Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Stalker0" data-source="post: 8215750" data-attributes="member: 5889">Grapple gets a bad rap in 5e because it seems so much simplier than in previous editions (which....it is, its one paragraph compared to like 3 pages of details).But if you read enough of the combat rules, you realize there are several very interesting things you can do with 5e grapple.PinningThere are no rules for pinning in 5e.....except there kind of is, its the shove rule.So any class with extra attack (or depending on DM interpretation could be done at 1st level with the TWF bonus action), can make a grapple check. Then...make a check to shove for prone.The trick is...a grappled creature has 0 speed, so they cannot stand from prone. In effect, you have them pinned. They can't move, all of their attacks are at disadvantage, and all melee attacks against them are at advantage. And they have to break the grapple to remove the condition. That is pretty darn solid.So you could treat any "wrestling" hold as a flavor description of this mechanic.Pick up and DropWhile there is no "throw" in the grapple rules (probably the one true missing mechanic), you can move a creature you have grappled at half speed....for free. No check, no nothing. You could move them over a pit and drop them off technically, move them into a blade barrier, etc etc.The Ease of GrapplingNow its true that compared to a grapple master in 3e, you can't make a character that shuts down spellcasting or prevents the guy with the big ass sword from attacking. But in compromise, it is so much easier to be a grapple master in 5e. All you need, is expertise in athletics. Be a rogue or take a feat, get proficiency in athletics, and have a high strength.And done. You are now a master of grappling. You don't have to worry about OAs, about weird funky mechanics. Just swing your superior athletics around and grapple to your hearts content. And frankly it is much easier to succeed at grappling in 5e. Very few monsters have actual proficiency in athletics let alone expertise. So a character with high strength and expertise in athletics has a much higher bonus than the vast majority of monsters it will fight.Further, unlike previously, grappling has a minimal penalty. In the old edition, pinning meant you had to take some penalties yourself, and grappling limited what weapons you yourself could use. In 5e that's a nonissue, all you need is a free hand. Otherwise you operate with no penalties, its the power of the old 3.5 -20 to grapple check rule....without the penalty!Two sessions ago, I had a 10th level character completely grapple dominate a balor (yes the CR 20 balor). He had a 20 strength and with expertise had a +8 athletics, for +13. The balor had a meer +7. The druid gave him enhance ability (strength), so with advantage on top it wasn't even a contest....he just grappled, proned the balor, and just moved it wherever he felt like it. It was awesome! Now the balor could (and did) use his teleport to get out of it, but the group had no issue with one character trading its actions for the balor while the rest of the party stomped on it.</blockquote>

Verification