use that opponent as a weapon without grappling or pinning them, until the creature is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, at which point the creature cannot be grappled and only counts as an improvised weapon.

You can lift a creature into the air before dropping them onto the ground, dealing 1d8 + your practitioner modifier damage and forcing them to make a successful Fortitude save or become fatigued for 1 round, ending the grapple. A creature that fails the save is also knocked prone. At +10 base attack bonus, the creature is knocked prone regardless of if they make the Fortitude save.

You may attempt a steal combat maneuver against the grappled creature without provoking attacks of opportunity. When making a steal attempt in this way, halve any bonuses the creature may possess for having an item be secured.

You force the target of your grapple to provoke an attack of opportunity from one other ally threatening the target with a +2 circumstance bonus on their attack roll, breaking your grapple. If the target takes damage from the attack of opportunity, you regain martial focus and may move up to 10 feet. This movement does not provoke an attack of opportunity.

You ceremoniously swing the creature’s body up over your back before dropping them onto their back.

Prerequisites: Wrestling sphere, base attack bonus +10.

The creature suffers 1 negative level and must succeed at a Reflex save or fall prone. Negative levels caused by this talent last for a number of hours equal to your base attack bonus. This is a supernatural effect; using this slam immediately ends your grapple on the creature. If you expend martial focus when using this talent, a creature who fails their Reflex saving throw suffers 1 additional negative level for every 10 points of base attack bonus you possess.

In addition, the first time each round a creature suffering from negative levels attacks you, that creature provokes an attack of opportunity from you. You can use this attack of opportunity to grapple the creature even if you could not normally grapple on an attack of opportunity.

Prerequisites: Berserker sphere, Shatter Earth, Wrestling sphere, base attack bonus +6.

When you successfully maintain a grapple against a creature as a standard action and choose to deal your unarmed strike damage to that target, you may expend your martial focus to also deal that damage to the ground as if using Shatter Earth from the Berserker sphere. If you successfully deal more damage to the ground than its hardness, not only is the ground broken as described by the Shatter Earth talent, but the target of your slam is also stuck into the ground, becoming entangled and unable to move from that spot.

In order to end the entangled condition and move from that spot, the creature must succeed at a grapple, Escape Artist, or Strength check against your CMD. After using Earth-Shattering Slam on a target, your grapple with them immediately ends and they cannot be grappled again so long as they are entangled; in essence, they are being grappled by the ground.

Prerequisites: Wrestling sphere (Inescapable Grasp), base attack bonus +7.

As long as you have martial focus, you can attempt grapple attempts against incorporeal creatures.

You can expend your martial focus as a free action whenever you successfully grapple an incorporeal creature to temporarily bind them to the world around you, allowing the creature to be affected normally by physical effects, as if they were corporeal, for as long as they remain grappled and for 1 round per 5 base attack bonus you possess after the grapple ends.

Prerequisites: Wrestling sphere, base attack bonus +10.

When you successfully maintain a grapple against a creature you have already pinned, you may expend your martial focus as an immediate action to attempt to remove a limb from them; the creature must make a successful Fortitude save or have one of its limbs removed by you (arms, legs, tentacles, or wings), ending the grapple.

If you remove a wing, the target loses a wing natural attack if it had any and cannot fly (creatures with 3 or more wings who lose a wing have their flight maneuverability reduced to clumsy and have their flight speed reduced by 1/2 for each wing which they are missing). If you remove a tentacle, the creature loses all attacks and abilities related to that tentacle. If you remove an arm or leg, the target suffers a series of penalties listed below.

Creatures with more than 2 legs do not suffer the penalties listed below, but instead lose 10 ft. from their movement speed and lose the benefits of being a quadruped if they had them. In addition, the target suffers 1d6 points of bleed damage from the wound, +1d6 for every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess.

A severed limb counts as an object one size category smaller than the creature it came from if using it as an independent object or improvised weapon.

A character who has lost an arm incurs the following penalties:

• -10 penalty on Climb, Craft, Disable Device, Sleight of Hand, and Use Magic Device skill checks;
• -8 penalty on grapple checks;
• Must make a caster level check at a -5 penalty to cast spells with somatic components;
• Unable to wield weapons two-handed or make two-weapon attacks, and may not wear a shield on the affected arm.
• Carrying capacity is not reduced. However, the maximum weight a character can lift over head or off the ground is halved.

A character who has lost a leg incurs the following penalties:

• -10 penalty on Acrobatics, Climb, Ride, Stealth, and certain Perform skill checks (GM’s discretion).
• Cannot run or charge.
• Cannot bull rush or overrun and takes a -12 penalty to resist these combat maneuvers.
• Speed is reduced to 5 ft., and can no longer make a 5-ft step.
• Carrying capacity is reduced by two thirds and the maximum weight a character can lift over head or off the ground is halved when sitting, impossible when standing.

These penalties do not stack with other penalties for losing limbs. A character who has lost both arms cannot use any of the listed skills, make attacks, or use objects, without the aid of prosthetics or magic. A character who has lost both legs is always considered flat-footed and prone, and can only move 5 ft as a full round action, without the aid of prosthetics or magic.

Note: Undead are not immune to this effect and must make the saving throw.

Prerequisites: Wrestling sphere, base attack bonus +10.

Treat the result of your grapple check as a dispel check against the target of your grapple as though you were making a targeted dispel with dispel magic (compare your grapple check to the effect on the target with the highest caster level (DC = 11 + the spell’s caster level). If successful, that effect ends. If not, compare the same result to the spell with the next highest caster level. Repeat this process until you have dispelled one spell affecting the target, or you have failed to dispel every spell). If you grapple a summoned creature, this can end the spell that summoned them.

Prerequisites: Berserker sphere, Shatter Earth, Wrestling sphere, Earth-Shattering Slam, base attack bonus +10.

Whenever you successfully use Earth-Shattering Slam against a target, you may choose to bury them underground.

The target travels 5 ft. through the ground for every 5 base attack bonus you possess. If this would put the target completely through the ground (such as dropping them through the roof of a building) they fall to the ground below, taking falling damage as normal. If the new ground is still within 5 ft. per 5 base attack bonus, they may also travel through into or through that surface to reach this talent’s limit.

So long as the target is entangled from your Earth-Shattering Slam, they also cannot breath and must hold their breath or begin suffocating. Even if they escape the entanglement, they must still climb, fly, or otherwise exit the hole they are in.

Prerequisites: Wrestling sphere (Limb Ripper (slam)), base attack bonus +15.

When using the Limb Ripper talent, you can attempt to destroy the creature’s vitals instead of another limb. If the creature fails the initial Fortitude save, the creature is instantly reduced to -1 hit points and begins dying, in addition to suffering a -4 penalty to all saving throws and becoming exhausted for 24 hours.

If you attempt to destroy the creature’s vitals a second time while the creature is suffering from these penalties, and the creature fails their Fortitude save, the creature’s vitals are destroyed, killing them. Some creatures, such as aberrations, oozes, and constructs do not usually possess vitals (and thus suffer no effects due to failing the saving throws against this effect), but most other creatures will die when their vitals are destroyed. This is a death effect.

If the creature has a CR less than half your base attack bonus, the creature instead dies if they fail their first saving throw against this effect.