D&D 5E Wind Walk and Grappled

[MNblockhead]

You didn't say what the enemy was. I think this would be an excellent encounter if the enemy was a Djinni. It wind walks in, does Create Whirlwind, and potentially restrains one or more of the windwalking party members. I would be tempted to state that the cloud-formed party would not be able to make a strength check in gaseous form and that they auto-fail. But that seems like a TPK.

This is why my players never had the entire party wind walk together. They were more worried about being incapacitated at the end, especially if they couldn't be absolutely certain they would end their wind walk in a safe location.

Hmm...another thought, if I don't accept JC's advice and use the rules of the gaseous form spell to help adjudicate how a windwalking character would be affected by a Djinni's Create Whirlwind, the spell gives advantage on strength saves. Still, with 4-6 party members, even if all are making their strength saves at advantage, there is a very good chance that at least one of them will fail and there is not much that the rest can do to free any who are caught in the whirlwind.

What would you rule? Normal strength save, no save, or save at advantage?

 

[DEFCON 1]

DM adjudication.

If you think it makes sense for the PC to be in cloud form and the enemy still be able to grapple them... and the PC is unable to take any action except Dash and thus cannot break the grapple and take 10 rounds of damage so that you can kill the PC while in cloud form... then that's how you rule it.

If you think that doesn't make sense, then you use your decision-making power as the Dungeon Master to rule differently.

You do what you think makes sense for you.

 

[aco175]

What did the players agree to the last time you had the bad guy try to escape in cloud form?

If there was enough agreement, I could see the cloud-like form as tied together and not able to detach from the other parts of itself. This may make it more of a floating ooze to be grappled somehow. But then it would likely have advantage on escape checks, which it would need.

 

[Reef]

The way I see it, this would play out in one of two ways:

If they have enough physical form to be grappled, they would have enough physical form to attempt an escape check.

Or, if they do not have enough physical form to attempt an escape check, there would be not enough to grapple in the first place.

Which one it is would depend on each table.

 

[beaumontsebos]

How is it possible to grab a person in cloud form? Probably the same way it's possible to reverse gravity or bring somebody back from the dead. Magic defies logic and what's possible.

 

[beaumontsebos]

Also... I tell my players that they look like Mr. Small in wind walk form. : )

 

[beaumontsebos]

You didn't say what the enemy was. I think this would be an excellent encounter if the enemy was a Djinni. It wind walks in, does Create Whirlwind, and potentially restrains one or more of the windwalking party members. I would be tempted to state that the cloud-formed party would not be able to make a strength check in gaseous form and that they auto-fail. But that seems like a TPK.

This is why my players never had the entire party wind walk together. They were more worried about being incapacitated at the end, especially if they couldn't be absolutely certain they would end their wind walk in a safe location.

Hmm...another thought, if I don't accept JC's advice and use the rules of the gaseous form spell to help adjudicate how a windwalking character would be affected by a Djinni's Create Whirlwind, the spell gives advantage on strength saves. Still, with 4-6 party members, even if all are making their strength saves at advantage, there is a very good chance that at least one of them will fail and there is not much that the rest can do to free any who are caught in the whirlwind.

What would you rule? Normal strength save, no save, or save at advantage?

The enemy was a Breath Drinker. And, for your scenario using gaseous form to adjudicate, I'd give them a STR save with advantage as the gaseous form spell stipulates.

 

[beaumontsebos]

What did the players agree to the last time you had the bad guy try to escape in cloud form?

If there was enough agreement, I could see the cloud-like form as tied together and not able to detach from the other parts of itself. This may make it more of a floating ooze to be grappled somehow. But then it would likely have advantage on escape checks, which it would need.

This is the first time something like this has come up in our campaign. I just ruled that "Escape a Grapple" is an action they can take in wind walk form.

 

[Stormonu]

Another thing to consider is if Wind Walk confers the benefits of the spell gaseous form, then conceivably you can wind walk through small cracks and openings. Becomes very useful through quickly slipping through dungeons and other areas - and difficult to hold if somehow trapped.

 

[beaumontsebos]

Another thing to consider is if Wind Walk confers the benefits of the spell gaseous form, then conceivably you can wind walk through small cracks and openings. Becomes very useful through quickly slipping through dungeons and other areas - and difficult to hold if somehow trapped.

Indeed. It makes the RAW wind walk spell much more powerful.