D&D 5E Grappling & engulfing - how do they work in 5e?

[Zander]

I need some help with the 5e rules about grappling and engulfing, specifically in relation to shambling mounds.

Is it...

A) the shambler makes two slam attacks on the same target and, if they both hit, the target is grappled but gets to break free on its go with a DC14 check or, if unsuccessful, is engulfed by the shambler on the shambler's next go

or

B) the shambler makes two slam attacks on the same target, and if they both hit, the target is immediately engulfed?

Also, assuming the target is engulfed, can it try to break free as its action and does that work like getting out of a grapple, i.e. an Acrobatics (Dex) or Athletics (Str) check?

Can an engulfed target attack the shambler from the inside as the target's action?


Apologies if this should have been posted somewhere else. If it should, can a kindly mod please move it?

 

[iserith]

It's B.

Yes, it can try to break free as its action as with a grapple. It can also attack the shambling mound from within; however, remember that the creature is blinded and restrained which imparts disadvantage to attack rolls.

 

[Zander]

Thanks, iserith.

My DM used B as well but didn't allow attempts to break free. According to him, the only way out of a shambler's engulf is to kill it from the inside (or the outside if you have companions). It's his prerogative to run the monster however he wants of course, but I suspect his intention was to run it per the MM. He just misinterpreted what it said, making a CR5 monster quite a bit tougher than the RAW.

 

[machineelf]

Maybe the DM got it confused with the swallowed "condition" (or state, or whatever). I could be wrong, but I believe that if a creature swallows you, you can't escape via a strength check to break free.

 

[Sunseeker]

Maybe the DM got it confused with the swallowed condition. I believe, I could be wrong, that if a creature swallows you, you can't escape via a strength check to break free.

This was my understanding of it too. You can't simply Hulk your way out of the bowels of the beast. I also thought the "restrained" condition prevented attacking, which makes sense if you get EATEN by a monster. EDIT: my mistake, being grappled imparts the 'incapacitated' condition as well, which prevents attacking.

 

[Rlyehable]

This was my understanding of it too. You can't simply Hulk your way out of the bowels of the beast. I also thought the "restrained" condition prevented attacking, which makes sense if you get EATEN by a monster. EDIT: my mistake, being grappled imparts the 'incapacitated' condition as well, which prevents attacking.

Does the monster apply 'incapacitated' on a grapple? If so it is a special rule of the monster. The Grapple condition does not apply incapacitated. Nor does the Restrained condition. Paralyzed, Petrified, Stunned, and Unconscious are the only conditions that apply incapacitated.

 

[Sunseeker]

Does the monster apply 'incapacitated' on a grapple? If so it is a special rule of the monster. The Grapple condition does not apply incapacitated. Nor does the Restrained condition. Paralyzed, Petrified, Stunned, and Unconscious are the only conditions that apply incapacitated.

Oh you're right, I read it backwards. The grapple can be ended by incapacitating the grappler.

 

[iserith]

Thanks, iserith.

My DM used B as well but didn't allow attempts to break free. According to him, the only way out of a shambler's engulf is to kill it from the inside (or the outside if you have companions). It's his prerogative to run the monster however he wants of course, but I suspect his intention was to run it per the MM. He just misinterpreted what it said, making a CR5 monster quite a bit tougher than the RAW.

The basic conditions applied to a character that has been engulfed by a shambling mound are grappled, blinded, restrained. This would imply to me that you can try to break free of the grapple by the standard means. The monster itself is a walking compost pile which would indicate it's something out of which you can burst if you win the contest.

 

[Zander]

The basic conditions applied to a character that has been engulfed by a shambling mound are grappled, blinded, restrained. This would imply to me that you can try to break free of the grapple by the standard means.

Yes, me too. Why else would the shambler's entry include a DC to escape if you couldn't try it? At some point either after the initial attacks (interpretation A) or once you're engulfed (B), you must be allowed to try and break free. I very much doubt the authors of the MM meant it so that once a creature is hit twice in a round by a shambler, it's engulfed with no chance of escape.

 

[Guava7]

So I could try to:

a) break the grapple (DC 14) to escape the engulf on my turn (after rolling a DC 14 Constitution check at the start of the turn to avoid further bludgeoning damage)
b) cause enough damage to the shambling mound to kill it

how about cast Misty Step? (Lvl 5 Paladin) - will this not work because I'm blinded?

Misty Step
Conjuration

Level: 2
Casting time: 1 Bonus Action
Range: Self
Components: V
Duration: Instantaneous
Briefly surrounded by silvery mist, you teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space that you can see.