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D&D 5E Grappled

Zaukrie

New Publisher
I read grappled, and I wonder things:

1. Why don't monsters that have creatures grappled actually use that in any way? They don't squeeze for damage, they don't get an extra bite or anything?
2. Why can a grappled creature take opportunity attacks? Like, it seems grappled should do a lot more than it does.
3. Why don't creatures or others have advantage on grappled creatures? I mean, it should be a lot easier for an owlbear to bite someone it is holding....I'd think.

Overall, I guess, I don't get why big, strong, monsters don't get to restrain their enemies instead of grapple them?
 

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mellored

Legend
1: some monsters do. But go ahead and squeeze a lemon with a hammer, and then hit a lemon with a hammer. One will do more damage.
2: they upgraded it a bit in the playtest.
"Disadvantage on attack rolls against any target other than the grappler."
3: hold a lemon with hammer and try to hit it with another hamer. It's not easier.
Also you can grapple and then prone.
 


Zaukrie

New Publisher
1: some monsters do. But go ahead and squeeze a lemon with a hammer, and then hit a lemon with a hammer. One will do more damage.
2: they upgraded it a bit in the playtest.
"Disadvantage on attack rolls against any target other than the grappler."
3: hold a lemon with hammer and try to hit it with another hamer. It's not easier.
Also you can grapple and then prone.
I don't get how a hammer is like being bear hugged.....or squeezed by a snake....
 

Stormonu

Legend
Because 3E broke grappling in half. It became too easy to "pin" an opponent in an inescapable trap that did round to round damage (or effectively paralyzed the opponent so everything could wail on them). 5E went the opposite extreme and really made grapple a very ineffective strategy.

When I design monsters that have grapple abilities, I usually build into them the ability to automatically do damage with a bonus action (ala a squeeze, bite or whatever was used to start the grapple). Rather than give them an "automatic grapple on a hit", I usually build/change them so that if they beat the target's AC by 4 they can start the grapple for free.

"Pinning" opponents is a real problem that mucks with the action economy and subverts the normal combat cycle. It's extremely efficient to give up your own actions to prevent a more powerful enemy from taking theirs, and its even worse if you, as the pinner, can continue to take your own actions while preventing another from taking theirs - its the main reason that spells such as Hold Person and Ghoul paralysis allow saves each round. Giving this ability, with no cooldown, to PCs is troublesome, especially in the face of Solo enemies. It's a little easier to give it a rare monster or two as they usually only show up for a single fight and it becomes part of the combat puzzle for that single combat. It could be an interesting addition to a dragon fight (with it pinning a PC under a claw), but gets unfun quickly if its showing up in every fight.

The same could be done for PCs, but it should be done with extreme care. Monk stunning is problematic enough, if PCs can use grapple to shut down an opponent they can and will do it. I did make a feat for my game that (among other things related to unarmed combat) gave the ability to use a bonus action to deal Strength mod damage to an opponent they were grappling. It's nowhere as good as what monsters can do, but its something.

I do think that creatures grappling each other ought to have a bonus to hit each other - maybe a +4 to hit or possibly advantage (allowing the rogue to sneak attack in a grapple). I'd be EXTREMELY cautious about preventing opportunity attacks or disadvantage to hit other targets as PCs can easily build into that to make it impossible for most opponents to hit from there.
 

mellored

Legend
I don't get how a hammer is like being bear hugged.....or squeezed by a snake....
Like I said, some monsters do.

Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: (1d8 + 2) bludgeoning damage. The target is grappled (escape dc 14) Until this grapple ends, the creature is restrained, and the snake can't constrict another target.
 

Zaukrie

New Publisher
Because 3E broke grappling in half. It became too easy to "pin" an opponent in an inescapable trap that did round to round damage (or effectively paralyzed the opponent so everything could wail on them). 5E went the opposite extreme and really made grapple a very ineffective strategy.

When I design monsters that have grapple abilities, I usually build into them the ability to automatically do damage with a bonus action (ala a squeeze, bite or whatever was used to start the grapple). Rather than give them an "automatic grapple on a hit", I usually build/change them so that if they beat the target's AC by 4 they can start the grapple for free.

"Pinning" opponents is a real problem that mucks with the action economy and subverts the normal combat cycle. It's extremely efficient to give up your own actions to prevent a more powerful enemy from taking theirs, and its even worse if you, as the pinner, can continue to take your own actions while preventing another from taking theirs - its the main reason that spells such as Hold Person and Ghoul paralysis allow saves each round. Giving this ability, with no cooldown, to PCs is troublesome, especially in the face of Solo enemies. It's a little easier to give it a rare monster or two as they usually only show up for a single fight and it becomes part of the combat puzzle for that single combat. It could be an interesting addition to a dragon fight (with it pinning a PC under a claw), but gets unfun quickly if its showing up in every fight.

The same could be done for PCs, but it should be done with extreme care. Monk stunning is problematic enough, if PCs can use grapple to shut down an opponent they can and will do it. I did make a feat for my game that (among other things related to unarmed combat) gave the ability to use a bonus action to deal Strength mod damage to an opponent they were grappling. It's nowhere as good as what monsters can do, but its something.

I do think that creatures grappling each other ought to have a bonus to hit each other - maybe a +4 to hit or possibly advantage (allowing the rogue to sneak attack in a grapple). I'd be EXTREMELY cautious about preventing opportunity attacks or disadvantage to hit other targets as PCs can easily build into that to make it impossible for most opponents to hit from there.
this is helpful for my brain, thanks!
 


1. See @Stormonu 's excellent answer.
2. Because grapple does not mean that arms or weapons are restrained. In some cases it could, but its not assumed in the 5E rules because of #1. Think about a bear hug that encapsulates the arms vs a hold that only holds the chest, or legs, or head, or waist.
3. Because an attacker has to be careful not to hit the person being grappled. Grappled IRL does not mean the person can't move around and do things, it just means there is another creature holding onto them and restricting (not restraining) them.
 

mellored

Legend
For me, not all of you....if an owlbear is holding someone in its arms, it should squeeze them!
So the real question is why don't bears have restrained.

I guess the devs just don't think that bears regular hold things down when they eat, but you are welcome to add that to them.
 

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