D&D 5E Sage Advice August 17th

[FormerlyHemlock]

How is that inconsistent when it states a Grapple or Shove can replace a melee attack? Readying an Attack action is readying a melee attack. Why wouldn't you be able to make it a Grapple or Shove by RAW?

I'm AFB, but my memory tells me that the PHB says you can replace try Grapple or Shove when you take the Attack action on your turn. It's the exact same language used for Extra Attack. What's good for the goose is good for the gander--if you can't Extra Attack via Ready, you shouldn't be able to Grapple/Shove either. Conversely, if you can ready a Grapple/Shove, you ought to be able to benefit from Extra Attack on a readied attack.

 

[Paraxis]

I'm AFB, but my memory tells me that the PHB says you can replace try Grapple or Shove when you take the Attack action on your turn. It's the exact same language used for Extra Attack. What's good for the goose is good for the gander--if you can't Extra Attack via Ready, you shouldn't be able to Grapple/Shove either. Conversely, if you can ready a Grapple/Shove, you ought to be able to benefit from Extra Attack on a readied attack.

It doesn't say that at all.

There is no "on your turn" wording under either shove or grapple.

 

[Ristamar]

I'm AFB, but my memory tells me that the PHB says you can replace try Grapple or Shove when you take the Attack action on your turn. It's the exact same language used for Extra Attack. What's good for the goose is good for the gander--if you can't Extra Attack via Ready, you shouldn't be able to Grapple/Shove either. Conversely, if you can ready a Grapple/Shove, you ought to be able to benefit from Extra Attack on a readied attack.

Not quite. You can Ready an Attack action, but the wording in Extra Attack is specific to your turn, so the same rules still apply and you can substitute a Grapple/Shove for the single Attack.

EDIT: Paraxis beat me to the punch by a mile...

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

It doesn't say that at all.

There is no "on your turn" wording under either shove or grapple.

I must be misremembering then. Paradox averted.

 

[Saeviomagy]

Paladins are not invincible. My concerns with their power is the breadth of it. They can deal with a wide variety of situations no other martial can come close matching.

Even if your paladin was literally invincible, is he capable of carrying out the party's goals on his own?

The concerns you've detailed in this thread have been heavily focused on the durability of plate wearers. I'd also suggest that arcane tricksters and eldritch knights exhibit similar breadth.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

The concerns you've detailed in this thread have been heavily focused on the durability of plate wearers. I'd also suggest that arcane tricksters and eldritch knights exhibit similar breadth.

Likewise, a conjuror who stays at home and while sending his bound elementals out with the party using Scrying and/or Project Image is invulnerable to pretty much everything. Invulnerability is not an "I Win" button.

 

[Celtavian]

Even if your paladin was literally invincible, is he capable of carrying out the party's goals on his own?

The concerns you've detailed in this thread have been heavily focused on the durability of plate wearers. I'd also suggest that arcane tricksters and eldritch knights exhibit similar breadth.

A group of paladins could probably do it. No, the paladin isn't capable of carrying out the party goals on his own. The Arcane Trickster and Eldritch Knight can't heal themselves, don't have the Protection Aura save bonus, and don't have abilities that make them immune to powerful effects. They can't remove those effects on others either like the paladin. Paladin can do a lot.

 

[Sadras]

Hmmmm. If the average is 2000 daily calories, that would be 80,000 calories. You would probably die from trying to stuff many calories in your system.

People keep referring to excess calories which is a misdirection by the food companies and government - it is the fructose one needs to worry about, especially since goodberry would be a fruit.

 

[Charles Rampant]

My party is at fifth level. They don't have plate mail, let alone magical platemail.

Regardless, it seems to me that you have problems expressing your issue simply because it isn't an issue for most people. Sure, the Paladin doesn't get hit a lot. Sure, the other PCs get injured easily. Well, uh, yeah. That is the point of playing a squishy class. If you find that the monsters do so much damage as to instantly wipe out other PCs, then I suggest that you stop using such powerful monsters. I've repeatedly attacked the squishy members in my game with various monsters, and while they have often gone down as a result, nobody seemed to think that this was outside of expectations. Just as the tank not taking much damage was also not outside of expectations. Why is this situation outside of your expectations? You keep restating the same point, without really explaining why you find this situation so surprising or problematic.

 

[Celtavian]

My party is at fifth level. They don't have plate mail, let alone magical platemail.

Regardless, it seems to me that you have problems expressing your issue simply because it isn't an issue for most people. Sure, the Paladin doesn't get hit a lot. Sure, the other PCs get injured easily. Well, uh, yeah. That is the point of playing a squishy class. If you find that the monsters do so much damage as to instantly wipe out other PCs, then I suggest that you stop using such powerful monsters. I've repeatedly attacked the squishy members in my game with various monsters, and while they have often gone down as a result, nobody seemed to think that this was outside of expectations. Just as the tank not taking much damage was also not outside of expectations. Why is this situation outside of your expectations? You keep restating the same point, without really explaining why you find this situation so surprising or problematic.

I find it surprising and problematic because it did not work the same way in previous editions of D&D. It makes encounter design a bit tricky. I'll figure out a sweet spot to ensure I don't kill the party and still provide a challenge. Right now things are way too easy. Better to amp up the difficulty slowly than kill the party. 5E is a bit too easy a game I'm finding. Everything dies easily. Optimizing isn't hard. Parties do a ton of damage quickly with Bounded Accuracy. Hit points aren't at all built to withstand the damage or seriously threaten the PCs. It's way too easy to defeat the capabilities of a monster.

Last night I threw a hydra at a party of 6th level PCs. They destroyed it. I boosted its hit points 150%. It was very easy to kill the heads and apply fire damage to prevent it from regenerating. They also fought two treants with four animated trees. They beat that easily as well. Fire damage very easy to come by. Even with damage resistance, two treants couldn't dish enough damage to seriously threaten the PCs. Minimal resources expended to kill them. It's so easy to beat regeneration in 5E that it is a mostly useless ability.

I wonder if the intent was such an easy game. I'm going to have to figure out how to rectify that. I don't like a super easy game.