D&D 5E Forced movement

[I'm A Banana]

Having a big epic fight atop a cliff and then letting everyone not get pushed over the edge because it would make them sad .

Something that has become a bit of a mantra for me when my characters are in dangerous situations:

[video=youtube;OAe68x3hDh0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAe68x3hDh0[/video]

 

[ZombieRoboNinja]

You know why fights on top of waterfalls and cliffs are so exciting? Because people fall off. I'd allow a saving throw if there are guardrails to grab, but otherwise, don't fight on a cliff if you don't want to fall off.

 

[Authweight]

You know why fights on top of waterfalls and cliffs are so exciting? Because people fall off. I'd allow a saving throw if there are guardrails to grab, but otherwise, don't fight on a cliff if you don't want to fall off.

I want people to fall off. I just don't want it to happen at quite the same rate as you do. I'm not making it impossible, I'm just making it less likely.

 

[Tormyr]

Sometimes it seems like DMs are like Elmer Fudd in "What's Opera Doc?"
Elmer Fudd: Kill the wabbit! Kill the wabbit!
[video=youtube;Yxiv3CBMS4M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxiv3CBMS4M[/video]
*snip*
Elmer Fudd: Oh no! I killed the wabbit! I killed the wabbit! *sob*
[video=youtube;LHivHuPFBqA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHivHuPFBqA[/video]
(from about 1 minute in)

 

[ZombieRoboNinja]

I want people to fall off. I just don't want it to happen at quite the same rate as you do. I'm not making it impossible, I'm just making it less likely.

The thing is that forced movement isn't free in 5e (except for warlocks). You're either giving up an entire attack or spending ki or expertise dice (or maybe spell slots?) just to make an attempt to shove someone. So if my fighter hits with an attack, spends an expertise die to shove a goblin off a cliff, and then beats the goblin's saving throw, he might not appreciate the goblin getting ANOTHER saving throw. Pushing is already far less valuable in 5e's less grid-intensive combat style; nerfing the highly situational, predictable, and even realistic conditions that make it awesome seems generally unnecessary.

Now, that warlock invocation changes the game a bit, but honestly blaster warlocks don't get a whole lot of variety in combat, so I don't mind letting them shine in the occasional cliff battle.

 

[Tzarevitch]

Realistic? What part of D&D is realistic? If someone is being pushed off a ledge, realistically he grabs something or drops prone, or grabs the person pushing him. The problem is there are no rules to address the realistic. That's why the OP was asking the question in the first place.