More Reactions for All Creatures

by Leuku

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GRAB ON!
PATREON|LEUKUDND

Leuku's Expanded Reactions


Ever wish you had more uses for your reaction? Tired of tieflings, wizards, and battlemasters getting all of that reaction glory? Want some common sense reaction abilities that make sense for most any game?

Did you answer yes to one or more of these questions? Then Leuku's Expanded Reactions is the homebrew for you!

State of the Game

As the game currently stands, there is only one universal reaction that everyone has access to, the Opportunity Attack. Besides that, certain class features, feats, and spells can grant additional uses for your reaction. These include, but aren't limited to, the Battlemaster Fighter's Parry maneuver, the Defensive Duelist feat, and the shield spell.

However, I think there can be many more reactions accessible to all. In this document, you can find the following reactions:

  • Ledge Grab and its variants, which concern saving yourself and others from falling.
  • Get Back! and its variant, which concern pushing or pulling creatures out of the way of attacks and other harmful effects.
  • Catch! and its variants, which concern catching thrown and free-falling objects.

In addition, there are three new feats at the end of this document: Drakean Gymnast, Instinctive Protector, and Juggler.

Ledge Grab

At any time you may suddenly fall off a ledge. Maybe the ground gave way beneath you, an enemy shoved you over, or a powerful wind lifted you up and flung you overboard. Instinctively, you reach out for the closest object within your reach in the hopes that you can stop or slow your fall. This is called a ledge grab.

You can make a Ledge Grab anytime you are falling. To make a Ledge Grab, you use your reaction to grab an object within your reach. Make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check against a DC determined by your DM based on your target and the circumstances. On a success, you grapple the object, potentially halting or slowing your fall. Use the following Target Object table as a comparative benchmark for setting the Ledge Grab DC.

Target Object DC
Net 2
Rope 5
Tree Roots/Branches 8
Solid Ledge 10
Hanging Fabric 15
Thin Wire 20
Circumstance +DC
Low Velocity Forced Movement +0
Strong Winds +2
High Velocity Forced Movement +3
Strong Current +5

Grab On!

This is a variant of the Ledge Grab. Instead of targeting an object, you target a creature to grapple. You can use Grab On! when you're the falling creature or when another creature is falling within your reach. If the creature is willing and able, they can use their reaction to reciprocate your grapple. The grounded creature then has the choice to either fall with the falling creature or attempt a Strength saving throw to halt their fall.

The Strength saving throw DC to halt the fall depends on the falling creature's Size v. the grounded creature's Size as seen in the table below. On a failed saving throw, the grounded creature must choose to end the grapple or else fall with the falling creature. If the grounded creature is anchored in some way to the ground or another creature equal or greater in Size to the falling creature, the DC is reduced by 5 per anchor.

        Falling Creature's Size v.                   Grounded Creature's Size           DC              
2+ Sizes Smaller 0              
1 Size Smaller 5              
Same Size 10              
1 Size Larger 20              
2+ Sizes Larger 30              

If a target creature is helpless or willing but unable to use their reaction, then you can treat them like an object as under Ledge Grab. If you are the falling creature and they are the grounded creature, then on a successful check they are pulled over and fall with you unless they are anchored to the ground in some way.

You're Coming With Me!

A variant of Grab On!, when you are falling you target a creature that is hostile to you in the hopes of bringing them down with you. Make a contested grapple check against the creature, grappling them on a success. If they are grounded, they can then choose to make a Strength saving throw to halt your fall, using the same DCs under Grab On!. Otherwise, or on a failed save, they get pulled down to fall with you.

I've Got You!

The average distance a creature falls when freefalling within 1 round is 600 feet, so it is rare that any creature gets the opportunity to take any actions before they hit the ground. But on that rare occasion that you are falling while grappling another falling creature, and you have an action to spare, you may want to control who hits the ground first.

A falling creature grappling another falling creature can as an action attempt to become the top or the bottom. If the grappled creature is unwilling, make a contested grapple check against them. On a success, you choose to be either the top or the bottom. When the creatures hit the ground, the top halves any falling damage they take, and the bottom cannot take any kind of action to reduce the falling damage they take.

PATREON|LEUKUDND

Get Back!

When another creature within your reach is the target of something you can see, you can as a reaction attempt to shove them further from or closer to you. You automatically succeed if the creature is willing or helpless, but must make a contested shove attempt if the creature is unwilling.

On a success, you choose to push or pull them 5 feet further or closer to you into an unoccupied space adjacent to their original position. If you cannot pull them any closer to you, you can pull them into an unoccupied space adjacent to their original position that is no further from you.

If the creature you shoved was the target of a melee attack, and your shove moved them out of the attack's reach, then the attacker can choose a new target for their attack within their reach.

If they were the target of a ranged attack, and your shove moved them into a position that would grant them cover against the attack, then they gain the benefit of that cover against the attack.

Watch Out!

This is a variant of Get Back! in which you throw yourself into harm's way to protect another creature. When you use the Get Back! reaction and successfully shove a creature, you can choose to push or pull the creature an additional 5 feet. If you do so, you then move into the creature's original position as part of your reaction. If the creature was the target of an attack, you becomes its new target.

Catch!

Whenever a Tiny object is thrown within your reach, you can attempt to catch it as a reaction. This applies to both catching and intercepting thrown objects.

If an object is thrown towards you intended for you to catch, you can catch it without making a check if the object was thrown within 10 feet of you. Otherwise, the normal and long ranges of a thrown object equal the following:

Normal Range = 30 + thrower's Strength modifier x 10


Long Range = 3 x your Normal Range


You must succeed on a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check to catch it. You have disadvantage on your check if the object is thrown between the thrower's normal and long range.

Interception!

Any creature with sufficient reach between the thrower and the catcher can attempt to intercept the object before the catcher does. The intercepting creature must make the same DC 10 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check, but with disadvantage.

Throwing Style

The thrower can increase or decrease the DC by throwing the object in a particular style (See Throwing Style table). A throwing style cannot be applied to thrown weapon attacks.

Throwing Style +DC
Underhand -5
Overhand 0
Trick Throw* +5

A Trick Throw* is any kind of throw intended to make catching the object difficult, such as a fastball or curveball.

Throw Magician

A thrower proficient in Sleight of Hand can choose to either decrease the DC for the catcher by 5 or increase the DC for all interceptors by 5. A catcher proficient in Sleight of Hand can decrease the DC to catch the object by 5.

Catching a Thrown Weapon

Catching an object thrown as part of a thrown weapon attack is more difficult. The DC is 10 + the attacker's thrown weapon attack bonus for any thrown object or 15 + the attacker's thrown weapon attack bonus if the object has the thrown weapon property. Alternatively, the DC is 15 for any thrown object or 20 if the object has the thrown property.

On a failed check, the catcher is automatically hit by the attack, and a natural 1 on the check causes the attack to become a critical hit.

Catching a Free-falling Object

For free-falling objects of size Small and smaller, the catcher makes a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check against a DC determined by the DM. Please use the following Falling Object table as a comparative benchmark.

Falling Object DC
Net* 0
Stuffed Animal (size Small) 4
Ball (size Small) 6
Stuffed Animal (size Tiny) 8
Ball (size Tiny) 10
Falling Object DC
Unevenly-weighted (size Small) 12
Fragile (size Tiny) 14
Unevenly-weighted (size Tiny) 16
Fragile (size Small) 18
Piece of Paper 20

Net*. It's very easy to Catch! a thrown net, but only because any attempt to do so will end up with you caught in the net. Do so only when you wish to take someone's place in the net or just want to be in the net. You do you.

PATREON|LEUKUDND

Feats

Grasp the full potential of these new reactions with this set of three feats.

Drakean Gymnast

You've developed an impossible knack for saving yourself and others from falling by grabbing onto objects and creatures. You gain the following benefits:

  • You gain proficiency in Athletics or Acrobatics.
  • You have advantage on ability checks for Ledge Grab and Grab On!
  • When you are given the choice to make either a Ledge Grab or Grab On! check, you can instead do both as part of the same reaction.
  • When you successfully Ledge Grab or Grab On!, you can immediately pull yourself into an unoccupied space adjacent to your target as part of your reaction. If a target creature would need to make a saving throw to prevent themselves from being dragged down, you can choose for them to automatically succeed.

Instinctive Protector

Your sensitivity to danger and regard for your allies are honed to their upper limits. You gain the following benefits:

  • You can activate the Get Back! reaction even when you cannot see what is targeting the creature.
  • When you use the Get Back! reaction, you can push or pull the target creature an additional 5 feet.
  • When you roll initiative, you can use Get Back! even when you are surprised.
  • You have resistance to damage taken as a result of using the Watch Out! variant of Get Back!

Juggler

Prerequisites: Dexterity 13
Objects dance across your fingers like leaves in the wind. You gain the following benefits.

  • You gain proficiency in Sleight of Hand.
  • You can draw an object as part of the action of throwing it.
  • You have advantage on checks to catch Tiny objects thrown to you within the thrower's normal range and do not suffer disadvantage within the thrower's long range.
  • You do not suffer disadvantage on checks to intercept a thrown object and thrown weapon.
  • If you successfully catch a thrown weapon, you can as part of the same reaction make a thrown weapon attack using the weapon you caught.

Cover Art

Aid the Fallen by Sara Winters
Fallen Shinobi by Tomasz Jedruszek
 

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