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The Grappler's Manual (2.0) - Grappling in 5th Edition
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<blockquote data-quote="ktkenshinx" data-source="post: 6702606" data-attributes="member: 6785159"><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">[anchor="magic49"]7. [/anchor]</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 18px"><u>Magic and Spells: Level 4 - Level 9</u></span></strong></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong>Level 4</strong></span></p><p></p><p>[sblock="Level 4 spell review"]</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: #0000CC">Conjure spells</span></strong>: All of these require concentration, but they give you a non-Rage/Enlarge/Enhance-Ability way to grant advantage on most of your checks. Conjure Minor Elementals isn't great because it takes a full minute to cast, but Woodland Beings is a bit better at a single action. None of the conjured critters need an action to command them, which saves your valuable actions for more grappling-themed abilities. These are outclassed by Giant Insect just because they only produce 8 monsters. Insect will get you 10. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: #0000CC">Fire Shield</span></strong>: A no-concentration buff! Technically, your enemies won't trigger the fire damage just by being grappled, but every time they try to hit you they'll take the damage. Most monsters won't have any other options, so it's a nice way to pump your damage. Bonus points for giving you resistance to a damage-type you might use in AOE spells! </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Freedom of Movement</strong>: A decent buff when cast on grapplers and one of the scariest spells when cast on their enemies. It doesn't cost concentration and it gives the target free rein to escape any grapple. Beware this on enemies! When cast on yourself, Freedom lets you more effectively drag enemies and perform underwater grappling. (Note: RAW, the spell actually doesn't work at all with grappling because the condition sets your speed to 0, giving you no movement to spend to escape. This is clearly a typo or rules conflict that 95% of DMs would probably rule against). </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: #33CCFF">Giant Insect</span></strong>: The best of the low-level conjuration spells (although this one is technically transmutation) because it instantly gives you the most allies. With ten giant centipedes, you should have no issue getting advantage on all your checks (don't forget to command half to Help on your own checks and the other half to Help on opposed checks). </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: #660066">Greater Invisibility</span></strong>: At first glance, this seems like a decent spell, but it has a lot of redundancy with grappling. For one, it requires concentration, so no Enlarge/Enhance/conjuring shenanigans allowed. Two, the advantage it gives you and disadvantage it bestows opponents is already happening through the prone condition. Non-grappled enemies will also know where you are, just by the presence of their pinned allies. Skip this spell; there are better things to commit to. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: #0000CC">Guardian of Faith</span></strong>: A no-concentration way to output 60 damage over three to six rounds. Even if you aren't using the Grappler restrained option, that's still a nice damage output, even if it's a finite source at its best when used against a single target and not multiples. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: #33CCFF">Mordenakainen's Faithful Hound</span></strong>: Mathematically, this spell is almost always going to be better than Guardian. You're dealing an average of 18 damage per round as opposed to 10 or 20, and it's based on an attack roll with advantage (remember: the target is prone) as opposed to a Dexterity save. The Hound damage ceiling is also much higher over those three rounds. Of course, once the fight hits round four then this gets really crazy. This is easily one of the best ways to pump your damage output through spells, and it requires zero action or concentration investment from you. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: #0000CC">Polymorph</span></strong>: It might surprise some of you that this is a blue and not a gold. One big issue is concentration, which immediately means you can't use Enlarge/Enhance/Conjure to get that sweet grappling advantage. Another issue surrounds grappling rules ambiguities: the rules let you grapple with a free <em>hand, </em>and a DM could rule against this kind of grappling by handless forms. Things like Apes can get around this, but a Bear might be a different story. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: #0000CC">Wall of Fire</span></strong>: Get the Wall going, drag two enemies into it, and let them bake. This is one of the best lower-level spell to combine with the Grappler feat and the restrained condition, even if its damage output is somewhat eclipsed by a much more involved Spike Growth build we'll talk about later. </li> </ul><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong>Level 5</strong></span></p><p></p><p>[sblock="Level 5 spell review"]</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: #660066">Animate Objects: </span></strong>Seems like a decent summoning spell, until you realize it requires a bonus action to command your "Be Our Guest"-style horde. There's some ambiguous phrasing around "Once given an order, the creature continues to follow it until its task is complete", but it seems like "order" corresponds to a specifically directed "action", as opposed to a longer "Perform Help with me until the fight is over". If you are using summoned creatures, stick with Raise Dead or the Conjure spells. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Bigby's Hand</strong></span>: Ever wanted to grapple at range? With Bigby's (Grasping) Hand, now you can! The Hand has a +8 grapple bonus and gets advantage if grappling a medium or smaller target. You can even continue to cast spells on the target while the Hand is squeezing the life out of it. You won't need things like Expertise and Enlarge to work with the Hand, which makes this a different take on grappling that can be no less potent in the right build. Big drawback: you can't grapple multiple targets. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>Contagion</strong></span>: At its best, this is a no-concentration debuff that disadvantages grappling checks. At its worst, it takes 6 rounds to take effect and it still might not work. Although flavorful in the right build, Contagion will almost always be worse than Bestow Curse cast with a higher level spell slot. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: #32CD32"><strong>Telekinesis</strong></span>: Here's a weirdy but a goody. Like Bigby's Hand, Telekinesis lets you control enemies at range. Unlike the Hand, you aren't really grappling them per RAW. Instead, you use your spellcasting ability to initiate a contest against their Strength check (not Athletics or Acrobatics!) to attempt controlling their movement. Success imposes the powerful "restrained" condition on your opponent, which is typically reserved only for players using the bad Grappler feat. The condition lasts until your next turn, so you can theoretically Telekinesis someone on one turn and then blast them on the next turn to take advantage of their disadvantage. Probably less optimal than other grappling styles, but worth a mention because it's so cool. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Wall of Force</strong></span>: WELCOME TO THUNDERDOME! Two (to three) men/women/creatures enter, one grappler leaves! Drag two creatures into an area and then release one as a free action. Then cast the spell, trapping all of you in the hemispherical (THUNDER)dome. Your enemies will be trapped, their allies won't be able to help, and you can re-grapple them at your leisure. Concentration is a bummer here, but if you can get Enlarge cast on you through different means then it won't matter. </li> </ul><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong>Level 6</strong></span></p><p></p><p>[sblock="Level 6 spell review"]</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Blade Barrier</strong></span>: Solid Grappler combo that hits harder than Wall of Flame. Drag enemies into the are, restrain them, and then enjoy the 6d10 damage per turn with disadvantage on the save. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: #33CCFF"><strong>Contingency</strong></span>: An expensive but powerful way to maximize your first round of grappling. Typically, you will choose Enlarge or Enhance Ability as the spell and some easily-fulfilled condition as the trigger. Such as "Contingency triggers when I shout HULK SMASH". When you're next in combat, charge towards an opponent and yell HULK SMASH as you get there. This will give you your full action to grapple and attack but you'll still get Enlarged/Enhanced without otherwise casting the spell. Great action economy at a relatively steep 1,500 GP cost! You can also do cool stuff with Contingency and Wall of Force ("When I shout WELCOME TO THUNDERDOME) cast Wall of Force in a hemisphere centered on me"). </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Eyebite</strong></span>: One of the better ways to impose constant disadvantage on an enemy's checks, Eyebite is a concentration spell that can totally shut down at least two targets. Cast it and then choose the "Panicked" condition, targeting one of your grappled enemies. If he fails the save, he'll be unable to run and will effectively be frightened for the rest of the fight. From an RAW standpoint, the "unless there is nowhere to move" doesn't count grappling: that would be phrased as "unless they can't move" or something similar. This might mean the Panicked targets are permanently stuck dashing and running away while grappled. Even if your DM rules against this, you can still Eyebite before the grapple starts and keep using it for the duration of the fight. </li> </ul><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong>Level 7</strong></span></p><p></p><p>[sblock="Level 7 spell review"]</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Delayed Blast Fireball</strong>: Blade Barrier will deal more damage over time, but the 21d6 burst of a Fireball cooked for 9 rounds is at the top of its game for damage spiking. Combine with the Grappler feat to make sure your targets get disadvantage on the Dexterity check. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Divine Word</strong>: There are better magical options out there, but Divine Word is one of the few high-level, bonus action, Verbal-only, no-concentration spells in the PHB. If you're a Cleric grappler, it's something else to do if you're swarmed by enemies or want an added edge towards the tail-end of a fight against grappled targets. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: #33CCFF">Forcecage</span></strong>: TIME FOR A CAGE MATCH. Did I already say WELCOME TO THUNDERDOME with Wall of Force? Let's rephrase for this spell: <strong>WELCOME TO THUNDERDOME!!! </strong>Unlike Wall, Forcecage requires no concentration, allows no spells to enter or leave, and forbids magical travel in and out of the cage. As a martial artist, I'm unreasonably excited about this spell but it's mostly for good reason. Drag two creatures into an area, while concentrating on Enlarge or something similar, release one, and drop the cage. Your victims will be completely trapped and cut off from help, with no external ways of breaking the Cage (not even Dispel Magic or Disintegrate does it). You'll need to chill in the cage for about an hour after the fight is over, but the in-combat benefits are worth the wait. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Symbol</strong></span>: If you can determine the fight terms, Symbol can be a very powerful set up before a battle begins. It doesn't require concentration to maintain as a Symbol, and the "Fear" effect doesn't require concentration either. This lets you maintain Enlarge or Enhance (even Rage!) while still putting your opponents into a frightened state. They only get one save against the effect and their terrified for a full minute, which is more than enough time to close the fight. </li> </ul><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong>Level 8</strong></span></p><p></p><p>[sblock="Level 8 spell review"]</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: #CC9900">Antimagic Field</span></strong>: Accept no substitutes to completely shut down magical enemies. Neither Freedom of Movement, Misty Step, Teleportation, magic items, nor any of the other supernatural escape mechanisms will help an opponent locked down in an Antimagic Field. Because the Field moves with you, you also retain the mobility grapplers covet when darting around a battlefield. In many cases, Silence is good enough to stop enemies, but you will always come across that one high-level monster the DM has designed specifically to beat grapplers. There are lots of magical ways to beat Silence, the easiest of which is to cast a spell beforehand. Field laughs at all those countermeasures, making this the best way to keep magical enemies out of a fight. Remember you can't benefit from Enhance Ability or Enlarge while in a Field (nor Rage because Field requires concentration), but a naturally high Athletics check plus something like the Luck feat should more than suffice. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: #32CD32">Antipathy/Sympathy</span></strong>: Antipathy is the only no-concentration, high-duration, no-resave-allowed "frightened" effect in the game. Once a creature fails that Antipathy save, they are permanently frightened with no concentration required, at least until they get 60 feet away from you. Because of the spell's harsh targeting restrictions, this effect is best used against major Big Bad Evil Guys when you can prepare with 60 minute advance notice. These restrictions make the spell green instead of gold, but it's still a great bullet to have in your arsenal. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Incendiary Cloud</strong></span>: Here's your solid 10d8 Dexterity saving throw spell for high levels. Cloud also grants heavy obscurity to everyone in the area and covered by the cloud, so with good positioning you can pin two enemies in the Cloud and use the cover to avoid drawing attention from their enemies. </li> </ul><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong>Level 9</strong></span></p><p></p><p>[sblock="Level 9 spell review"]</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: #CC9900">Foresight</span></strong>: The capstone buff for both College of Valor Bards and, much more terrifyingly, Shapechanging Wizards. Foresight lasts 8 hours, requires no concentration, bestows advantage on all your ability checks and, as if those three benefits weren't enough, also bestows advantage on saving throws and disadvantage on all attacks against you. There's not much more to say on the spell other than that it's the best single-target grappler buff in the PHB. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: #32CD32">Gate</span></strong>: Here's a weird one. As long as you're okay losing an enemy's body, you can open a portal to somewhere suitably nasty (Elemental Plane of Fire/Water, some horrible plane of the Abyss), drag the creature to the entrance, shove them through, and then close the Gate. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: #CC9900">Shapechange</span></strong>: Who designed this spell? Unlike Polymorph or True Polymorph, Shapechange gives you a new form but lets you keep all your class features and other character abilities. And you can also cast spells? Yeah, it really does feel like cheating. This spell is Broken with a capital B, but for grapplers we are generally just looking for big monsters with high strength scores, ideally with high Athletics checks (unless yours is somehow higher). Storm Giant (Athletics +14) is a great place to start, as are the CR 20 dragons (Ancient Brass/White). </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: #0000FF">Time Stop</span></strong>: Your setup spell as a Shapechanger. Cast Time Stop. Use rounds to place non-concentration buffs. Caste Shapechange. One moment you were a gnome. Opponent blinks and you are a Longstriding Dragon with Mirror Images hovering around it. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: #FF0000">True Polymorph</span></strong>: It's like Shapechange... but really bad because you can't use any of your other abilities or features. I'm probably under-rating this out of bitterness that Warlocks are stuck with TP while Wizards get Shapechange, but losing all your hard-earned feats and other class benefits really stinks. You're also picking up TP in a class that doesn't get Foresight too, so the max-level Wizard grappler is just going to be flat out better than the max-level Warlock one. This spell becomes SIGNIFICANTLY better if you somehow get someone to cast it on you at a lower level and you become a Storm Giant forever. Consult with your DM about how this bizarre situation would work with leveling. </li> </ul><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p>In general, your biggest limitation in picking spells is concentration. This is followed closely by somatic components, which you can't perform if grappling two enemies. Outside of Rage, spells are the best ways to pick up flat grappling advantage, which means you are going to need either Enlarge or Enhance Ability as early as possible. You can also concentrate on fear spells as a pseudo-advantage, but enemy disadvantage will generally be worse than your own advantage because your bonuses will be so big. A big exception to this is if you need a specific effect for a certain opponent, such as Silence for mages or Wall of Force for mobile enemies. In those instances, be flexible with your concentration and understand you might need to sacrifice the vaunted advantage for something more targeted at the encounter. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">[anchor="dojo"]8. [/anchor]</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 18px"><u>The Dojo: Grappling Tactics</u></span></strong></p><p></p><p>We already went over some of the more common grappling sequences in the <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?468737-The-Grappler-s-Manual-%282-0%29-Grappling-in-5th-Edition#rules" target="_blank">"Grappling Rules" section</a>. Now that these basics are out of the way, we can look at a few combinations that are a little more involved, either from a rules perspective (drawing from the Dungeon Master's Guide or on some heavy RAW readings), or from a setup and encounter perspective. I'll also quickly summarize those basic mechanics from "Grappling Rules", just so all your options are in one place. </p><p></p><p>I used the Brazilian Jujitsu belt system in the "Grappling Rules" section in an earlier version of the guide, but I've since moved that ranking here because it makes more sense. It doesn't quite correspond to how I would expect BJJ practitioners to progress in the real world (if your academy teaches <em>weapon attacks</em> from mount to white belts, it's time to find a new gym), but it makes much more sense in the context of the game and how characters level up. </p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong><u>White Belts: Basic Techniques</u></strong></span></p><p>These are the moves all D&D grapplers need to know. If you forget everything else in a session, just remember these seven options. Mechanically, White Belt techniques are all strict RAW options the PHB already makes available to you. The only exception to this is shoving after a grapple, which feels more Blue Belt-like but is so fundamental to effective D&D grappling that you need to learn it first. </p><p></p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Initiate a grapple</strong>: Gotta start somewhere! Remember that grappling (and shoving) use the Attack action and that Extra Attack gives you multiple grapple/shove attempts. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Shove an opponent prone</strong>: If they fail the Shove contest, they will be prone, unable to stand, suffer from disadvantage on their own attack rolls, and attack rolls against them will receive advantage. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Move an opponent with you</strong>: Drag an opponent at half speed. Note that the rules on dragging and weights will likely apply here, depending on your DM. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Keep an opponent in place</strong>: Prevent an opponent from moving at all. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Release an opponent</strong>: Let go of your opponent. Useful if the grapple is happening over a ledge, on a cliffwall, or in midair. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Attack with a weapon or unarmed strike</strong>: Make an attack roll against your target to damage. Will gain advantage if they are prone. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Cast a spell</strong>: As long as you have a free hand, you can still cast with Somatic components. If you lose that hand for whatever reason, you're stuck on Verbal. </li> </ol><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong><u>Blue Belts: Developing Techniques</u></strong></span></p><p>You've figured out the basics and you're ready to be more effective on the offensive and the defensive. From a rules perspective, the common theme of Blue Bel techniques is overlapping two different RAW mechanics to create an outcome the PHB doesn't explicitly discuss. Blue Belt moves also include action options presented in the DMG (p. 271), which your DM may choose to allow or disallow at their discretion. </p><p></p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Grapple a second opponent</strong>: Use a free hand to grapple another target. This will restrict your options later as you lose a free hand. Shoving does not require a free hand, so you can still shove enemies prone after you grapple them, even if you are grappling two at once. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Shove out of an enemy grapple</strong>: If an enemy grapples you and you want to get out, don't waste an action with an Athletics or Acrobatics check. Use the Shove action instead: it replaces your Attack so you might get more chances! The forced movement ends the unwanted grapple and also creates 5 feet of separation, which could be valuable in some situations. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Counter-grapple an enemy grappler</strong>: If your opponent is exceptionally sturdy or the encounter won't let you shove them away (maybe you are in a narrow tunnel), you can also initiate your own grapple check on an opponent. You will both be considered "grappled" until either you or the opponent ends it. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Climb onto Huge or Gargantuan creatures</strong>: The DMG lets you use an <em>action</em>, not an Attack, to make your Athletics check to clamber aboard big enemies. You won't be grappling them and you won't be able to shove them prone, but you'll still get advantage on attack rolls and it's something for you to do with your high skill check in battles against otherwise un-grappleable enemies. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Disarm an opponent</strong>: This DMG action requires you to make a <em>weapon</em> attack, so it won't work if you have two enemies grappled and no free hand to wield a weapon. You'll make an attack roll contested by the enemy's Athletics/Acrobatics check, and if you succeed they'll drop the item. Not quite as good as the Battlemaster maneuver but anyone can do it and you can still drag them away from their dropped item after you win the contest. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Shove away</strong>: Grapple an enemy, drag them somewhere unsafe, and then give them a push. If they lose the contest, they'll move 5 feet back into whatever hazard you lined them up with. Note this breaks the grapple (forced movement). </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Shove aside</strong>: The last DMG action is probably the best. Unlike shoving away, which breaks the grapple, shoving aside keeps a target within reach. You just reposition them 5 feet in a different direction. Very useful for certain Purple Belt and higher techniques and for different battlefield configurations. </li> </ol><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong><u>Purple Belts: Intermediate Techniques</u></strong></span></p><p>Now that you have all the fundamentals in place, it's time to start attacking and moving in creative ways. Purple Belt techniques combine multiple RAW options into elaborate setups and situations. Unlike some of the later techniques, however, they don't generally require any additional spells, class features, movement modes, or other conditions.</p><p></p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>The long drop</strong>: An oldy but a goody. Drag one or two enemies over to a ledge or some other hazardous drop and then shove them off. They'll take 1d6 damage per ten feet traveled. You can even jump with them, hauling them into the air with no shove required. Bonus points for trying to land on top of at least one of them for some amount of damage (your DM will determine using the "Improvising Damage" table on DMG 249).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Human shields</strong>: If an enemy is blocking at least half of your body, you'll get +2 to AC and Dexterity saving throws from half cover (PHB, 196). If you're grappling enemies, you have at least one, possibly two, enemies who will be more than happy to stand between you and danger. Simply grapple enemies and use the shove aside option from Blue Belt techniques to relocate them into harm's way.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Take it to the ground: </strong>If you are attacking prone enemies, you need to be standing so you don't suffer from disadvantage yourself. But if you are under fire from ranged attackers (or monsters with 10+ foot reach), you might need to improve your odds. Dropping prone (no action required) gives enemies greater than 5 feet away disadvantage on those attacks. As long as you maintain your grapple and keep your enemies prone, their prone disadvantage cancels out the advantage they'd gain from attacking you while prone. This is a useful sacrifice maneuver if you aren't worried about your two enemies and are more scared of their far-off friends. Combine with human shields to get bonuses on AC and saves!</li> </ol><p></p><p>(WORK IN PROGRESS 12/29)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ktkenshinx, post: 6702606, member: 6785159"] [B][SIZE=5][anchor="magic49"]7. [/anchor][/SIZE][/B][B][SIZE=5][U]Magic and Spells: Level 4 - Level 9[/U][/SIZE][/B] [SIZE=4][B]Level 4[/B][/SIZE] [sblock="Level 4 spell review"] [LIST] [*][B][COLOR=#0000CC]Conjure spells[/COLOR][/B]: All of these require concentration, but they give you a non-Rage/Enlarge/Enhance-Ability way to grant advantage on most of your checks. Conjure Minor Elementals isn't great because it takes a full minute to cast, but Woodland Beings is a bit better at a single action. None of the conjured critters need an action to command them, which saves your valuable actions for more grappling-themed abilities. These are outclassed by Giant Insect just because they only produce 8 monsters. Insect will get you 10. [*][B][COLOR=#0000CC]Fire Shield[/COLOR][/B]: A no-concentration buff! Technically, your enemies won't trigger the fire damage just by being grappled, but every time they try to hit you they'll take the damage. Most monsters won't have any other options, so it's a nice way to pump your damage. Bonus points for giving you resistance to a damage-type you might use in AOE spells! [*][B]Freedom of Movement[/B]: A decent buff when cast on grapplers and one of the scariest spells when cast on their enemies. It doesn't cost concentration and it gives the target free rein to escape any grapple. Beware this on enemies! When cast on yourself, Freedom lets you more effectively drag enemies and perform underwater grappling. (Note: RAW, the spell actually doesn't work at all with grappling because the condition sets your speed to 0, giving you no movement to spend to escape. This is clearly a typo or rules conflict that 95% of DMs would probably rule against). [*][B][COLOR=#33CCFF]Giant Insect[/COLOR][/B]: The best of the low-level conjuration spells (although this one is technically transmutation) because it instantly gives you the most allies. With ten giant centipedes, you should have no issue getting advantage on all your checks (don't forget to command half to Help on your own checks and the other half to Help on opposed checks). [*][B][COLOR=#660066]Greater Invisibility[/COLOR][/B]: At first glance, this seems like a decent spell, but it has a lot of redundancy with grappling. For one, it requires concentration, so no Enlarge/Enhance/conjuring shenanigans allowed. Two, the advantage it gives you and disadvantage it bestows opponents is already happening through the prone condition. Non-grappled enemies will also know where you are, just by the presence of their pinned allies. Skip this spell; there are better things to commit to. [*][B][COLOR=#0000CC]Guardian of Faith[/COLOR][/B]: A no-concentration way to output 60 damage over three to six rounds. Even if you aren't using the Grappler restrained option, that's still a nice damage output, even if it's a finite source at its best when used against a single target and not multiples. [*][B][COLOR=#33CCFF]Mordenakainen's Faithful Hound[/COLOR][/B]: Mathematically, this spell is almost always going to be better than Guardian. You're dealing an average of 18 damage per round as opposed to 10 or 20, and it's based on an attack roll with advantage (remember: the target is prone) as opposed to a Dexterity save. The Hound damage ceiling is also much higher over those three rounds. Of course, once the fight hits round four then this gets really crazy. This is easily one of the best ways to pump your damage output through spells, and it requires zero action or concentration investment from you. [*][B][COLOR=#0000CC]Polymorph[/COLOR][/B]: It might surprise some of you that this is a blue and not a gold. One big issue is concentration, which immediately means you can't use Enlarge/Enhance/Conjure to get that sweet grappling advantage. Another issue surrounds grappling rules ambiguities: the rules let you grapple with a free [I]hand, [/I]and a DM could rule against this kind of grappling by handless forms. Things like Apes can get around this, but a Bear might be a different story. [*][B][COLOR=#0000CC]Wall of Fire[/COLOR][/B]: Get the Wall going, drag two enemies into it, and let them bake. This is one of the best lower-level spell to combine with the Grappler feat and the restrained condition, even if its damage output is somewhat eclipsed by a much more involved Spike Growth build we'll talk about later. [/LIST] [/sblock] [SIZE=4][B]Level 5[/B][/SIZE] [sblock="Level 5 spell review"] [LIST] [*][B][COLOR=#660066]Animate Objects: [/COLOR][/B]Seems like a decent summoning spell, until you realize it requires a bonus action to command your "Be Our Guest"-style horde. There's some ambiguous phrasing around "Once given an order, the creature continues to follow it until its task is complete", but it seems like "order" corresponds to a specifically directed "action", as opposed to a longer "Perform Help with me until the fight is over". If you are using summoned creatures, stick with Raise Dead or the Conjure spells. [*][COLOR=#0000ff][B]Bigby's Hand[/B][/COLOR]: Ever wanted to grapple at range? With Bigby's (Grasping) Hand, now you can! The Hand has a +8 grapple bonus and gets advantage if grappling a medium or smaller target. You can even continue to cast spells on the target while the Hand is squeezing the life out of it. You won't need things like Expertise and Enlarge to work with the Hand, which makes this a different take on grappling that can be no less potent in the right build. Big drawback: you can't grapple multiple targets. [*][COLOR=#ff0000][B]Contagion[/B][/COLOR]: At its best, this is a no-concentration debuff that disadvantages grappling checks. At its worst, it takes 6 rounds to take effect and it still might not work. Although flavorful in the right build, Contagion will almost always be worse than Bestow Curse cast with a higher level spell slot. [*][COLOR=#32CD32][B]Telekinesis[/B][/COLOR]: Here's a weirdy but a goody. Like Bigby's Hand, Telekinesis lets you control enemies at range. Unlike the Hand, you aren't really grappling them per RAW. Instead, you use your spellcasting ability to initiate a contest against their Strength check (not Athletics or Acrobatics!) to attempt controlling their movement. Success imposes the powerful "restrained" condition on your opponent, which is typically reserved only for players using the bad Grappler feat. The condition lasts until your next turn, so you can theoretically Telekinesis someone on one turn and then blast them on the next turn to take advantage of their disadvantage. Probably less optimal than other grappling styles, but worth a mention because it's so cool. [*][COLOR=#0000ff][B]Wall of Force[/B][/COLOR]: WELCOME TO THUNDERDOME! Two (to three) men/women/creatures enter, one grappler leaves! Drag two creatures into an area and then release one as a free action. Then cast the spell, trapping all of you in the hemispherical (THUNDER)dome. Your enemies will be trapped, their allies won't be able to help, and you can re-grapple them at your leisure. Concentration is a bummer here, but if you can get Enlarge cast on you through different means then it won't matter. [/LIST] [/sblock] [SIZE=4][B]Level 6[/B][/SIZE] [sblock="Level 6 spell review"] [LIST] [*][COLOR=#0000ff][B]Blade Barrier[/B][/COLOR]: Solid Grappler combo that hits harder than Wall of Flame. Drag enemies into the are, restrain them, and then enjoy the 6d10 damage per turn with disadvantage on the save. [*][COLOR=#33CCFF][B]Contingency[/B][/COLOR]: An expensive but powerful way to maximize your first round of grappling. Typically, you will choose Enlarge or Enhance Ability as the spell and some easily-fulfilled condition as the trigger. Such as "Contingency triggers when I shout HULK SMASH". When you're next in combat, charge towards an opponent and yell HULK SMASH as you get there. This will give you your full action to grapple and attack but you'll still get Enlarged/Enhanced without otherwise casting the spell. Great action economy at a relatively steep 1,500 GP cost! You can also do cool stuff with Contingency and Wall of Force ("When I shout WELCOME TO THUNDERDOME) cast Wall of Force in a hemisphere centered on me"). [*][COLOR=#0000ff][B]Eyebite[/B][/COLOR]: One of the better ways to impose constant disadvantage on an enemy's checks, Eyebite is a concentration spell that can totally shut down at least two targets. Cast it and then choose the "Panicked" condition, targeting one of your grappled enemies. If he fails the save, he'll be unable to run and will effectively be frightened for the rest of the fight. From an RAW standpoint, the "unless there is nowhere to move" doesn't count grappling: that would be phrased as "unless they can't move" or something similar. This might mean the Panicked targets are permanently stuck dashing and running away while grappled. Even if your DM rules against this, you can still Eyebite before the grapple starts and keep using it for the duration of the fight. [/LIST] [/sblock] [SIZE=4][B]Level 7[/B][/SIZE] [sblock="Level 7 spell review"] [LIST] [*][B]Delayed Blast Fireball[/B]: Blade Barrier will deal more damage over time, but the 21d6 burst of a Fireball cooked for 9 rounds is at the top of its game for damage spiking. Combine with the Grappler feat to make sure your targets get disadvantage on the Dexterity check. [*][B]Divine Word[/B]: There are better magical options out there, but Divine Word is one of the few high-level, bonus action, Verbal-only, no-concentration spells in the PHB. If you're a Cleric grappler, it's something else to do if you're swarmed by enemies or want an added edge towards the tail-end of a fight against grappled targets. [*][B][COLOR=#33CCFF]Forcecage[/COLOR][/B]: TIME FOR A CAGE MATCH. Did I already say WELCOME TO THUNDERDOME with Wall of Force? Let's rephrase for this spell: [B]WELCOME TO THUNDERDOME!!! [/B]Unlike Wall, Forcecage requires no concentration, allows no spells to enter or leave, and forbids magical travel in and out of the cage. As a martial artist, I'm unreasonably excited about this spell but it's mostly for good reason. Drag two creatures into an area, while concentrating on Enlarge or something similar, release one, and drop the cage. Your victims will be completely trapped and cut off from help, with no external ways of breaking the Cage (not even Dispel Magic or Disintegrate does it). You'll need to chill in the cage for about an hour after the fight is over, but the in-combat benefits are worth the wait. [*][COLOR=#0000ff][B]Symbol[/B][/COLOR]: If you can determine the fight terms, Symbol can be a very powerful set up before a battle begins. It doesn't require concentration to maintain as a Symbol, and the "Fear" effect doesn't require concentration either. This lets you maintain Enlarge or Enhance (even Rage!) while still putting your opponents into a frightened state. They only get one save against the effect and their terrified for a full minute, which is more than enough time to close the fight. [/LIST] [/sblock] [SIZE=4][B]Level 8[/B][/SIZE] [sblock="Level 8 spell review"] [LIST] [*][B][COLOR=#CC9900]Antimagic Field[/COLOR][/B]: Accept no substitutes to completely shut down magical enemies. Neither Freedom of Movement, Misty Step, Teleportation, magic items, nor any of the other supernatural escape mechanisms will help an opponent locked down in an Antimagic Field. Because the Field moves with you, you also retain the mobility grapplers covet when darting around a battlefield. In many cases, Silence is good enough to stop enemies, but you will always come across that one high-level monster the DM has designed specifically to beat grapplers. There are lots of magical ways to beat Silence, the easiest of which is to cast a spell beforehand. Field laughs at all those countermeasures, making this the best way to keep magical enemies out of a fight. Remember you can't benefit from Enhance Ability or Enlarge while in a Field (nor Rage because Field requires concentration), but a naturally high Athletics check plus something like the Luck feat should more than suffice. [*][B][COLOR=#32CD32]Antipathy/Sympathy[/COLOR][/B]: Antipathy is the only no-concentration, high-duration, no-resave-allowed "frightened" effect in the game. Once a creature fails that Antipathy save, they are permanently frightened with no concentration required, at least until they get 60 feet away from you. Because of the spell's harsh targeting restrictions, this effect is best used against major Big Bad Evil Guys when you can prepare with 60 minute advance notice. These restrictions make the spell green instead of gold, but it's still a great bullet to have in your arsenal. [*][COLOR=#0000ff][B]Incendiary Cloud[/B][/COLOR]: Here's your solid 10d8 Dexterity saving throw spell for high levels. Cloud also grants heavy obscurity to everyone in the area and covered by the cloud, so with good positioning you can pin two enemies in the Cloud and use the cover to avoid drawing attention from their enemies. [/LIST] [/sblock] [SIZE=4][B]Level 9[/B][/SIZE] [sblock="Level 9 spell review"] [LIST] [*][B][COLOR=#CC9900]Foresight[/COLOR][/B]: The capstone buff for both College of Valor Bards and, much more terrifyingly, Shapechanging Wizards. Foresight lasts 8 hours, requires no concentration, bestows advantage on all your ability checks and, as if those three benefits weren't enough, also bestows advantage on saving throws and disadvantage on all attacks against you. There's not much more to say on the spell other than that it's the best single-target grappler buff in the PHB. [*][B][COLOR=#32CD32]Gate[/COLOR][/B]: Here's a weird one. As long as you're okay losing an enemy's body, you can open a portal to somewhere suitably nasty (Elemental Plane of Fire/Water, some horrible plane of the Abyss), drag the creature to the entrance, shove them through, and then close the Gate. [*][B][COLOR=#CC9900]Shapechange[/COLOR][/B]: Who designed this spell? Unlike Polymorph or True Polymorph, Shapechange gives you a new form but lets you keep all your class features and other character abilities. And you can also cast spells? Yeah, it really does feel like cheating. This spell is Broken with a capital B, but for grapplers we are generally just looking for big monsters with high strength scores, ideally with high Athletics checks (unless yours is somehow higher). Storm Giant (Athletics +14) is a great place to start, as are the CR 20 dragons (Ancient Brass/White). [*][B][COLOR=#0000FF]Time Stop[/COLOR][/B]: Your setup spell as a Shapechanger. Cast Time Stop. Use rounds to place non-concentration buffs. Caste Shapechange. One moment you were a gnome. Opponent blinks and you are a Longstriding Dragon with Mirror Images hovering around it. [*][B][COLOR=#FF0000]True Polymorph[/COLOR][/B]: It's like Shapechange... but really bad because you can't use any of your other abilities or features. I'm probably under-rating this out of bitterness that Warlocks are stuck with TP while Wizards get Shapechange, but losing all your hard-earned feats and other class benefits really stinks. You're also picking up TP in a class that doesn't get Foresight too, so the max-level Wizard grappler is just going to be flat out better than the max-level Warlock one. This spell becomes SIGNIFICANTLY better if you somehow get someone to cast it on you at a lower level and you become a Storm Giant forever. Consult with your DM about how this bizarre situation would work with leveling. [/LIST] [/sblock] In general, your biggest limitation in picking spells is concentration. This is followed closely by somatic components, which you can't perform if grappling two enemies. Outside of Rage, spells are the best ways to pick up flat grappling advantage, which means you are going to need either Enlarge or Enhance Ability as early as possible. You can also concentrate on fear spells as a pseudo-advantage, but enemy disadvantage will generally be worse than your own advantage because your bonuses will be so big. A big exception to this is if you need a specific effect for a certain opponent, such as Silence for mages or Wall of Force for mobile enemies. In those instances, be flexible with your concentration and understand you might need to sacrifice the vaunted advantage for something more targeted at the encounter. [B][SIZE=5][anchor="dojo"]8. [/anchor][/SIZE][/B][B][SIZE=5][U]The Dojo: Grappling Tactics[/U][/SIZE][/B] We already went over some of the more common grappling sequences in the [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?468737-The-Grappler-s-Manual-%282-0%29-Grappling-in-5th-Edition#rules"]"Grappling Rules" section[/URL]. Now that these basics are out of the way, we can look at a few combinations that are a little more involved, either from a rules perspective (drawing from the Dungeon Master's Guide or on some heavy RAW readings), or from a setup and encounter perspective. I'll also quickly summarize those basic mechanics from "Grappling Rules", just so all your options are in one place. I used the Brazilian Jujitsu belt system in the "Grappling Rules" section in an earlier version of the guide, but I've since moved that ranking here because it makes more sense. It doesn't quite correspond to how I would expect BJJ practitioners to progress in the real world (if your academy teaches [I]weapon attacks[/I] from mount to white belts, it's time to find a new gym), but it makes much more sense in the context of the game and how characters level up. [SIZE=4][B][U]White Belts: Basic Techniques[/U][/B][/SIZE] These are the moves all D&D grapplers need to know. If you forget everything else in a session, just remember these seven options. Mechanically, White Belt techniques are all strict RAW options the PHB already makes available to you. The only exception to this is shoving after a grapple, which feels more Blue Belt-like but is so fundamental to effective D&D grappling that you need to learn it first. [LIST=1] [*][B]Initiate a grapple[/B]: Gotta start somewhere! Remember that grappling (and shoving) use the Attack action and that Extra Attack gives you multiple grapple/shove attempts. [*][B]Shove an opponent prone[/B]: If they fail the Shove contest, they will be prone, unable to stand, suffer from disadvantage on their own attack rolls, and attack rolls against them will receive advantage. [*][B]Move an opponent with you[/B]: Drag an opponent at half speed. Note that the rules on dragging and weights will likely apply here, depending on your DM. [*][B]Keep an opponent in place[/B]: Prevent an opponent from moving at all. [*][B]Release an opponent[/B]: Let go of your opponent. Useful if the grapple is happening over a ledge, on a cliffwall, or in midair. [*][B]Attack with a weapon or unarmed strike[/B]: Make an attack roll against your target to damage. Will gain advantage if they are prone. [*][B]Cast a spell[/B]: As long as you have a free hand, you can still cast with Somatic components. If you lose that hand for whatever reason, you're stuck on Verbal. [/LIST] [SIZE=4][B][U]Blue Belts: Developing Techniques[/U][/B][/SIZE] You've figured out the basics and you're ready to be more effective on the offensive and the defensive. From a rules perspective, the common theme of Blue Bel techniques is overlapping two different RAW mechanics to create an outcome the PHB doesn't explicitly discuss. Blue Belt moves also include action options presented in the DMG (p. 271), which your DM may choose to allow or disallow at their discretion. [LIST=1] [*][B]Grapple a second opponent[/B]: Use a free hand to grapple another target. This will restrict your options later as you lose a free hand. Shoving does not require a free hand, so you can still shove enemies prone after you grapple them, even if you are grappling two at once. [*][B]Shove out of an enemy grapple[/B]: If an enemy grapples you and you want to get out, don't waste an action with an Athletics or Acrobatics check. Use the Shove action instead: it replaces your Attack so you might get more chances! The forced movement ends the unwanted grapple and also creates 5 feet of separation, which could be valuable in some situations. [*][B]Counter-grapple an enemy grappler[/B]: If your opponent is exceptionally sturdy or the encounter won't let you shove them away (maybe you are in a narrow tunnel), you can also initiate your own grapple check on an opponent. You will both be considered "grappled" until either you or the opponent ends it. [*][B]Climb onto Huge or Gargantuan creatures[/B]: The DMG lets you use an [I]action[/I], not an Attack, to make your Athletics check to clamber aboard big enemies. You won't be grappling them and you won't be able to shove them prone, but you'll still get advantage on attack rolls and it's something for you to do with your high skill check in battles against otherwise un-grappleable enemies. [*][B]Disarm an opponent[/B]: This DMG action requires you to make a [I]weapon[/I] attack, so it won't work if you have two enemies grappled and no free hand to wield a weapon. You'll make an attack roll contested by the enemy's Athletics/Acrobatics check, and if you succeed they'll drop the item. Not quite as good as the Battlemaster maneuver but anyone can do it and you can still drag them away from their dropped item after you win the contest. [*][B]Shove away[/B]: Grapple an enemy, drag them somewhere unsafe, and then give them a push. If they lose the contest, they'll move 5 feet back into whatever hazard you lined them up with. Note this breaks the grapple (forced movement). [*][B]Shove aside[/B]: The last DMG action is probably the best. Unlike shoving away, which breaks the grapple, shoving aside keeps a target within reach. You just reposition them 5 feet in a different direction. Very useful for certain Purple Belt and higher techniques and for different battlefield configurations. [/LIST] [SIZE=4][B][U]Purple Belts: Intermediate Techniques[/U][/B][/SIZE] Now that you have all the fundamentals in place, it's time to start attacking and moving in creative ways. Purple Belt techniques combine multiple RAW options into elaborate setups and situations. Unlike some of the later techniques, however, they don't generally require any additional spells, class features, movement modes, or other conditions. [LIST=1] [*][B]The long drop[/B]: An oldy but a goody. Drag one or two enemies over to a ledge or some other hazardous drop and then shove them off. They'll take 1d6 damage per ten feet traveled. You can even jump with them, hauling them into the air with no shove required. Bonus points for trying to land on top of at least one of them for some amount of damage (your DM will determine using the "Improvising Damage" table on DMG 249). [*][B]Human shields[/B]: If an enemy is blocking at least half of your body, you'll get +2 to AC and Dexterity saving throws from half cover (PHB, 196). If you're grappling enemies, you have at least one, possibly two, enemies who will be more than happy to stand between you and danger. Simply grapple enemies and use the shove aside option from Blue Belt techniques to relocate them into harm's way. [*][B]Take it to the ground: [/B]If you are attacking prone enemies, you need to be standing so you don't suffer from disadvantage yourself. But if you are under fire from ranged attackers (or monsters with 10+ foot reach), you might need to improve your odds. Dropping prone (no action required) gives enemies greater than 5 feet away disadvantage on those attacks. As long as you maintain your grapple and keep your enemies prone, their prone disadvantage cancels out the advantage they'd gain from attacking you while prone. This is a useful sacrifice maneuver if you aren't worried about your two enemies and are more scared of their far-off friends. Combine with human shields to get bonuses on AC and saves! [/LIST] (WORK IN PROGRESS 12/29) [/QUOTE]
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The Grappler's Manual (2.0) - Grappling in 5th Edition
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