D&D 5E Grappling on a steed

[Shiroiken]

Since this is a silly rule exploit in the first place (and I'd rule that it wouldn't work for several other reasons as well), using a technicality is a perfectly legitimate reason to say no in my book.

Something else I considered afterwards that would also negate this exploit is that your character would have to dead-lift the enemy, including his equipment (and yours) to be able to fly off with them. High Str characters might be able to still pull this off against small or maybe medium creatures, but that's it.

Besides, I always rule that what works for the PCs works for the bad guys. Unless ya'll can cast a lot of feather fall spells it's going to become a very different game quickly.

I've found this fixes a lot of broken combos. In a different RPG there were rules for called shots that could dismember, which the PCs thought would make combat easier. After twice "disarming" the enemy, the next fight they freaked out when the enemy started making the same maneuvers. They then quickly agreed with me that those rules sucked and should be ignored.

 

[Umbran]

I'm not the one moving though. The game says your speed is halved, but it doesnt say anything about a mount you ride.

No, it doesn't say specifically. They *don't claim* to give rules specifically for everything, and that does not mean that anything not specifically stated is automatically okay. This is "rulings, not rules" stuff.

It isn't like you are on a huge airship, that can be considered large enough to have a fight on. This is a flying mount that can perhaps carry two, but normally only if they are cooperating. Your target is not cooperating. That's really should give your mount issues.

In the PHB, the warhorse, who has the same strength as a pegasus, is given a carrying capacity of 540 pounds, that *should* be enough for one other creature

Don't count on it. A nice, strong, human warrior is probably a 6' tall, 200 lbs slab of muscle, wrapped in 50 lbs of armor. Two of them puts the steed at 500 lbs. The exotic saddle needed to ride a pegasus is anther 40 lbs.

I hope you and your target are both skinny elves in leather.

And, as to why the grappling half-speed thing should apply to the mount: A Clydesdale horse (our stand-in for a warhorse) comes in weighing about a ton. We just talked about having 500 lbs of warriors on its back. That's *a quarter of the animal's weight*, *struggling*, on its back - that grappled person is't just relaxing down there, you know. The animal is running close to its capacity, even if it isn't over. This is not a reasonable state in which to expect the animal to move at full speed.

Or, you know, fine. The mount's speed is not halved, but yours is. You now have a fly speed half of that of your mount. This means the mount flies faster than you, and your fall off! Fun!

And, the point about needing to shove (which requires an attack) is relevant. Once you are up in the air, the target is no longer struggling to break free - they are struggling to hold onto the straps and all of your saddle to not fall.

All this boils down to - yes you can grapple, fly up, and drop the target. Once. Not twice. Twice would be a little much.

 

[Rabbitbait]

In my game this would be a dangerous move for the player. When you grapple from the mounted position you would have to do an animal handling check to stay mounted, followed by another check to stay mounted while flying upwards and holding a grappled creature followed by an opposed skill check as you attempt to drop the creature due to the creature either trying to pull you off with them, or trying to stay attached to the mount.

That's three chances of failure, two of which might be deadly if you fail. If you can pull that off then you deserve the mega-damage you cause.

 

[BookBarbarian]

We are not quite in but close to the territory where I think about D&D, the square-cube ratio, and Pythagorean theorem all at the same time.

My mind cannot survive in such a place. It will make a ruling and move on before even getting close to it.

So I'd rule you can successfully grapple, speed away to where you would get full fall damage, and shove the opponent away. But not double-dip for extra cheese.

 

[Tonguez]

just a thought, while you are using your own half movement for the grapple, the mount is not being controlled and its own movement is essentially an effect that takes you out of range of the grapple - either pulling you off your mount or requiring you to make a ride check (DC 10 Dexterity save) mid-grapple

SO I'd require that as well and also put the second attack at disadvantage