I finally found a use for Ranged Pin.

[Amechra]

You know Ranged Pin, that useless feat from Complete Warrior that allowed you to grapple at a distance, in a sucky manner?

Well, combo that with Grappling Blast, a Warlock-only feat that adds your Eldritch Blast damage to a grapple, and then adds half that damage as a bonus to your grapple check.

Hmm... Improved Manyshot, anyone? Or Rapid Shot.

Yes sirree bob, I love full attacking with my Eldritch Blast...

Sure, it requires that there be a nearby surface for you to pin them to, but if you are a Warlock with a +5 BAB, you can most likely fly already, and the ground is one hellishly nice pinning surface.

Throw in Master Thrower, and watch your opponents cry as you nail them with something like 6+ full damage Eldritch Blasts.

And there isn't anything that prevents you from throwing an Eldritch Essence on there.

One issue with this is that it requires that you are making a Grapple check to deal damage; however, there are feats for that, iirc.

Thoughts?

[Jackinthegreen]

Pretty sure (Improved) Manyshot and Rapid Shot don't work with Eldritch Blast, since it's a standard action to use like other invocations, and the only way to get iteratives is Eldritch Glaive.

[dman11235]

Manyshot is indeed a special standard action, so it won't work with EB.  Also, Ranged Pin only works with arrows, not even bolts, iirc.

[Amechra]

Ranged Pin works with pretty much all ranged weapons.

And Grappling Blast is awesome, particularly because it doesn't take an action to use. The Blast goes off as part of a Grapple check to deal damage.

And Grappling Blast is a feat, so it doesn't default to needing a Standard action to set up, either.

[dman11235]

Well, still doesn't change the fact that Manyshot is a standard action, and can't be used with EB.  It is also bow exlusive, I know that one is true.  And Rapid shot is only on a full attack, something you can't do, as was stated, without Eldritch Glaive (which is a melee, not ranged)

Although it doesn't specifically state that you must use a physical object to grapple (closest is the "other surface in which a thrown weapon or projectile can be stuck" part), since EB doesn't persist, it is no longer there after the grapple is initiated anyways, so at best you are going to grapple until the end of your turn, when the EB goes away.

[Maat Mons]

Grappling blast says it works “whenever you make a successful grapple check to deal damage.”  The grapple check made with ranged pin doesn't cause damage, so I don't think it activates the feat. 

If you can get improved grab and constrict, you might be able to add your eldritch blast damage to melee attacks.  The crushing weight of the mountain stance (Tome of Battle) gives constrict. 

[Amechra]

I did specify that it did need something to add damage for it to trigger.

And Dman, you are misunderstanding me; I'm not grappling with my Eldritch Blast... I'm using Ranged Pin to start a grapple with an arrow/throwing weapon, then using Grappling Blast to add damage (after getting a source of Constrict, of course). Rapid Shot and Manyshot are used with a bow for the purpose of triggering the above an excessive number of times per round.

Vale?

[sirpercival]

Why not just throw snakes?  Or animated ropes or something?

[Tr011]

I think there might be another use. IIRC in a dragon magazine that allows you to make an AoO with a bow or something at pretty close range. It would be a pretty fun combination to stop people from charging you. And it got style to nail people to a wall. But I think the values of both feats are too crappy and archers need their feats...

[dman11235]

oh.  Then that does work.  So overloading them with grapple checks in an attempt to make them stick?  Because it still won't be a high grapple check with the arrow, so that likely won't get anyone, even a commoner, at the higher levels.  Okay so the order is: shoot with bow, grapple, then deal EB damage because of a grapple?  Or is it shoot, grapple, EB, grapple again?  Because the second one is how it should work (which i don't think its useful or what you're trying to do)

[sirpercival]

OK, how can we work this with the feat Ring the Golden Bell from the Dragon Compendium?  Maybe use Improved Grab + Constrict + Hideous Blow blast shape + Grappling Blast so that you can make an unarmed strike at range, dealing EB damage w/ hideous blow, then you improved grab and constrict and do EB with Grappling Blast.

Do you need ranged pin at that point?  I dunno.

[caelic]

Where's Grappling Blast from, anyhoo?  Don't recall seeing it.

[sirpercival]

Dragon 358

[Amechra]

OK, how can we work this with the feat Ring the Golden Bell from the Dragon Compendium?  Maybe use Improved Grab + Constrict + Hideous Blow blast shape + Grappling Blast so that you can make an unarmed strike at range, dealing EB damage w/ hideous blow, then you improved grab and constrict and do EB with Grappling Blast.

Do you need ranged pin at that point?  I dunno.

No Ranged Pin; you just would need to grapple.

I just remembered the Earthen/Stony Fist invocations, and the Chilling Tentacle invocation. Do you think that last one would do anything?

And the way I see it, getting Constrict means that you wouldn't need to maintain the Grapple; you would just need one successful Grapple check. And I personally think that the EB damage is dealt at the same time as the rest of the damage...

And, if I remember correctly, you can attempt to grapple someone even if they are grappled.

[Unbeliever]

I know it's not ranged, but wasn't there an old CO build where you stabbed someone with your tail, grappling them, and then walked away.  Adding EB to that has some serious potential.

[nijineko]

the bloodwind spell would interact interestingly with that. since it gives your melee attack a range increment of 20' (and it still counts as a melee attack!) you could strike at range. heck, you might be able to grapple at range depending on how it is all written.

(spell compendium, btw)

[zook1shoe]

ranged pin doesn't work with EB anyway, since it requires a "non-ranged touch" ranged attack

i was looking into a soulbow for ranged pin :-p

[Amechra]

ranged pin doesn't work with EB anyway, since it requires a "non-ranged touch" ranged attack

i was looking into a soulbow for ranged pin :-p

Random throwing weapons FTW!

[zook1shoe]

Use a splitting Elven doublebow of speed with a sudden extended chained Arrowsplit spell along with manyshot and rapid shot, for dozens of pins. And they need to break free of all of them